Travel Victoria – tourism blog

Tag: scams

  • Accommodation booking scams

    As an accommodation provider displaying your property and contact details on the internet, you may be the target of internet scams in which people attempt to defraud you by posing as legitimate travellers or travel agents.

    These scams typically originate as emails from overseas sources. Some tell-tale signs that you may be dealing with a scammer include:

    • They will not refer to your accommodation title in their correspondence – that is because it’s a generic email sent out to masses of people
    • The email originates from a free email service like gmail.com or hotmail.com
    • They request stays that are quite lengthy – often one or two weeks
    • They are completely flexible with the booking dates
    • There is no request for pricing details or discounts – they are happy to pay whatever price you want to charge
    • They have no questions about the actual accommodation, facilities available, how to get there or attractions to see in the area
    • They claim to be from the U.K. and supply a phone number that begins with the U.K. country code of 44 followed by a string of numbers starting with 70. This is actually a personal forwarding number that can redirect the call to any phone anywhere in the world (known as a “UK global redirect”)

      The scammer may then employ a number of methods to defraud you of money.

      Money transfer scam

      You receive a booking and are asked to deduct from the supplied credit card the cost of accommodation, plus an extra amount (typically several thousand dollars) to cover other services they are booking as part of their trip. You will be given some excuse as to why they can’t pay for those additional services themselves, and you will be asked to send those extra funds to a third party via Western Union or a bank transfer.

      What may be happening is that you have been given stolen credit card details and you’re being tricked into transferring funds from it to the scammer directly (i.e. the cost of their supposed additional travel arrangements). When the real credit card owner eventually disputes the transaction and the payment is reversed, you will be required to make a full refund. This full refund includes the extra amount you charged for those additional travel arrangements, which is now in the hands of the scammer and which you have to fund out of your own pocket.

      To avoid these scams, only charge credit cards for just the services you are supplying, and never act as an intermediary by billing credit cards and transferring the funds to someone else.

      Booking cancellation scam

      You receive a booking and it is paid for using a credit card. The booking is cancelled shortly afterwards, and you are asked to refund some or all of the payment by sending the funds via a bank transfer or some other method.

      What may be happening is that you have been given stolen credit card details. However, the scammer is hoping that before you realise that, you have transferred your money into their own account.

      In cases like this, you should refund the credit card transaction back to the actual credit card that was initially used. Otherwise you will lose not only the money you billed to the credit card, but also the money you sent to the scammer.

      When accepting credit card payments, you may wish to enter the first 6 digits of the card into the Bank Identification Number database (see https://www.bincodes.com/bin-checker/) to check which bank issued the card and in which country. If someone portrays themselves as coming from one country and supplies credit card details issued by a bank in another country, then you should be very suspicious of their intentions.

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

      Amanda Stichbury final notice - Office of Fair Trading Queensland

      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 looked like a renewal invoice in the post or via email for advertising on websites which they never ordered. Some of those websites had similar names to official government or tourism websites, which was a source of great confusion to many receiving the bills.

      While the actual advertisements did exist on the websites stated, they were not authorised nor ordered by most of the business owners.

      In 2014, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) in Queensland achieved successful court action against Amanda Stichbury after many years of business owners being inundated with bills for advertising they never ordered. Amanda Stichbury and her companies were fined almost $20,000 with convictions recorded. At the time, the OFT described the business activities of Amanda Stichbury as being “based almost entirely on deception” and “preying upon time-poor businesses“.

      In 2017, Amanda Stichbury was fined a further $50,000 and convicted on a total of 166 charges in relation to sending invoices for unsolicited services and for making false and misleading representations. This related to businesses receiving notices stating their existing listing on certain websites had expired and they would need to renew them. These notices implied a previous business relationship which was false.

      In 2019, the Office of Fair Trading in Queensland yet again successfully prosecuted Amanda Stichbury in the Federal Circuit Court for “breaches of the unsolicited consumer agreement provisions“. An injunction has been issued against Amanda Stichbury which permanently prevents her from directly or indirectly engaging in this conduct in the future, anywhere in Australia. Should she breach this injunction, she may be jailed.

      The acting executive director of the Office of Fair Trading in Queensland, Craig Turner, slammed the long running business practices of Amanda Stichbury, declaring that “behaviour like Ms Stichbury’s has no place in Australia.”

      Despite the recent court action, tourism businesses around Australia are still receiving emails originating from Amanda Stichbury and her companies. The latest is from Accommodation Find (accommodationfind.com) claiming that a business listing has been deactivated, thus resulting in lost bookings, and requiring it to be reactivated. This process leads to a page with typically outdated information about a business and a request to update it. It appears there is then a $99 annual fee to pay, however businesses that don’t claim their listing don’t appear to get removed. See below for an example of such an email.

      If you receive an unsolicited request to claim a listing you never ordered and then to pay for it, you can lodge an official complaint with the Office of Fair Trading in Queensland at http://www.fairtrading.qld.gov.au/lodge-your-complaint

      False billion scams are of course not new – they have been going on for many years in Australia, costing businesses many millions of dollars. A number of perpetrators of false billing scams are so successful that court fines are simply treated by them as one of the basic costs of doing business, with revenue far exceeding any fines they may receive over time.

      A collection of some Special Days Pty Ltd, Accommodation Find Pty Ltd and Internet Find Pty Ltd websites are listed below. Businesses may receive unsolicited listing renewal requests from any of these.

