WCYT
www.whocanyoutrust.org.uk Tel: 01268 566 743 or 07958 475 392
Be Aware, Be Alert, Be Safe
Junk mail fraudster jailed for three years
JUNK mail fraudster Hendrick Meniru from Bedford has been jailed for three years for being involved in lucrative worldwide mail scams.
His victims were persuaded to send in 40 dollars for a "Certificate of Blessing" from a "Personal Wealth Talisman."
Others, who thought they had won a £7,500 prize, handed over £11.99, only to receive a packet of digestive biscuits.
Luton crown court heard that elderly and vulnerable people in this country and abroad were persuaded to part with cash in return for supernatural help or the chance of winning large sums of money.
Judge Stuart Bridge told Meniru: "These were blatant attempts to extort money from naive customers. Those preyed on were vulnerable, gullible and financially compromised."
He said one scam was so successful that those targeted sent more than £200,000 in the first few weeks of the promotion for a key to a 'unique' box that did not exist.
Cruel crooks targetting Alzheimers sufferers
CONMEN have sunk to new depths and are now targetting Alzheimers sufferers in an elaborate nationwide scam.
The doorstep swindlers have been operating in various parts of the country posing as workmen in hi-viz jackets – and even sending details of their victims to other conmen.
This means that those suffering dementia could be bombafrded by an endless stream of rogue workmen all trying to con them out of their savings.
Some have been stung for up to £250,000 for shoddy repairs to drives, homes and gardens and now campaigners feel it is time to get tough and protect our elderly.
Alzheimer’s Society chief Jeremy Hughes warned: “Rogue traders have sunk to a new indefensible low by sharing the details of people with dementia they have scammed with other criminals. Co-ordinated action is urgently needed at a national and local level involving trading standards and police.”
The Alzheimer’s Society’s 2011 report Short Changed estimates 112,500 dementia sufferers have been conned out of £100million by fraudsters and other scams .
Lights out for Land Rover owners
POLICE have issued a warning to Land Rover owners because thieves have been targetting these vehicles just for their headlights.
Thefts have occurred in the West Midlands, Staffordshire and Shropshire with four Land Rover Discovery models attacked on one night alone.The lights are worth at least £700 each.
Simon Cooper, chairman of the Staffordshire and Shropshire Land Rover Club, which has 250 members across the counties, said: “Land Rovers are frequently targeted.
“We get members reporting that their cars have been targeted but it usually the older Defender types because the new vehicles are a lot harder to steal from. What I am surprised about is how they actually managed to get the lights out.
“You have to get under the bonnet and it is fiddly at the best of times. But if they want it that badly they seem to have ways of getting it. I had a friend have an entire exhaust system worth £3,000 taken. It is unbelievable.”
Pamper parties and the fake goods
ESSEX County Council Trading Standards officers are reminding traders of their responsibilities to their customers not to sell counterfeit goods. Trading Standards officers issued the warning after receiving concerns about counterfeit goods, some potentially dangerous, being sold at ‘ladies pamper night’ events in Essex. Among the counterfeit items being sold are handbags, electrical hair styling products and make-up.
Ladies pamper night events are generally held within people’s homes and sometimes within pubs and clubs but wherever counterfeit goods are sold traders are at risk of prosecution under the Trades Mark Act and the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Malcolm Shead, head of Essex County Council Trading Standards, said: “We are reminding organisers of pamper night type events to ensure that they are selling genuine goods or they may face prosecution.
“We are also appealing to those who attend such pamper night events to be careful when purchasing branded goods offered at low prices. We understand it can be tempting to purchase cheap deals but consumers should be aware of the wider implications and the risks to their own safety.
“These products are often poor quality and potentially dangerous plus the sale of counterfeit goods damages the trade of those businesses who operate within the law and can cause damage to the reputation of the brand holders.
Couple lose £12,000 to fraudsters
CROOKS stealing your identity and plundering your bank accounts are, at last, on the run, says Financial Fraud Action UK, an industry body that collates financial crime figures. Fraud fell in 2011 and in the first half of 2012.
But if the shocking story of Rod and Linda Twiss is anything to go by, there is still an awful long way to go. Their story raises worrying questions about the quality of controls at Halifax, whose parent group, Lloyds, operates more current accounts than any other bank in Britain.
New Shop Local website
THE award winning Shop At My Local campaign has launched a brand new website to further help boost local trade.The Shop At My Local scheme aims to help businesses in the District connect with shoppers. When a shopper signs up they get access to a range of exclusive special offers and discount vouchers offered by businesses who themselves are part of Shop At My Local. Already 442 businesses are part of the campaign offering special deals and vouchers to more than 800 shoppers across the District.
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