A BUSINESSWOMAN from Evesham is warning people running small firms about the dangers of dealing with cold-calling charities claiming to sell advertising.

The woman, who works from home and does not want to be named, has forked out thousands of pounds in the past two years on advertising which has produced no results.

She said when she set up her one-woman company three years ago, she advertised to get herself established. After about a year, she started receiving unsolicited calls from people claiming to represent charities producing magazines and wall planners.

During the past two years she has been inundated with phone calls. "When it was at its worst, I was getting up to 10 calls a week. A lot of the callers are quite cunning. They are trained to be very insistent and in the end you give in. They particularly target small businesses and they threaten you with legal action if you do not pay. It is like being caught in a spider's web and it's very difficult to get out."

She said she was sent copies of some adverts she placed but not all and she had never gained any business as a result of them.

"My advice is if anyone gets any of these calls, nip it in the bud. Be very firm and be very clear and if you feel you are going to be harassed again get in touch with Trading Standards or the BBC's Watchdog," she said.

According to the Depart-ment of Trade and Industry, fake publishers call businesses asking for donations or to place adverts in various publications such as charity booklets, emergency services magazines and children's hospital activity books. In reality, few are ever printed.

For full scambusting guidelines log on to www.dti.gov.uk

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