Travel Victoria – tourism blog

Category: Business

  • Amanda Stichbury, Accommodation Find, Internet Find and Special Days false billing scam continues

    Many business owners, particularly those in the travel and tourism industry, will be familiar with the long running false billing scam perpetrated by Amanda Stichbury – director of the companies Special Days Pty Ltd, Accommodation Find Pty Ltd and Internet Find Pty Ltd. How the scam originally functioned was that business owners would receive what…

  • Free listings for tourism businesses and events in Victoria

    Tourism businesses and event organisers may spend a significant amount of money and time on promotional activities, but did you know there are many high exposure opportunities on the internet where they can be promoted for free? Events There is always plenty going on in Victoria.  From community festivals to markets, concert, sports tournaments, shows…

  • Trademark registration scam from WOTRA – World Organization for Trademarks

    Businesses in Australia who have registered a trademark are currently being hit by a scam that originates from a company that calls themselves WOTRA – World Organization for Trademarks.  Their website is located at wotra-register.com. An example of one of their letters, which strongly resembles an invoice that requires payment, is shown below. Registering a…

  • Warning: trademark renewal from PTMO – Patent & Trademark Organisation

    A number of trademark owners in Australia, particularly those in the high profile travel and tourism sector, have recently received an official looking letter from PTMO (Patent & Trademark Organisation) advising that their trademark is expiring and the steps that need to be taken to renew it. Trademarks, or brands, are used to uniquely identify…

  • The background behind the major online accommodation websites

    When searching on the internet for accommodation, it can be quite a daunting task with many options available, particularly in large towns and cities. So a quick way to get an overview of these many options is to use an online travel website. They can display availability and pricing for many hotels at once, so…

  • Some accommodation owners in denial about the internet

    We received an interesting phone call a few weeks ago from a motel in Lakes Entrance, in Victoria’s beautiful Gippsland Lakes area. This motel had been advertising  on our website for the last 5 years.  In fact, when their annual renewal was due last year, they paid their subscription and sent us an email thanking…

  • Increasing business exposure through Facebook

    With the high proliferation of social media usage these days, any business that wishes to increase their market share needs a visible social media presence. Facebook is currently the world’s largest social network, having been first launched in 2004. For most businesses, Facebook should be at the top of the list when looking to increase…

  • Website domain registration scam by Domain Name Group

    Last week, we reported the domain registration scam by DomainRegister.  Now, a week later, another one has popped up, this time by Domain Name Group. It’s very similar to the DomainRegister scam – you are sent an official looking document which resembles an invoice that needs to be paid.  The document comes from: Domain Name…

  • Website domain registration scam by DomainRegister

    If you have registered an internet domain for your website, you may be the target of scams by other domain registrars who may employ a number of procedures to trick you into registering additional similar domains at inflated prices. These organisations are able to find out your contact details, as the registered domain owner, by…