Investigation Ends Support Publishing Scam

A company claiming to sell advertising space in a number of publications, including crime prevention and drugs awareness booklets, has been wound-up by the High Court in Manchester following an investigation by the Companies Investigation Branch (CIB) of the Insolvency Service.

CIB’s investigation found that, from 2005 to 2007, Crime Prevention Advisory Services Limited carried on the business known as “support publishing” in which it cold-called small businesses seeking advertisers for a number of publications including crime prevention and drug awareness booklets. During that period Consumer Direct and Trading Standards received over 114 complaints from small businesses either that they had not agreed to place an advert or that they had agreed but no publication had ever been produced. In either case, the company had aggressively pursued the small business for payment.

However, the investigation was unable to trace the directors, the trading address had been vacated and it appeared that the company had been abandoned.

In all the circumstances, it was in the public interest that the company should be wound-up so that no further attempt could be made to collect, monies allegedly due for advertisements in non-existent publications.

Source: Insolvency Service

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