Scams by letter, phone and email

Some tips on how to avoid becoming a victim.

Devon County Council Trading Standards Officers have received an increasing number of complaints about scams directed at Devon residents and local businesses. One survey showed we were receiving over 100 complaints a month about various scams offering anything from the opportunity to get involved in a foreign money laundering scheme to letters about clairvoyancy services with subtle suggestions that sinister events may unfold if payment is not made!

Consumers and Businesses are increasingly being targeted by unsolicited letters, e-mails, faxes, phone calls and even mobile phone text messages offering a whole array of money making schemes, prizes or offering to perform services that are not required. The latest scams range from requests for payment for 'parcels' awaiting collection to emails that threaten to empty your bank account if you respond. The best advice is, if an offer sounds too good to be true, it almost certainly is! Here are some examples and tips on how to avoid becoming a victim.

Listed below are examples of some of the most common scams currently operating. However this should not be considered to be an all-inclusive list of scams, fraudsters are constantly attempting to come up with new ways to trick you into parting with your money. Many of these are variations on the existing scams listed below. Look out for the following warning signs:

The company has contacted you out of the blue.
It is asking you to part with a small amount of money in advance in order to get a much larger amount.
High pressure sales tactics are used to stop you having time to consider whether or not to pay.
Addresses are PO Boxes or based abroad.
You are asked for your bank account details
You are instructed to call a telephone number beginning 0906.

If you are still unsure and want to check out whether or not what you have received is a scam then contact 08454 040506 for consumers or 01392 381381 for businesses.

Remember it is better to be careful than to lose your hard-earned money.

Examples of Scams targeting consumers

Canadian and other Lottery Phone Scams
Cash Prize letters
Prize offer letters
Prize Notification via Mobile Phones - SMS Messages
Chain Letters
Foreign Money Laundering
Predictions for the Future
"Phishing"
Miracle Cures
Someone with your surname has died abroad leaving a large estate
Homeworking
"I have found a buyer for your car!"
Tarmac gangs & other door to door workmen
One Day Sales
Money making schemes
Undelivered packages
Premium rate diallers

Scams affecting businesses

Advertising Directory Scams
Data Protection Letters
Freedom of Information Act Scam
NCIS money laundering regs
Health & Safety law scam
Premium Rate Fax Scam
Unsolicited goods
Forged & stolen cheques
Internet website registration

What can you do to avoid becoming the victim of scams.

On receipt of a letter e-mail or call you consider to be a scam, our best advice is to throw it in the bin or delete it. We regularly liaise with the Office of Fair Trading regarding complaints about cash prize draws. They monitor and can investigate this type of scam if it breaks the criminal law, many of which originate abroad.

If you receive a communication purportedly from your bank asking for security details, report the matter to your bank.

Complaints about misuse of premium rate numbers should be made to ICSTIS (The Independent Committee For The Supervision Of Telephone Information Services).

Should you receive an excessive amount of junk mail, telesales calls or prize offer faxes, you can do something to stop it by contacting one of the following organisations:

Mail Preference Service: 0845 7034599
Fax Preference Service: 0845 0700702
Telephone Preference Service: 08450700707
E-mail Preference Service: www.emailpreferenceservice.com

Alternatively you can use the on-line link to these services on the Trading Standards Institute website

These Services can provide you with information and a registration form. Registration is free, and it can help to stop you receiving offers and information you do not wish to receive, by making your address or telephone/fax numbers unavailable to companies wishing to contact you.

There are many more seemingly fool proof offers for you to get rich quick. Read the small print carefully, look past the bold type and colourful suggestions and carefully consider what the wording actually means. It is a good idea not to send any money you are not prepared to lose. Remember if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

For Consumer or Business Advice go to our Contact Us page

You can contact ICTSIS on 0800 500 212
Open 8.30am - 4.30pm Monday to Friday

Or contact them via their website where you can also check the status of premium rate numbers.

For more in-depth information on scams including money laundering and foreign scams you can visit the following websites:

www.consumerdirect.org.uk/general/scams/index.shtml
www.oft.gov.uk/Consumer/Scams/default.htm
http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/telservices/telservices.cfm
www.met.police.uk/fraudalert

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Canadian and other Lottery Phone Scams

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is urging people not to respond to telephone calls asking them to send money to claim 'winnings' from overseas lottery programmes.

