Sunday 23 December 2012

Thursday 20 December 2012

Beware - In the village now

Please be aware that there are sales-people in the village claiming to have the blessing of the council to promote their particular brand of burglar alarm. They claim to be in Dog Lane and Church Street today but no doubt will be covering the whole village in due course.

If you can elicit any more information such as company name or vehicle registration number and description we can hand this to the police and trading standards.

Do NOT sign up to anything on the doorstep. From experience the up front cost of these systems are minimal but the ongoing maintenance charges can be quite eye watering.

If you do feel that you need a burglar alarm the please start by talking to the police crime prevention team.

Neighbourhood Watch have a selection of items to deter burglars. MORE


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Since the original post I have had feedback from Warwickshire Trading Standards who have issued an advice on such calls. MORE

Wednesday 19 December 2012

Male acting suspiciously in Mill Lane


There have been a number of incidents of a middle-aged male entering a particular garden in Mill Lane. The last occasion was last Thursday at about 1:00pm but this has apparently been happening for a few months now. The person concerned ignores the householder when challenged and disappears to the side of the property, possibly into the field behind.

Please be vigilant and if you can add any detail please contact the police on 101 or southam.snt@warwickshire.police.uk and copy to watch@fcvh.org.uk

Thank you

Everyday could be Christmas Day for the Scammer - Don't get caught out


19/12/2012 Scrap Car Scam Warning
Consumers wanting to scrap their cars are warned not to allow them to fall in to the hands of unscrupulous scrap dealers Warwickshire Trading Standards Service is warning.
Consumers are allowing their vehicles to be taken by scrap merchants without the proper paperwork being completed, and then not receiving the money they were promised.

Many of these ‘dodgy’ scrap dealers advertise on the Internet and some are using false names and addresses.

Having handed over their car, the owners then find out later that their vehicles are not scrapped at all, but are instead ‘repaired’ and sold on or used by criminals. And all the time, the original owner continues to be responsible for the vehicle!

Consumers have not only complained about not being paid for their cars but have also reported receiving penalties for vehicles they thought were no longer their responsibility. These include motoring offence fines and penalty points, parking fines or DVLA fines for not having a properly insured or taxed vehicle.

Warwickshire Trading Standards has received a number of reports recently about this scam. Here is advice on what you should do if you want to scrap your car: https://www.gov.uk/scrapped-and-written-off-vehicles/overview

19/12/2012 Euro Lottery Scam

Consumers have reported receiving more Euro Lottery scam letters, Warwickshire Trading Standards has reported. The latest claims that the ‘winner’ must pay 10% of his prize to a company that bought the ticket on his behalf! The letter's recipient is asked to provide their bank details to send this 10% and receive their non-existent prize.

Never respond to these scams and bin them! Find out more about ‘prize winner’ scams: http://tinyurl.com/cxlbb75
Please feel free to cascade this information to whomever you feel appropriate (including using the information in your newsletters/websites etc.). 

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.

For more information on scams, visit: www.warwickshire.gov.uk/scams

Follow us on twitter: www.twitter.com/warkstss

Simon Cripwell
Trading Standards Officer
Warwickshire Trading Standards Service
Communities
Warwickshire County Council
Old Budbrooke Road Warwick CV35 7DP
tel. 01926 414039
mob. 07771 975570
My normal working days are Monday to Thursday

Thursday 13 December 2012

SNT Newsletter

SOUTHAM 

HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS
DRIVE DRINK FREE THIS CHRISTMAS
STALKING BECOMES A CRIMINAL OFFENCE
POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER
+MORE

Monday 10 December 2012

Southam/Feldon Community Forum - Wed 12th December


LINK POSTER
LINK AGENDA

Christmas Scams


10/12/2012 Amazon Scam Warning

Warwickshire Trading Standards is warning consumers about a scam Amazon ‘phishing’ email. With so many people shopping online this Christmas, officers are concerned that consumers may not spot these bogus emails.

The email, which is sent by fraudsters pretending to Amazon, asks recipients to click on a link to verify their Amazon account details. Recipients who do, risk losing personal and financial information.

Bogus phishing emails are sent by criminals masquerading as banks, social media websites and online shops. Never respond to such emails or click on any links they may contain. Always delete them.


10/12/2012 Be a Savvy Christmas and New Year Sales Shopper

Make sure you know your consumer rights when buying in the High Street and from home. Follow our ten top tips: http://news.warwickshire.gov.uk/blog/2012/12/10/be-a-christmas-and-new-year-savvy-shopper/or http://tinyurl.com/d9xapu6

More consumer tips will be posted on our Twitter in the run up to Christmas and in to the New Year. Why not follow us at: www.twitter.com/warkstss

Please feel free to cascade this information to whom-ever you feel appropriate (including using the information in your newsletters/websites etc.). 

To receive email alerts direct to your inbox, email:

For more information on scams, visit: www.warwickshire.gov.uk/scams

Follow us on twitter: www.twitter.com/warkstss
Simon Cripwell
Trading Standards Officer
Warwickshire Trading Standards Service
Communities
Warwickshire County Council
Old Budbrooke Road Warwick CV35 7DP
tel. 01926 414039
mob. 07771 975570
My normal working days are Monday to Thursday

Sunday 9 December 2012

SNT Update

WELLESBOURNE

Cash Machine Crime Prevention Advice
Drive Drink free this Christmas
MAKE IT DIFFICULT FOR THE BURGLAR
Police stop 75 vehicles & seize £140k counterfeit goods in joint operation
+ more

Thursday 6 December 2012

Scam Report 06/12/2012


06/12/2012 Debt Management Warning
People suffering with debt problems should beware of cold calls from unscrupulous debt management firms Warwickshire Trading Standards are warning. The Service has received complaints from consumers who were charged high up-front fees, but their debts were not adequately managed or resolved. These companies can be persistent and target people in financial need. Consumers in debt should seek independent advice, visit: http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/familyfinancialhelp

06/12/2012 Need Computer Help? Don’t Be Misled!
Warwickshire Trading Standards has received a number of complaints from consumers who thought they were speaking to a BT helpline but were actually talking to a rogue business intent on charging them for doing little or no work or adding unnecessary and potentially dangerous software to their computers.

If you are experiencing problems with your PC and contact your Internet service provider or another organisation for help and advice, ensure that when they return your call you are still speaking to that company and not a rogue business (often falsely claiming to be Microsoft).

06/12/2012 Petrol Scam
A consumer reported to Warwickshire Trading Standards being flagged down by a driver who claimed he had run out of petrol and had no money to buy any more. The consumer was asked (and gave over) £10 in return for a ring which the driver said he could hold on to as a ‘deposit'.

The driver took the consumer’s phone number and told him he would phone him to arrange the return of the ring and payment of the £10. The driver then took off, leaving the consumer no contact details. The consumer reported he had not heard from the driver since but still had the (probably worthless) ring!

Please feel free to cascade this information to whomever you feel appropriate (including using the information in your newsletters/websites etc.).

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.
 
For more information on scams, visit: www.warwickshire.gov.uk/scams

Follow us on twitter: www.twitter.com/warkstss


Simon Cripwell
Trading Standards Officer
Warwickshire Trading Standards Service
Communities
Warwickshire County Council
Old Budbrooke Road Warwick CV35 7DP
tel. 01926 414039
mob. 07771 975570
My normal working days are Monday to Thursday