Fined and convicted – Amanda Stichbury & Special Days Pty Ltd false billing scam

Comments

29 responses to “Fined and convicted – Amanda Stichbury & Special Days Pty Ltd false billing scam”

1. 

   Sally Larsen

   21 December 2015

   despite being fined they are still sending out unsolicited invoices – I received one today. Who should I complain to?

   Reply
   1. 

      Travel Victoria management team

      21 December 2015

      Hi Sally,

      Thanks for letting us know that Amanda Stichbury and her company Special Days Pty Ltd are still sending out those unsolicited bills for advertising that was never ordered.

      Particularly with everyone so busy in the lead up to Christmas, it is possible that unsuspecting businesses will just pay them without much thought in order to get them out of the way during this crazy time of year.

      And yes, you are right – it seems that being fined and being convicted has not had any impact upon their operations. After all, they probably send out many thousands of these bills out on a regular basis. The revenue from just a few will easily cover their $20,000 fine. Meanwhile hard working small business owners, some struggling to make ends meet, are unwittingly being duped.

      We have received many accounts from business owners who have been caught in this false billing scam.

      One motel owner in Gippsland recounted to us how she recently took over the business, and simply paid the bill from Amanda Stichbury and Special Days Pty Ltd, assuming that the previous owner had a long term advertising arrangement going, which was later discovered not to be the case. Then 6 months after blindly paying the first bill, the new owner received yet another “annual” bill for the same service.

      Another motel owner in Mildura told us how the more she kept paying these advertising bills, the more kept arriving each year, all with very similar names. It got so confusing, she could not recall which ones she signed up for, and which ones were part of a false billing scam.

      It’s also not just about the money. Businesses receiving these unsolicited bills waste time dealing with them – time that could have been better spent taking care of their guests or attending to property maintenance.

      One of the problems here is that many of these unsolicited bills are directed to small business owners who simply don’t have the time, finances or knowledge to pursue Amanda Stichbury and Special Days Pty Ltd through the legal system. The main reason she was convicted and fined was because one of her bills ended up being sent to the Griffith University EcoCentre in Brisbane. Universities usually have their own legal team and finances to match and they quickly saw through the false billing scam being perpetrated and took it to court.

      Obviously small business owners are not going to go to such lengths, particularly as it’s much easier to just toss the $99 bill in the bin. However, we encourage all business owners to report this scam to ACCC via their ScamWatch website at:

      https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam

      Ensure you select the option “False billing” under “Buying & Selling” to classify the type of scam.

      You will also be able to upload a copy of your “false” bill.

      You are welcome to email us a copy of your “bill” too – we can publish it here for you, removing your personal identifying information. That way if someone receives one of those in the mail, they might be able to recognise it.

      Reply
2. 

   John Cranston

   24 March 2016

   Have just checked the website – about to send an email & pay the account.
   Almostr all the information listed re our Motel is untrue & incorrect.

   Reply
3. 

   Travel Victoria management team

   24 March 2016

   Unfortunately that’s always a problem with those websites that create unauthorised accommodation listings and then send bills out for those unsolicited services. The information is created, often through automated means, and it may get quickly out of date, particularly when it comes to email addresses, accommodation facilities, tariffs and photos. This can then cause problems for the accommodation owner and potential guests.

   Reply
4. 

   Jan Bell

   24 March 2016

   Our micro-business recently received another of these accounts, this time via email and not the usual letter-box delivery. I recognised it was probably the same scam that had been sent to us for years. Fortunately I had the gut-feeling ‘if it doesn’t feel right, don’t pay it’ and I have the good team from a major website provider to thank for this alert.

   Reply
   1. 

      Travel Victoria management team

      24 March 2016

      Thanks for sharing your experience with us of receiving unauthorised bills for advertising on the Victoria Tourism website, as run by Accommodation Find Pty Ltd.

      Victoria’s official government tourism organisation is “Tourism Victoria”. What a coincidence that Accommodation Find Pty Ltd is running a website with those exact words swapped around – i.e. “Victoria Tourism”. No doubt very confusing for business owners who are trying to work out exactly who they are dealing with.

      As you mentioned, it now appears that the perpetrators of these false billing scams have switched to sending “bills” via email rather than through the postal service. Obviously a lot cheaper and quicker for them, as they can send many thousands out within a very short time.

      This is certainly a timely reminder for all businesses to check any bills they receive to ensure they are paying for something they have actually ordered and authorised. If in doubt, use Google to search for things like the ABN number, phone number or website name which is listed on the bill. You may be surprised what interesting stuff turns up when you do that!

      Reply
      1. 

         Jan Bell

         24 March 2016

         I suggest that tourism and other operators check every inbox message to make sure it is OK. I realise that there are heaps of busy operators out there, but at least try to pay attention to unfamiliar/uncomfortable messages.

