Further Charges Against Yellowbusiness.ca Operator

OTTAWA, July 4, 2002 — The Competition Bureau announced today that further charges were laid under the misleading representation and deceptive marketing practices provisions of the Competition Act against an individual responsible for the mailings of Yellowbusiness.ca.

James Tetaka was arrested and charged for his role in a mailout dated May 25, 2001, which asked recipients to send a payment to a postal box in the Toronto area for the listing of their business in the Internet business directory, Yellowbusiness.ca. Bureau investigators found the mailings were made to appear as invoices from an existing service provider, such as Bell Canada or the Yellow Pages, requiring recipients to pay $85.55 when in fact they weren't customers.

These charges follow the guilty plea of Peter Kuryliw, director of 1473253 Ontario Inc. which carried on business under the name Yellowbusiness.ca. Mr. Kuryliw was fined $30,000 on May 28, 2002, and given 90 days to dissolve his numbered company.

"These charges signal the Bureau's ongoing efforts to pursue all individuals responsible for these deceptive mailpieces which target thousands of Canadian businesses and non-profit organisations," said Raymond Pierce, Deputy Commissioner, Fair Business Practices Branch.

The charges were laid with the assistance of the Toronto Strategic Partnership. This joint task force, of which the Bureau is a member, has been set up to investigate telemarketing and mail fraud.

Consumers who suspect they have been the victim of deceptive mail are encouraged to contact the Competition Bureau's Information Centre at 1-800-348-5358, or Project PhoneBusters at 1-888-495-8501.

The Competition Bureau is an independent law enforcement agency that promotes and maintains fair competition so that all Canadians can benefit from competitive prices, product choice and quality service. It oversees the application of the Competition Act, the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act, the Textile Labelling Act and the Precious Metals Marking Act.

For media enquiries, please contact:
Maureen McGrath
Senior Communications Advisor
Communications Branch
819-953-8982, or 613-296-2187 (cell)