11.06.2014

Another scam

We recently received a letter from the ‘UK Corporate Portal’ suggesting that you need to register your VAT number as part of a new European regulation.

The entire thing is an almost identical scam to those under the Fair Guide, Expo Guide or EU Business Register names, and which look like they are orchestrated by the same crooks. Different versions are apparently submitted in various EU countries so do be alert to them.

This latest letter, which has been circulating for over a year now, says “As part of the changes to the EU economic package, obligating all companies to provide their VAT Registration Number on various documents since 2010, we as a publisher of leading internet portals are required to update our database.” This is absolute twaddle and the term EU economic package ought to give the game away, although in a busy office these things are often not read properly, and the form looks straight forward enough not to require reading.
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The letter

The second page of the letter is an official looking form asking you to check and enter your data, if you then sign the document you are committing the company to paying £797 a year for at least three years with the possibility of increases - so at least £2,391!

If you read the small print it does make this all clear, this is exactly the same as with the Fair Guide and follows court rulings voiding their earlier letters.

The current company behind this scam is Tvv tele verzeichnis Verlag Gmbh, which claims to be domiciled in Hamburg. The fact is that this company’s only business consists of scams such as this. A number European associations organisations and trading standards agencies, have issued warnings against this and similar scams, including the UK’s HMRC – given that this latest effort mimics its VAT letters.
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The form

The EU is said to be considering formal action against these people, and any attempt by them to demand payment is seen as a form of extortion and as such not legally binding.

For more information on the Fair Guide simply put Fair Guide in the search box on this website – we have been issuing warnings about this people for more than 10 years.