         Reply
5. 

   Jennifer Garden

   31 March 2016

   Hi there,
   Thanks for reporting on this scam- I was suspicious when I tried to find out more on the web about “HowLocal”, who billed St John’s Schoolhouse Museum in Canberra $149 on 11th March 2016, for advertising we had not requested. Clearly the page they included in the bill had been copied from a legitimate site, although it was impossible to read the tiny print. I couldn’t open up anything on the internet, and their phone number also failed to respond, At this point I entered the trading name of “Specialdays” and bingo, up came your report!
   Thank-you so much for helping a small museum staffed by volunteers, operating on a small budget.
   Regards, Jennifer Garden

   Reply
   1. 

      Travel Victoria management team

      31 March 2016

      Hi Jennifer,

      Thanks for taking the time to let us know about your experience with Special Days Pty Ltd and the “bill” you received from one of their many websites, howlocal.com.

      The process they appear to be following for howlocal.com is similar to how they operate many of their other websites. That is, they create huge numbers of unauthorised listings, and then they attempt to bill businesses or owners accordingly, despite the fact they never ordered the advertising to begin with. And that’s exactly the process you have described which Special Days Pty Ltd / How Local has followed in trying to get your small museum in Canberra to pay for advertising that was never ordered.

      The howlocal.com website makes these claims:

      • 4,152,263 listings submitted
      • How did my listing get on this website? You would have been contacted by one of our representatives either by phone or email or you may have claimed your listing online.

      Clearly that is not the case with your museum, and we suspect it is also not the case with the other 4 million plus businesses they claim to have an advertising relationship with.

      We are aware of many false billing scams that have been orchestrated by Special Days Pty Ltd, Internet Find Pty Ltd and Accommodation Find Pty Ltd, targeting accommodation providers throughout Australia. What is particularly sad to hear is that these unauthorised bills are now targeting small, community organisations like your museum.

      Your museum is supported by devoted and hard working volunteers, and the generous donations by people who visit the museum. No doubt those people making all those contributions would be very unhappy to learn that there are businesses out there willing to stoop so low as to try and take money from your museum in such an unethical way.

      Congratulations on using Google to investigate further about the origin of the bill you received, and sure enough you discovered pretty quickly it was a false billing scam. Now if everyone who received one of those bills did the same, the organisation behind these false billing scams would quickly go out of business.

      We urge you to report the scam to the ACCC via their online reporting page at:

      https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam

      Select “false billing” as the scam type and upload a copy of your “bill”.

      You are also welcome to email us a copy of the bill you received, so we can add it to the collection we have.

      Reply
      1. 

         Cindy

         30 July 2017

         I too have recently received an “invoice” from howlocal.com. It took me quite a while to find the words “This is not a bill” as they have lumped it together with a description of the the website.

         On face value it looks like an invoice. It includes the words “invoice no” and “due date”

         I have followed your advice and reported the scam.

         Reply
         1. 

            Travel Victoria management team

            30 July 2017

            Hi Cindy,

            Thanks for your comment about receiving an invoice from the howlocal.com website, which is one of many websites published by Internet Find Pty Ltd and Special Days Pty Ltd.

            We are not sure if you are aware, but in January this year, the director of those websites and companies, Amanda Stichbury, was fined a further $50,000 by the Southport Magistrates Court after a lengthy investigation by the Office of Fair Trading. See the report at https://blog.travelvictoria.com.au/2017/03/09/queensland-fraudster-amanda-stichbury-fined-yet-again/. We would be interested to know if the invoice you received is dated prior to or after the January 2017 court proceedings.

            In January 2017, the Office of Fair Trading described Amanda Stichbury’s business activities as being “based almost entirely on deception” and also that they “preyed upon time-poor businesses“. Despite the court noting that Amanda Stichbury “did not appear apologetic”, she still pleaded guilty to a total of 166 charges, which we suspect is just the tip of the iceberg based on the number of reports and complaints that have been surfaced about her activities.

            You are welcome to send us a copy of the “invoice” you received, so we can publish it here to help others if they receive a similar one.

            Reply
6. 

   Jan Bell

   1 April 2016

   Jennifer, I’m glad that you noticed the dodgy invoice. It pays to be very careful with all mail and check all details. Best wishes for the continued success of your museum!

   Reply
7. 

   Kim McGuire

   9 June 2016

   This is still happening. I received an invoice from them today for Preschool advertising that was not requested, having ignored several previous ones

   Reply
   1. 