The scam starts when people respond to mailings, emails or telephone calls telling them they are being entered in a national lottery or some other prize draw, often from Canada, Australia or Spain. They then receive a phone call congratulating them on winning the 'big prize'. However, before they can claim the prize, victims are told they must send money to pay for taxes and processing fees. Often these calls are repeated and further sums are sent. UK Consumers have lost thousands of pounds through such schemes. The prize doesn't exist, and they never receive any winnings in return for their cash. Anybody can receive an unsolicited call but the elderly are particularly at risk, with over 80 per cent of those affected aged more than 65 years. In many cases the caller tries to befriend the victim showing an interest in their family and friends; they may also pose as a government official, customs officer or lawyer. Evidence shows that most victims do not report the crime through embarrassment or fear that they may lose control of their finances because of their age. The OFT has set-up a telephone hotline to collect evidence which the Canadian authorities can use to prosecute the fraudsters. Anybody who has received a phone call and/or sent money to people claiming to be associated with the Canadian national lottery can call the hotline to give their evidence and help put a stop to the scam. The number is: 020 7211 8111. Some lottery scam offers are now also being sent by email.

Cash Prize letters

You receive a letter stating you have won a cash prize and requesting a smaller fee in order to claim it, it may even claim you have won a foreign lottery without having purchased a ticket. If you pay the money no prize is forthcoming. The letter often uses deceptive wording to imply without ever specifically stating that you have won the prize. However even if there is no get out clause in the small print none of these letters ever payout any cash prizes. If you do send money to one your name may be sold on to other fraudsters and you will find yourself bombarded with letters of a similar nature. If you receive one of these letters simply throw it in the bin. These are invariably sent from outside the UK and Europe, with the attendant difficulties in stopping them. The best advice is not to respond.

Prize offer letters

You are told by letter that you are guaranteed a prize, you are asked to call a premium rate number or send off a sum of money in order to receive your prize.

With many of these schemes, on first reading it appears that you have won the main prize, but when you go on to read the small print you will actually only have been entered into a prize draw.

Pay careful attention to the list of possible prizes and the quantities of each prize. Usually you will find the one you are most likely to receive is of the least actual value, and will be worth less than the fee that you are being asked to send.

In some cases the prize comes in the form of a voucher which you must pay even more money to redeem.

If you receive one of these letters simply throw it in the bin.

Prize Notifications via Mobile Phones -SMS Messages

You receive a text message which implies a cash prize has been won, but asks that a premium rate number is called to claim it. Calls usually cost �1.50 per minute and you will have to listen for several minutes. The likely outcome of a consumer's call to the high price number is a prize or cash amount far inferior to the one expected, vouchers which more money must be paid to redeem or simply nothing at all.

Chain Letters

You receive a letter at your home address telling you of a miraculous way that you can earn vast sums of money. Usually, your instructions are to send �10 to a name and address, then send copies of the letter to names and addresses you are asked to gather from the phone book. Chain letters like these have been circulating the country for years without real evidence of anyone being able to make the huge profits that they claim will result. These letters are usually very difficult to trace back to an original sender having passed through dozens of hands. Filing the letter in the bin when it arrives on your doormat is almost always the best course of action.

Foreign Money Laundering

These come in the form of e-mails or letters and invite you to give your bank details in order for the writer to 'transfer' money into this country. In return for this you are offered a percentage of the millions which will be passing through your account. A high percentage of these mailings claim to be from residents of African Countries. You run the risk of losing the money in your bank account should you decide to take up this offer. The fraudsters will also begin to ask for more and more money to help ease the transfer. The best thing to do with such e-mails is to delete them.

Predictions for the Future

A "psychic" writes to you, giving vague predictions for the future and suggesting that someone is going to cause you harm or that bad luck is about to befall you. The letter then asks that you send a sum of money to the "psychic" in order that you can be protected from this harm. The Office of Fair Trading is currently collating complaints with a view to taking action to stop these potentially menacing communications being sent out.

"Phishing"

You receive an e-mail from "your bank", asking you to confirm your account details either by a return e-mail or by directing you to an official looking website for you to enter your details. If you did enter details this would be used by the scammers to drain money from your account.

This e-mail is sent out to hundreds of people in the hope that one will think it is their real bank and bite.

Real banks do not contact people in this way. In a recent variation on this some E-bay customers have been contacted with similar messages supposedly from E-bay. E-bay has confirmed that they do not send such e-mails.

Miracle Cures

You receive unsolicited mail or e-mails claiming to be able to cure some hitherto incurable disease or ailment. Trading Standards advise that if a medical claim sounds too good to be true it probably is. Always consult a health care professional before parting with any money for treatments.

