20/02/2013 BBC Lottery Scam and other Advanced Fee Frauds

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1 20/02/2013 BBC Lottery Scam and other Advanced Fee Frauds The names of bogus lotteries are becoming ever more bizarre! One resident contacted Warwickshire Trading Standards after receiving a congratulatory from the BBC National Lottery, run in conjunction with Microsoft! Like all bogus lotteries, the asked the winner to send copies of various personal documents and would then have requested money in advance of the $750,000 non-existent prize being released. James Feng Lui claims to work for the Shenzhen Development Bank and wants you to help him claim $10.5 million, the estate of a deceased person with your surname (so his letter says). He is willing to split the funds 50/50. Sadly those who take Mr Feng Lui up on his offer will only ever be asked for money to help the transfer of the fictitious millions along. And, Mr Lee Hao a bank worker in Hong Kong is writing to Warwickshire residents with the same offer. Advanced fee frauds come in many shapes and sizes. Never reveal any personal or financial information to people you don t know or trust and especially cold callers and senders of spam /letters. More about advanced fee frauds: F7/$file/ _Advanced_Fee_Fraud.pdf 20/02/2013 Are You Really a Winner? Warwickshire Trading Standards are warning residents about letters which appear to suggest that you may have won prize, often by stating that a prize has been unclaimed or asking you to send in a claim form. The small print is usually the give-away in these cases where consumers are actually required to phone a premium rate number or send an expensive text (often as much as 10), just to find out if they have won and not to collect a prize at all! You cannot win a lottery you have not entered. Always check the small print and beware of phoning or texting to check on your prize. You may not have won anything at all and if you have, it will probably be worth less than the cost of the phone call! More about scam lotteries: F7/$file/Scambuster+A5+Campaign+English+2.pdf 20/02/2013 Tarmac Gang Warnings Tarmac gangs are again operating in South Warwickshire villages. Residents are advised not to engage services on the doorstep. Tarmac gangs can be very persuasive/threating. Residents are best advised to keep their doors closed. Warwickshire Councils do not go door to door offering to re-surface residents driveways with left over tarmac. Tarmac gangs will do a poor job and charge a small fortune! 20/02/2013 Facebook Product Testers Warwickshire Trading Standards are warning users of Facebook to beware of advertisements etc. from traders offering people the opportunity to product test face creams, free for 30 days. One consumer reported taking up the offer for what she thought would only involve paying a

2 small amount for postage and packing. Having provided her debit car details she was then told that if she did not return the goods within 14 day unopened, she would be charged 80! Never provide your credit or debit cards to traders you don t know or trust and always check the terms and conditions of any offer whatever the headline claim may be. Trading Standards know that some traders have taken money from consumers accounts, even after they had cancelled, using a system called continuous payments authority. If you are in this situation the Financial Services Authority state that you can cancel such agreements directly with your bank. See their leaflet: 20/02/2013 Cold Calling Alarm Sales Wellesbourne Consumers living in the Wellesbourne area have reported cold calls relating to the promotion of monitored security systems. Warwickshire Trading Standards would like to remind consumers that if they are offered free alarm systems, they may come with expensive monitoring contracts. Consumers should never buy from cold callers and if they require a security system should seek independent advice from their local Police or NHW organisation. Further, consumers should be wary of businesses that use spurious/scary crime statistics to sell their systems or claim that the emergency services will respond if their alarm is activated. 13/02/2013 Business Collapse Scam A Warwickshire consumer reported to Trading Standards receiving an unexpected phone call from someone who claimed a business the consumer had a contract with was closing down and the consumer was due a refund. The caller offered to send the consumer a cheque for 350 and was then asked to send 100 further on to India. This is a scam. The cheque would initially clear and the money appear in the consumer s account. The consumer would then send 100 on to India. However, the cheque would almost certainly be stolen or counterfeit and when this was spotted by the bank, they would remove the money from the consumer s account, leaving the consumer 100 out of pocket. 13/02/2013 Loan Scam A Warwickshire consumer reported to the Trading Standards Service receiving an offer of a loan after being phoned unexpectedly by someone he had never spoken to before (the consumer has been looking for a loan previously). The caller (who was phoning from abroad) offered the consumer a 3000 loan over 2 years with a monthly repayment of 94 per month. The caller even sent the consumer a loan agreement, despite the loan repayments covering less than the total cost of the loan! Consumers looking for loans are warned that they may become targets for fraudsters. The fraudster will offer the consumer the loan but the consumer will often begin their loan repayments before they receive the loan. The fraudsters never do send the money but keep taking the repayments for as long as they can. In some cases the fraudsters ask for an admin fee to be paid up front before the loan can be released and again, it never is, leaving people who already have difficult financial circumstances, even worse off.

