Alert: Notice to appear in court email scam

The Business Crime Reduction Centre (BCRC) is warning people about a new email scam that threatens victims with court action.

The emails say you have been notified and scheduled to appear for a court hearing, and contains specific dates, times, locations and reference numbers. 

 It asks you to download a copy of the “court notice” attached. The downloadable.zip file actually contains an .exe file (a file that executes when clicked) containing a virus.

For more details on this and other scams go to http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/blog 

There is also information to help you in reporting fraud and internet crime, prevention and support organisations, campaigns and resources to download and information on the different types of fraud.

Bite Back Against Loan Sharks Week

Portsmouth 8th - 14th July 2013

Please don’t be tempted to use a loan shark! 

• They might pretend to be your friend at first, but can be expensive and dangerous; 
• You could pay them back for years, with no dent in the original loan; 
• They won’t just harass you, they’ll target your family and friends too 
Loan sharks may be operating in your area – illegal money lenders who don’t have a Consumer Credit Licence.

For confidential help and advice call: 0300 555 2222 
Email: reportaloanshark@stoploansharks.gov.uk  
Text: “loan shark” and your message to 60003 

We can provide support and advice as soon as you contact us and remember that you will not get into trouble with the authorities – it is the loan shark that is breaking the law!

Scamnesty is coming...

Have you ever been targeted by a scam?

Around half the UK adult population has been targeted by a scam and around 3.2 million people fall victim to scams, losing a collective total of £3.5 billion every year.

Scams can come via the post, telephone calls, text messages, emails, fake websites, pamphlets and many more; all of which may promise you large sums of money or a luxury holiday. Some may just promise you health and happiness – but of course this does not come free and these types of promises are fraudulent. As are those fake lottery or prize draw winnings and those bogus psychic predictions.

Scamnesty is coming...

Have you ever been targeted by a scam?

Around half the UK adult population has been targeted by a scam and around 3.2 million people fall victim to scams, losing a collective total of £3.5 billion every year.

Scams can come via the post, telephone calls, text messages, emails, fake websites, pamphlets and many more; all of which may promise you large sums of money or a luxury holiday. Some may just promise you health and happiness – but of course this does not come free and these types of promises are fraudulent. As are those fake lottery or prize draw winnings and those bogus psychic predictions.

However, unfortunately people do fall for these fraudulent promises. Portsmouth residents are sending off money to scam artists genuinely believing they will get a return. Scams can have devastating consequences. Not only may you lose out financially; some cases in Portsmouth have seen victims lose over £100,000 to scam artists; but victims may also suffer from the emotional and psychological stresses as a result of scams.

Scams are very much a hidden crime. Many who fall victim to a scam may not tell their family and friends or even report it to the authorities and therefore end up isolated and suffering alone.

For some, scam letters become almost threats in their own home; some letters from so-called clairvoyants inform an individual that if they do not send off money something ‘bad’ will happen to a family member. This may be the ‘hook’ which sees someone who perhaps has recently suffered a bereavement or is in a state of grief reply to such a letter.

For many victims, they have been targeted by more than one scam. Once you reply to just one scam your name and details are put on a ‘suckers list’ which can then be sold on to other scammers. Victims can then start receiving over 50 letters everyday and may end up replying and sending off cheques to each letter; and having bags and boxes of scam letters in their homes will undoubtedly impact on a person’s wellbeing.

Scams are a serious issue in the UK and unfortunately there is not a simple solution to stop them. Many scam artists operate out of the UK and target thousands in one go. Therefore, every year in February trading standards carry out a month of awareness raising about scams.

This campaign, called Scamnesty, sees your local trading standards team working out and about within the city carrying out events, hosting talks and much more to help spread the message and ensure that our most vulnerable residents are not falling victim to scams.

In addition Scamnesty is an opportunity for residents and our partner agencies to get involved. We will be deploying Scamnesty bins throughout the city for people to deposit any scam mailings they get. At the end of February we will collect the bins and all the scams will be entered into our database as intelligence. We want to make sure that Portsmouth residents are not being ripped off by scams, and to do this we are asking for your help! We are asking for you to keep your eyes and ears open and let us know if you suspect someone may be a victim of a scam.

