BUSINESSES in East Lancashire are being warned to beware of bogus invoices.

Hundreds of local firms are believed to have received letters from Swiss-based firm IT & T regarding an entry in a international fax number directory.

The forms look like invoices requesting payment for £446.20 for entry in the directory but are in fact order forms.

"Our advice is to put these letters in the bin," said Chris Allen, of Blackburn with Darwen trading standards service.

"They are quite cleverly designed to look like an invoice and in large companies or organisations could get put through for payment."

Business information service Instant Search, of Whalley, recently received one of the letters. "I don't know where they got our details from but you can see how some of them get through the system," said managing director Anthony Capstick of the firm.

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