Bitcoin Investment Scam 

Investors are warned to beware of bogus ‘investment experts’ operating via social media group sites providing investment advice on Bitcoin and other investments. Such ‘experts’ often claim they have fool proof ‘systems’ that enable them to beat the market. They may use fake graphs and charts to make it appear they are successful. Warwickshire residents have reported losing thousands of pounds after allowing these ‘experts’ to invest money on their behalf or after following their advice. It is unclear as to whether money was invested badly or simply stolen. Investors requiring financial advice on how and where to invest their money should speak an authorised individual or business.

• Use the Financial Conduct Authority website to obtain information on authorised individuals and businesses in your area: https://register.fca.org.uk/s/
• Beware of investment scams, visit: https://www.fca.org.uk/scamsmart

Back of the Van TV Seller Warning 

Warwickshire Trading Standards has received reports of individuals selling televisions from the backs of vans in car parks and at motorway service stations. Such individuals can sometimes be very pushy and intimidating. The products may be being sold at ‘bargain’ prices.

You can’t tell a good trader from a bad one on the doorstep or in a car park! Trading Standards advises consumers not to buy TVs or other consumer goods if they are approached unexpectedly in a car park or on the doorstep. It’s very hard for a consumer to locate a trader again in these circumstances, if the goods later turn out to be fake or faulty.

Trading Standards also understands that there are bogus traders selling TVs that have been taken from recycling centres before they are re-packaged in boxes and bubble wrap with fake labels.

Always buy from genuine traders you know and trust. This way, if something does go wrong you can find the trader and exercise your consumer rights. For more advice visit: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/tradingstandards

PPI Money Back Scam 

Warwickshire consumers have reported receiving scam phone calls from people claiming to have obtained PPI compensation for them. Some residents have reported making failed PPI claims in the past. The fraudster suggests that normally they would have to charge a 40% commission fee, but this could circumvented if the consumer takes out a policy for life insurance or a funeral plan.

Trading Standards suspect that these callers are simply high pressure sales people trying to sell consumers financial products that they would not normally be interested in, with the bogus promise that they would receive PPI compensation. Residents are advised to put the phone down on bogus callers.

Bogus HMRC Callers Target the Self-Employed 

Fraudsters falsely claiming to work for HMRC are now targeting self-employed people in Warwickshire stating that they have been ‘flagged for tax fraud and evasion’ and that a ‘warrant has been issued’ for their arrest. They have been described as being very convincing. The callers are also spoofing HMRC telephone numbers to make them appear genuine. This is the latest in a long line of HMRC related scams. Always put the phone down and never reveal any personal or financial information under these circumstances. More on spoofing: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-telecoms-and-internet/advice-for-consumers/problems/tackling-nuisance-calls-and-messages/phone-spoof-scam

Email Account Takeover Scam 

Email account takeover occurs when a fraudster gains access to a legitimate user’s email account. They may do so by obtaining passwords and usernames from the dark web or via phishing scams. When this happens, fraudsters can send emails (posing as the legitimate user) to the users’ friends and family in their email address book. These emails can appear very genuine because the fraudster can word them in the same way as the legitimate user would do.

This is a typical case: a person receives an email they believe is genuine (but has in fact been sent by a fraudster) asking them to purchase some gift cards on behalf of the email sender, as gifts for a relative. The email’s recipient does so and is then asked to send the card numbers to the email sender (the fraudster). Fraudsters don’t need to the physical cards to use them, only the card numbers.

Your email account is arguably the most vital online account you possess. Cyber criminals can use your email to access many of your personal accounts, leaving you vulnerable to identity theft.

Keep it safe and secure. Visit: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/top-tips-for-staying-secure-online/use-a-strong-and-separate-password-for-email

Bogus Sky Callers 

Warwickshire residents are again receiving bogus calls from people falsely claiming to be Sky TV and stating that they must take out compulsory breakdown cover for their Sky box. Put the phone down. More on Sky related scams: https://www.sky.com/help/articles/sky-scams

Post Office Ltd Leaflet Campaign for Post Office card account (POca) Customers

From 26 October Post Office are planning to issue a leaflet to POca customers providing them with information on opening another account. It will enable them to switch their benefit/pension payments to a standard bank account.  Approximately 1000 branches are taking part over a 3-week period handing out the leaflet when the customer makes a benefit/pension withdrawal.  As part of the on-going POca conversion activity, the leaflet advises the customer to contact the DWP dedicated team, Financial Inclusion Contact Centre (FICC). If a customer contacts their benefit/pension helpline regarding the leaflet, please direct them to the FICC on 0800 085 7133.

Autism Employment Profiling Assessment Service and Toolkit

DWP can use and signpost customers to the free Autism Employment Profiling Assessment Service (link is external) for people with an autism spectrum condition, including if they also have a mild learning disability. It is only suitable for people who have autism. The service is designed to help individuals consider suitable work options and reasonable adjustments they may need.