Please spread the message to anyone you think will benefit from knowing about how they can protect themselves. Further information regarding the location of our bins will be sent out and advertised soon.

In the meantime, here are a few useful things you can do to help:

• Please promote our scam email address: scams@portsmouthcc.gov.uk– we are collecting any scam emails. i.e. fraudulent bank emails asking for you to update your details
• If you are receiving lots of junk mail or unsolicited telephone calls you can register with the Mailing Preference Service: www.mpsonline.org.uk and the Telephone Preference Service: www.tpsonline.org.uk(please note the TPS does not stop international calls)
• Report any scams to Action Fraud: 0300 123 2040  www.actionfraud.police.uk
• Keep a look out in your community or the areas you work in – are vulnerable people receiving lots of mail every day? Ask them if they know about scams
• Always be suspicious if you receive a letter/email or phone call out of the blue asking for money upfront
• Keep a look out on the council web pages/local news etc for updates regarding our campaign and let us know if you want to get involved

Scamnesty bins will be located in the following places:

Civic Offices, Main Reception

Central Police Station

Central Library
Alderman Lacey Library
Beddow Library
Carnegie Library
Cosham Library
North End Library
Paulsgrove Library
Portsea Library
Southsea Library and Customer Service Centre

University of Portsmouth

Fratton Community Centre

Salvation Army Albert Road

Age UK Kingston Road

Southsea Community Centre

Scams are scheming, crafty, aggressive and malicious. Don’t let them con you!

Trading Standards Presentation at Drayton and Farlington - follow up information

Thank you for having us at the Drayton and Farlington Neighbourhood Forum last night, We hope that the residents found our presentation useful.

We said that we would give you some information to pass on about how to set up a No Cold Calling Zone on their own, who to report scams to and the Telephone preference service and Mail preference service details. 

Please click "Read More >>" for all of this information:

Link for all information on No Cold Calling Zones:  
http://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/living/14361.html

Specifically the No Cold Calling Tool Kit:  
http://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/media/TDS_nccztoolkit.pdf

If you have any consumer related problem contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Service which use to be Consumer Direct. They have the same telephone number 0845 04 05 06 :  
http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/england/consumer_e.htm

Action Fraud, online reporting tool: 
http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/report_fraud

Telephone preference service:  
http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/tps/index.html

Mail preference service: 
http://www.mpsonline.org.uk/mpsr

Online reporting form: Trading Standards have an online reporting form for residents wishing to make a complaint about a trader/business or a scam. The form can be found by following this link: 

https://www.forms2.portsmouth.gov.uk/af3/an/default.aspx/RenderForm/?F.Name=Kvtk53WsbGn 

Charity Bag project: Trading Standards are collecting charity bags which are delivered to your homes. Please drop/send them in to us at the Civic Offices Trading Standards department, Guildhall Square, Portsmouth, PO1 2PQ, Or Laura will be at Cosham Baptist Church on the 7^th June for a community safety event between 2pm and 5pm and will be able to collect them from you there.

If there is any more information that you need please contact.

Laura Tambling

Community Trading Standards Officer

Cosham Sector

Portsmouth City Council

Civic Offices

Guildhall Square

Portsmouth

PO1 2PQ

T: 023 9283 4689

F: 023 9283 4244

E: laura.tambling@portsmouthcc.gov.uk 

www.portsmouth.gov.uk

www.saferportsmouth.org.uk

Trading standards news

Scam update:

The latest scam circulating at the moment is a letter claiming to be from a Private Investment Manager in China. Each letter will be addressed specifically to the recipient and is regarding the estate of a William .......... (each letter takes the Surname of the recipient).

Residents are urged not to respond in any way to this letter and to either forward the letter onto Trading Standards or to dispose of the letter securely.

The Devil's In Your Detail Campaign

Your personal information is valuable so protect it, is the main theme of the campaign launched by the National Fraud Authority, Telecommunications UK Fraud Forum and Financial Fraud Action UK.

The Devil's In Your Detail Campaign aims to raise awareness of the importance of protecting personal information and remind the public to check that who they share their details with is genuine, whether this be on the phone, in person or online. The campaign encourages consumers to suspect anyone or anything they are uncertain about, to keep asking questions and to challenge or end an engagement if if feels uncomfortable.

