Bogus Police Home Security Check

The Trading Standards Service is warning consumers about a security company that appears to be adopting an aggressive sales technique when dealing with elderly and vulnerable consumers.

The company phones the consumer requesting consent to visit and undertake a 'Police Home Security Check' - the inference being that the check is supported by the Police. An astute consumer challenged the Company and they admitted they had no connection with the Police at all.

Trading Standards are concerned that this approach may be calculated in order to gain a home appointment which could then possibly opens the way for potential pressure selling.

Warwickshire Trading Standards Service would ask anyone who has contact with an elderly or vulnerable person to talk to them regarding this current issue an advise them to consider not accepting appointments from cold calls. If they have signed any contracts or taken delivery of any items that they are unsure of they can contact Consumer Direct and Trading Standards may be able to assist them in obtaining a full refund.

Trading Standards Officers would urge local residents who have any concerns over recent telephone calls to contact Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06 for advice.

Advice on dealing with unwanted telephone calls:

• Don’t provide any personal or financial information to callers you don’t know and trust.
• Challenge caller’s claims – ask for their name and their company name and if you wish to speak to them, phone them back via a publicly listed telephone number.
• If you don’t wish to speak to them, put the phone down.
• To reduce the number of unwanted telephone sales calls you receive register with the Telephone Preference Service on 0845 070 0707.
• If the caller is persistent, seek advice from your phone provider (e.g BT).
• If you are receiving abusive, threatening or obscene calls, malicious or otherwise distressing to you, then report them to the police.

14/08/09

Bogus Phone Calls (to Farmers) from the Police

Trading Standards is warning Farmers to be on their guard from bogus telephone calls from the police. A farmer received a call from someone purporting to be a PCSO trying to raise money to run a 'youth event'. The farmer was asked for £150 donation. When challenged the caller rang off.

Advice on dealing with unexpected callers:

• Don’t provide any personal or financial information to callers you don’t know and trust.
• Challenge caller’s claims – ask for their name and their company name and if you wish to speak to them, phone them back via a publicly listed telephone number.
• If you don’t wish to speak to them, put the phone down.
• To reduce the number of unwanted telephone sales calls you receive register with the Telephone Preference Service on 0845 070 0707.
• If the caller is persistent, seek advice from your phone provider (eg, BT).
• If you are receiving abusive, threatening or obscene calls, malicious or otherwise distressing to you, then report them to the police.

08/07/09

Bogus Email from HMRC

The Trading Standards Service warns consumers that the bogus email that purports to come from HMRC regarding a 'tax refund notification' is still doing the rounds.

Recipients are asked to click a link and complete the details requested. Once completed the phishers have all the infomration they need to steal your identity and money.

HMRC have been contacted and advised that they would never contact people in this way. Under no circumstances must recipients respond to the email or click on any links it might contain or risk losing personal or financial information or exposing the PC to malware. If you receive such an email delete it.

08/07/09

Potential Rogue Trader - Tarmac Drives

Warwickshire County Council Trading Standards Service are warning residents to be on their guard after receiving a report from residents in Church Walk, Wellesbourne. Residents have been cold called by a trader in a white van carrying ladders possibly with MWD on the side.

The Trader stated that he had come to inspect the Tarmac after the recent flooding and will come back the next day to measure the depth of the Tarmac. The Trader also states that the firm who put the Tarmac down, over a year ago, had gone bankrupt so he was following it up.

Other rogue traders may see the floods as an opportunity to knock your door - please be vigilant.

16/11/08

Postal Scam

The Trading Standards Office are making people aware of the following scam:

A card is posted through your door from a company called PDS (Parcel Delivery Service) suggesting that they were unable to deliver a parcel and that you need to contact them on 0906 6611911 (a premium rate number). DO NOT call this number, as this is a mail scam originating from Belize.

If you call the number and you start to hear a recorded message you will already have been billed £15 for the phone call.

If you do receive a card with these details, then please contact Royal Mail Fraud on 02072396655 or ICSTIS (the premium rate service regulator) at www.icstis.org.uk

This number was closed down in December 2005 by ICSTIS, who are now rebranded PhonePayPlus. They assure us that the only way to rack up a £15 bill is to stay on the phone for 10 minutes as the maximum charge is £1.50/min. Having said that, the criminals have probably found a way to route calls over an expensive revenue line by now, so it's as well to be vigilant and only call a 09 number if you're desperate for help or looking for adult entertainment. A public service company usually uses 087 numbers though they should have switched to the cheaper 03 numbers by now, but the only people who seem to have done this so far are the BBC.