Childcare Support

From 1 November, eligible working parents (link is external) who receive support through the Job Support Scheme (JSS) and extended Self-Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS) will continue to receive their childcare entitlements, including the 30 hours offer and Tax-Free Childcare, even if their income levels fall below the threshold temporarily whilst on these schemes

Touchbase

Touchbase is being produced weekly and is being circulated to subscribers every Friday. Although these provide a roundup of announcements and are useful for organisations they will not be published on GOV.UK Subscribe to Touchbase (link is external)

HMRC Bulletin

HMRC are issuing bulletins providing Covid-19 support through the information they provide about the latest schemes and programmes to support businesses and employees. The latest bulletin (link is external) includes details of the Job Support Scheme, Job Retention Bonus and Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.

Kickstart Materials

The Kickstart materials (link is external) available on GOV.UK have been updated and now include ‘Tips for making a successful Kickstart Scheme application’ and ‘Guidance on choosing a Kickstart gateway’.  Also Kickstart Scheme terms and conditions (link is external) for employers and gateways receiving the Kickstart Scheme grant from the Department for Work and Pensions have been added.

Business Readiness Webinars

Over 3,000 people have attended sector-specific webinars (link is external) to help them get ready for the end of the transition period. Now with just 63 days to go until the UK’s new start, the Business Secretary Alok Sharma is encouraging firms to sign up for a second phase of webinars.

Homelessness

Care Leavers

New guidance for councils (link is external) has been published to help ensure care leavers have the stable homes they need, and prevent them from becoming homeless.

New Homes

Over £150 million is to be made available across England to provide a permanent place to live for some of the most vulnerable in society. More than 3,300 new long-term homes (link is external) for rough sleepers and other vulnerable people have been approved.

Please see below the online edition of the Compton Chronicle. Hard copies will be delivered shortly:

• CC NOVEMBER 2020 FINAL

WCC Council Leader Izzi Seccombe has announced that the Warwickshire Local Welfare Scheme which has already provided over £450,000 of support to families through the Covid period, will continue to support our most vulnerable residents. The Local Welfare Scheme has been in place in Warwickshire for many years and it is through this Scheme that children who rely on free school meals will continue to receive financial support through the school holidays.

The Warwickshire Local Welfare Scheme helps the most vulnerable residents at times of unavoidable crisis by providing basic and essential help. It is recognised within the Scheme that some families who are struggling financially, and are eligible for free school meals, have difficulty covering the period when their children are at home during the school holidays. This Scheme is therefore an opportunity to reach and help those most in need by supporting eligible families with the cost of food for their children over the school holiday periods.

The Scheme will benefit those children eligible for free school meals as well as their younger non-school age siblings aged 2 or above. This support will be available not just over this October half-term, but over all other school holidays.

Council Leader Seccombe said:

“We do not want people in Warwickshire feeling anxious and we do not want children going hungry over school holidays. Our Local Welfare Scheme is there to support families and children, so this is what we will do. Our Warwickshire communities are really important to us and we are committed to supporting them.”

The only eligibility criterion for this offer is that parents are registered for free school meals.

Families wanting to apply for support through the Scheme should call 0800
4081448 or 01926 359182.

From Monday 26th October, the UBUS demand-responsive minibus service will offer a much-improved service in Stratford District, and there will be changes to a number of Flexibus services in the area.

All Towns and Parishes in Stratford-on-Avon District will now have a UBUS operating every day Monday – Friday. The service will operate from 0930 until 1900, except between 1430 and 1630 on school days. This gives a substantial increase in the number of potential journeys that can be made. The Booking Centre is open from 0830 to 1800 making it easier to book journeys. Bookings can still be made by calling 01789 264491. Fares on the service are £4.00 single and £6.00 return, however Concessionary Passes will also now be valid for travel on the service making it hugely beneficial to the majority of passengers.

The UBUS service is available to anybody who is unable to make their journey by normal public transport or if they have mobility impairment as the vehicles are also wheelchair-friendly. There are 5 operating zones and passengers can travel anywhere in their local area or to Stratford-upon-Avon. Passengers in Parishes within the Southam area will only be able travel to Leamington Spa and not Stratford-upon-Avon. Full details can be found in this information sheet:

• UBUS DL leaflet SEP20 (2)

Coventry City Council have developed a very useful website which enables the general public to view the relative COVID-19 statistics in our area. A link to this information is:

https://coventry-city-council.github.io/covid-19/dashboard/

Delays likely – Traffic control (two-way signals)

Works location: REAR OF THE COACH

Works description: * Install new connection – 1 x new connection of 25mm MDPE service * to 180mm MDPE main in Carriageway – second phase of works Job in Carriageway

Responsibility for works: Severn Trent Water

On 12th October Church Hill will be closed for street repairs by Warwickshire County Council. The diversion in place will be via Lower End.

