Community Intervention

Christmas is well underway and Staffordshire Trading Standards Team in partnership with the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) are raising awareness about the dangers of counterfeit goods.

Online selling is now very popular with shoppers, however many third party or private sellers are unregulated for counterfeit or unsafe goods.

A nasty fake could be lurking behind a bargain online. Don't make a purchase that could backfire on you this Christmas as counterfeiters love to exploit deal-seekers. Before you click 'buy', check our guide to spotting fake products online. Stay safe, shop smart!

Don't buy from sellers who withhold their contact details!

Your consumer rights, for refunds or replacements are at risk if the trader does not show their contact details. UK Businesses may have to show these to pay tax, if they are not it is likely the goods they sell are counterfeit and unsafe.

Don't buy from sellers who withhold manufacturers contact details!

Manufacturers are responsible too, if goods they sell are a safety risk they must be taken off the market! Always look out for the ‘CE’ or ‘UKCA’ mark as proof for assessed safety!

Don't buy from social media sites!

Luxury goods sold at low cost are likely counterfeit, you are the one loosing out, to criminals and fraudsters remember these are social sites, not shopping platforms, social media contacts can also be faked!

Electricals

Don't let fake electronics ruin your Christmas! Counterfeit gadgets can be dangerous fire hazards. Look out for heavily discounted goods from unfamiliar sellers when shopping online and stay safe.

Toys

Fake toys aren't safety tested and can pose serious choking hazards to children. Ensure a safe and happy holiday by purchasing from reputable sources.

Cosmetics

Thinking of gifting beauty products this Christmas? Beware of counterfeits! Fake cosmetics can contain harmful chemicals. Protect your loved ones by shopping smart.

Advice and help

Anyone needing advice about something they’ve bought can contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133 or visit www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer.

We often hear of national statistics for scams, but for those interested in a more regional perspective we wanted to share what’s happening in Staffordshire. We’re also keen to hear from residents who are receiving large quantities of unwanted post, (more details below).

• 2019 - 2020: 5,008 victims reported Fraud & Cyber Offences, (4.7 frauds per 1,000 population).
• 2020 - 2021: 6,625 victims reported Fraud & Cyber Offences, (6.2 frauds per 1,000 population).
• 2021 - 2022: 5,642 victims report Fraud & Cyber Offences, (5.3 frauds per 1,000 population).
• 2022 - 2023: 4,852 victims report Fraud & Cyber Offences, (4.5 frauds per 1,000 population).
• 2023 - 2024: 5,828 victims report Fraud & Cyber Offences, (5.4 frauds per 1,000 population).

Current trends indicate that there has been a recent increase in Romance Fraud & Courier Fraud but a reduction in cheque, plastic & online bank account fraud. Nationally, there appears to be an increase in criminals assuming the identity of bogus officials, (purporting to be from the bank, crime agencies etc), before attempting secure personal and banking information. Banking employees, Police Officers or other trusted individuals would never ask for your bank details.

Example: In Staffordshire, we’ve had a report of a phishing letter purportedly from St Johns Ambulance. The letter suggested that donations had failed before going on to ask the resident to confirm banking details. Please never give out any bank details as it is likely to be a scam.

Scam Marshalls recruitment

We are also looking to recruit new Scam Marshalls who are willing to send in their unwanted scam post to help us track down these criminals. If you are receiving large quantities of unsolicited post, (such as fake clairvoyants, prize draws, health supplements subscriptions), we’re keen to hear from you.

To find out more about becoming a Scam Marshalls, please contact us at BusinessSupportTeam@staffordshire.gov.uk

Unfortunately, postal scams remain active within the Staffordshire area where unsuspecting residents are receiving large quantities of unsolicited post through their doors.

These postal scams can take the form of fake clairvoyants offering promises of health & wellbeing. Maybe you’ve come across scam letters suggesting you are in line for a big win involving a release fee or admin charge. Perhaps you’re seeing letters offering inducements to purchase fake health supplements or enter prize draws.

If you are receiving large quantities of unsolicited post of this nature & want to be become involved in tracking down these criminals, we want to hear from you. Your Trading Standards team are looking to recruit new Scam Marshalls who are willing to share their experiences of being scammed & send in their unwanted scam post to us. This in turn helps us to keep abreast of new developments & track down the criminals behind these scams. Those that sign up for the scheme, receive a monthly newsletter & a freepost mail bag to forward scam post to us free of charge.

If this is something you would like to get involved with, please reach email us at BusinessSupportTeam@staffordshire.gov.uk

Many of us use WhatsApp groups to keep up to date with friends, family and community groups.

Action Fraud are asking us to remain vigilant to fraudsters using these groups to steal our money by pretending or claiming to be another group participant. Having received 636 reports from victims of the messaging app this year alone, Action Fraud has now issued more information about how this fraud takes place so that we can all be on the lookout for this latest scam.

Action Fraud have issued the following information:

The fraud often begins when a member of the group receives a WhatsApp audio call from the fraudster, pretending or claiming to be another member of the group. This is done to gain the individual’s trust, and often the scammer will use a false profile picture and/or display name, so at first glance it would appear to be a genuine member of the group.