      Accommodation Adelaide – www.accommodationadelaide.net.au
      Accommodation Airlie Beach – www.accommodationairliebeach.com
      Accommodation Australia – www.accommodationaustralia.com.au
      Accommodation Broome – www.accommodationbroome.com
      Accommodation Cairns – www.accommodationcairns.net.au
      Accommodation Find – www.accommodationfind.com
      Accommodation Gold Coast – www.accommodationgoldcoast.com.au
      Accommodation in Bendigo – www.accommodationinbendigo.com
      Accommodation Melbourne – www.accommodationmelbourne.com.au
      Accommodation New Zealand – www.accommodationnewzealand.com
      Accommodation NT – www.accommodationnt.com
      Accommodation Perth – www.accommodationperth.com.au
      Accommodation Search – www.accommodationsearch.com.au
      Accommodation Sunshine Coast – www.accommodationsunshinecoast.net.au
      Accommodation Sydney – www.accommodationsydney.net.au
      Accommodation VIC – www.accommodationvic.com.au
      Aged Care Find – www.agedcarefind.com.au
      Attractions – www.attractions.net.au
      Attractions Brisbane – www.attractionsbrisbane.com.au
      Attractions Melbourne – www.attractionsmelbourne.com
      Attractions Perth – www.attractionsperth.com.au
      Australia Private Schools – www.australiaprivateschools.com
      Brisbane Private Schools – www.brisbaneprivateschools.com
      Broome Tourism – www.broometourism.com
      Builder Melbourne – www.buildermelbourne.com
      Byron Bay Accommodations – www.byronbayaccommodations.com
      Caravan Park Accommodation – www.caravanparkaccommodation.com
      Car Rental – www.carrental.net.au
      Childcare – www.childcare.net.au
      Childcare Sydney – www.childcaresydney.com
      Click Find – www.clickfind.com
      Church Find – www.churchfind.com.au
      Coolangatta Guide – www.coolangattaguide.com
      Dentist Find – www.dentistfind.com.au
      Dentist in Melbourne – www.dentistinmelbourne.com
      Education Directory – www.educationdirectory.com.au
      Education NSW – www.educationnsw.com.au
      Education QLD – www.educationqld.com.au
      Education VIC – www.educationvic.com.au
      Education WA – www.educationwa.com.au
      Find Chemist – www.findchemist.com.au
      Golf Find – www.golffind.com.au
      Great Ocean Road Tourism – www.greatoceanroadtourism.com
      Hairdresser Find – www.hairdresserfind.com.au
      Holiday Gold Coast – www.holidaygoldcoast.com
      Hotel Find – www.hotelfind.com.au
      How Local – www.howlocal.com
      Hotel VIC – www.hotelvic.com.au
      Lightening Ridge Tourism – www.lightningridgetourism.com.au
      Mackay Tourism – www.mackaytourism.com.au
      Melbourne Accountant – www.melbourneaccountant.com
      Melbourne Hairdresser – www.melbournehairdresser.com
      Melbourne Schools – www.melbourneschool.com
      Melbourne Tourism – www.melbournetourism.net.au
      New South Wales Tourism – www.newsouthwalestourism.com
      Perth Private Schools – www.perthprivateschools.com
      Pubs and Clubs – www.pubsandclubs.com.au
      Pubs Melbourne – www.pubsmelbourne.com
      QLD Tourism – www.qldtourism.com
      Redcliffe Tourism – www.redcliffetourism.com
      Restaurant Brisbane – www.restaurantsbrisbane.com
      Restaurant Find – www.restaurantfind.com.au
      Restaurant Gold Coast – www.restaurantsgoldcoast.com
      Restaurant Guide – www.restaurantguide.net.au
      Search Accommodation – www.searchaccommodation.com
      South Australia Guide – www.southaustraliatravel.com.au
      Sunshine Coast Tourism – www.sunshinecoasttourism.com.au
      Sydney Private Schools – www.sydneyprivateschools.com
      Sydney Tourism – www.sydneytourism.com.au
      Tourism Adelaide – www.tourismadelaide.com.au
      Tourism Brisbane – www.tourismbrisbane.com.au
      Tourism Caloundra – www.tourismcaloundra.com.au
      Tourism Canberra – www.tourismcanberra.com
      Tourism Cairns – www.tourismcairns.com.au
      Tourism Gold Coast – www.tourismgoldcoast.com.au
      Tourism Guide – www.tourismguide.com.au
      Tourism Listing – www.tourismlisting.com
      Tourism Tas – www.tourismtas.com.au
      Tourism WA – www.etourismwa.com.au
      Townsville Tourism – www.townsvilletourism.com.au
      Travel Agents Melbourne – www.travelagentsmelbourne.com
      Travel Guide – www.travelguide.net.au
      Vet Australia – www.vetaustralia.com
      Vet Melbourne – www.vetmelbourne.com.au
      Victoria Tourism – www.victoriatourism.com.au
      VIC Tourism – www.victourism.com.au
      Whitsundays Accommodation – www.whitsundaysaccommodation.com
      Whitsundays Tourism – www.whitsundaystourism.com.au

      References

      Fake biller Amanda Stichbury issued final notice
      Queensland Office of Fair Trading
      https://www.qld.gov.au/law/laws-regulated-industries-and-accountability/queensland-laws-and-regulations/fair-trading-services-programs-and-resources/fair-trading-latest-news/media-statements/fake-biller-issued-final-notice

      Fake biller Amanda Stichbury allegedly fleecing businesses again
      My Business
      https://www.mybusiness.com.au/finance/6063-fake-biller-allegedly-fleecing-businesses-again

      Companies referred to in the Queensland Office of Fair Trading court action

      Special Days Pty Ltd
      ABN – 37 086 159 211
      ACN – 086 159 211

      Accommodation Find Pty Ltd
      ABN – 18 086 159 195
      ACN – 086 159 195

      Internet Find Pty Ltd
      ABN – 68 162 430 159
      ACN – 162 430 159

      Contact phone number of these companies – 1300 656 789 and/or 1800 199 863.

    • 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.