12/11/08

Yet Another Phishing Scam

Beware of emails along the following lines:

Dear customer,

Attention! Your NatWest banking account could have been compromised!

Someone with ip address 213.164.164.74 tried to access your personal account over the internet banking!

Please click the link below and verify your account information to confirm that you are not currently away. You have 12 hours to take this step or your account will be blocked until further notice.

To Get Started, Please Click On <Link>.

This email was sent by the NatWest Online server. This is done for your protection.

Once again, this and other emails similar to it, is a scam which uses scare tactics to steal your personal and financial information. Never respond to these emails or click on the links within them.

12/11/08

Beware of Bin Stamp

Stratford-on-Avon District Council is warning residents of a possible scam or prankster targeting the Council's new wheeled bin refuse and recycling service.

The District Council has been receiving reports from different parts of the District of finding an 'official looking' stamp on the inside lid of their new wheeled bins and each time residents have reported that if they receive three of these stamps they may be refused collection of their waste or worst still fined.

"The District Council is not issuing fines and is certainly not stamping bins. We have had several residents phone in to inform us about this and each with the same story: claiming that if they receive three stamps they will either not have their rubbish collected or will receive a fine. We have also had reports of a gentleman wearing a high visibility jacket getting out of a white van and lifting the lids of the bins. We are very keen to reassure residents over this and ask that the stamps are ignored. Any attempt to extract money from residents through fraudulent fines should be reported to the Police as this is nothing to do with the Council and we are not issuing fines; please continue to use the service as normal," says Robert Weeks, Head of Environment.

So far the stamps have been reported in Stratford, Clifford Chambers, Quinton, Snitterfield, Dorsignton and Alcester. Any resident seeing their bins being tampered with should ring the Council hotline - 01789 260616. All District Council Officers and Refuse Operatives carry identification and will show it on request.

These stamps should not be confused with the District Council's own official stickers which are stuck on the outside of the bin and have the Council's telephone number on.

27/10/08

Online Phishing Scams - HSBC Bank

Beware of emails that falsely claim to come from HSBC Bank which state that:

Access to your online account has been suspended.

Dear HSBC Customer,

Your online banking password was entered incorrectly more than 3 times.
For the protection of your account we have suspended access to it.
To restore access please Log In correctly.
Previous notifications have been sent.

Thank you for choosing HSBC Bank. Copyright HSBC INC 2008. All rights reserved.

This, and other emails similar to it, is a scam which uses scare tactics to steal your personal and financial information. Never respond to these emails or click on the links within them.

16/09/08

Scare Tactic Phishing Scam Targets Natwest

Countywide. Beware of emails that falsely claim to come from the Natwest Bank which state that:

Unfortunately we now need to give you final notice that, 3 days from today's date - at the close of business day on 25 June 2008 - your account with us will be closed and our contact with you ended if you do not provide us all the details we asked for. For your account to not be deactivated or closed we need you to

- verify the accuracy of your personal data immediately

To do this, you are asked to follow the link below:

Otherwise, these measures should be taken:

- your account will be closed or suspended indefinitely and you'll not be able to open another account with our bank or any bank affiliated to us for 2 years.

- is therefore important that you repay what you owe us in full before the closure date, and make alternative arrangements for your banking straightaway.

This is a scam which uses scare tactics to steal your personal and financial information. Never respond to these emails or click on the links within them.

04/07/08

Tax Refund Scam

Countrywide. Beware of emails the falsely purport to be from HM Revenue and Customs offering tax refunds:

After the last annual calculations of your fiscal activity we have determined that you are eligible to receive a tax refund of 188.50 GBP. Please submit the tax refund request and allow us 6-9 days in order to process it.

Those that respond face having their personal or financial information stolen, or will be asked for payment in advance to secure the transfer of the 'rebate'.

04/07/08

Door to Door Solar Energy

North Warwickshire. A vulnerable consumer was cold called and subsequently signed a contract for solar heating, paying a £2150 deposit. She wanted to cancel but had not been given any cancellation rights which companies are legally obliged to provide in these circumstances. She visited her One Stop Shop for advice who then contacted Warwickshire Trading Standards. The Service was able to have the contract cancelled and the deposit returned in full.

Cold callers must provide cancellation rights - it is a criminal offence not do so.