Delays likely – Traffic control (two-way signals)

Works location: REAR OF THE COACH HOUSE, CHURCH HILL

Works description: * Install New Clean Water Connection * CARRIAGEWAY TYPE 4 (UP TO 0.5 MSA) Job in Carriageway (10mm Bitmac (Tarmac) )

Responsibility for works: Severn Trent Water

Scam Phone Calls

Residents are warned to beware of scam phone calls after a spate of bogus calls were reported recently to Warwickshire Trading Standards. They included:

• Phone calls from fraudsters claiming to be calling from Amazon, saying that the resident owes money for an order or that there has been an unauthorised purchase on the resident’s account.
• Bogus phone calls from people falsely claiming to represent HMRC, stating that they have either defrauded the Government or owe money to the Government and will be arrested if they don’t immediately resolve the problem.
• False threats to cut off utilities, in particular broadband because of unpaid debts.
• Fraudsters claiming to be calling from ‘Scotland Yard’ to say that the resident’s bank account had been cloned and money used to purchase consumer electricals. The caller asks the resident to dial 999 on their keypad.

In all cases residents are encouraged to reveal personal and financial information, including passwords, or send money, often via bank transfer or gift cards. Trading Standards advice is to put the phone down. It is highly unlikely that you will receive an unsolicited genuine phone call from any company or Government department. If you believe a call to be genuine, phone them back on a publicly listed telephone number.

Bogus Puppy Sellers

During lockdown, the popularity of buying a puppy has increased and this has encouraged scammers to take advantage of the increased demand. Buyers have reported attempting to purchase puppies via Internet small adds and social media websites where they are often asked to pay hundreds of pounds up front. Prospective owners are shown photographs or video of the puppy before fraudsters then take the money and disappear; no puppy is forthcoming. Buyers should also beware of purchasing illegally bred puppies (including illegal imports) and stolen puppies. Guidance is available from the RSPCA: https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/dogs/puppy and Dogs Trust: https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/help-advice/buyer-advice/

Fraudulent Online Traders

COVID-19 has led to a boom in online sales and with it have appeared bogus sellers. Their websites appear glossy and professional and advertise what at first glance appear to be good quality products. The companies themselves claim to be based in the UK or Europe. In reality, these websites are selling poor quality products. The traders are often based in the Far East and many consumers have reported that products either don’t arrive at all or take months to be delivered. They have been unable to get their money back when problems are found, including damaged, poor quality and counterfeit goods.

Shopping online advice: https://www.getsafeonline.org/shopping-banking/shopping1/

Investment Scams

Residents interested in investing are warned to beware of bogus ‘celebrity endorsement’ advertisements that often appear on the Internet and social media, directing people to scam investment websites that take money but deliver little or nothing. The Financial Conduct Authorities’ Scam Smart website has advice on how to avoid investment and pension related scams: https://www.fca.org.uk/scamsmart

Be Alert to Test and Trace Potential Scams

Stratford-on-Avon District Council has issued a warning to residents to be vigilant after being alerted to new reports of fraudsters posing as people from the NHS Test and Trace programme, launched to help control the COVID-19 virus.

The District Council is concerned that the system is being targeted by scammers, who are pretending to be contact tracers in a bid to trick people into parting with their personal information.

People will be alerted by the NHS Test and Trace service if they have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus.

Contact tracers will:

• call from 0300 013 5000
• send text messages from ‘NHS’ · ask people to sign into the NHS test and trace contact-tracing website
• ask for full name and date of birth to confirm identity, and postcode to offer support while self-isolating
• ask about the coronavirus symptoms
• ask people to provide the name, telephone number and/or email address of anyone they have had close contact with in the two days prior to symptoms starting (as with your own details these will be held in strict confidence and will be kept and used only in line with data protection laws)
• ask if anyone they have been in contact with is under 18 or lives outside of England

They will not ask:

• for bank details, or payments
• for details of any other accounts, such as social media
• set up a password or PIN number over the phone
• to call a premium rate number, such as those starting 09 or 087

Find out more about the NHS Test and Trace service by visiting – https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/testing-and-tracing/nhs-test-and-trace-if-youve-been-in-contact-with-a-person-who-has-coronavirus/

If you have been a victim of fraud or cybercrime you can report it to Action Fraud at http://www.action.fraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040.

• Please feel free to re-distribute this scam alert
• Citizens Advice Consumer Service, tel: 0808 223 1133
• Visit www.warwickshire.gov.uk/tradingstandards for more help and advice
• An online version of this alert is available to view here: https://safeinwarwickshire.com/2020/09/30/bogus-puppy-sellers-fraudulent-online-traders-test-trace-scams-and-scam-phone-calls/
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