      WOTRA - World Organization for Trademarks

      Registering a trademark is not an instant process. The registration is done through the government agency IP Australia.  After lodging an application and paying the appropriate fees, it can take up to 3 months before the trademark can be formally examined and accepted.  If accepted, it will then be advertised in the Australian Official Journal of Trade Marks. There will then be a period of 2 months during which anyone can oppose the registration. If there are no objections after 2 months, IP Australia will then shortly register the trademark for you.

      As registering a trademark is usually a very infrequent process people go through, and as trademarks are renewed every 10 years, a number of organisations have sprung up that attempt to take advantage of this and potentially defraud trademark owners of significant sums of money.

      One common type of scam occurs when an organisation contacts you before your trademark renewal is sent out to you by IP Australia, offering to conduct the very simple renewal process at cost typically many times more than the cost of doing this yourself.  An example of this is PTMO – Patent & Trademark Organisation.

      Another type scam, as perpetrated by WOTRA – World Organization for Trademarks, involves contacting owners of new trademarks during that 2 month period where people can object to your trademark, just before it is formally registered.

      How this scam works is that trademark owners are posted a letter which has this sender listed on the envelope:

      WOTRA
World Organization for Patents and Trademarks
Budapest 1005
Hungary

      Inside this envelope is a single page letter with the heading “Important Notification Regarding Your Trademark“.  The letter looks very official, listing the trademark owner’s name and address, a colour picture (if applicable) of the actual trademark, the correct trademark number and the correct date that the application was lodged.

      The letter strongly resembles an invoice, with a “balance due” and detailed payment instructions.  One could be forgiven for thinking this is a payment required for a trademark to be recognised world-wide, given that it is sent out by the very official sounding “World Organization for Trademarks”.

      The particular sample here has an amount due of $2,719, with a note that if it is not paid by the due date, it will be regarded as being “late”, thus a $60 late fee applies, taking the amount due to an eye-watering grand total of $2,779.

      In small print on the page is a sequence of very long sentences that includes this:

      “…the publishing of the public registration of your trademark is the basis of our offer…we offer the registration of your trademark dates in our private database…the contract is irrevocable and legally binding for one year…this private registration hasn’t any connection with the publication of official registrations, and is not a registration by a government organisation…(this) is not an invoice but a solicitation without obligation to pay…”

      So basically you are paying WOTRA – World Organization for Trademarks the very significant sum of $2,719 just to list your trademark’s registration date in their private database which has no benefit other than allowing people to see it on the website wotra-register.com.  Also worrying is the fact this so-called contract is only for one year, so if you do end up paying, you may end up being billed $2,719 every year.

      While WOTRA do say the letter is not an invoice, it does strongly resemble one. There is a “balance due” section, a “due date” listed, and a section devoted to the penalties incurred if payment is late.

      Two payment options are listed.  One is by cheque, which is to be sent to:

      WOTRA Kft.
P.O. Box 221
9002 Gyor 2
Hungary

      Or you can pay by bank transfer:

      Beneficiary:  WOTRA Kft.
Bank name:    NHB Bank
IBAN:         HU55 1140 0040 0300 3292 4210 0013
BIC / SWIFT:  KULBHUHB
Bank address: 1118 Budapest

      If you receive a letter from WOTRA, it is strongly advised that you do not pay the $2,719 they request, as they have nothing to do with your trademark registration.  Having a listing with WOTRA does not in any way mean your trademark is registered for world-wide use.

      If you have received an unsolicited letter from WOTRA requesting payment, you are encouraged report it via the ACCC’s ScamWatch page.

      For any general questions about trademarks in Australia, refer to IP Australia – www.ipaustralia.gov.au.

    • Queensland fraudster Amanda Stichbury fined yet again

      Amanda Stichbury fined in court

      Many people operating businesses in the travel and tourism industries will be familiar with the long-running false billing scams perpetrated by Amanda Jane Stichbury and her companies Accommodation Find Pty Ltd, Internet Find Pty Ltd, and Special Days Pty Ltd.

      Many businesses were sent either invoices or renewal letters concerning advertising on her large network of websites.  Most advertisements were never ordered or authorised, so some businesses were tricked into paying the invoices that arrived, assuming it was an ongoing service.

      Some of the websites that Amanda Stichbury set up had names that closely resembled names of official government tourism authorities, confusing and potentially deceiving many business owners.  This attracted significant attention from many tourism bodies across Australia who regularly published warnings about the sorts of invoices and renewal letters that Amanda Stichbury and her network of websites were regularly sending out.

      In 2014, Amanda Stichbury was fined almost $20,000 for breaching Australian Consumer Law in regards to unsolicited invoices and requests for payments.  However, this didn’t deter her from continuing her existing business model which was recently described by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) in Queensland as being “based almost entirely on deception” and “preying upon time-poor businesses“.

      In January 2017, Amanda Stichbury was fined a further $50,000 in the Southport Magistrates Court after a lengthy investigation by the OFT.  A total of 166 charges were made, including:

      1. sending another person an invoice for unsolicited services
      2. making false and misleading representations

      Businesses across Australia, not just those in the travel and tourism industry, were on the receiving end of unsolicited invoices requesting payment for advertising that was never ordered.  The dodgy invoices included wording which implied an existing business relationship, which was false.

      While the full extent of Amanda Stichbury’s fraudulent operations may never be known, it is reasonable to conclude that incidents that were brought up in court proceedings were just the tip of the iceberg.  Most business owners who identified the invoices and renewals being sent to them as fraudulent simply threw them away and didn’t report it to the appropriate authorities.  Some who did pay wrongly assumed it was for a similarly named organisation they already advertised with and just kept paying.