Someone with your surname has died abroad leaving a large estate

You receive an unsolicited e-mail from abroad. This claims that someone with the same surname as you has died and that as they have no other living relatives you are entitled to their large estate simply because you have the same surname. If you do get in touch to try and claim this money you will be strung along for cash and bank account details in much the same way as if you had responded to the African money laundering scam mentioned above.

Homeworking

You find an advert offering a job opportunity where you can make lots of money while working at home. You have to pay a fee in order to become part of the scheme and will then be paid on commission. You pay your fee and find that none of the work you do is considered good enough to earn you any commission. This is a scam with the sole intention of taking the advance fee.

"I have found a buyer for your car!"

You have recently put up an advert for your car. Someone rings you out of the blue claiming to have found a buyer for you. They will put the two of you in touch for a fee. After you part with the money, no buyer contacts you. Always consider in such circumstances why the mysterious buyer is not contacting you directly. Be very wary of entering into contracts and providing bank details over the phone when there is nothing in writing as to what exactly you are contracting for. Salesmen may claim to guarantee sales verbally and then send through written terms and conditions in which almost nothing is guaranteed and it is entirely up to the "buyer" whether they contact you or not.

Tarmac gangs & other door to door workmen

Someone knocks on your door claiming to be working in the area and that they have some tarmac with which to surface your drive at a cut price rate. They often state that they have been doing work for the council and have had the tarmac left over. Work done is often of very poor quality and the final bills are often far higher than what was originally quoted, which are frequently excessive to begin with. Although they can be quite charming in their attempts to get you to agree to the work, they often turn threatening when it comes to be time to pay. Many go as far as to drive elderly residents to the bank in order that they may withdraw more money. A few months later, when there are weeds coming through the tarmac, the traders have vanished with little hope of finding them. In a variation on the same scam these workmen may also be offering to do guttering and fascia work or other forms of home or garden maintenance. Typically they target those less able to check the quality of the work or who may be easily intimidated into parting with large sums of money. If you have any evidence that such workmen are extorting the elderly or vulnerable in your area, then we suggest that you get as much information as you can and contact either ourselves on 01392 381381 or the police.

One Day Sales

These are 'auction' type sales which attempt to get people to buy goods they often have not seen. The next day if there are any problems the company will have vanished without a trace. They typically entice people with the promise of bargains to enter into illegal mock auctions with fake bidders getting the bargain goods. However once the genuine customers are convinced to start bidding for items, poor quality goods are then passed on for inflated prices. They are typically held in hotels or halls or sometimes in empty shop premises. The premises owner ends up facing the wrath of the disappointed customers and the trader is long gone. The products the customer ends up with may not even be the one they thought they were bidding for with the customer not finding out until he has opened the packaging, by which time the trader may have already escaped. Some people even end up finding they have bid for an empty box. If you know that this type of sale will be taking place in your community please let us know.

Money making schemes

You are sent a letter stating that the sender has discovered a marvellous way of making lots of money, a scheme they will tell you about for a small fee. You send the money and you get a letter telling you to send out adverts of the type you initially received or something equally worthless. Filing the letter in the bin when it arrives on your doormat is the best course of action.

Undelivered packages

You are left a note in the post stating that a courier has failed to deliver a package from overseas or containing perishable goods. You read the small print and you find that have to ring an 0906 number in order to retrieve the package -a premium rate number charging �1.50 per minute. The call duration is 7 to 13 minutes i.e. �10 to �20 for your parcel which it is ultimately revealed was in fact of little value, e.g. some vouchers. If you wish to complain about traders using premium rate numbers you can contact ICSTIS, contact details above. If the information on the card was false or misleading let us know.

Premium rate diallers

You find a large premium rate call or series of calls on your phone bill which you do not recall making. These seem to coincide with times that you were on the internet. If this has happened to you, you may have become victim the premium rate dialler scam. Premium rate diallers are programs on websites that change your internet dial up number to an 0906 premium rate line. How these are supposed to work is that the website is supposed to clearly inform you in advance that this is how you will be charged for accessing the site. However certain rogue traders have been installing the diallers on sites where there is no warning. As a result of this people are unwittingly being charged at a premium rate for their entire internet access until the point at which they notice and change the number back -these charges could amount to hundreds of pounds.

One simple way to avoid this scam occurring is to block your internet phoneline from being able to make premium rate calls, contact your phone company about how to do this. If you are a broadband user ensure that your old modem card in the computer is not still connected to your phone socket. It is recommended that if you have become a victim to this scam you complain to ICSTIS the regulator of the 0906 phone calls, contact details are above.