3 13/02/2013 Timeshare Owners Targeted Timeshare owners, often those who have been desperately trying to sell their timeshares, are being targeted by fraudsters warn Warwickshire Trading Standards. One Warwickshire timeshare owner reported receiving an unexpected phone call to tell him that he was owed over 5000 as a victim of a timeshare scam. The caller claimed that the money would be couriered to his door, but that the consumer would have to first pay a 860 transfer fee. This has all the hallmarks of an advance fee fraud and consumers are advised not to send any money if they are contacted in this way. 05/02/2013 Businesses Warned of Bogus Trading Standards Call A business contacted Warwickshire Trading Standards after it reported receiving calls from someone claiming to be from the Warwickshire Trading Standards Service, claiming that the service had received numerous complaints about the business s work. Warwickshire Trading Standards has confirmed that this was a hoax call. Consumers and businesses should be wary of any unexpected phone call from anyone claiming to represent a Government Department. Always ask to phone back using a publically listed number. 05/02/2013 Another PPI Approach! Warwickshire Trading Standards is warning consumers about another underhand approach by a company offering to claim back PPI compensation for them. The company phones consumers and claims they have overpaid their mortgages and are due a rebate, so as to get the consumer s interest and details, from which they can offer to reclaim PPI payments. One consumer reported such as call despite not having a mortgage or loans at all! Report all unsolicited phone calls to the Information Commissioners Office (ICO). Your information can help them track down and fine people who pester consumers with unwanted phone calls. Visit: If you paid PPI and are seeking compensation, you can do so for free: 05/02/2013 High Pressure Solar Panel Sellers Warning Warwickshire Trading Standards is warning consumers living in the Leamington Spa area to be aware of high pressure sales phone calls and visits from people selling (or in some cases giving away) solar panels. Consumers should not buy from the door or from the first person who they receive an unexpected phone call from. Consumers should obtain professional and independent advice, visit: 04/02/2013 Business Rebate Scam Businesses are warned to beware of cold calls from fraudsters who claim to be able to reduce their business rates. Warwickshire Trading Standards received a complaint from one business that was told that for a payment of 474, their rates would be reduced. The caller invoiced the

4 business and told the owner it would take around five weeks for the process to be completed. The business paid half the invoice immediately but the caller then disappeared without trace. Businesses can challenge their rates for free, visit: 04/02/2013 Office of Fair Trading Scam Fraudsters are cold calling consumers, claiming to be the OFT warn Warwickshire Trading Standards. The callers claim to be able to obtain Payment Protection Insurance compensation for the consumer. One consumer was asked to pay 250 up front in Ukash vouchers for this service. Had they done so the fraudster would have simply disappeared! This is an advanced fee fraud. Beware of anyone asking for up-front fees for any service, especially if they request the money be paid using Ukash vouchers or Western Union money transfer. These legitimate ways of transferring money are used by fraudsters because it makes them difficult to trace. The OFT will never cold call consumers. Consumers should be aware that they do not need to pay anything to claim PPI compensation. For more information visit: 04/02/2013 Porn Virus Scam A consumer reported to Warwickshire Trading Standards that their computer had been locked and a Police pop up had appeared claiming this was because the user had been downloading music and pornography illegally. The user was asked to make a credit card payment of 100 to unlock their computer. The pop up notices appeared professional and made use of Police logos. Trading Standards are warning consumers that this is an example of ransomware. Ransomware is a kind of malicious software that seizes control of a computer and demands a ransom to relinquish its hold over the machine. It is possible that almost 3% of compromised users pay these bogus fines, making the scam very profitable. Law enforcement bodies do not collect fines in this way. If your computer has been compromised do not pay up. To do so will also reveal your credit card details to the fraudsters. Computer users should instead run good anti-virus software on their machines to clear the virus and protect themselves from future infection. For more information on computer safety visit: 04/02/2013 Small Business Advertising Scam A Warwickshire small business that paid 360 by debit card for advertising from a cold caller, later found that other payments had been made to promotional companies from his bank account without his permission, totalling over 1000! The businessman cancelled his debit card but then received aggressive calls and bailiff threats.