      Executive Director of the Queensland Office of Fair Trading, Brian Bauer, commented on the verdict and fine handed down against Amanda Stichbury by the  Southport Magistrates Court. He said that it:

      1. reflected the serious nature of Amanda Stichbury’s offending
      2. made a clear statement that the behaviour and conduct of Amanda Stichbury has no place in Queensland
      3. served as a warning to others who thought of adopting Amanda Stichbury’s deceptive business model

      He also said that the OFT will “continue to vigorously pursue any unscrupulous traders” like Amanda Stichbury who intentionally mislead other businesses.

      If you have received a fraudulent invoice from Amanda Stichbury, Accommodation Find Pty Ltd, Internet Find Pty Ltd or Special Days Pty Ltd, you can report it at www.qld.gov.au/fairtrading.

      Amanda Stichbury “did not appear apologetic”

      Despite being fined almost $20,000 and convicted for similar offences in 2014, the Southport Magistrates Court noted that “Ms Stichbury did not appear apologetic for her behaviour” during proceedings in January 2017.  Her lack of remorse contributed to the hefty penalty of $50,000 that was imposed upon her and her companies.

      Since 2011, many organisations in the tourism and travel industry have received from their clients copies of fraudulent invoices sent to them by Amanda Stichbury’s network of websites.  The big breakthrough in public exposure came when AccomNews published a series of articles about Amanda’s activities a few years ago:

      AccomNews is a leading industry-wide portal providing critical information to those in the accommodation industry and the publisher of the widely distributed monthly Resort News magazine.  Their articles received widespread exposure and resulted in many people coming forward who had also received unsolicited bills and renewal letters for advertising they never ordered.

      The increasing number of reports being published on the internet about Amanda Stichbury’s fraudulent activities resulted in bad publicity for her business.  She contacted a number of the more higher profile publishers, demanding they remove their articles about her.  At least one organisation was also threatened with legal action on the basis that the information published about her and her business operations was not only misleading, but was also causing her loss of income.  Ironically, while this may have caused her income to reduce, it actually saved many businesses from losing money themselves once they realised the invoices and renewal letters were a scam.  In fact, the Office of Fair Trading made it very clear after its successful court action that Amanda Stichbury operated a business model that was “based almost entirely on deception“.

      Some of the organisations that published information about Amanda Stichbury’s fraudulent activities include:

      1. The Queensland justice system in regards to her significant court fine and convictions in 2014
      2. Several articles by the respected AccomNews publication and Resort News
      3. A media report on Amanda’s activities broadcast on TV by the ABC during The Checkout show
      4. Repeated warnings over many years about Amanda Stichbury’s unsolicited invoices and advertising renewal requests by the government tourism organisations Visit Canberra, Tourism Victoria, Destination NSW and South Australian Tourism Commission
      5. An alert published by the Queensland Tourism Industry Council
      6. A warning from Hosted Accommodation Australia Ltd about bogus invoices originating from Special Days Pty Ltd
      7. The Australian Tourism Data Warehouse (ATDW) who informed its members to discard any request for payment from Amanda Stichbury’s companies and websites as they are “scam invoices”
      8. Copies of fraudulent invoices and renewal notices sent to accommodation providers that were forwarded to tourism organisations and media outlets over many years
      9. Social media postings by businesses who had received unsolicited invoices from Amanda Stichbury and her websites

      Amanda Stichbury has attempted to get negative publicity about her business activities pushed down internet search engine results that referenced her name, company names, website names and phone numbers.  This was done by publishing large numbers of web pages with her name in the title or document body in order to dilute any negative page headings that came up.  The snippet below of a Google search for her name shows one negative result swamped by other pages created by Amanda Stichbury.

      Search for Amanda Stichbury

      In closing, the Queensland Office of Fair Trading warned all businesses to “be vigilant when paying invoices, ensuring the payments are for services that were legitimately provided“.  If this vigilance is exercised, then false billing scams won’t succeed.

      Details of the companies prosecuted in court

      • Special Days Pty Ltd – ABN 37 086 159 211 / ACN 086 159 211
      • Accommodation Find Pty Ltd – ABN 18 086 159 195 / ACN 086 159 195
      • Internet Find Pty Ltd – ABN 68 162 430 159 / ACN 162 430 159

      References

      “Local fraudster all stitched up”
      Queensland Office of Fair Trading
      “…Ms Stichbury’s businesses, Accommodation Find Pty Ltd, Internet Find Pty Ltd, and Special Days Pty Ltd, sent unsolicited invoices to several businesses nation-wide requesting they pay for services that were never requested or authorised…Amanda Jane Stichbury pleaded guilty to a total of 166 counts, including sending another person an invoice for unsolicited services, and making false and misleading representations…Ms Stichbury was personally fined $10,000 and three corporations of which she was sole director were fined a total of $40,000…”
      https://www.qld.gov.au/law/laws-regulated-industries-and-accountability/queensland-laws-and-regulations/fair-trading-services-programs-and-resources/fair-trading-latest-news/media-statements/local-fraudster-all-stitched-up/

      “Queensland business owner fined $50,000 after pleading guilty to sending unsolicited invoices”
      Smart Company
      “…Stichbury was fined $10,000 in the Southport Magistrates Court earlier this month, and her three businesses were fined a total of $40,000…the success and prevalence of such scams are a symptom of a busy society…a successful scam like this can go uncovered for a long time…”
      http://www.smartcompany.com.au/finance/fraud/82023-queensland-business-owner-fined-50000-pleading-guilty-sending-unsolicited-invoices/

    • 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 your goods and services from those supplied by others. IP Australia administers intellectual property relating to trademarks and patents in Australia.  The process of registering or renewing a trademark is either done directly with IP Australia or through an intermediary that you can pay extra to do the work for you, which is typically a legal firm.

