Scams and cons
June 2010
Prize draws
Consumers in Buckinghamshire are receiving a high volume of mail telling them they have won an award or prize. Our advice is to read the letter carefully, be aware you may be telephoning a premium rate number and read all the small print of any agreement attached to the letter.
If you do not wish to receive this type of mail sign up with the Mail Preference Service and be extremely careful who and when you give your personal details to companies that may sell on your information.
April 2010
Employment scam
A scam likely to be originating in Nigeria is using details of a well known Buckinghamshire company to entice respondents into replying to scam emails, offering employment.
This is a bogus offer, and thought to be something more sinister.
Verco Office Furniture based in High Wycombe is not connected in anyway whatsoever to this scam.
Further help and information.
Advertising and publishing information
Small businesses are being targeted by unscrupulous and bogus companies.
A scam from Mexico informing business they have been allocated a free entry in an agricultural show catalogue. The pro-forma page received show some company information, but requests much more detailed information about your company and employees.
Companies are also receiving demands from Weinstein Williams Associates for advertisement in directories and newsletters they have not agreed to and have no knowledge of the publications.
Our advice is
- Do not respond to unsolicited mail without ensuring it is from a genuine company.
- Run a simple internet search to see if other companies have issues.
- Businesses who are interested in supporting events should check with the organisers website to see who their promoters are.
- Always be extremely cautious about giving financial or employee details via unsolicited mail
For further information
Cold calling computer company
Concerns are being raised about cold callers telephoning people alleging they are from a computer company. The conversations suggests that they can assist with problems with your home PC. Your PC maybe running too slow, or you maybe experiencing frequent disconnection problems. Our advice is not to deal with cold callers . Never give personal information over the telephone to cold callers. Never give passwords or credit cards and bank details over the telephone.
March 2010
Escort & companionship agencies - website scams
Numerous people have been caught out by these so called agencies making false promises.
It works like this, you respond to an advertisement offering work as an escort or a companion for lucrative rewards (ie 'earn in excess of £2000 a week'). Initially a thorough interview is carried out over the telephone to ensure you are suitable to be a member of the so called exclusive organisation. A few days later you receive a call from the agency's customer services department informing you that they have clients who are interested in you profile and that before they can make a booking they require payment of their registration/membership free (typically between £250 and £400). The agency will normally require the payment to be made directly into a bank account. Once the registration fee is paid, the agency will contact you with the details of where you should meet the client, sometimes even arranging for you to be collected. A few hours before the meeting however, someone will call you to say the client had to cancel because of other commitments and that they will contact you again as soon as they have a new client.
There are lots of websites that pose as agencies. They take a fee in return for featuring you on their website, but they are not agencies, just advertising sites. They provide you with misleading/false information over the phone to get you to sign up. All you get is an advert on their website with no guarantee you will ever get any clients. The likelihood is that you will never hear from them again.
As far as we are concerned, genuine escort/companionship agencies do not ask for registration/membership fees in advance. Only when their escorts/companions have been paid for the booking do they take a fee in the form of commission.
Don't be a victim of such a scam. If you sign up to one of these so called agencies, the chances of recovering your money is non existent as most of them operate from outside the United Kingdom jurisdiction.
Find out more - Warning signs of escort scams - Helping victims of e-crime and online incidents (opens in a new window. We are not responsible for the content on external websites).
Peddlars detained
Peddlars certificates are issued by police authorities to peddlers, a peddler trades on foot from door to door selling or offering goods at the time for immediate payment. The certificates are a way of police and other statutory authorities verifying who the peddlers are and they can corroborate the persons are genuine peddlers. Members of the public should not accept peddlers certificates as a form of identity as they have no way of verifying these. In the last few weeks in Buckinghamshire males have been detained with false peddlers certificates.
A peddler is:
'any hawker, peddlar, petty chapman, tinker, caster of metals, mender of chairs, or other person who, without any horse, or other beast of bearing or drawing burden, travels and trades on foot and goes from town to town or to other men’s house, carrying or selling or exposing for sale any goods, wares, merchandise immediately to be delivered, or selling or offering his skill in handicraft.'
In modern language, a peddler trades on foot from door to door selling or offering goods at the time for immediate payment.