Scams affecting businesses

Advertising Directory Scams

Your company is contacted by phone asking whether it wishes to place an advertisement in a directory, calendar, diary etc. There is often some claim that that this is for the benefit of a good cause such as a children's charity or the emergency services. If you either do not agree to place the advert or ask for further information only, you are still sent an invoice. If you ring to complain about this you are told that the advertisement company has a recording of you verbally agreeing to a contract. You usually then receive a series of letters or phonecalls threatening legal action unless you pay the "debt".

These companies work on the basis that 10% of people will pay up when threatened with legal action, even when they know that legal action to be unjustified. However people who do payout to these scams may find their details sold on and that they are targeted by dozens of similar frauds.

Among those who do agree to contracts, many find that they are not fulfilled and that the claims that they benefit good causes are exaggerated to say the least. We would advise against agreeing to any advertising contract unless ~ you first got details of exactly what it constituted in writing e.g. where, when and how the distribution of adverts was going to take place.

Trading Standards suggest that if you have been targeted by one of these companies billing you for services you have not agreed to, you do not pay them any money and get in touch with us on 01392 381381.

Data Protection Letters

You are contacted by a company who informs you that it is a criminal offence for your business not to register under the Data Protection Act. It says that you should pay anything from �95 to �135 to them in order to register. It leaves out certain vital facts:

1) That many businesses especially most small businesses do not have to register.

2) That there is an official government body that regulates this, the Office of the Information Commissioner, which only charges �35.00 for this service.

3) That there is no connection between the above body and any of the private companies who send out these letters.

These letters tend to imply they are sent by an official body with a name such as data protection agency or something similar. They are sent out by private companies who have no official status or enforcement powers.

If you wish to contact the office of the information commissioner to see if you genuinely need to register then they can be reached on 01625 545745.

NCIS money laundering regs

A variation on the Data Protection Letters scam, but this time based on money laundering Regulations. The company states it is an offence not to abide by money laundering Regulations and then asks for money. Actual National Criminal Intelligence Service documents are enclosed with the letter, to encourage businesses to think that that is who the request is from.

Health & Safety law scam

Another variation on the Data Protection Letter scam but this time based around health & safety law. The company states it is an offence not to abide by health & safety law and then asks for money for its services. There is no legal requirement to use these services and any such demands should be ignored.

Freedom of Information Scam

Another variation on the Data Protection Letter scam. This time scammers demand a payment to register your CCTV equipment under the Freedom of Information Act.

In fact the Freedom of Information Act does not even apply to private businesses. Owners of CCTV cameras MAY need to register them under the data protection act, however, if this information is required it is done via the Information Commissioners Office and not through any other body.

The Information Commissioners Office is contactable on 01625 545745

Premium Rate Fax Scam

Your business receives a fax stating that they will sell on your details or continue to send you faxes unless you fax them back on a high price 0906 number. This will cost you �1.50 a minute and will last several minutes.

To stop yourself receiving unsolicited faxes for free instead call the FAX preference service on 0845 070 0702. It will be illegal for anyone to send you unsolicited faxes once you have registered. To complain about the way a trader uses a premium rate number contact ICSTIS (details above).

Unsolicited goods

Your business receives several items it has not ordered together with a large bill and subsequent threats of legal action. It is a criminal offence to attempt to invoice someone for goods they have not ordered and as no contract exists there is no way payment is legally enforceable. Often the company will attempt to get around this by ringing in the hope of speaking to a junior employee and stating they are ringing to confirm the order, whatever is said they will claim that this constitutes a binding contract, an argument which is legally dubious to say the least.

Like the advertising directory scam this works on the basis that some companies will pay money on the threat of legal action whether or not there is any chance of its success. If you have been sent an invoice for unsolicited goods then let us know.

Forged & stolen cheques

A potential buyer contacts you agreeing to pay for whatever you are offering, however for some reason they have paid a cheque which is for more than the amount you require. They then ask you to pay them back the excess amount. Some time after you pay them it will turn out that the cheque they paid you with was forged or stolen, leaving you out of pocket. Cheque fraud should be reported to the Police.

Internet website registration

Someone rings you out of the blue claiming that a third party is trying to register the name of your company as their web-site domain name. You have to pay them a sum of money quickly to stop this happening. Whether or not the company actually performs the service, they will charge considerably more than what it would have cost you to register the name yourself. By creating a false sense of urgency they persuade those with limited knowledge of the internet to pay over the odds for a service they could have performed themselves. Needless to say the mysterious third party who was trying to register the domain name is never heard of again.