      The letters that are currently being sent out by PTMO are unsolicited requests to renew your trademark at a significant extra cost.  IP Australia charges $400 for a single class trademark renewal, while PTMO charge more than 3 times that amount – $1,395.

      Upon receiving one of these trademark renewal notices, many people may assume this is the official process that must be undertaken to renew their trademark.  Trademark renewals occur every 10 years, so it is an extremely infrequent process.  After 10 years, recipients of those renewals from PTMO may have little recollection of the process they undertook 10 years ago.

      Below is a copy of an invoice from PTMO – Patent & Trademark Organisation, with the personal details of the business that sent it to us blanked out to protect their privacy.

      PTMO - Patent & Trademark Organisation

      There are a number of distinguishing features of this renewal notice.

      1. The letter is sent from an address in Canberra, the capital of Australia, which some people may interpret as thus originating from a federal government organisation.
      2. The letter is written in American English, rather than Australian English, thus some words are not spelt correctly. This is not something you would expect from an Australian government organisation.
      3. A strong warning that “if not renewed, your trademark will expire“, thus implying a sense of urgency in dealing with this renewal letter.
      4. An easy way of commencing the renewal process – simply date and sign the letter, and return it in the pre-paid envelope enclosed.

      In order make the expensive renewal process through this third party legal, there is small print buried on the letter which says:

      1. PTMO Limited is not associated with the official IP Australian office.
      2. PTMO Limited is an independent renewal processing company.
      3. This is is an optional offer.
      4. This is not an invoice or bill.
      5. You can also contact your legal representative to perform the renewal for you.

      The trademark renewal notice has their phone number listed as (02) 6140 3414 and their address listed as:

      Patent and Trademark Organisation
2 Endeavour House
Captain Cook Crescent
Griffith ACT 2603

      On the return pre-paid envelope is this address:

      PTMO Ltd
Renewals Department
Reply Paid 83277
Griffith ACT 2603

      In the small print on the back of the renewal notice, their address is listed as:

      PTMO Ltd
5 Secretary's Lane
PO Box 931
Gibraltar GX11 1AA
Gibraltar

      IP Australia is aware of many types of unsolicited renewal offers sent to trademark owners.  See their dedicated page on unsolicited invoices.

      If you have inadvertently signed up to allow PTMO to renew your trademark, thinking you were dealing with IP Australia, you are encouraged report it via the ACCC’s ScamWatch page.

      Update for May 2017

      If you don’t authorise PTMO (Patent & Trademark Organisation) to renew your trademark, you may receive a follow-up a letter a few months later from them with “reminder” in big letters at the top, and a further warning that “your trademark is about to expire”.  Refer to the example below:

      Patent & Trademark Organisation Pty Ltd

      Note that PTMO, who wants to be trusted with the very important task of renewing a trademark at a premium cost, are happy to send a letter out which features a spelling mistake – refer to the heading on the first column of the second table.

      The urgency of this trademark expiry is curious, given that the reminder is sent out a year and a half before the actual expiry date.  In reality, they want you to renew your registration with them before IP Australia sends out an official renewal notice.

      Anyone receiving this reminder notice will be surprised to see that the original renewal fee of $1,395 for one class has been reduced to $1,285.  However, the fee for additional classes has risen from $485 to $550 each.  Keep in mind that renewing your trademark online directly with IP Australia will cost just $400 for one class, which is $885 cheaper than letting PTMO do it for you.

      Strangely, the renewal reminder from PTMO is sent from a completely different address than the original renewal.  The original trademark renewal offer was sent from Canberra, but this reminder letter comes from a Sydney address, with a Melbourne address listed on the reply-paid envelope which is really odd.  To further add to this tangled web, the Canberra phone number on the original renewal letter has been replaced by a Brisbane number of (07) 3067 8915 plus a Melbourne FAX number of (03) 9923 6363.  How confusing is that!

      Patent and Trademark Organisation Pty Ltd
Level 17
9 Castlereagh Street
Sydney NSW 2000

      On the return pre-paid envelope is this address:

      Trademark Service
Reply Paid 88875
Melbourne VIC 3000

      This delivery address is also listed on the return pre-paid envelope:

      585 Little Collins Street
Melbourne VIC 3000

      So with the pricing on the reminder notice all over the place compared to the original letter from PTMO, and a confusing mix of Sydney and Melbourne addresses replacing the Canberra address, plus a contact phone number that has changed from Canberra to Brisbane, all this really doesn’t inspire any confidence in this organisation or its stability.

      Our advice – treat any correspondence from Patent & Trademark Organisation Pty Ltd with caution and seek legal advice if you need help.  For any general questions about trademarks in Australia, IP Australia (see www.ipaustralia.gov.au) should be your first port of call, as PTMO is not Australia’s official intellectual property agency.

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

      Over the years, a significant number of businesses in Australia, including accommodation and tourism operators, have received unsolicited bills in the mail for advertising they never ordered.   This is known as “false billing” and its aim is to trick businesses into paying money.  It is similar to someone unexpectedly turning up at your door with a bag of goods and requesting that you pay for it, even though you didn’t place an order.

      A group of companies that are based in Queensland – Special Days Pty Ltd, Accommodation Find Pty Ltd and Internet Find Pty Ltd – have set up a large number of Australian travel tourism websites, as well as websites covering industries such as child care, education, churches, accountancy and entertainment.  The director of those companies is Amanda Stichbury and a significant number of business listings featured on her company’s websites were never ordered by the business owner.  Many business owners first learn about their listings on those websites when they receive a document that looks similar to a bill, with payment instructions.  Due to the fact some businesses are listed without their knowledge on multiple websites, there are some business owners who end up receiving many separate documents that resemble bills, causing them confusion and even distress.

