Warwickshire Trading Standards Service has received a number of reports from residents concerning fraud letters they have received in the post or via email.
One purports to come from a 'Mr David Zhou' who claims to be a Chinese banker with access to $10 million dollars sitting in the account of the now 'deceased' Mr Alfred Rook. His offer to you is that he can arrange for the 'money' to be willed to you so it can be moved out of the country, at which point Mr Zhou will split the pot 50/50.
Another is a letter claiming to be from a 'Mrs Toni Adams', who says she is dying and wants to make you the beneficiary of her late husbands $8.7 million dollar estate to be used for good works.
These bogus pitches for your help are one of the oldest scams in the book, but one which still catches unsuspecting people every year, often very vulnerable people. Those who do respond are quickly asked for money to help the transfer of funds along. In some cases people have lost their whole life savings to this sort of scam.
Although many of these letters are posted in the UK, the criminal gangs that operate these scams are usually located abroad.
Never respond to these bogus offers. You can only lose money and may be targeted further.
For more information, visit our website: www.warwickshire.gov.uk/tradingstandards
- The email alert system is a quick, simple and cost effective means by which Warwickshire Trading Standards can alert interested individuals, community organisations, businesses, charities and others to the latest Trading Standards issues/scams etc.
- The email alert system is designed to work as a two way communications system. Therefore, if you have any information you wish to provide to Warwickshire Trading Standards Service, either for our information, or to appear in future email alerts, please email me.
Senior Information Officer
Trading Standards Service
Environment and Economy Directorate
Warwickshire County Council
tel. 01926 414039
mob. 07771 975570
email. simoncripwell@warwickshire.gov.uk
web. www.warwickshire.gov.uk
My normal working days are Monday to Thursday
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