Trading Standards Warnings(for Blackpool and Fylde residents)
21 December
2011
Cold
Weather Warnings & Current Scams
Cold
calling for property repairs during bad weather
Lancashire residents are to be
warned not to do business with doorstep callers who may offer to carry out
repairs to property after the spell of bad weather. A lady in the Lytham St
Annes area recently paid £6,000 for some roof repairs when in fact no work had
been carried out.
As usual, the advice is
to only use reputable trades people, rather than cold callers who may not give
correct details. For help in finding a trader to carry out property repairs,
contact Help Direct on 0303 333 1111 or go to www.safetrader.org.uk.
Telesales for security systems
Currently Preston and
Broughton areas are reporting receiving telephone calls from a business offering
to fit security alarms, falsely claiming to be working with the Police. The
business will make an appointment to call at your home.
Trading Standards advice
is to say no to such sales visits, which can often use high pressure selling
techniques to get you to sign up. Telesales calls can be significantly reduced
by joining the Telephone Preference Service, to register for this free service
ring 0845 0700707.
Energy
prepayment cards
Reports have been
received of door to door sales of half price energy pre payment cards for
household meters. Do not be tempted to buy these over the doorstep – they will
not work and you will have to pay again for the legitimate
card.
Unsolicited shower fitting
Lancashire residents are receiving
a card through their doors advising their shower fitting is on the way, if you
do not want it please contact us within 10 days with your name and address
details. This is a legitimate company, the shower fitting is free but Trading
Standards advice is beware of who you pass your personal details
onto.
Please also be aware you
are under no duty to return any unsolicited goods received and you do not have
to pay for them.
Unsolicited energy saving devices
Householders throughout
the country are receiving telesales calls claiming to be their energy supplier
or working in partnership with them, offering a plug in device which they say
can save them 40 per cent off their energy bills. The device costs
£99.
Trading Standards have
had a number of the items tested which not only fail to satisfy electrical
safety but do not deliver any tangible energy savings.
Hong
Kong Bank Scam
This banking scam is
still doing the rounds, currently in Lytham St Annes and Ormskirk.
The personally addressed
letter explains that a client with the same name as the recipient has died and
left $6.8 million unclaimed.
Hiu Au-Yeung suggests
that the recipient could receive 50% of this sum, just for providing their
details so that the money can be transferred out of Hong Kong . The letter asks
for no money or details at this point but similar scams rely on asking for money
to pay for administrative details and using the victim's bank details to steal
from their account.
Earlier this month,
Trading Standards warned of a similar scam involving a letter purporting to be
from Pan Wang Ong, from the Hung Kai Finance Company in Hong Kong
.
Refer
any complaints to Lancashire Trading Standards Service, Room D21, County Hall,
Preston, Lancs PR1 3NU via Consumer Direct tel 08454 040506.
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