A key message of the campaign is to keep SAFE:

Suspect anything or anyone you don't know - no matter what or who they claim to be.

Ask questions. Whatever a fraudster tries, you have the power to stay in control.

Find out for certain who you're dealing with. Challenge anything that seems suspect.

End situations that make you uncomfortable. If you feel threatened, contact the police.

For more information please visit: 
www.actionfraud.org.uk/TDIYD-your-personal-information-is-valuable-so-protect-it-Mar12

Trading standards news

Latest news and updates from Trading Standards:

‘Boiler Room’ scam artists jailed:

http://www.actionfraud.org.uk/two-fake-share-fraudsters-have-been-jailed-Mar12

Energy Saving Device Scam:

http://www.consumerfocus.org.uk/feature/energy-saving-device-scam

Loan company has their license revoked by the OFT:

http://www.oft.gov.uk/news-and-updates/press/2012/15-12

Digital Switch Over

The digital switch over is underway across Portsmouth, be cautious of potential rogue traders targeting vulnerable residents, informing them they need new aerials or boxes.

https://www.facebook.com/Pompeytradingstandards/posts/403515462997665

For consumer advice call: 

0845 404 0506 or 

0162 262 6520 

and Minicom users can call 

0845 128 1384.   

Or

Email: trading.standards@portsmouthcc.gov.uk

Love is in the air? - Online dating scams

On Thursday 16 February trading standards will be in Commercial Road from 10:30am -12:30pm to raise awareness about online dating scams  - a bit of a spin on Valentines Week!

Online dating scams: Love is in the air!

The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) estimate that around 200,000 people may have fallen victim to online dating scams in the UK.

Online dating scams can be particularly malicious and scam artists will normally invest a great deal of time and patience into grooming their victims; developing an online relationship supposedly built on love and trust.

The scammers, who are normally operating from outside the UK, portray themselves as perhaps an army officer or someone of a similar rank; another way of ‘hooking’ you in as they come across as being in a position of authority.

Scamnesty campaign begun

Scamnesty is an opportunity for local residents and organisations to get involved.

Trading standards want to make sure that Portsmouth residents are not being ripped off by scams, and to do this they are asking for your help!

They are asking for you to keep your eyes and ears open and let them know if you suspect someone may be a victim of a scam.

Trading standards have also deployed Scamnesty bins for you to leave scam mail, competitions, and leaflets or information about scam offers and phone calls, etc. at:

• Civic Offices Main Reception
• All Portsmouth Libraries
• Fratton Police Station
• Central Police Station
• Cosham Police Station
• Students Union University of Portsmouth
• University of Portsmouth Library
• Portsmouth Deaf Centre Arundel Street 

You can forward any email scams to scams@portsmouthcc.gov.uk i.e. fraudulent bank emails or 'tax rebates' asking for you to update your details

At the end of February they will collect the bins and all the scams will be entered into a database as intelligence in the battle to stop the scammers. 

Scamnesty events booked:

• Thursday 16 February 10:30-12:30 Commercial Road - Theme: Online Phishing and Dating Scams 
• Tuesday 28 February 10:30-12:30 Commercial Road - Theme: Scams

Scamnesty survey

Residents have the opportunity to participate in an online survey about how they have been affected by scams. The data collected will help us to target our service delivery and understand the impact scams have on the city. The survey can be found by following this link and will only take a few minutes to complete: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/XXMXP2C .

Trading Standards Talks

Trading standards are interested in delivering scam talks to all Neighbourhood Forums within the city. If you would be interested please contact trading standards - 023 9283 4689.

Scamnesty is coming...

Tweet

Have you ever been targeted by a scam?

Around half the UK adult population has been targeted by a scam and around 3.2 million people fall victim to scams, losing a collective total of £3.5 billion every year.

Scams can come via the post, telephone calls, text messages, emails, fake websites, pamphlets and many more; all of which may promise you large sums of money, or a luxury holiday. Some may just promise you health and happiness – but of course this does not come free. In order to maintain good health you must send off a sum of say £25 for an ointment that helps to minimise those wrinkles, or tablets that can cure any illness at no risk. These types of promises are fraudulent. As are those fake lottery or prize draw winnings and those bogus psychic predictions.

