POLICE AND SCAMS

Can you circulate this around especially as Xmas is fast approaching - it has been confirmed by Royal Mail. The Trading Standards Office are making people aware of the following scam: A card is posted through your door from a company called PDS (Parcel Delivery Service) suggesting that they were unable to deliver a parcel and that you need to contact them on 0906 6611911 (a premium rate number). DO NOT call this number, as this is a mail scam originating from Belize.
If you call the number and you start to hear a recorded message you will already have been billed £15 for the phone call. If you do receive a card with these details, then please contact Royal Mail Fraud on 02072396655 or ICSTIS (the premium rate service regulator) at www.icstis.org.uk

to avoid becoming the victim of scams

On receipt of a letter e-mail or call you consider to be a scam, our best advice is to throw it in the bin or delete it. We regularly liaise with the Office of Fair Trading regarding complaints about cash prize draws. They monitor and can investigate this type of scam if it breaks the criminal law, many of which originate abroad. If you receive a communication purportedly from your bank asking for security details, report the matter to your bank. Complaints about misuse of premium rate numbers should be made to ICSTIS (The Independent Committee For The Supervision Of Telephone Information Services). Should you receive an excessive amount of junk mail, telesales calls or prize offer faxes, you can do something to stop it by contacting one of the following organisations:

Mail Preference Service: 0845 7034599
Fax Preference Service: 0845 0700702
Telephone Preference Service: 08450700707
E-mail Preference Service: www.emailpreferenceservice.com

Alternatively you can use the on-line link to these services on the Trading Standards Institute website