Targeted sales
We have been informed older people are being targeted by companies selling alarm systems. The salespeople who visit are fast talking and give lots of figures and statistics about crime which is frightening the older people.
The product demonstrated is free, but the maintenance and monitoring runs into thousands of pounds.
Trading Standards operate the Buy with confidence, which has a list of approved local traders (opens in a new window. We are not responsible for the content on external websites).
Doorstep selling, also known as cold calling, is when someone comes to your front door or telephones you without prior arrangement and then tries (often persistently) to sell you something. Visits to your home to follow up a cold call telephone call, where the visitor then tries to sell to you, are also covered by the same rules.
Cold callers include, amongst others:
- Driveway contractors
- Roofing contractors
- Burglar alarm sellers
- Double glazing sellers
If you are unexpectedly subjected to a sales pitch at home the law protects you if you purchase, provided the contract you enter into is for more than £35.
What you can do
- Never let an uninvited tradesman into your home.
- Think carefully before entering into any agreement either written or verbal.
- Check the internet, see if the company is known. MoneySavingsExpert.com (opens in a new window. We are not responsible for the content on external websites) has forums that may well give information about various companies.
- Get at least three separate written quotations.
- Only use companies that have been recommended by a friend or relative.
- If you hear about a rogue caller tell everyone you know, especially the elderly or vulnerable.
- Say no. In the cold light of day your purchase will look less of a bargain and may be of substandard workmanship.
February 2010
Cold calling in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is experiencing a spate of telephone and doorstep cold calling incidents. Whilst we are investigating these we need to remind residents that unannounced cold callers should be treated with suspicion.
Never agree to use services or purchase goods from an unannounced caller. Take time to reflect on what is being offered. Get quotes and estimates from local traders. Use trades people that have been approved by Trading standards.
Council tax scam
Be on your guard against bogus officials offering to give council tax refunds.
People are being telephoned and told they may qualify for a refund and then asked for their bank account details so the payment can be made. In previous cases they have been asked for an administration fee too. A number of people in the Aylesbury Vale district have already been targeted.
Please remember never give your bank account details or other personal information to cold callers or people you don't know.
Never reply straight away to an offer. Speak to a relative, friend or neighbour before sending any money
January 2010
W & W Help Limited
Reports from High Wycombe indicate this dissolved company is still leafleting the area requesting clothing and textiles for collection. The leaflets has a logo similar to the British Heart Foundation and requests items are left out for kerbside collection. The consumer thinks the advert is misleading, and feels people may think they are donating to the charity.
Diane Locke, Deputy Retail Director for British Heart Foundation Shops comments:
'All British Heart Foundation (BHF) van drivers collecting donated stock for BHF Shops carry official BHF identification badges. If a member of the public is unsure whether a collector is genuine we recommend that they contact their local BHF Shop by calling 0844 412 5000.'
'If members of the public prefer, rather than leave goods on the doorstep they can drop any donated items into their local BHF Shop, or call 0844 412 5000 to arrange a convenient time for collection.'
(from May 2009)
W&W Help Limited have distributed leaflets around the county, requesting donations of old and unwanted clothes to help people in the third world. W&W Help Limited has been dissolved by Companies House on March 24th 2009, for failing to submit accounts.
Collections by commercial operators are perfectly legitimate providing they adhere to company and consumer protection rules. W&W Help Limited are in breach of these rules. Buckinghamshire residents are therefore being warned not to leave clothes out for collection by W&W Help Ltd.
Ensure you read the small print before donating to organisations.
Find out more about kerbside collections
October 2009
Tax refund scams
A number of emails are circulating purporting to be from HM Revenue & Customs.
HM Revenue & Customs are aware of the various scams and carry a comprehensive list of scams on their website.
HM Revenue & Customs state they would not inform customers of a tax rebate via email or invite them to complete an online form to receive a rebate of tax.
Details of tax scams circulating at the moment. Opens in a new window. We are not responsible for the content on external websites.
Do not to visit websites from any unsolicited emails. Never give personal or bank details to unsolicited emails.
For more information call 0845 3708090 or email tsd@buckscc.gov.uk
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