An email claiming to be from Team World Company List but is actually from civa.be and it is a company directory scam.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, In order to have your business(es) inserted in our registry of Universal Businesses for the 2021/2022 edition: please print and complete the attached form (wbl2021cc.jpg) and send it to the following address: “  and gives a post box address in the Netherlands.

Lots of businesses offer such company directories and usually it costs something to get an entry or at least for an entry better than the basic.

In these days of the Internet, it is debateable whether printed registers have much value or not and online directories are largely ignored as people can usually find relevant businesses and carry out research on businesses using Google or other search engines.

However, the email is a scam and this is revealed in the small print at the bottom of the email, in the form of a difficult to read image rather than text.

The ‘advert’ says that updates are free and that may be true but the cost is in the subscription to the directory and that is automatic on returning the entry form and lasts for 3 years initially at a cost of 995 Euros per year (cannot be cancelled) and thereafter automatically extended. Trying to cancel the subscription is far from easy.

A total scam.

If you have any experiences with these scams do let me know, by email.