What to do now?

The following suggestions are provided by the www.stopecg.org website as well as some of our local victims. When communicating with any of the contacts please be polite and factual. Remember that we are asking for their help, not blaming them for the problem.
  • Put a link on your website to www.stopwbd.za.org.
    This will raise the 'pagerank' in a google search enabling other people to find the site more easily and hopefully preventing them from falling for the scam in the first place.

  • Send an email to the High Commission of the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland in Pretoria at media.pretoria@fco.gov.uk. This is at the suggestion of our own Department of Trade & Industry.

  • Send an email to the 419scam@saps.org.za. This is a suggestion from the High Commission of the United Kingdom of Great Britian & Ireland in their reply to one of our members.

  • [Looks like they've changed their bank account. Check your reminder and only send this letter if the bank account details are the same]
    Write a letter to Barclays Bank, after all they are responsible for receiving the money on behalf of WBD. All the documents received so far have the following account details:
    EU Business Services Ltd, NEVIS
    Barclays Bank, Isle of Man
    SWIFT CODE: BARCGB22
    ACC NO: IBAN GB76BARC20267410107859

    You can write a letter to:
    International Personal Banking
    PO Box 213
    Eagle Court
    25 Circular Road
    Douglas
    Isle Of Man IM99 1 RH
    UK

    In the letters please note that:
    1) There is harm done by association of the Barclays name with this scam
    2) Should the actions of WBD be deemed criminal in the future Barclays may share liability.
    3) Ask the bank to close the account forthwith.

    Don't forget to quote the bank account number on your correspondence and include any correspondence with EU Business Services Ltd. If you have any banking details that are different to the above please let us know.

    Also, ABSA Bank is now part of the Barclays group. You can send an email to forensics419@absa.co.za asking them for assistance.

  • Go to the Carte Blanche website at www.carteblanche.co.za and submit your story.

  • Contact the Advertising Standards Authority of South Africa and submit an e-complaint

  • Contact the UK Office Of Fair Trading. Point out that WBD is trading from a UK address and ask them to investigate:
    Office of Fair Trading
    Fleetbank House,
    2-6 Salisbury Square,
    London,
    EC4Y 8JX,
    UK
    enquiries@oft.gsi.gov.uk

  • Ministerial Correspondence Unit
    Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform,
    1 Victoria Street,
    London,
    SW1H 0ET,
    UK
    enquiries@berr.gsi.gov.uk

  • Send a letter to the UK Advertising Standards Authority:
    Advertising Standards Authority,
    Mid City Place,
    71 High Holborn,
    London,
    WC1V 6QT,
    UK
    enquiries@asa.org.uk

  • If you have received your collection letter contact the European Commission (The collection agency is apparently based in Netherlands):
    Meglena Kuneva
    EUROPEAN COMMISSION
    DG Health and Consumer Protection
    B-1049 BRUSSELS
    Belgium

  • I use McAfee SiteAdvisor. It is a small download that you add to Internet Explorer or Firefox that gives a colour (Green, Yellow, Orange, Red) indication of a website. It even shows up in a google search before you click on a search link. Bother is that world-businessdirectory.com shows up green just because nobody has commented.

    Go to the site details for world-businessdirectory.com. You have to register as a reviewer. Doesn't take long. You HAVE to do the review with Internet Explorer. When I tried to submit a review with Firefox it kept losing my logon before I could do the review.

  • Join one (or all three) of the recommended forums. By joining the forums you will receive the latest information and advice as well as different perspectives from other people in the same boat as yourself.

  • Look at the information on the following websites:
    www.stopecg.org
    www.stopecg.org/eu_company_directory.htm
    www.stopecg.org/world_business_directory.htm

Where you have taken the trouble to send a letter please scan it and email a copy to stopscamguides@yahoo.co.uk for their records.

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