      Travel Victoria management team

      9 June 2016

      Hi Kim,

      Thanks for letting us know that Amanda Stichbury and her companies (Special Days, Accommodation Find, Internet Find Pty Ltd) are still sending out invoices to businesses for advertising they never ordered. It appears the fine and conviction they copped has not resulted in them changing the way they operate.

      In the past, these unauthorised invoices have been sent to accommodation properties, churches, mechanics, childcare centres, tourist attractions and universities. It looks like these false billing scams are targeting pre-school centres at the moment, so we appreciate your heads up on this.

      If you still have a copy of the invoice you were sent, please feel free to email it to us and we can publish it here (with your personal details removed) so that other people who receive something similar can see what it’s all about.

      We encourage you to report the incident to the ACCC’s ScamWatch department at:

      https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam

      Specify the scam type as “false billing” which is under the “buying & selling” section.

      Reply
8. 

   Terry and Penny Boyle

   25 July 2016

   Regretfully, we are also still receiving invoices from these people. We recently received two identical invoices for $95.00 dated 5 July 2016. We previously wrote to them on the 23 December 2015, advising them that we were aware that their-then claim for moneys was a scam, but they have not heeded our request to be removed from their mailing lists. We did, however, check today to see if they had listed us on their website, but there was no listing, despite the more recent claims for payment. We note the advice to send a copy of the invoices to Scamwatch, which we will gladly do now. I will also try to forward a copy to Travel Victoria. They truly need to be shut down once and for all.

   Reply
   1. 

      Travel Victoria management team

      25 July 2016

      Hi Terry & Penny,

      Thanks for your comment.

      It is certainly disappointing to hear that Special Days Pty Ltd, Accommodation Find Pty and Internet Find Pty Ltd are still conducting the unethical practise of sending out bills to accommodation providers for advertising which has not been ordered.

      It is particularly worrying in your case because you have advised them to stop sending unsolicited bills, yet they are still coming – in duplicate! This is something that ScamWatch and the ACCC would be particularly interested in.

      Even more serious is that you mentioned the listing that you have been “billed” for simply does not exist.

      We are really pleased that you have identified the “invoice” you have received as being an unsolicited bill for something that was not authorised – it’s what the ACCC classify as a typical “false billing scam”.

      What we have seen happen with some people, which is really disappointing, is when someone new takes over a business and all these unsolicited bills arrive. The poor new owners may simply assume the bills are for an ongoing business relationship the previous owners had and that those bills need to be paid. However, mixed in with those false billing scam invoices are legitimate advertising bills, making it rather overwhelming for new owners to work out what is real and what is not.

      Spread the word about these scams. Sometimes general awareness by others is the only way these things may eventually get stopped.

      Reply
      1. 

         Terry and Penny Boyle

         25 July 2016

         Thank you for your speedy reply. We agree fully with your comments and confirm that we have advised ScamWatch of the details. Hopefully, more business owners will become aware of all these scammers and fewer will be caught. Unfortunately, they seem to devote a great deal of time and effort to get hold of the rewards of honest business people’s efforts.

         Reply
9. 

   Dale

   13 October 2016

   This person is at it again. I received an email account of $2800.00 for unknown services.

   Reply
10. 

    Rick

    23 November 2016

    She now has http://www.dentistfind.com.au and is trying to get all the dentists to pay her $99.00 to advertise on her site

    Reply
    1. 

       Travel Victoria management team

       23 November 2016

       Hi Rick,

       Thanks for bringing to our attention about the fact that Special Days Pty Ltd / Internet Find Pty Ltd have also extended their business to cover dentists.

       Unsolicited or false billing scams are a serious issue for businesses, particularly when those invoices or letters can be confused with originating from regulating or professional bodies. In those cases, they can be mistakenly paid either because they are perceived to be compulsory, or they are a renewal of an existing licensing arrangement.

       In the past, Special Days Pty Ltd and Internet Find Pty Ltd have sent out unsolicited letters or emails to businesses which resemble invoices. We would be particularly interested to see the documentation that they are sending to dentists. Feel free to email us a copy.

       In the meantime, we encourage you to report the incident to the ACCC’s ScamWatch department at:

       https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam

       Specify the scam type as “false billing” which is under the “buying & selling” section.

       Reply
11. 

    Jeff

    25 November 2017

    Looks like they are still at it. Got an invoice from ‘Hotel Find’ yesterday for, you guessed it, $99.00.

    Reply
    1. 

       Travel Victoria management team

       25 November 2017

       Hi Jeff,
       It’s disappointing to hear that the false billing scam by Special Days Pty Ltd is still continuing with their new website hotelfind.com.au. Please lodge a complaint to Fair Trading in Queensland at:
       http://www.fairtrading.qld.gov.au/lodge-your-complaint
       They would be quite interested, given they have already prosecuted Amanda Stichbury and her companies in court previously. Also, please email us a copy of the invoice – send it to info AT travelvictoria.com.au.

