Trading Standards eCrime
National Markets Group ‘Fake Free Markets’ collaboration marks 10-year anniversary with a week of enforcement success
National Markets Group ‘Fake Free Markets’ collaboration marks 10-year anniversary with a week of enforcement success
Company directors of a firm selling electrical goods have been jailed for a total of nearly seven and a half years following a fraud investigation by the North Yorkshire and York based National Trading Standards eCrime team.
The scam was uncovered after customers
complained that goods ordered online from the company’s Electrohut website were
never delivered or that goods received were different to the order. Over the
period of a few months the site had taken £330,000 in orders from almost 1000
consumers.
Company directors of a firm selling electrical goods have been jailed for a total of nearly seven and a half years following a fraud investigation by the North Yorkshire and York based National Trading Standards eCrime team.
The scam was uncovered after customers
complained that goods ordered online from the company’s Electrohut website were
never delivered or that goods received were different to the order. Over the
period of a few months the site had taken £330,000 in orders from almost 1000
consumers.
Three
people suspected of being involved in computer software fraud have been
arrested. Trading standards officers and police officers executed entry
warrants at the homes of a 64 year old man and a 34 year old woman in
Birmingham, and a 35 year old man in Swindon. They have been interviewed and
released pending further investigation. A 65 year old woman from Tamworth
agreed to be interviewed by trading standards officers without the need for
arrest. A further suspect remains at large.
- Criminals operated multiple ‘copycat’ websites
mimicking official government services - The ‘complex fraudsters’ face a further 26
years behind bars if they fail to pay, on top of lengthy prison sentences
- Criminals operated multiple ‘copycat’ websites
mimicking official government services - The ‘complex fraudsters’ face a further 26
years behind bars if they fail to pay, on top of lengthy prison sentences
The second week of March saw the UK and US national consumer protection organisations go to war against Tech Support scams. National Trading Standards is supporting the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) campaign to highlight the most widespread scam to afflict English speaking consumers.
Tech support scams are a class of telephone fraud, where scammers claim to be technical support staff from computer companies like Microsoft, Apple, or telephone and TV service providers like Virgin Media and British Telecom.
The TV Licensing agency warns that fake TV Licensing emails and are circulating the internet.
The fake emails contain links to a cloned version the official TV Licensing website that ask for login and bank details.
TV Licensing never send refund information by email and is investigating the scam.
If you get one of these emails, please delete it and do not click any of the links they contain.
A new, government-backed initiative has been developed to protect consumers and small businesses from the harm caused by the growing trade in fake goods on social media ‘buy-and-sell’ groups.