The fraudster will tell the victim they are sending them a one-time passcode which will allow them to join an upcoming video call for group members. The criminal then asks the victim to share this passcode with them so they can be “registered” for the video call.

In reality, the criminal is asking for a registration code to register the victim’s WhatsApp account to a new device so they can take over their account.

Once the fraudster has access to the victim’s WhatsApp account, they will enable two-step verification which makes it impossible for the victim to regain access their account. Other members of the group, or friends and family in the victim’s contacts, will then be messaged asking them to transfer money urgently as they are in desperate need of help.

How to secure your WhatsApp account:

Set up two-step verification (2SV) to give an extra layer of protection to your account. Tap Settings > Account > Two-step verification > Enable.

CALL. If a family member or friend makes an unusual request on WhatsApp, always call the person outside of WhatsApp to confirm their identity.

Report spam messages or block a sender within WhatsApp. Press and hold on the message bubble, select ‘Report’ and then follow the instructions.

If you have been a victim of fraud or cybercrime, report it at www.actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 03001232040

National Trading Standards has successfully intercepted a number of telephone lists being used by scammers for criminal intent.

Fraudsters have been using these lists to sell a range of fake goods from health supplements to non-existent insurance policies for white goods or home repair cover plans.

Many of the residents found on these telephone lists were believed to have been targeted multiple times, escalating into other scams as their details were sold on.

Some victims went on to receive debt collection letters to recover payments they had not made. Seemingly elderly and vulnerable consumers were targeted on one of the lists, many of whom were already registered with the Telephone Preference Service.

Staffordshire Trading Standards Team have recently been reaching out to local residents whose details have been found on these telephone lists. Without alarming people, our aim has been to raise awareness of the situation and offering support and assistance to mitigate any potential risks.

Many have taken up our offer of a call blocker device that can stop up to 95% of unwanted and nuisance calls on a home phone. This useful tool can both help protect consumers from telephone scammers whilst also allowing residents to be feel more confident when answering the phone.

To find out more about our call blocker project, go to Call Blockers - Staffordshire County Council.

We urge you not to employ traders who call at your door.

The work undertaken can sometimes be unnecessary, overpriced, of a poor standard or not done at all. Typically, they have no formal training to carry out the work and some may have links with distraction burglars.

Over recent years, Trading Standards services has also identified an increase in incidents where residents have invited traders to quote for work, (known as solicited visitors), that unfortunately has also resulted in ongoing difficulties. Some of these complainants had already undertaken research into the traders.

Rogue traders are often predatory and tend to target vulnerable residents. If you have an elderly or vulnerable family member having work done around the home, it is always worth taking some time to understand the situation before any money changes hand.

Avoiding Rogue Traders; Hints & Tips

1. Never agree to work offered by unsolicited doorstep callers. Simply say ‘no thank you’ and close the door. Genuine traders will understand your caution.

2. Research the traders you are looking to use. Just because a trader indicates they belong to an approved scheme, it does not guarantee the quality of their work. It’s worth getting genuine recommendations & obtaining at least 3 written quotes.

3. As part of your research, use the Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Trader Register that allows residents to search for traders committed to doing a good job at a fair price. You can find more information over at Staffordshire & Stoke on Trent Trader Register | Trader Scheme.

4. You can reverse search images used by traders to advertise work they have done. This simply involves searching the internet with an image to understand its authenticity. You can do this over at TinEye Reverse Image Search.

5. To can find out more information on any Limited Company over at https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/search/.

6. Most good builders will have a significant lead time, (anything from 6 months to 2 years) so don’t be tempted to cut corners to get the work to start sooner.

7. Don’t be swayed by glossy flyers or impressive websites that might not show the trader’s own work. Be wary too of posts or recommendations on social media sites that might not be genuine.

8. Beware of callers offering time limited deals or promotions. Common tactics used by rogue traders include;

• Knocking at your door & saying they have noticed a problem with your home that they can fix.
• Offering to do the work quicky as they are ‘working up the road’ or have finished work for a property nearby.
• Saying they have leftover materials from another job that they can use on your home.
• Overstaying their welcome & remaining at the door until you agree to do the work.

9. Display a no cold calling card in your front door. These are issued free of charge from your Trading Standards team.

10. Don’t allow anyone to pressure you into having work carried out. Rogue traders will often suggest that guttering, roofing, gardening or paving work is in need of urgent repair. Genuine traders would not pressure you into making a decision.

Reporting a Rogue Trader

You contact Staffordshire Trading Standards Confidential hotline on 01785 330356 to report local doorstep crime and protect vulnerable persons.

You can contact the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133 where you will be given advice and guidance on what steps you will need to take to resolve the issue.

Contact the consumer helpline - Citizens Advice

We’re asking you to be vigilant as fraudsters are sending out letters & emails purporting to be from the Trading Standards Professional Body; The Chartered Trading Standards Institute, (CTSI).