       Reply
12. 

    Rosemarie Hoelzer

    15 February 2018

    Amanda is certainly still at it. Under the new website called “tourismguide.com.au”. My business was listed there in detail with pics and google maps without my consent. I received an email saying that my listing is due to expire and that I should renew it. So far no demand on any payment yet. Luckily I researched and found that the domain tourismguide.com.au is registered by Special Days with Amanda’s ABN and email address. That info brought me to this place.
    When will they be dealt with for good?

    Reply
    1. 

       Travel Victoria management team

       15 February 2018

       Hi Rosemarie,

       Thanks for letting us know about Amanda Stichbury’s latest venture – tourismguide.com.au – which she calls “Australian Tourism Guide”.

       It is quite fascinating that tourismguide.com.au is a website that is only a few months old, yet you are being told that your listing (which you never set up in the first place) is about to expire.

       We will be fascinated to know whether a bill is sent to you after you enquire about the renewal.

       The tourismguide.com.au website doesn’t specify whether listings are free or not. However, because there is a section about payment options as the bottom of their home page, which lists Visa, Mastercard, American Express and PayPal, you could reasonably assume this website is not a community service being run on a free basis.

       Of course we must consider the history of Amanda Stichbury and Specialdays (Special Days Pty Ltd – ABN 37086159211) – a company and a director that has been fined and convicted in court over multiple cases of breaching consumer law. This first occurred in 2014 and then again last year with a $50,000 fine – see https://blog.travelvictoria.com.au/2017/03/09/queensland-fraudster-amanda-stichbury-fined-yet-again/ for more details. The Office of Fair Trading in Queensland (where Amanda is based) was very scathing of her business activities after her second stint before the magistrate, declaring that her business model was “based almost entirely on deception” and it “preyed upon time-poor businesses“.

       Keep us up to date with whether you are served a notice for payment. It is reports like yours that help spread the word about false billing scams. We have no doubt that the many reports that have been posted around the internet about Amanda Stichbury and her business operations have caught the attention of the Office of Fair Trading, who have made a very clear statement that it will actively pursue unscrupulous traders who set out to exploit others.

       Reply
       1. 

          Jan Bell

          15 February 2018

          Hello Jamie…. we received a similar invoice yesterday and thought ‘here we go again’.
          Some photos and text were from an old website, and this time I couldn’t find a physical address, usually it’s Oxenford, Qld (think I have this right).
          How brazen is that woman Amanda!

          Reply
       2. 

          Rosemarie Hoelzer

          25 March 2018

          NEWS update on Amanda Stichbury 25.3.18 – A NEW investigation on her dodgy business operations is currently underway by the Queensland Office of Fair Trading. Anyone effected should contact Mr. Robert Melling with their details.

          Reply
          1. 

             Travel Victoria management team

             25 March 2018

             Hi Rosemarie,

             Thanks for letting us know that a new investigation by the Queensland Office of Fair Trading is being launched into Amanda Stichbury.

             Even after she was fined $20,000 in 2014 and $50,000 in January 2017, we have continued to hear reports of incidents of false billing being perpetrated by her and/or her companies.

             We can only imagine that if the Queensland Office of Fair Trading brings this before court again and she is found guilty, that a magistrate will impose a much heavier penalty given it will be her third time in court.

             Please keep us and everyone else updated with any developments that you hear of.

             Reply
          2. 

             Travel Victoria management team

             27 March 2018

             We wonder if the latest investigation into the activities of Amanda Stichbury and Special Days Pty Ltd is due to the South Australian Tourism Commission being bombarded recently by complaints from tourism businesses about unsolicited emails urging them to update their details on the southaustraliatravel.com.au website and then pay a subscription renewal?

             The Barossa Herald has reported that:

             …the region’s tourism operators are being urged to remain cautious as some have recently been hit by unsolicited bills for listings or advertising they hadn’t ordered…these guys (Special Days) are trying to slip under the radar…they create a dummy listing then send an email to say your listing is due for renewal, even thought they’re not contracted…the South Australian Tourism Commission has been in contact with Consumer and Business Services and the Office of Fair Trading in Queensland…”

             For more details, see https://www.barossaherald.com.au/story/5123397/discerning-eye-needed-for-tourism-bills/

             Reply
             1. 

                Rosemarie Hoelzer

                27 March 2018

                That probably is the reason. Please, anyone effected, get in touch asap with the Office of Fair Trading QLD, they are putting statements together as we speak. I sure got mine in. The more the merrier. It is important to stop this woman’s foul business practices!! To all who received any of her unsolicited emails, if you are local or interstate, spread the word and put your statements in!!