@WAR - Posts from Warwickshire County Council for 13/09/15

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.). 11/09/2015 Bogus ‘accident’ phone calls not from Warwickshire County Council 10/09/2015 Bogus VISA and pension callers 10/09/2014 Bogus ‘safety’ checks 10/09/2015 Nuneaton bogus council worker 09/09/2015 New iPhone scams warning 11/09/2015 Bogus ‘accident’ phone calls not from Warwickshire County Council By Simon Cripwell on Sep 11, 2015 10:07 am Warwickshire Trading Standards is warning residents to beware of unexpected phone calls from people falsely claiming to represent Warwickshire County Council. The bogus callers claim they are investigating an accident in which the resident was involved. Several Warwickshire residents have already contacted Trading Standards to complain. These phone calls are NOT being made by Warwickshire County Council or their representatives. The bogus callers may claim they are calling from fictitious departments such as 'Warwickshire County Council Investigations Department'. Trading Standards understand that these phone calls are probably being made by unscrupulous 'no-win no fee' claims management businesses or people connected to them. The calls are made at random, hence most recipients have not been involved in any sort of accident. On finding someone who has had an accident, the bogus caller would then either offer to represent them in a compensation claim (for which they would receive a hefty percentage of any compensation paid), or sell the resident's details on to a claims management company. Trading Standards advice: Never provide any personal or financial information to cold callers Always put the phone down and report bogus callers to Warwickshire Trading Standards on 03454 040506 For more advice visit Warwickshire Trading Standards Read in browser » 10/09/2015 Bogus VISA and pension callers By Simon Cripwell on Sep 10, 2015 02:41 pm Consumers are warned to beware of bogus callers. One consumer reported receiving a cold call from someone who claimed to be from VISA, stating that the consumer had not signed their bank cards. The consumer was then asked for their bank details and card numbers. Another reported receiving a bogus cold call from the 'Pensions Office'. The caller asked the consumer to confirm their pension payment details. NEVER provide personal or financial information to a cold caller, whoever they may claim to represent. ALWAYS put the phone down Check us out on Facebook and Twitter Read in browser » 10/09/2014 Bogus ‘safety’ checks By Simon Cripwell on Sep 10, 2015 02:24 pm A Warwickshire resident reported receiving an unexpected phone call from someone claiming to be doing home safety checks in partnership with the Police and Fire Service. The caller asked the householder a series of personal questions including their age, marital status, if they lived on their own and whether they owned or rented the property. Rogue high pressure sales people will falsely claim to be working with the Police or Fire Service in order to make them sound credible before attempting to sell the consumer often high priced and unnecessary products. The caller may also have been gathering personal information they can sell on to other cold callers. NEVER provide personal or financial information to a cold caller, whoever they may claim to represent. ALWAYS put the phone down Check us out on Facebook and Twitter Read in browser » 10/09/2015 Nuneaton bogus council worker By Simon Cripwell on Sep 10, 2015 02:12 pm Warwickshire Trading Standards are warning Nuneaton area residents to beware of rogue traders/bogus callers. A Nuneaton resident reported finding a man in their garden. He claimed a neighbour had reported rats and wanted to pour a green liquid down their drain. He then went on to say he worked for the 'Council' before offering to carry out some re-pointing work on the home-owners property. NEVER employ an unexpected caller to carry out work on your home. NEVER allow an unexpected caller access to your home. Check us out on Facebook and Twitter Read in browser » 09/09/2015 New iPhone scams warning By Simon Cripwell on Sep 09, 2015 12:02 pm Apple is expected to unveil a new iPhone this week and Warwickshire Trading Standards is urging consumers to be on the lookout for criminals trying to exploit the hype by flooding popular social media platforms with misleading adverts and bogus offers. Beware of: iphone 'flash sales' which are really prize draws paying to access 'iphone for £1 exclusive offers' which in reality land the consumer with an unwanted subscription set up using a continuous payment authorities (CPAs) to take money from people’s accounts without their informed consent. If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter Read in browser »   Recent Articles: 27/08/2015 Electric blanket safety tests – phone lines now open! 25/08/2015 Telephone Preference Service scam 25/08/2015 ‘Free’ burglar alarm warning 25/08/2015 Prize gift hid expensive subscription! 25/08/2015 Bogus ‘Talk Talk’ cold call warning

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