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Consumer Watch Legislation Schools and Young People Advice For Older People Information Devon Self Help Letters Loan Shark Hotline	Scams by letter, phone and email Some tips on how to avoid becoming a victim. Devon County Council Trading Standards Officers have received an increasing number of complaints about scams directed at Devon residents and local businesses. One survey showed we were receiving over 100 complaints a month about various scams offering anything from the opportunity to get involved in a foreign money laundering scheme to letters about clairvoyancy services with subtle suggestions that sinister events may unfold if payment is not made! Consumers and Businesses are increasingly being targeted by unsolicited letters, e-mails, faxes, phone calls and even mobile phone text messages offering a whole array of money making schemes, prizes or offering to perform services that are not required. The latest scams range from requests for payment for 'parcels' awaiting collection to emails that threaten to empty your bank account if you respond. The best advice is, if an offer sounds too good to be true, it almost certainly is! Here are some examples and tips on how to avoid becoming a victim. Listed below are examples of some of the most common scams currently operating. However this should not be considered to be an all-inclusive list of scams, fraudsters are constantly attempting to come up with new ways to trick you into parting with your money. Many of these are variations on the existing scams listed below. Look out for the following warning signs: The company has contacted you out of the blue. It is asking you to part with a small amount of money in advance in order to get a much larger amount. High pressure sales tactics are used to stop you having time to consider whether or not to pay. Addresses are PO Boxes or based abroad. You are asked for your bank account details You are instructed to call a telephone number beginning 0906. If you are still unsure and want to check out whether or not what you have received is a scam then contact 08454 040506 for consumers or 01392 381381 for businesses. Remember it is better to be careful than to lose your hard-earned money. Examples of Scams targeting consumers Canadian and other Lottery Phone Scams Cash Prize letters Prize offer letters Prize Notification via Mobile Phones - SMS Messages Chain Letters Foreign Money Laundering Predictions for the Future "Phishing" Miracle Cures Someone with your surname has died abroad leaving a large estate Homeworking "I have found a buyer for your car!" Tarmac gangs & other door to door workmen One Day Sales Money making schemes Undelivered packages Premium rate diallers Scams affecting businesses Advertising Directory Scams Data Protection Letters Freedom of Information Act Scam NCIS money laundering regs Health & Safety law scam Premium Rate Fax Scam Unsolicited goods Forged & stolen cheques Internet website registration What can you do to avoid becoming the victim of scams. On receipt of a letter e-mail or call you consider to be a scam, our best advice is to throw it in the bin or delete it. We regularly liaise with the Office of Fair Trading regarding complaints about cash prize draws. They monitor and can investigate this type of scam if it breaks the criminal law, many of which originate abroad. If you receive a communication purportedly from your bank asking for security details, report the matter to your bank. Complaints about misuse of premium rate numbers should be made to ICSTIS (The Independent Committee For The Supervision Of Telephone Information Services). Should you receive an excessive amount of junk mail, telesales calls or prize offer faxes, you can do something to stop it by contacting one of the following organisations: Mail Preference Service: 0845 7034599 Fax Preference Service: 0845 0700702 Telephone Preference Service: 08450700707 E-mail Preference Service: www.emailpreferenceservice.com Alternatively you can use the on-line link to these services on the Trading Standards Institute website These Services can provide you with information and a registration form. Registration is free, and it can help to stop you receiving offers and information you do not wish to receive, by making your address or telephone/fax numbers unavailable to companies wishing to contact you. There are many more seemingly fool proof offers for you to get rich quick. Read the small print carefully, look past the bold type and colourful suggestions and carefully consider what the wording actually means. It is a good idea not to send any money you are not prepared to lose. Remember if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. For Consumer or Business Advice go to our Contact Us page You can contact ICTSIS on 0800 500 212 Open 8.30am - 4.30pm Monday to Friday Or contact them via their website where you can also check the status of premium rate numbers. For more in-depth information on scams including money laundering and foreign scams you can visit the following websites: www.consumerdirect.org.uk/general/scams/index.shtml www.oft.gov.uk/Consumer/Scams/default.htm http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/telservices/telservices.cfm www.met.police.uk/fraudalert ===================================================================== Canadian and other Lottery Phone Scams The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is urging people not to respond to telephone calls asking them to send money to claim 'winnings' from overseas lottery programmes. The scam starts when people respond to mailings, emails or telephone calls telling them they are being entered in a national lottery or some other prize draw, often from Canada, Australia or Spain. They then receive a phone call congratulating them on winning the 'big prize'. However, before they can claim the prize, victims are told they must send money to pay for taxes and processing fees. Often these calls are repeated and further sums are sent. UK Consumers have lost thousands of pounds through such schemes. The prize doesn't exist, and