Members of the Door County Visitor Bureau have been warned about a possible scam that surfaced recently involving a company selling advertising for a guidebook. Visitor Bureau Membership Director Phil Berndt says a member received a phone call from a sales representative for the “Door County Visitor Guide” who offered to place a full page ad in the book for $309. The sales rep said the ad could be paid for with a credit card over the phone. Luckily, the consumer called the visitor bureau & talked with Cathy Lynch, who manages production of the official visitor guide. She, in turn, contacted the originator of the call, River City Publishing, of Peoria, Illinois. When she confronted the salesman for selling ads for the local publication, he said there was no way that the visitor bureau had exclusive rights to the words…”Door County Visitor Guide.” He admitted this was his first attempt at such a publication &, when Lynch told him his actions were confusing visitor bureau members, he said he had decided not to publish the book. A check of the internet indicated that there was no listing for “River City Publishing” or an associated phone number.