      Special Days Pty Ltd and Accommodation Find Pty Ltd have published a number of websites that specifically  relate to the tourism industry in Victoria including:

      • VicTourism – www.victourism.com.au (see our post about VicTourism)
      • AccommodationVIC – www.accommodationvic.com.au (see our post about AccommodationVIC)
      • Holiday Great Ocean Road – www.holidaygreatoceanroad.com (see our post about HolidayGreatOceanRoad)

      The Checkout is a consumer affairs show produced by the ABC.  It aired a segment on 11th June 2015 about false billing scams, including those perpetrated by Special Days Pty Ltd, Accommodation Find Pty Ltd and Internet Find Pty Ltd. A video of the relevant segment (from series 3, episode 9) can be viewed at https://dl.dropbox.com/s/06ecfueoibuyv8y/FUTube.mp4 which also includes an interview with a recipient of an unsolicited bill sent from their Church Find website.

      In terms of prosecution for these sorts of activities, Special Days Pty Ltd, and its director Amanda Stichbury, were fined $18,000 for breaching Australian Consumer Law in regards to an unsolicited invoice issued to Griffith University EcoCentre for advertising on the “Education QLD” website.  The laws breached include:

      1. Assertion of right to payment for unsolicited goods or services (Australian Consumer Law, section 162(3))
      2. Making a false or misleading representation that the person making the representation has a sponsorship, affiliation or approval (Australian Consumer Law, section 151(1)(h))

      As well as the monetary fine, Amanda Stichbury was ordered to pay almost $1,600 in professional and court costs.

      The Department of Fair Trading also gained recorded convictions against Amanda Stichbury and Special Days Pty Ltd in relation to that matter.

      While this is a good result for those businesses who keep receiving unsolicited requests for payment in the post or via email, it appears that Special Days Pty Ltd and its director Amanda Stichbury are still operating their network of websites in question.

      The accommodation industry publication, AccomNews, published a special report today, strongly warning businesses to beware of being scammed by bogus invoices. Their special report includes a detailed analysis of the false billing scam perpetrated by Amanda Stichbury and her companies using their network of websites.

      Amanda Stichbury, Special Days Pty Ltd
      Beware of being scammed – Amanda Stichbury and Special Days Pty Ltd fined and convicted under Australian Consumer Law

       

      This is a timely reminder for businesses not to blindly pay any advertising bills they receive, and ensure they really have ordered what they are being invoiced for. It is important for all businesses to maintain a careful record of all advertising arrangements in place and to check all incoming renewal invoices with their records to verify the authenticity and authorisation of those bills.

      Businesses also need to carefully look at who is issuing the invoices, as many of Amanda Stichbury’s websites have very similar names to organisations with well-know names, creating confusion between them.  For example, a number of business owners have reported they thought bills from Amanda Stichbury’s Vic Tourism website were directly related to Victoria’s official government organisation Tourism Victoria, and that is certainly not the case.

      References and related false billing reports:

      Unsolicited emails being sent to industry
      Visit Canberra
      “…a company by the name of Internet Find Pty Ltd is once again sending unsolicited emails to tourism operators…(for listings on) acttourism.com.au and tourismcanberra.com… Amanda Stichbury, the director of these companies, was fined almost $20,000 earlier this year for breaching Australian Consumer Law…”
      http://tourism.act.gov.au/industry-link/2015/09/unsolicited-emails-being-sent-to-industry/

      Important notification for tourism operators
      Visit Canberra
      “…tourismcanberra.com (is) sending an email to an ACT tourism operators requesting payment of a 12 month subscription fee…other State/Territory Tourism Offices have reported similar communications being sent to tourism operators either via email or post…”
      http://tourism.act.gov.au/industry-link/2013/01/important-notification-for-tourism-operators/

      Warning to A.C.T. tourism operators – Special Days Pty Ltd
      Visit Canberra
      “…tourism operators across several states and territories are once again being targeted with unsolicited emails requesting them to claim their business listing on a number of directory listing websites…Accommodation Find Pty Ltd, Internet Find Pty Ltd and Special Days Pty Ltd…(we) strongly advise against paying any fees to companies you are unfamiliar with…”
      http://tourism.act.gov.au/industry-link/2017/02/warning-to-act-tourism-operators-special-days-pty-ltd/

      Why do I keep receiving invoices from Special Days / Internet Find / Accommodation Find / Travel Guide / etc asking for payment?
      Australian Tourism Data Warehouse
      “…these are scam invoices and should be discarded immediately…Special Days Pty Ltd operate under a variety of names and continue to make contact with ATDW members seeking payment for having a listing on one of their many websites…”
      http://atdw.com.au/tourism-operator/operator-support/faq/

      Special Report: Beware of being scammed
      AccomNews
      “..a number of accommodation providers have…(received)…invoices for unauthorised website and advertising listings…complaints have been made to the Department of Fair Trading and it has gained convictions of Special Days P/L and Amanda Stichbury…”
      http://www.accomnews.com.au/2015/08/special-report-beware-of-being-scammed/

      Unauthorised website listings worry resorts
      AccomNews
      “…receiving invoices for unauthorised website listings…invoices, overdue notices and reminders for one accommodation provider dating back to 2009…letter of demand that threatened legal action if the amount claimed was not paid…complaints have been made to the Department of Fair Trading…”
      http://www.accomnews.com.au/2014/03/unauthorised-website-list-ings-worry-resorts/

      Important News From Tourism Victoria
      Mornington Peninsula Regional Tourism
      “…some Victorian tourism operators are receiving a letter from victourism.com.au, together with an invoice asking for payment of a 12 month listing…victourism.com.au and Vic Tourism are not related in any way to Tourism Victoria…”
      http://industry.visitmorningtonpeninsula.org/NewsEvents/LatestNews/TabId/618/ArtMID/1589/ArticleID/14/Important-News-From-Tourism-Victoria.aspx

