Date: 07 August 2006 20:26

TRADING STANDARDS SUMMER SCAM-PAIGN WARNING

Each year thousands of Cambridgeshire residents are targeted by fraudsters 
using scams to get their hands on people's savings and bank details.

This summer Cambridgeshire County Council Trading Standards are urging 
residents not to be ripped off by these scams which often exploit low-cost 
mass-marketing techniques such as email, telephone and post.

Officers are asking residents not to be fooled by these fraudsters, who 
often prey on the vulnerable, by learning about the latest scams.

The main scams currently in operation fall into the following categories:

Unsolicited prize draws
These are letters telling you that you have won a prize, which can only be 
claimed if you pay a 'processing fee' or dial a premium rate telephone 
number. The prize in question - if you receive anything at all - is usually 
worth far less than what you have paid to receive it.

Unexpected lottery prizes
These can be either letters or telephone calls telling you that you have won 
a prize in an overseas lottery or competition, and then asking you to send 
money 'up front' to cover 'taxes', or possibly your bank details. It is 
highly unlikely that you will ever see any money in return.

Bogus charity collections
Flyers are put through residents' letterboxes claiming that collections of 
clothing and other goods are being made for charity. However, the people 
sending these flyers may not be registered charities and instead often use 
their business registration number instead of a registered charity number. 
They can mislead you into believing that all the money they raise will go to 
a worthy cause.

 You have a parcel awaiting delivery...
This is usually a postcard in the style of major parcel carriers, telling 
you that you have a parcel awaiting your collection and to call a number to 
arrange delivery. This is a premium rate number and
the call may last several minutes. Of course, even if there is a parcel, it 
contains something worth far less than the cost of the call.

Guarantee good fortune
'Clairvoyants' send mailings claiming that they can guarantee you good luck 
if you send them a sum of money. Some even say that unless you do this, you 
will experience some misfortune. Such messages can be particularly 
distressing.

Nigerian scams
'Nigerian' scams are letters or e-mails from an African address offering a 
share in a huge sum of money if you allow your bank account to be used to 
transfer this money out of their country. They are seeking your bank account 
details so that they can access your money. There is no fortune to be 
transferred, and you can only lose money in this situation.

Be your own boss
Normally taking the form of an advertisement in a newspaper or on a notice 
board, these people promise that you can work your chosen hours from the 
comfort of your own home and you can make your living comfortably by doing 
so. These schemes usually take the form of making goods or filling 
envelopes. You have to send cash up front for 'materials' with the promise 
that you will receive payment once work has been completed. They will then 
either say that the work is not up to standard, or simply not provide you 
with any work in the first place.

Nikki Piper of Cambridgeshire County Council Trading Standards said:"Scams 
remain a significant problem and source of irritation to consumers in this 
area and as many of these letters and emails originate from outside the UK, 
greater awareness of the tactics used remains the best way to combat them. 
We urge consumers who receive mailings, emails or telephone calls which 
appear to be scams NOT to respond - if it looks too good to be true, it 
probably is! Once companies know that someone at your address is replying, 
they will just send more and more scams to you."

If you are worried about letters, calls or other messages you have received 
contact the Consumer Direct helpline on 08454 04 05 06.

John Reynolds