04/07/08

Loan Letter

South Warwickshire. A householder contacted the service having received a letter concerning a £200.00 loan application. The letter stated that the loan application had been confirmed and that the recipient had only to send off a cheque for £49.50 as a set up fee and the money would be paid.

However the letter was sent unsolicited, and the recipient had never made any sort of application! Trading Standards are investigating.

04/07/08

HM Treasury Advanced Fee Fraud Scam

Warwickshire. The latest email scam received by the Trading Standards Service falsely claims to come from HM Treasury. Recipients of the email are told that the Treasury has 'calculated your tax payments in the last 2 years in UK. The amount is : £2419.13'. They are then invited to claim a refund by clicking on a link entitled 'HM Treasury' in the email. The link directs the recipient to a suspicious website.

Recipients are advised not to click on the link and to delete the email immediately. By clicking on the link recipients could expose themselves to malware and viruses, or may end up being asked to pay money in advance to receive their 'refund'.

17/10/07

More Banking Phishing Scams

Warwickshire computer users are warned to beware of another phishing scam. Consumers have reported receiving emails that falsely claim to come from the Alliance and Leicester.

The email reads: Dear Alliance and Leicester Internet Banking member! Our Technical Division is doing a scheduled ] Internet Banking update. By clicking on the link below please open the procedure of the client details confirmation.

Recipients of the email are warned not to open the link or input any personal or financial information.

Free Burglar Alarms Scam

Warwickshire householders are warned to beware of callers falsely claiming to be working on behalf of Warwickshire Fire and rescue Service, offering to fit free burglar alarms. This is a scam and those that agree to the fitting of an alarm are likely to be asked for payment for installation and pressured in to signing a contract for a long and potentially very expensive alarm monitored service.

Reminder: False Bank/Building Society Emails

Warwickshire consumers are again warned to beware of emails that purport to come from bank or building societies or similar. An email falsely claiming to be from the nationwide has been circulating recently. The email asks the recipient to update their account as a way of stealing personal and financial information.

Information Regarding Recent Terrorism Alert

Key Messages

• A major counter terrorism investigation is underway following both attacks. Both devices had the potential to cause mass damage to property, but also significant fatalities.
• There is no information that suggests that any part of the UK is a specific target but another attack is believed to be imminent. This policing activity is being undertaken to ensure that the public at large are kept safe. This is our utmost priority.
• All forces across the country will be increasing their police patrols in areas which may be vulnerable. These include areas where large numbers of people may gather and licensed premises.
• Police officers will be visiting such areas and premises in your area throughout the weekend to ensure they are kept safe.
• Terrorism affects all our communities and their safety is our highest priority. We will do our utmost to help people recognise the signs of suspicious and to assist us in defeating terrorism.
• Armed officers will be patrolling at significant points: e.g. transport hubs.
• The police will continue to work with our partners and communities at local, county, regional and national level to prevent terrorism.
• We need our communities to help defeat terrorism. We need all our communities to be vigilant and to report any suspicious behaviour to the Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789321.

Bogus Water Board Officials Target Elderly Victims

Bogus waterboard officials targeted elderly victims in Studley and Bidford upon Avon. Police are linking the incidents and appealing for witnesses to a small grey or silver car used by the two offenders. Police would like you to advise elderly and vulnerable people to be suspicious of all unexpected visitors to their homes following these incidents which occurred on Tuesday June 26.

Two men, both with strong accents believed to be Irish, visited a 90 year old woman at her home in Wickham Road, Studley at 5pm. They claimed to be investigating water problems following recent flooding and said they needed to check rear gardens as part of their work. While one man distracted the woman in the garden the other searched inside her home and stole a £20 note from her purse. He also untidily searched the upstairs rooms.

Both men were white wearing blue/green and white striped shirts. One was wearing a cap. It's believed they drove away in a silver coloured car. The same two men are suspected of carrying out a burglary at the home of an elderly and disabled couple in Steppes Piece, Bidford-on-Avon at around 6.15pm. The couple were alerted by a knock at the window. The elderly woman went to the front door where the men told her they were investigating water supply problems. They pushed their way inside and pushed the woman back into the living and onto a settee. One of the men started searching inside the house. The elderly man activated his emergency lifeline alert and told the offenders who both ran out of the house. Nothing is believed to have been stolen.