      Vic Tourism scam
      Travel Daily
      “…a dodgy letter and invoice…seeking payment for a 12-month listing on a Vic Tourism website…the letter is a scam…”
      http://www.traveldaily.com.au/news/vic-tourism-scam/149814

      Dodgy invoices in Qld
      Travel Daily
      “…shonky invoices are being sent from Queensland Tourism… payments for an annual website listing on QLDTourism.com are sought, which are not legitimate…”
      http://www.traveldaily.com.au/news/dodgy-invoices-in-qld/172163

      South Australian Tourism Commission invoice scam alert
      Travel Daily
      “…unsolicited bills for a listing on southaustraliatourism.com.au…which come from a business confusingly called South Australia Tourism…”
      http://www.traveldaily.com.au/news/satc-invoice-scam-alert/215638

      Scams and Frauds
      Hosted Accommodation Australia Ltd
      “…invoices…seeking payment for the amount of $99 for listing on websites which started with the word accommodation…the listings were not authorised…this is a fraudulent practice…lodge a complaint to the Office of Fair Trading…”
      http://www.hostedaccommodationaustralia.com.au/news/Scams-and-Frauds.aspx

      Fraudulent Invoices
      Hosted Accommodation Australia Ltd
      “…invoices are again being sent to members throughout Australia seeking payment for the amount of $99 for listing on websites which are registered to a company named Special Days Pty Ltd…if you have not authorised a listing for your business then the charge is fraudulent…”
      http://www.hostedaccommodationaustralia.com.au/news/Fraudulent-Invoices.aspx

      Warning Notification to NSW Tourism Operators
      Destination NSW
      “…carefully check any invoices relating to instances of this domain,
      www.accommodationnsw.com.au…”
      http://www.destinationnsw.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Digital-FAQs-2013-14x.pdf

      Important update – warning notification
      Destination NSW
      “…have received several complaints…requesting payment for product listings featured on www.newsouthwalestourism.com…(it) is not part of the Destination NSW greater distribution network…if you have received an invoice from this company, simply disregard it…”
      http://www.portstephenstourism.com.au/important-update-warning-notification-nsw-tourism-operators/

      Important Advice
      eTourism
      “…an email requesting renewal of a subscription for etourismaustralia.com…”
      http://www.etourism.com.au/news/important-advice-etourismaustraliacom/20

      Special Days Pty Ltd – scammers
      Alligator Creek Bed & Breakfast
      “…alerting you to a scam…received a letter and tax invoice for $99…”
      https://www.facebook.com/alligatorcreekbandb/posts/444330738965127

      Received a remittance advice from Internet Find Pty Ltd
      Adrian’s Autos
      “…never requested to be on this site (Internet Find)…be careful you don’t pay invoices you never requested…”
      https://www.facebook.com/adriansautos/posts/804666259631467

      Another scam invoice from QLD Tourism
      Sandgate Historical Society
      “…Amanda Stichbury, please note that we will not be paying this one either…we hope the QLD Department of Justice and the ACCC come calling very soon…”
      https://www.facebook.com/sandgatehistorical.soc/posts/500520660004764

      Be wary of SouthAustraliaTourism.com.au
      The Original Open Market Inc
      “…that web site is duping people by the almost exact name…(we) fell for it and got billed for a listing on their site…”
      https://www.facebook.com/originalopenmarket/posts/906162669405971

      Scam alert – beware!
      Hahndorf Hill Winery
      “…please note that this (request for confirmation and payment for a website listing) is NOT from the South Australian Tourism Commission…”
      https://www.facebook.com/HahndorfHillWinery/posts/1213582885335063

      Warning Notification to NSW Tourism Operators
      Randwick City Tourism
      “…several complaints from tourism operators in relation to tax invoices requesting payment for product listings featured on www.sydneytourism.com.au…these websites have no affiliation with Destination NSW nor do their parent companies Accommodation Find Pty Ltd, Internet Find Pty Ltd and Special Days Pty Ltd…if you have received an invoice from any of these websites, please do not pay it…”
      https://www.facebook.com/randwickcitytourism/posts/1181937995174938

      Complaints from tourism operators
      Goulburn River Valley Tourism
      “…complaints from tourism operators in relation to emails from Victoria Tourism asking to review business details on their website – www.victoriatourism.com.au…this website has no affiliation with Visit Victoria nor do their parent companies Accommodation Find Pty Ltd, Internet Find Pty Ltd and Special Days Pty Ltd…if you have received an invoice or an email from any of these websites, please disregard it…”
      https://www.facebook.com/goulburnrivervalleytourism/posts/1402717523085659

      Warning
      Queensland Tourism Industry Council
      “…industry operators received hoax invoices from ‘Qld Tourism’ website…”
      https://twitter.com/TheQTIC/status/687502431924674560

      Warning: Hoax Email From Qld Tourism
      HiRUM Software Solutions
      “…some Gold Coast Tourism members have received an invoice from an organisation calling themselves Qld Tourism (www.qldtourism.com) for $95…using unapproved photos and content…”
      http://www.hirum.com.au/blog/hoax-email-qld-tourism/

      False billing scams
      The Checkout – ABC TV
      “…deliberately misleading and designed to look like an invoice to get people to pay…”
      http://www.abc.net.au/tv/thecheckout/episodes/s03ep09.htm

      Accommodation Gold Coast – 1300 656 789
      Reverse Australia
      “…these people are frauds…you get these bills in the mail for advertising you never signed up to…”
      http://www.reverseaustralia.com/lookup/1300656789/

      Accommodation Find – 1800 199 863
      Reverse Australia
      “…us and many other businesses received bills for advertising we simply did not sign up or agree to…it’s not fair billing people for stuff they didn’t ask for…”
      http://www.reverseaustralia.com/lookup/1800199863/

      Warning to all small businesses
      Books Alive Bookkeeping
      “…there is a company that is putting businesses onto a website without legal permission and then invoicing them for this privilege – www.accountantfind.com.au – it is hard enough with budgeting dollars as it is with companies like this acting illegally…”
      https://www.facebook.com/BooksAliveBookkeeping/posts/1145148798842557

    • 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 Group Pty Ltd
Level 1, 530 Little Collins Street
GPO Box 4111
Melbourne, VIC, 3000
Phone: 1300 255 144
Website: www.domainnamegroup.com.au
ACN: 135 462 305
Bank deposit details: Bank of Cyprus (Delphi Bank)

      An example of their letter with payment options is included below.  It looks extremely similar to the one from DomainRegister.