they never receive any winnings in return for their cash. Anybody can receive an unsolicited call but the elderly are particularly at risk, with over 80 per cent of those affected aged more than 65 years. In many cases the caller tries to befriend the victim showing an interest in their family and friends; they may also pose as a government official, customs officer or lawyer. Evidence shows that most victims do not report the crime through embarrassment or fear that they may lose control of their finances because of their age. The OFT has set-up a telephone hotline to collect evidence which the Canadian authorities can use to prosecute the fraudsters. Anybody who has received a phone call and/or sent money to people claiming to be associated with the Canadian national lottery can call the hotline to give their evidence and help put a stop to the scam. The number is: 020 7211 8111. Some lottery scam offers are now also being sent by email. Cash Prize letters You receive a letter stating you have won a cash prize and requesting a smaller fee in order to claim it, it may even claim you have won a foreign lottery without having purchased a ticket. If you pay the money no prize is forthcoming. The letter often uses deceptive wording to imply without ever specifically stating that you have won the prize. However even if there is no get out clause in the small print none of these letters ever payout any cash prizes. If you do send money to one your name may be sold on to other fraudsters and you will find yourself bombarded with letters of a similar nature. If you receive one of these letters simply throw it in the bin. These are invariably sent from outside the UK and Europe, with the attendant difficulties in stopping them. The best advice is not to respond. Prize offer letters You are told by letter that you are guaranteed a prize, you are asked to call a premium rate number or send off a sum of money in order to receive your prize. With many of these schemes, on first reading it appears that you have won the main prize, but when you go on to read the small print you will actually only have been entered into a prize draw. Pay careful attention to the list of possible prizes and the quantities of each prize. Usually you will find the one you are most likely to receive is of the least actual value, and will be worth less than the fee that you are being asked to send. In some cases the prize comes in the form of a voucher which you must pay even more money to redeem. If you receive one of these letters simply throw it in the bin. Prize Notifications via Mobile Phones -SMS Messages You receive a text message which implies a cash prize has been won, but asks that a premium rate number is called to claim it. Calls usually cost �1.50 per minute and you will have to listen for several minutes. The likely outcome of a consumer's call to the high price number is a prize or cash amount far inferior to the one expected, vouchers which more money must be paid to redeem or simply nothing at all. Chain Letters You receive a letter at your home address telling you of a miraculous way that you can earn vast sums of money. Usually, your instructions are to send �10 to a name and address, then send copies of the letter to names and addresses you are asked to gather from the phone book. Chain letters like these have been circulating the country for years without real evidence of anyone being able to make the huge profits that they claim will result. These letters are usually very difficult to trace back to an original sender having passed through dozens of hands. Filing the letter in the bin when it arrives on your doormat is almost always the best course of action. Foreign Money Laundering These come in the form of e-mails or letters and invite you to give your bank details in order for the writer to 'transfer' money into this country. In return for this you are offered a percentage of the millions which will be passing through your account. A high percentage of these mailings claim to be from residents of African Countries. You run the risk of losing the money in your bank account should you decide to take up this offer. The fraudsters will also begin to ask for more and more money to help ease the transfer. The best thing to do with such e-mails is to delete them. Predictions for the Future A "psychic" writes to you, giving vague predictions for the future and suggesting that someone is going to cause you harm or that bad luck is about to befall you. The letter then asks that you send a sum of money to the "psychic" in order that you can be protected from this harm. The Office of Fair Trading is currently collating complaints with a view to taking action to stop these potentially menacing communications being sent out. "Phishing" You receive an e-mail from "your bank", asking you to confirm your account details either by a return e-mail or by directing you to an official looking website for you to enter your details. If you did enter details this would be used by the scammers to drain money from your account. This e-mail is sent out to hundreds of people in the hope that one will think it is their real bank and bite. Real banks do not contact people in this way. In a recent variation on this some E-bay customers have been contacted with similar messages supposedly from E-bay. E-bay has confirmed that they do not send such e-mails. Miracle Cures You receive unsolicited mail or e-mails claiming to be able to cure some hitherto incurable disease or ailment. Trading Standards advise that if a medical claim sounds too good to be true it probably is. Always consult a health care professional before parting with any money for treatments. Someone with your surname has died abroad leaving a large estate You receive an unsolicited e-mail from abroad. This claims that someone with the same surname as you has died and that as they have no other living relatives you are entitled to their large estate simply because you have the same surname. If you do get in touch to try and claim this money you will be strung along for cash and bank account details in much the same way as if you had