5 Businesses are advised not to accept advertising from cold callers. Check advertising contracts thoroughly and ensure the advertising opportunity is a genuine one. For more information about advertising scams visit: F7/$file/ _Business_scams.pdf 04/02/2013 Job Offer Scam Job seekers should beware job offers that could see them out of pocket warn Warwickshire Trading Standards. A Warwickshire job seeker reported receiving an unexpected offering her a job. The offer came from someone who wanted to send her money which she would put in to her bank account and then transfer to a third party. She would then be paid. Trading Standards are warning that this a scam. The money sent to the unwitting job seeker would probably be a stolen or forged cheque. This would initially clear and the job seeker would send on the money to the third party. However, when it became clear to the bank that money was stolen, this money would be reimbursed to the rightful account owner, leaving the job seeker out of pocket! 24/01/2013 Warning on Bogus Clothing Recycling Banks We are all familiar with bogus charity clothing collectors who go door to door, but warn Warwickshire Trading Standards, some bogus collectors are now placing clothing banks in community recycling areas next to clothing banks owned and operated by genuine charities. One North Warwickshire village found such a metal clothing bank in their recycling area alongside a genuine clothing bank. The bogus clothing bank had been put in place without the permission or knowledge of village organisations and was badged up with the name of a genuine charity that when contacted, confirmed that the clothing bank was nothing to do with them. The local authority and Police have been informed, but village and town councils may wish to check that clothing banks in their area have been placed legally. Falsely claiming to be a charity is a criminal offence and residents/organisations can report these issues to Warwickshire Trading Standards on /01/2013 Ebay Caller Warning A resident reported to Warwickshire Trading Standards taking a call from someone phoning on an international number. The caller claimed to represent Ebay and asked the resident if he had made a 94 purchase which the caller claimed was fraudulent and would he like his money back? The resident was told he would need to download a Western Union reclaim form and was given some strange instructions as to how to do this on his PC. The resident immediately put his phone down. Trading Standards think this was an elaborate attempt to gain access to the residents computer, after which personal or financial information might be stolen or viruses downloaded.

6 Ebay is very unlikely to make cold calls to consumers. 23/01/2013 Energy Sales Cold Calling Scam Consumers should again beware of unexpected doorstep callers trying to get them to change their energy supplier, warn Warwickshire Trading Standards. One elderly resident received an unexpected visit from an energy company representative who asked him to sign paperwork which he claimed was necessary to claim money back for some insulation work the resident had had done some time ago. The caller also asked for the residents date of birth and details of his energy bills. This warn Trading Standards is a classic attempt to deceive a resident in to changing his energy supplier without his knowledge or consent. Consumers may save money by switching their energy supplier. However, they should shop around and use comparison websites, not sign up with the first person who comes to their door. 23/01/2012 Petrol Scam Update Following our warning to consumers about a petrol scam issued in December 2012 (see below), Warwickshire Trading Standards has been alerted again to another incident. This time a resident was flagged down on a road near Dunchurch by a man who again said he had run out of petrol and asked for some money, offering some jewellery (probably cheap and fake, in return). He also asked for a lift to the petrol station. The driver said no and tried to drive off. The individual held on to the car and only let go when he saw that the driver was not going to stop. The Police have been informed. Warning from December 2012 A consumer reported to Warwickshire Trading Standards being flagged down by a driver who claimed he had run out of petrol and had no money to buy any more. The consumer was asked (and gave over) 10 in return for a ring which the driver said he could hold on to as a deposit. The driver took the consumer s phone number and told him he would phone him to arrange the return of the ring and payment of the 10. The driver then took off, leaving the consumer no contact details. The consumer reported he had not heard from the driver since but still had the (probably worthless) ring! 22/01/2013 Rogue Snow Clearers Warning Warwickshire Trading Standards is warning residents to beware of rogue door to door traders offering to clear snow from pathways and driveways. Officers have had reports that some rogue traders have switched from tarmacing and roofing repairs to snow clearance. Rogue traders carry out poor work for high prices and once they are on your property will look for other jobs to do! Residents are advised not to buy goods or services from unexpected callers. 22/01/2013 Clothing Collectors Warwickshire Trading Standards has again been alerted to clothing collectors operating in the Warwick/Leamington Spa area. Residents are warned that not all collectors are operating on behalf of a charity. Many collectors are businesses who collect for profit, in a similar way to