National Consumer Week 21-25 November 2011

This year the theme for National Consumer Week is: 

“Good sports don’t fake it”. 

Remember Olympic swimmer Rebecca Adlington's parents? They nearly missed her Beijing Olympic success because they had been misled into purchasing tickets from a fake website - tickets that never arrived. 

Sporting events are heavily profiled at the moment in the media due to the London Olympics and Team GB successes in various disciplines including cricket, badminton, cycling, swimming, triathlon, rowing and sailing. 

Other popular sports, like football and rugby, are also high profile and every area of the country has a sports club or association, race or play off - all vulnerable to fraudulent products and services. 

TSI and trading standards are using this universal interest to raise awareness during National Consumer Week of fakes and scams that include: 

• Fake branded sports clothes and equipment 
• Fake ticket websites and tickets 
• Fake travel/accommodation packages 

There is a strong link between fakes and crime, drugs and benefit fraud in the community – stay away from fakes and help break the chain!

There are some simple checks you can carry out to protect yourself: 

• Choose your shopping outlets and websites carefully 
• Help yourself. If the deal is too good to be true it probably is 
• Ensure you look for authentic branding and holograms 
• Contact the authorities if you are concerned 
• Keep a copy of your order and receipts 

Contact Consumer Direct for advice on 084 5404 0506 or www.direct.gov.uk or visit www.citizensadvice.org.uk 

Contact the charity Crimestoppers anonymously with information about crime on 0800 555 111 or via www.crimestoppers-uk.org 

Other useful websites: 

www.brand-i.org – helping you find the genuine product 

www.imrg.org/isis – internet shopping is safe 

www.star.org.uk – secure tickets from authorised retailers 

www.ukeccc.net – UK European Consumer Centre

Scambuster

Scams are schemes to con you out of your money.

They usually come by post, phone or email.

There are hundreds of scams – fake lotteries and prize draws, get-rich-quick schemes, bogus health cures, investment scams, pyramid selling. The list goes on.

Every year, three million people fall victim in the UK, often losing hundreds or even thousands of pounds. The scammers are clever, and all kinds of people from all walks of life get duped. There’s a scam for everyone – no matter how alert or clued up you think you are.

This helpful guide produced by the Office of Fair Trading, gives advice on how to spot, report and protect yourself from scams.

Click on this link for the Scambuster leaflet

Scamnesty is coming!

From the 1- 28 February 2011, bins will be placed around the city to enable residents to drop off any unwanted scam mailings. To find out where your nearest bin will be contact the community officer for your sector. The team will also be hosting events in all sectors of Portsmouth to raise awareness about scams:

Friday 4 February – Commercial Road 10.30am - 2pm
Tuesday 8 February – Cascades Shopping Centre 10.30am – 2pm
Monday 14 February – Derby Road Post Office 10:30 – 2pm
Friday 18 February – Palmerston Road 10.30am – 2pm
Tuesday 22 February – Commercial Road 10.30am – 2pm
Thursday 24 February – Cosham High Street 10.30am – 2pm

Community Trading Standards

Community trading standards is dedicated to making sure the residents of Portsmouth are safe, smart shoppers. If your forum would like a talk from a community officer or has a trading standards issue which needs addressing please do not hesitate to contact a member of the team:
Central Sector – Holly Shelbourne
Email: holly.shelbourne@portsmouthcc.gov.uk
Tel: 023 9283 4689
Cosham – Laura Small
Email: laura.small@portsmouthcc.gov.uk
Tel: 023 9283 4689
Fratton – Amy Forster
Email: amy.forster@portsmouthcc.gov.uk
Tel: 023 9283 4689
Southsea - Hasina Begum
Email: Hasina.begum@portsmouthcc.gov.uk
Tel: 023 9283 4689


Portsmouth City Council trading standards service is now approved to administer BIIAB qualifications, the professional body for the licensed retail industry.

Qualifications offered are:
PCC (PUAS) Preventing Underage Sales
BIIAB (AAA) Level 1 Award in Alcohol Awareness
BIIAB (NCPLH) Level 2 National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders
BIIAB (ARAR) Level 1 Award in Responsible Alcohol Retailing
For details of any of these courses please contact the trading standards service on 023 9283 4689.