POLICE are urging businesses to watch out for a leaflet which looks like an invoice.

The form, which comes from a Swiss-based company, is in fact an offer for inclusion in a publication called International Business Directories.

A police spokesman said Spennymoor Town Council had alerted them to the leaflet after one was sent to the town hall by fax.

He said: "It looks very much like an invoice and it would be very easy for a business to think something has already been ordered and just pay it.

"But if you read the small print on the back it says that by signing the form, the offer becomes a firm order."

Terry Robson, town clerk and solicitor for Spennymoor Town Council, said: "Luckily, we've got a very vigilant staff and everything here is checked three times.

"But this is a very cleverly designed invoice."