School Books Scam

The school books scam has been around for years and seems to be making a comeback.

The scam starts when you receive a phone call from someone “thanking you” for supporting their cause and “agreeing” to advertise in a school booklet that will be distributed through local schools “of your choice”.

They claim you agreed to advertise and support them some months ago and the booklets “are now ready”.

This is of course a scam and they are lying to you, simply tell them you dont ever recall agreeing to this and that you are not interested. If they threaten legal action (very rare they normally just put the phone down) let them take you – every case we have ever heard of from visitors to this website has been thrown out of court.

Core Media Concepts (post from our old forum)

Scam Targeting Alternative Therapists & Practitioners

About 18 months ago a company called AdPlaz TV, based in Blackpool, were phoning alternative therapists up across the country selling advertising space on Plasma TV systems being installed in local hospitals. The rates were good and in theory you had a captive audience outside outpatients or in A&E. It was a con, there were no Plasma screens and eventually the company went into liquidation and stopped trading…having made thousands on selling advertising that was never going to be.

I admit, I was conned and lost £600.00, but had to put it down to experience.

Then some 8 months ago I was phoned by a company with the same selling techniques from Blackpool again, claiming to sell advertising on the back of appointment cards for the local Dr’s Surgery. Having been once bitten and still smarting from the TV escapade I declined. When I thought about it in slow time, I realised the likely hood of a GPs surgery allowing a Hypnotherapist to advertise on their appointment cards was unlikely as it would appear to be endorsing the therapist and they didn’t even know me. So I checked….no such cards were being printed. Course I was now cross cos I couldn’t remember the name of the company to report them.

Then last week I had a call from a woman with a Blackpool accent claiming to be phoning from Ascot Medical Centre and offering cheap advertising on Plasma TV screens….I was driving so couldn’t write anything down, but I challenged her about who the parent company was she hung up. I phoned Ascot Medical Centre who are not having any such TVs installed.

It is quite clear this is the same company reformed, they are going round using yellow pages and hitting time and time again.

So:

A: we need to warn as many as possible not to get caught up in it

B: If anyone does get a similar call if they can try and gently get the company name and details (the phone always comes through as an anonymous call) and gets the details to the local police, and try and get this charade stopped once and for all.

Any information that can be gleaned can and should be passed to the local police who will treat it as fraud.

Sue