@WAR - Warwickshire Trading Standards email alerts

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27/11/2015 Local traders warned to beware of cold calls from bogus publishers 27/11/2015 Dyson service bogus engineers 27/11/2015 Loan scam warning 26/11/2015 Indesit and Hotpoint issue fire-risk warnings over tumble dryers 26/11/2015 Trading Standards offer help as Black Friday approaches

27/11/2015 Local traders warned to beware of cold calls from bogus publishers By Simon Cripwell on Nov 27, 2015 11:06 am Warwickshire Trading Standards has received a spate of reports from local traders who have been approached by bogus publishers. Bogus publishers cold call traders, asking them to advertise in magazines that have little or no circulation, making the advertising worthless. One trader was contacted and told he had been 'selected' to advertise in a magazine that (it was claimed) would be distributed to 50,000 people. The trader agreed but the magazine was never sent out. Bogus publishers chase businesses for money very aggressively and often threaten court action and bailiffs if they are not paid! Warwickshire traders are advised to never agree to offers of advertising made following a cold call. Do not even request further information. Put the phone down! 27/11/2015 Dyson service bogus engineers By Simon Cripwell on Nov 27, 2015 10:49 am A Warwickshire resident reported to Trading Standards receiving an unexpected phone call from someone claiming to represent Dyson, calling to arrange a home visit to service the residents Dyson product. When the caller arrived it transpired that the 'engineer' was not working for or on behalf of Dyson! Beware of bogus callers and never purchase goods or services as a direct result of a cold call. It's impossible to tell a good trader from a bad one over the phone or on the doorstep! Dyson bogus engineers - more information 27/11/2015 Loan scam warning By Simon Cripwell on Nov 27, 2015 10:38 am A Warwickshire consumer contacted the service after he had fallen victim to a loan scam. The consumer contacted an on-line business 'offering' loans and was approved. He was then asked for £135 before the payment could be authorised. He paid, but the loan did not materialise. He was then asked for a further £299! Consumers should be aware that many businesses who claim to be able to provide loans aren't' lenders at all. They are actually brokers who take money from their clients and then sometimes do not, or cannot secure a loan for them with a loan provider. Brokers can charge fees. However, if the broker fails to provide their client with a loan, after a six months the consumer can recover the payments they have made, save £5. 26/11/2015 Indesit and Hotpoint issue fire-risk warnings over tumble dryers By Simon Cripwell on Nov 26, 2015 01:51 pm Indesit and Hotpoint have issued  fire-risk warnings over tumble dryers sold between April 2004 and September 2015. Check you model 26/11/2015 Trading Standards offer help as Black Friday approaches By Simon Cripwell on Nov 26, 2015 10:03 am Black Friday (27th November 2015) has become the UK’s biggest shopping day as many retailers slash their prices to kick off the gift buying season. Many Black Friday consumers will be shopping online with some retail analysts predicting that Internet sales will surpass the £1bn mark during this 24-hour period for the first time in UK history! Advice from Warwickshire Trading Standards Recent Articles: 18/11/2015 Windy weather rogue trader warning 10/11/2015 Cheque scam 04/11/2015 It’s National Consumer Week 2015! 30/10/2015 Urban fraud myths 30/10/2015 Ministry of Justice scams