      Domain Name Group
      Domain Name Group with their unsolicited invitation to register a domain name at a high price, which very closely resembles a bill for a service that you should pay.

       

      They attempt to get you to register an additional domain which is quite similar to one of your existing domain names. For example, it may be a .com or .net.au version of a .com.au domain you already own. The offer to register is aimed at either convincing you that you are simply renewing your existing domain, or that you should register the similar name to protect your internet identity. They push the legal boundaries of billing you for something you didn’t order by the use of wording that says “this is an invitation to register – if you are not the proprietor or do not wish to register, disregard this letter”. The registration fee is very excessive, typically several hundreds of dollars, which is up to 10 times the amount of an equivalent service provided by a reputable provider. The offer of free web or email forwarding does not offset the large total of the bill.

      Before deciding to renew your existing domain, or registering a similar domain to one you already own, you should definitely look around for the best deal.  But most importantly, ensure that your selected domain registrar has been accredited by auDA – the Australian domain name administrator. See the official list of accredited domain registrars and then visit each registrar’s website to compare their domain name pricing.

      auDA posted out a warning two years ago about the ongoing unsolicited letters to businesses from Domain Name Group and Domain Register.

    • 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 consulting the Whois Database. They then post you out an official looking letter in the mail which may closely resemble an invoice to be paid.

      A recent perpetrator of such a scheme is “DomainRegister”. Their contact details are:

      Domain Register Pty Ltd
Level 3, 480 Collins Street
PO Box 37 Collins Street West
Melbourne, VIC, 3000
Phone: 1300 855 811
Website: www.domainregister.com.au
ACN: 127 506 807
Bank details: ANZ, Cloverdale, Western Australia

      An example of a letter they may post out to you is included below:

      DomainRegister
      Domain Register Pty Ltd with their unsolicited invitation to register a domain at a very inflated price, which closely resembles a bill for a service that you should pay.

       

      They are trying to get you to register an additional domain which is very similar to one of your existing domain names. For example, it may be a .com or .net.au version of a .com.au domain. The offer to register is aimed at either convincing you that you are in fact renewing your existing domain, or that you should register the similar name to protect your internet identity. They push the legal boundaries of billing you for something you didn’t order by the use of headers and wording that includes “domain name available” and “this is an invitation to register”. The registration prices are very excessive, typically several hundreds of dollars or up to 10 times the amount of an equivalent service provided by a reputable provider. Any offers for free gifts or bundled in services do not offset the large total of the bill.

      Before deciding to renew your existing domain, or registering a similar domain to one you already own, you should shop around for the best deal and ensure that your selected domain registrar has been accredited by auDA – the Australian domain name administrator. See the official list of accredited domain registrars and visit each registrar’s website to compare domain name pricing.

      Two years ago, auDA posted out a warning about the ongoing unsolicited letters being sent out by Domain Name Group and Domain Register.

    • Keep a list of all the places where your accommodation is advertised

      Keep a list
      Keep an up to date list of all the places where your accommodation is advertised

      Surprisingly, many accommodation providers keep no proper records of where and with whom they are currently advertising their accommodation with, which makes it very difficult to keep track of it all.

      Here are some incidents we’ve personally experienced during the last couple of years that illustrate lack of proper record keeping.

      1. We received a message from the owner of a fleet of holiday houseboats who wanted to list with us based on a personal recommendation they received. The funny thing was, they were already advertising with us! Their houseboats has been listed with us for the last 4 years and they always promptly paid for their renewal each year without fail.
      2. An email arrived from the owner of a caravan/holiday park and requested that we update their advertisement with the latest tariff schedule which they enclosed. The strange thing was, they had let their listing with us expire about 6 months prior, and has been sent several notices by us advising them of the cancellation of their advertisement.
      3. We were contacted by a property owner who said that they could no longer find their accommodation listed on the Travel Victoria website and enquired as to where it went. Oddly enough, their advertisement expired over a year ago and was removed. However, despite receiving several notifications about that, they somehow thought their property was still listed with us.

      It is important to keep a list of all the organisations and places your accommodation is advertised with. For each organisation you advertise with, note down:

      1. The name of the organisation that publishes it, along with a phone number and email address
      2. The title of the publication or website the advertisement is published in
      3. The amount of the last renewal fee you paid (if applicable) and the date of the advertisement’s next renewal
      4. A note specifying how to make updates to your advertisement. If you’re able to make changes directly yourself, list your login name and password. Otherwise record the contact details of someone who can make changes to your advertisement for you.

      Keeping such a list will ensure that:

      1. When you alter your tariffs or change any features of your property, you will know exactly which organisations need to be notified
      2. When reviewing advertising options in the future, you will have a complete list of your existing advertising exposure
      3. You will be able to avoid scams whereby organisations try to bill you for advertising you never ordered. By having an up to date list of all your advertising commitments, you’ll be able to identify and reject any bogus invoices or renewal requests.