World Trade Register

It’s silly season for Online Business Directories again, and I’ve received two junk emails from the so-called “World Trade Register”. It’s an innocent-looking thing with a big sting in the tail:

Dear Madam/Sir,
In order to have your company inserted in the World Trade Register's 2012/2013 edition, please print, complete and return the enclosed form to the following address:
World Trade Register
P.O. Box 3079
3502 GB Utrecht
The Netherlands
Updating is free of charge!

A PDF form called “update_form.pdf” was attached. Well of course updating it might be free, but if you read the small print you’re placing an order for €995 per year for three years, and annually thereafter. I can just imagine some office-bod falling for it when an invoice for €995 duly arrives.

The updating form is an order for €995 per year for 3 years. Click to view.

On the world-traderegister.com website, well, I found some “popular categories” on the home page, often containing just one company. There were four dentists worldwide though. The website Search engine didn’t work at all.

Similar mails have come in the past from “World Business Guide” with a Madrid address, “World Company Register” also in Utrecht, and “EU Business Register” in Madrid. The “Update” forms are broadly the same.