@WAR - Warwickshire Trading Standards alerts

Warwickshire Trading Standards email alerts. Please feel free to cascade this information to whomever you feel appropriate (including using the information in your newsletters/websites etc.). 30/10/2015 Urban fraud myths 30/10/2015 Ministry of Justice scams 30/10/2015 Rogue Roofers Operating in Nuneaton Area 27/10/2015 Loyalty grants 27/10/2015 Broadband ‘cut off’ scam 27/10/2015 Paying Your Bills? Get £8000 scam 30/10/2015 Urban fraud myths By Simon Cripwell on Oct 30, 2015 12:15 pm Urban Fraud Myths Dating fraud: Over the last year 3,543 have reported dating fraud to Action Fraud losing on average £33k. Date safe Date Safe Spoofing: Find out more about spoofing and how to protect yourself Pin safety: Read the Joint Declaration by Police & UK Banks listing  warning signs of phone scam imposters Read in browser » 30/10/2015 Ministry of Justice scams By Simon Cripwell on Oct 30, 2015 11:08 am Warwickshire Trading Standards have recently received a large number of reports about criminal gangs phoning residents, falsely claiming to be calling from the Ministry of Justice. The callers usually claim to be calling to provide the consumer with some sort of grant, reward or compensation. Beware, don't provide any personal or financial information to people who phone you! Read in browser » 30/10/2015 Rogue Roofers Operating in Nuneaton Area By Simon Cripwell on Oct 30, 2015 10:16 am Nuneaton residents are warned to beware of rogue traders offering roofing work door to door in the local area. Warwickshire Trading Standards advises residents not to buy at the door. You can't tell a good trader from a bad one on the doorstep. Keep your door closed! Rogue traders often claim to be based locally but instead use false addresses and 0800 or local phone numbers linked to untraceable mobile phones. Their quotes may begin low but soon rocket and the work is typically done to a very poor standard! Rogue traders dress smartly and can appear very plausible. They often use professional cards and flyers and may even have their own websites. Rogue traders often offer to replace loose roof tiles, or pressure wash or ‘treat’ a roof with special (often red coloured) ‘heat insulating paint’. Loose Roof Tiles: Rogue traders often falsely claim that an owner’s property has loose roof tiles as it is difficult to for a householder to verify if this is true or not. Once on the roof, rogue traders can then ‘find’ other jobs to do and may even damage roofs on purpose, just so they can charge to repair them. Jet Spraying Roofs: Rogue traders may offer to jet spray a roof to clean it and remove moss. However, roofing experts warn that roof tiles should not be subject to high-pressure washing. To do so can potentially damage or break the tiles and remove any aesthetic granular tile finish. ‘Insulating Paint’: Rogue traders may offer to paint your roof with (often red coloured) ‘special insulating paint’. There is no evidence that the products they would use would have any insulating qualities. Further, to allow them to carry out this ‘work’ may damage your roof. Consumers requiring further advice or information, or to report a rogue trader should phone Warwickshire Trading Standards on 03454 040506 (via Citizens Advice Consumer Service). Read in browser » 27/10/2015 Loyalty grants By Simon Cripwell on Oct 27, 2015 12:24 pm Consumers are warned to beware of criminal gangs cold calling consumers to offer them loyalty grants for working 'a long time.' The bogus callers often ask for bank details or advance fees from the consumer to claim the non existent grant. NEVER reveal personal or financial information to callers. Read in browser » 27/10/2015 Broadband ‘cut off’ scam By Simon Cripwell on Oct 27, 2015 12:11 pm A Warwickshire resident reported receiving a telephone call from someone claiming to be from BT. The caller claimed that BT had not received the consumer's direct debit information and would be cut off. The caller knew the consumer's address and asked for the name of the consumer's bank and other bank details. The consumer revealed the name of their bank and the caller said they would contact them direct. A few minutes later the consumer's phone rang again. This time the caller claimed to be from the consumer's bank requesting credit and debit card details and PIN numbers etc. The consumer did not reveal any bank account numbers or PINS. These phone calls were bogus and the criminals behind them hoped to obtain enough bank information to steal money and possibly commit identity fraud. NEVER reveal any personal or financial/banking information to anyone phoning you, however plausible they may sound. Genuine callers will always be happy for you to phone back on a publicly listed phone number. Always wait several minutes before phoning back or use another phone. Some fraudsters keep phone lines open! Read in browser » 27/10/2015 Paying Your Bills? Get £8000 scam By Simon Cripwell on Oct 27, 2015 11:58 am Warwickshire residents are receiving unexpected phone calls from representatives of a 'Government' group to advise them that, as they were paying their bills, they had been added to a random draw and would now be receiving an £8000 award! This advanced fee fraud scam usually leads to the caller asking for money up front before the £8000 'grant' is paid out. In reality, the Government group, random draw and grant is a bogus story concocted by criminal gangs. Read in browser »   Recent Articles: 22/10/2015: Bogus Trading Standards Officers warning! 14/10/2015 Trading Standards Business Newsletter 09/10/2015 When is a charity not a charity? 08/10/2015 Businesses offered help to understand the biggest shake up of consumer law in a generation 08/10/2015 Another Free Serving of ‘Phish and Chips’ – cyber-crime and data-security seminar for business

Our mailing address is: Warwickshire County Council Shire Hall Warwick, Warwickshire CV34 4RL United Kingdom