responded to the African money laundering scam mentioned above. Homeworking You find an advert offering a job opportunity where you can make lots of money while working at home. You have to pay a fee in order to become part of the scheme and will then be paid on commission. You pay your fee and find that none of the work you do is considered good enough to earn you any commission. This is a scam with the sole intention of taking the advance fee. "I have found a buyer for your car!" You have recently put up an advert for your car. Someone rings you out of the blue claiming to have found a buyer for you. They will put the two of you in touch for a fee. After you part with the money, no buyer contacts you. Always consider in such circumstances why the mysterious buyer is not contacting you directly. Be very wary of entering into contracts and providing bank details over the phone when there is nothing in writing as to what exactly you are contracting for. Salesmen may claim to guarantee sales verbally and then send through written terms and conditions in which almost nothing is guaranteed and it is entirely up to the "buyer" whether they contact you or not. Tarmac gangs & other door to door workmen Someone knocks on your door claiming to be working in the area and that they have some tarmac with which to surface your drive at a cut price rate. They often state that they have been doing work for the council and have had the tarmac left over. Work done is often of very poor quality and the final bills are often far higher than what was originally quoted, which are frequently excessive to begin with. Although they can be quite charming in their attempts to get you to agree to the work, they often turn threatening when it comes to be time to pay. Many go as far as to drive elderly residents to the bank in order that they may withdraw more money. A few months later, when there are weeds coming through the tarmac, the traders have vanished with little hope of finding them. In a variation on the same scam these workmen may also be offering to do guttering and fascia work or other forms of home or garden maintenance. Typically they target those less able to check the quality of the work or who may be easily intimidated into parting with large sums of money. If you have any evidence that such workmen are extorting the elderly or vulnerable in your area, then we suggest that you get as much information as you can and contact either ourselves on 01392 381381 or the police. One Day Sales These are 'auction' type sales which attempt to get people to buy goods they often have not seen. The next day if there are any problems the company will have vanished without a trace. They typically entice people with the promise of bargains to enter into illegal mock auctions with fake bidders getting the bargain goods. However once the genuine customers are convinced to start bidding for items, poor quality goods are then passed on for inflated prices. They are typically held in hotels or halls or sometimes in empty shop premises. The premises owner ends up facing the wrath of the disappointed customers and the trader is long gone. The products the customer ends up with may not even be the one they thought they were bidding for with the customer not finding out until he has opened the packaging, by which time the trader may have already escaped. Some people even end up finding they have bid for an empty box. If you know that this type of sale will be taking place in your community please let us know. Money making schemes You are sent a letter stating that the sender has discovered a marvellous way of making lots of money, a scheme they will tell you about for a small fee. You send the money and you get a letter telling you to send out adverts of the type you initially received or something equally worthless. Filing the letter in the bin when it arrives on your doormat is the best course of action. Undelivered packages You are left a note in the post stating that a courier has failed to deliver a package from overseas or containing perishable goods. You read the small print and you find that have to ring an 0906 number in order to retrieve the package -a premium rate number charging �1.50 per minute. The call duration is 7 to 13 minutes i.e. �10 to �20 for your parcel which it is ultimately revealed was in fact of little value, e.g. some vouchers. If you wish to complain about traders using premium rate numbers you can contact ICSTIS, contact details above. If the information on the card was false or misleading let us know. Premium rate diallers You find a large premium rate call or series of calls on your phone bill which you do not recall making. These seem to coincide with times that you were on the internet. If this has happened to you, you may have become victim the premium rate dialler scam. Premium rate diallers are programs on websites that change your internet dial up number to an 0906 premium rate line. How these are supposed to work is that the website is supposed to clearly inform you in advance that this is how you will be charged for accessing the site. However certain rogue traders have been installing the diallers on sites where there is no warning. As a result of this people are unwittingly being charged at a premium rate for their entire internet access until the point at which they notice and change the number back -these charges could amount to hundreds of pounds. One simple way to avoid this scam occurring is to block your internet phoneline from being able to make premium rate calls, contact your phone company about how to do this. If you are a broadband user ensure that your old modem card in the computer is not still connected to your phone socket. It is recommended that if you have become a victim to this scam you complain to ICSTIS the regulator of the 0906 phone calls, contact details are above. Scams affecting businesses Advertising Directory Scams Your company is contacted by phone asking whether it wishes to place an advertisement in a directory, calendar, diary etc. There is often some claim that that this is for the benefit of a good cause such as a