Trading Standards eCrime
- Man sentenced to five years and ten months for fraudulent business
A man who ran a large Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check fraud has been sentenced to five years and ten months at York Crown Court today (18th December). Marcus Ashcroft-Jones pleaded guilty to charges relating to websites set up by the defendant to process DBS checks for job seekers who had been told that they had been successful in their job applications. The reality was that the advertised jobs simply didn’t exist and the DBS checks were totally unnecessary.
A National Trading Standards spokesperson said:
“Yesterday (Tuesday 12 December), officers from National Trading Standards conducted raids at a number of properties across the UK. These raids are part of an ongoing investigation looking into unfair practices in the secondary ticketing market and particularly the practices of businesses that buy and sell tickets in bulk.
A National Trading Standards spokesperson said:
“Yesterday (Tuesday 12 December), officers from National Trading Standards conducted raids at a number of properties across the UK. These raids are part of an ongoing investigation looking into unfair practices in the secondary ticketing market and particularly the practices of businesses that buy and sell tickets in bulk.
People are losing £141 on average after signing up for a ‘trial’ offer only to later find money has unexpectedly been withdrawn from their bank account, new research from Citizens Advice finds.
The bulk of sign-ups happen online (77%) where businesses can hide information, through the use of pop-ups or smaller font for example, making it easy for people to miss terms and conditions. And nearly a quarter (21%) of people spot an ad for a ‘trial’ on social media or online marketplace, like Facebook and eBay.
People are losing £141 on average after signing up for a ‘trial’ offer only to later find money has unexpectedly been withdrawn from their bank account, new research from Citizens Advice finds.
The bulk of sign-ups happen online (77%) where businesses can hide information, through the use of pop-ups or smaller font for example, making it easy for people to miss terms and conditions. And nearly a quarter (21%) of people spot an ad for a ‘trial’ on social media or online marketplace, like Facebook and eBay.
Consumers need to know what they are signing up for so they can effectively cancel services and not be out of pocket
New analysis shows that in three months consumers paid an average of £160 towards unwanted subscriptions like gym memberships, television, insurance and online streaming services.
Consumers need to know what they are signing up for so they can effectively cancel services and not be out of pocket
New analysis shows that in three months consumers paid an average of £160 towards unwanted subscriptions like gym memberships, television, insurance and online streaming services.
Consumers need to know what they are signing up for so they can effectively cancel services and not be out of pocket
New analysis shows that in three months consumers paid an average of£160 towards unwanted subscriptions like gym memberships, television, insurance and online streaming services.
Top award for Isle of Wight trading standards officer
An Isle of Wight trading standards officer has received a prestigious award for his work. The officer, James Potter got the award for Individual Excellence in Intellectual Property Enforcement from the National Markets Group (NMG) for his perseverance, dedication and coordination following a successful prosecution of Facebook traders under the Trade Marks Act 1994. His work led to the seizure of over 2,000 items and a successful conviction of a rogue trader.
- Consumers called premium rate numbers thinking they were contacting well-known organisations directly
- Some consumers charged over £100 for one call
- Fine totalling £645,000 issued to DK Call for breaches of the Phone-paid Service Authority’s Code of Practice
- Refunds ordered to all consumers who seek one
- PSA advises consumers to take care when searching for customer service helplines online.