Staff in trading standards jobs with West Sussex County Council have issued a warning to small businesses in the local area about a series of advertising scams happening in the region.
The trading standards team said they have received a growing number of complaints from companies which are being chased for payment for calendar space or directory entries that they either did not agree to or were not provided with.
As a result, businesses in the area are being urged not to sign up for advertising space through phone conversations.
Peter Evans, county council cabinet member for public protection, said it was difficult to take formal action against those offering the advertising space.
"Our Trading Standards Service has to prove they either never had any intention of producing the publication or that they deliberately took money for the 'wrong' ... category of advertising," he said.
Earlier this month, officials in trading standards jobs in West Sussex announced that they managed to get a number of rogue satellite television warranty companies to agree to trade in a fair and legal manner.