7 scrap metal collectors. If consumers want their old clothing to benefit a charity, use a registered charity bag, charity clothing bank or charity shop. 22/01/2013 Ministry of Justice Scam A Warwickshire resident who thought she was speaking to a Ministry of Justice official when she was phoned unexpectedly has been conned out of over 600. The bogus caller claimed she was owed money for mis-sold Payment Protection Insurance. She was then asked to send over 600 in UKash vouchers in order to receive her refund. Warwickshire Trading Standards Service is warning consumers that if they are asked to send money in advance of receiving any rebate/winnings/compensation etc. then they have almost certainly been targeted by fraudsters. For more information visit: 21/01/2013 Council Tax Rebate Warning Warwickshire Trading Standards has received a number of complaints from residents who have been targeted by businesses offering to sign them up to Council Tax Rebate Schemes. The businesses send residents paperwork to sign and then follow up with high pressure phone calls. They claim to be able to lower the consumer s council tax. If they achieve a reduction, they will take a percentage of any rebate a resident might be awarded. HOWEVER residents should be aware that it is FREE to challenge your council tax band and that you DO NOT need to employ a third party to carry out this work for you. Residents should also be aware that by challenging their council tax, the amount they pay could go up as well as down. For more information, visit the Valuation Office Agency: There are also a number of consumer advice websites that can help you decide if it is worth you challenging your band. 10/01/2013 Police Magazine Scam Surfaces Again More businesses from the Alcester area have been targeted by a bogus magazine publisher cold calling traders to ask them if they would support a Police campaign on drink and drugs awareness. The caller, who gave his name as Terry had a Liverpool or Northwest accent and provided the local Aldi store s telephone number as a contact. There is no connection with Warwickshire Police. Rogue publishing firms often claim to call on behalf of local emergency services in order to trick businesses in to buying advertising or publications with little or no circulation. The publications are often safety related but they are almost never produced. For more information on publications scams, visit 09/01/2012 Wine Investors 250,000 in the Red! Investing in wine can be a risky business, warn Warwickshire County Council s Trading

8 Standards Service after consumers reported losing more than 250,000! Trading Standards Officers are aware of a number of investors who spent over 250,000 each on fine wine after being promised higher returns than those available from savings accounts or the stock market. Many of the investors were approached following a sales cold call or junk mail leaflet. Trading Standards Officers have discovered that huge commission fees charged by the wine sellers swallowed up most of the investor s investment capital immediately. And, poor sales advice has meant that the wine they do now own is unlikely to ever accrue in price enough to cover their initial investment, never mind making a profit! Fine wine is one of a number of investment products which are unregulated, so consumers are largely unprotected. Whilst not all unregulated investment opportunities are misleading or fraudulent, investors are strongly advised to seek impartial and professional advice to avoid unscrupulous investment firms and bogus investments. Only deal with financial services firms that are authorised by the UK s Financial Services Authority: 02/01/2013 Don t Unwittingly Help the Spread of Rabies Don t unwittingly help the spread of rabies warn Warwickshire County Council s Trading Standards Service. Increasing numbers of puppies are being imported illegally from Eastern Europe in to the UK where puppy prices are much higher and are being sold via adverts on the Internet and in newspaper small ads as UK bred dogs. They are accompanied by bogus animal histories (breed and pedigree information) and forged documents. Many of these animals are being smuggled in to the UK without first having being vaccinated against rabies. Other imported puppies are vaccinated too young before being imported. These animals are normally discovered by vets after they check the legality of an animal s passport documentation when new owners first take their animals for treatment. Although the UK is rabies free, some Eastern European countries such as the Ukraine and Romania continue to have problems with the disease. Defra have issued some good advice: