24/05/2012 Nuneaton Roofing Rogues Warning
Warwickshire
Trading Standards are warning residents living in the Nuneaton areas of
St. Nicholas Park and Higham Lane to be aware after a ‘roof treatment’
rogue trader was spotted in the area targeting the homes of elderly
people.
It
is understood that the trader may have been offering to apply chemical
treatments to roofs and clean guttering etc. for very high £1000+
prices. It is hard to tell a good trader from a bad one on the doorstep –
keep your door closed.
24/05/2012 Rogue Driveway Cleaner Rugby
Residents
of Rugby are warned to beware of rogue driveway cleaners operating in
their area. One rogue, driving a whiter transit van door knocked a
resident and offered to pressure wash is drive for £250 with £200 up
front.
The
trader did the work and then demanded £2000. The consumer refused but
the trader came back several times until the resident wrote a cheque for
the full amount. The rogue trader was reported to be very persuasive
and intimidating.
24/05/2012 Bogus Phone Calls
Warwickshire Trading Standards has received several complaint s about bogus phone calls.
A
Warwickshire resident received an unexpected phone call offering him a
loan in return for a £60 upfront fee. The consumer paid and was later
called again to ask for another £200. This was again paid. The trader
then called once more to ask for a further £100. The consumer then
refused and asked for the £260 he had already paid. The trader refused.
The consumer was not given the bogus callers name or address and paid in
untraceable UKcash vouchers. It is possible that the consumer had
previously been looking for loans and may have been expecting phone
calls from genuine businesses.Several consumers have reported bogus PPI claim phone calls. One consumer was phoned to say that she had ‘won’ a Payment Protection Insurance claim, but to receive her ‘cheque’ she would need to send £600 in UKash vouchers. The consumer was told that someone would call at her property to deliver the cheque. The consumer did not send any money.
A resident reported receiving a bogus call from someone claiming to be from The Ministry of Justice. The caller claimed he had a cheque for her of £3200, compensation for bad bank practise. The caller then asked for her bank details. These were not given.
Warwickshire Trading Standards advice:
· Never reveal personal or financial information to unexpected callers, or callers you do not trust.
· If
you are expecting a call from a genuine company about a loan or
compensation claim and believe the call to be real, ask to phone back on
a publically listed telephone number. Don’t mistake a real company for a bogus one!
· Never
send any money in order to receive money in these types of situations.
If you are offered a cheque, it will probably be forged or stolen and
will eventually bounce.
24/05/2012 ‘Lottery’ WinsA consumer reported receiving a letter that informed her she had ‘won’ a lottery draw of £521. She was requested to complete a form with her name, address, phone number and email address and the cheque would be delivered by courier.
She was also told that she would need to pay 10% to a third party for the delivery. Had she received the cheque it would undoubtedly been either stolen or forged and any money she then paid out to have received it would be lost.
In a similar case, another consumer received a phone call from someone claim to be from Camelot. The caller told the consumer that she had ‘won’ an ‘in-house’ lottery. The caller first asked for the resident’s bank details and then asked her to go to her local post office and make a MoneyGram deposit of £1200 to receive her winning cheque. She was told that VAT needed to be paid on her ‘winnings’.
Warwickshire Trading Standards advice:
· Never reveal personal or financial information to unexpected callers, or callers you do not trust.
· Never send any money in order to receive a prize win.
· Remember, you cannot win a lottery you have not entered.
For more information on scams or to report a fraud visit: www.warwickshire.gov.uk/scams
Please
feel free to cascade this information to whom ever 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.
Simon Cripwell
Senior Information Officer
Trading Standards Service
Communities
Warwickshire County Council
tel. 01926 414039
mob. 07771 975570
My normal working days are Monday to Thursday
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