Trading Standards would like to share some more scams with you today
- One of our partners has shared a scam facebook post that was believed to be genuine and added to a local groups face book page offering eggs for sale. We have no idea how the scam works but on doing some research this post has appeared in similar groups all over the country – that’s a large delivery route! If you are admin for a facebook group please try to do what you can to check that these types of post and also those that appear to be arranging events and looking for traders, are from a genuine source – this isn’t easy!
- A resident has told us that she recently received a scam email telling her that she now needed to pay £10 per month for her waste collection service – luckily she spotted this as a scam and has reported it. Your weekly bin collection is a free service and you should not pay any extra on top (this doesn’t include the fortnightly garden waste collection which is a paid for service through the IOW Council)
- Another resident has reported a scam call from an 01983 number purporting to be her bank. Your bank will never call you out of the blue – if you are unsure, hang up, wait 15 minutes and phone 159 and select the number of your bank and they will be able to confirm if the call was genuine
- Be aware that rogue traders are back on the Island, do not engage with anyone who knocks your door and offers to carry out work for you – no matter how desperate you may be – this will nearly always end in extortionate prices (despite the initial quote) and be a poor job, often leaving you with bigger problems than you started with!
- The doorstep traders are also calling and offering to buy vans or motor homes – this is a scam, if you are thinking of selling a vehicle do it on your terms and not to somebody who has knocked your door
- One gentleman has received a letter giving him 10 free lines in the UK National Lottery – you will then be pressured to sign up to a monthly payment – do not respond to this letter at the very least you will be harassed constantly and your information sold.
- Wightfibre have shared with us that one of their customers were nearly scammed by a company purporting to be Wightfibre Milton Keynes – they told the customer that they had made a premium rate call and had to pay or they would be cut off. Luckily the bank stopped the payment. Wightfibre only operate on the Island and have a local call centre so if you ever receive communication like this speak to them before making any payments.
- Lots of reports have come in saying that the delivery scam is rearing its ugly head again, emails claiming to be from Evri advising that they had tried to deliver a parcel and you now need to give your bank details to pay the £1.29 re-delivery charge. If in doubt check the senders email address – it wont be genuine