children's charity or the emergency services. If you either do not agree to place the advert or ask for further information only, you are still sent an invoice. If you ring to complain about this you are told that the advertisement company has a recording of you verbally agreeing to a contract. You usually then receive a series of letters or phonecalls threatening legal action unless you pay the "debt". These companies work on the basis that 10% of people will pay up when threatened with legal action, even when they know that legal action to be unjustified. However people who do payout to these scams may find their details sold on and that they are targeted by dozens of similar frauds. Among those who do agree to contracts, many find that they are not fulfilled and that the claims that they benefit good causes are exaggerated to say the least. We would advise against agreeing to any advertising contract unless ~ you first got details of exactly what it constituted in writing e.g. where, when and how the distribution of adverts was going to take place. Trading Standards suggest that if you have been targeted by one of these companies billing you for services you have not agreed to, you do not pay them any money and get in touch with us on 01392 381381. Data Protection Letters You are contacted by a company who informs you that it is a criminal offence for your business not to register under the Data Protection Act. It says that you should pay anything from �95 to �135 to them in order to register. It leaves out certain vital facts: 1) That many businesses especially most small businesses do not have to register. 2) That there is an official government body that regulates this, the Office of the Information Commissioner, which only charges �35.00 for this service. 3) That there is no connection between the above body and any of the private companies who send out these letters. These letters tend to imply they are sent by an official body with a name such as data protection agency or something similar. They are sent out by private companies who have no official status or enforcement powers. If you wish to contact the office of the information commissioner to see if you genuinely need to register then they can be reached on 01625 545745. NCIS money laundering regs A variation on the Data Protection Letters scam, but this time based on money laundering Regulations. The company states it is an offence not to abide by money laundering Regulations and then asks for money. Actual National Criminal Intelligence Service documents are enclosed with the letter, to encourage businesses to think that that is who the request is from. Health & Safety law scam Another variation on the Data Protection Letter scam but this time based around health & safety law. The company states it is an offence not to abide by health & safety law and then asks for money for its services. There is no legal requirement to use these services and any such demands should be ignored. Freedom of Information Scam Another variation on the Data Protection Letter scam. This time scammers demand a payment to register your CCTV equipment under the Freedom of Information Act. In fact the Freedom of Information Act does not even apply to private businesses. Owners of CCTV cameras MAY need to register them under the data protection act, however, if this information is required it is done via the Information Commissioners Office and not through any other body. The Information Commissioners Office is contactable on 01625 545745 Premium Rate Fax Scam Your business receives a fax stating that they will sell on your details or continue to send you faxes unless you fax them back on a high price 0906 number. This will cost you �1.50 a minute and will last several minutes. To stop yourself receiving unsolicited faxes for free instead call the FAX preference service on 0845 070 0702. It will be illegal for anyone to send you unsolicited faxes once you have registered. To complain about the way a trader uses a premium rate number contact ICSTIS (details above). Unsolicited goods Your business receives several items it has not ordered together with a large bill and subsequent threats of legal action. It is a criminal offence to attempt to invoice someone for goods they have not ordered and as no contract exists there is no way payment is legally enforceable. Often the company will attempt to get around this by ringing in the hope of speaking to a junior employee and stating they are ringing to confirm the order, whatever is said they will claim that this constitutes a binding contract, an argument which is legally dubious to say the least. Like the advertising directory scam this works on the basis that some companies will pay money on the threat of legal action whether or not there is any chance of its success. If you have been sent an invoice for unsolicited goods then let us know. Forged & stolen cheques A potential buyer contacts you agreeing to pay for whatever you are offering, however for some reason they have paid a cheque which is for more than the amount you require. They then ask you to pay them back the excess amount. Some time after you pay them it will turn out that the cheque they paid you with was forged or stolen, leaving you out of pocket. Cheque fraud should be reported to the Police. Internet website registration Someone rings you out of the blue claiming that a third party is trying to register the name of your company as their web-site domain name. You have to pay them a sum of money quickly to stop this happening. Whether or not the company actually performs the service, they will charge considerably more than what it would have cost you to register the name yourself. By creating a false sense of urgency they persuade those with limited knowledge of the internet to pay over the odds for a service they could have performed themselves. Needless to say the mysterious third party who was trying to register the domain name is never heard of again. Copyright © Devon County Council Trading Standards Service 2002 Disclaimer \| last updated 9th May 2005
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