Both men were white aged in their 20s or 30s. The shorter male had dark faifly short hair and wore a cap. The taller one was slimmer and wore a striped shirt. House to house inquiries revealed a neighbour seeing a small grey or silver car leave from outside the house. If you saw or heard anything suspicious in the Studley or Bidford area yesterday evening that you believe may be connected to these incident or you see the two men in the silver vehicle in your area please contact Alcester police quoting incident number 541 of 16 June.

If you have information about this incident please ring 01926 415000 and ask for the Communications Centre. Please tell them that you are ringing in in response to a message or call Crime Stoppers 0800 555111

Flyers Offering Gardening Work

Flyers are being posted through the doors of Rugby residents offering tree care and other gardening work. The leaflets only carry 08000 and mobile numbers, but no addresses. Consumers are warned to be wary of accepting any offer of work from traders who only use potentially untraceable telephone numbers and no other verifiable addresses.

For further information visit: Warwickshire Trading Standards

False 'Bank' Calling Telephone Calls

Neighbourhood Watch Members in the Leamington Spa area reported receiving a call from someone who only identified himself as 'Jack' who wished to discuss the residents bank charges over the past few months. She put the phone down. Residents are warned not to divulge any personal or financial information over the phone to any unsolicited/unexpected caller.

International Lottery Scam (Alcester area)

The Trading Standards Service has again received a number of complaints about a lottery award notification scam. Identical letters on blue paper have been sent to many hundreds of people in the county. The letter entitled 'LOTERIA PRIMITIVA' tells them they have won €615,810 in cash! However, they are expected to fill out a detailed form and reveal personal and financial information such as bank account numbers in order to collect their 'winnings'. Those who do will immediately receive requests for more money to process the claim, and these demands will keep coming until the consumer realises it is a scam. In addition the information may be used to create false identities.

For further information visit: Warwickshire Trading Standards

Mail Postal Scam

The Trading Standards Office are making people aware of the following scam:

A card is posted through your door from a company called PDS (Parcel Delivery Service) suggesting they were unable to deliver a parcel and that you need to contact them on 0906 6611911 (a premium rate number).

DO NOT call this number as this is a mail scam originating in Belize. If you call the number and you start to hear a recorded message you will already have been billed £15!!! for the phone call.

If you do receive a card with these details, please contact Royal Mail Fraud on 0207 2396655 or ICSTIS (the premium rate service regulator) at www.icstis.org.uk

Credit Card Scam - Don't Get Caught Out!

Here are details of a card scam that has been going round the area:

The scam works like this. The person calling says, "This is (name), and I'm calling from the Security and Fraud Department at VISA. My Badge number is 12460. Your card has been flagged for an unusual purchase pattern, and I'm calling to verify. Did you purchase an Anti-Telemarketing Device for £249.99 from a marketing company based in (name of any town or city)?"

When you say "No" the caller continues with, "Then we will be issuing a credit to your account. This is a company we have been watching and the charges range from £150 to £249, just under the £250 purchase pattern that flags most cards. Before your next statement, the credit will be sent to (gives you your address), is that correct?"

You say "yes". The caller continues - "I will be starting a Fraud investigation. If you have any questions, you should call the 0800 number listed on the back of your card and ask for Security. You will need to refer to this Control Number. The caller then gives you a 6 digit number. "Do you need me to read it again?"

Here's the IMPORTANT part on how the scam works. The caller then says, "I need to verify you are in possession of your card". He'll ask you to "turn your card over and look for some numbers". There are 7 numbers; the first 4 are part of your card number, the next 3 are the security Numbers that verify you are the possessor of the card. These are the numbers you sometimes use to make Internet purchases to prove you have the card. The caller will ask you to read the 3 numbers to him.

After you tell the caller the 3 numbers, he'll say, "That is correct, I just needed to verify that the card has not been lost or stolen, and that you still have your card. Do you have any other questions?" After you say no, the caller then thanks you and states, "Don't hesitate to call back; if you do", and hangs up. You actually say very little, and they never ask for or tell you the Card number. Should you then call back with a question the REAL VISA Security Department will tell you it was a scam and that within the last 15 minutes a new purchase of £249.99 has been charged to your card.

What the scammers want is the 3-digit PIN number on the back of the card. Don't give it to them.

Instead, tell them you'll call VISA or Master card directly for verification of their conversation. The real VISA told us that they will never ask for anything on the card as they already know the information since they issued the card! If you give the scammers your 3 Digit PIN you think you're receiving a credit. However, by the time you get your statement you'll see charges for purchases you didn't make, and by then it's almost to late and/or more difficult to actually file a fraud report.