We’re aware that correspondence carrying the CTSI branding is currently in circulation where fraudsters are suggesting insurance scammers have been apprehended. This letter or email goes on to request that consumers complete a ‘creditors debt form’ suggesting that compensation will be paid out but, in actual fact, serves as a means for fraudsters to gain access to personal details including bank information.

Evidence suggests that those receiving the letters are on ‘target lists’ having previously been victims of different scams.

This letter is a scam and is not in any way connected to the Trading Standards professional body, CTSI, so please stay vigilant and do not respond to these letters or emails.

Chief Executive at CTSI, John Herriman, said: “These scammers show no sign of slowing down and although Trading Standards are working hard to take action against these despicable individuals it is important that the public are on guard and do not respond to letters or emails that appear to be from genuine organisations, like CTSI. Trading Standards are the very people that protect the public, so to see scams targeting our good name in this way is appalling and we want to raise as much awareness about this as possible to stop consumers being defrauded out of their hard-earned cash. We often see fraudsters impersonating trusted brands to deceive the public but impersonating the very essence of those that protect consumers by pretending to be Trading Standards is disgusting and shows that these criminals have no limitations to how far they are willing to go to defraud people of their savings.”

Anyone who receives a letter of this nature letter should contact the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and their local Trading Standards Service.

Financial Conduct Authority | FCA

Trading Standards - About us - Staffordshire County Council

These long-term frauds tend to combine investment schemes, romance scams and cryptocurrency frauds.

Scammers typically approach victims via social media, dating apps or other online methods and quickly strive to build a relationship & gain trust. They may try to move conversations onto a different messaging service with less protections or safeguards in place for the user.

Scammers will begin to talk about successes they have had in investing in property or cryptocurrency, before offering to invest a victim’s money. They might introduce a victim to a cypto-trading platform that is actually being controlled by the scammer.

Victims may at first see some ‘winnings’ and might even be encouraged to withdraw their ‘profits’ but this is just another ploy to build confidence in the scheme. Buoyed up by their experiences, victims are then often encouraged to invest larger & larger amounts of money. They might subsequently encounter difficulties trying to withdraw their funds and ultimately their cash and the scammer disappear.

Criminals in this instance are preying on individuals, trying to befriend them over a lengthy period of time to build trust, with the sole purpose of manipulating them to invest in bogus investment schemes.

The term pig butchering is a derogatory term where scammers attempt to ‘fatten up’ their victims by forming romantic connections before executing the ‘investment’ part of the scam.

To keep you safe, please be wary about revealing personal information about yourself to anyone you meet online. Scammers may use emotional manipulation to build your trust and might well be initially available to you day & night.

Be concerned if conversations move towards investment opportunities, particularly in cypto-currency or property, and look out for ‘quick wins’ as this can simply be an attempt to boost your confidence in the scheme.

If you think you may have been a victim of this type of fraud, contact your bank at the earliest opportunity and report it to Action Fraud.

Look out for this latest parking scam that aims to steal your card details by using fake QR codes.

These QR codes - a type of barcode that can be read by a phone camera – have become ever more popular in car parks today.

Scammers have now started to exploit this technology by sticking fake QR codes directly on top of real QR codes. Unsuspecting victims that are looking to pay for their parking are then scanning these fake QR codes and making payment directly to the scammers.

We’ve put together a few tips to help keep you safe when paying for parking;

1. Look for evidence of tampering

Before scanning a QR code on a parking metre or machine, check to see if the code appears on a sticker that has been placed over another code. If you can peel a QR code sticker off, be wary as this may suggest it is fake.

If the QR code is located somewhere other than on the actual metre or machine, it may also indicate it is fake.

The design of the QR code should match the business’s branding. If the branding or logo appears to be different, be suspicious.

2. Pay Attention to the Website

Ensure the QR code takes you to a legitimate website. Check the URL and ensure it matches the name of the parking facility. Look out that the website starts with ‘https://’ at the beginning for the URL, taking extra care to check if the ‘s’ is present as this designates that a site is secure.

If the URL has been shortened or you can’t tell if you’ve been directed to a legitimate parking provider, look to pay the parking by an alternative method.

3. Parking Apps

If the car park makes use of a specific parking payment app, consider downloading this directly from your app store rather than using the QR code provided.

4. Seek Assistance

If you discover you are the victim of a QR code scam, contact your bank at the earliest opportunity. This will not only prevent any further fraudulent charges being made on your card but also allows you to check to see if you are eligible for any refund.

Make sure you report scams and fraud to Action Fraud.

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Our neighbouring Trading Standards team based in Birmingham are aware of a scam letter currently in circulation purporting to be from the Environment Agency.

We keen to ensure that Staffordshire residents are aware of this scam and ask that, should you receive such a letter, you let us know.

This hand delivered letter, suggests that a West Midlands local asbestos survey has been undertaken in your area. Recipients are advised that high traces of asbestos are likely to have been found within their property & are advised to contact a telephone number to arrange an inspection. THIS IS A CONFIRMED SCAM and we urge you not to contact them in any way.

To help keep Staffordshire residents safe, please do share this information with friends and family. If you do receive such a letter, please contact us at Staffordshire Trading Standards to help us build a picture about this emerging scam.