The Better Business Bureau issued an alert involving a knock-off version of the Yellow Pages. The BBB says the company goes by several names, including Yellow Page Directories or Yellow Pages Online Services. Both are ran by Ad TelAmerica.

Hundreds of people nationwide say they’ve been scammed by this company, including a Crossville business owner.

When Scott Campbell opened a shop called Vapirie in April, he wanted all the advertisement he could get.

“I received a letter in the mail and it asked me to sign up to Yellow Page Directories, and I thought it was the real Yellow Pages. Signed it, sent it back to them,” Campbell said.

He thought it was free advertising with yellowpages.com, but it wasn’t.

“I now owe them $327. My first bill was $298,” Campbell said.

With late fees piling up, and the threat of being reported to a collection agency, Campbell says he has no choice but to pay the bill for a service he didn’t get.

“If they’re able to scam that many more people, it’s just ridiculous, and I’d hate for anybody else to get involved, especially a new business that’s excited to be out there.”

“This is not the first time this has happened. Yellow Page has been trademarked for a long time and people use it, but that’s not really who they are,” said Jeanie Hoskins with the BBB.

Hoskins says the company responds to the complaints with the same answer.

“Their answer back to all of the complaints so far is you should have read the print.”
The company says they run the website ypedia.com, and it’s not a scam. The website advertises as the “Yellow Pages for the Digital Age.” They have more than 260 complaints with the BBB, and an F rating.

The BBB says to be sure to read the fine print before signing up for anything, especially if it says it’s free. They also say if this happens to you to report it to the BBB and the Federal Trade Commission.