Add your comments
News RSS feedNews
5 Jan 06Beware of Premium Rate Telephone Numbers ....
THE USE OF PREMIUM RATE TELEPHONE NUMBERS:
Have you received a large postcard asking you to phone a premium rate number in order to receive a digital camera? If so, you are one of thousands of people all over the country who will have received the same details. If you do respond you will be paying £1.50 per minute for the cost of the call, and the goods that you receive (if any) are likely to be of a lesser value than the cost of the telephone call. This is because the digital camera could be one of the mini ones that you attach to a keyring. The pictures that they produce are not very clear as the camera cannot produce photographs with the same number of pixels as a normal photograph. Be aware!
You may also have received a text message on your mobile phone stating you have won a prize ... and you are asked to phone back a premium rate telephone number in order to redeem the prize. The use of a premium rate telephone number needs to comply with a Code of Practice set up by the Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services - ICSTIS - which is the organisation set up to monitor the use of premium rate telephone numbers, and to take action where infringements occur. If you believe that the message you received may be fraudulent or could infringe the code (e.g. the price of calls per minute on premium rate messages of this nature should be clear to the caller prior to calling) then you can report the matter to ICTSTIS direct – Tel: 0800 500212.
Their website details are as follows: www.icstis.org.uk
ICSTIS are currently investigating complaints where consumers have found charges for premium rate services on their internet bill, where the consumers are adamant that they did not make use of a service attracting a premium rate. If this happens to you let ICSTIS know.
LETTERS/FAXES FROM NIGERIA/OTHER AFRICAN COUNTRIES AND CHINA OFFERING YOU A SHARE OF A WINDFALL FOR ARRANGING BANK FACILITIES FOR THE SENDER: The money is usually linked to a change of government/a coup/or the death of someone high up in the administration of the country concerned. These contacts are known to be part of international frauds and can be investigated by the Police. However, our advice is that you either ignore, or if contacted by email that you forward it to: abuse@ …… and put in the name of your Internet Service Provider, e.g. abuse@yahoo.com and the account will be shut down.
UNSOLICITED PHONE CALLS/FAXES/E-MAILS PURPORTING TO BE FROM YOUR BANK ASKING YOU TO CONFIRM PERSONAL DETAILS: Never give out personal details in this way. Your bank will already have them. Don’t lay yourself open to fraud. Let your bank know.
NUISANCE TELEPHONE CALLS/JUNK MAIL: If you wish to reduce the amount of unsolicited telephone calls or junk mail that you receive, you can register with the Telephone Preference Service on Tel: 0845 070 0707, and the Mailing Preference Service at Freepost 22, London, W1E 7EZ. Registration cannot be guaranteed to stop all unwanted calls or junk mail but it should substantially reduce them.
BOTHERED BY UTILITY COMPANY REPS AT YOUR DOOR WHO WON'T TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER, OR YOU FEEL HAVE MISLED YOU: Contact Energywatch - the organisation set up to help sort out consumer problems with the gas/electricity companies relating to billing, marketing etc. Energywatch can be contacted on Telephone: 0845 9060708, or visit their website at www.energywatch.org.uk They also have comparison charts to show which companies can offer the best deals for your area.
OFFICIAL LOOKING LETTERS WHICH LOOK LIKE THEY HAVE BEEN SENT BY THE DATA PROTECTION REGISTRAR (now called the Information Commissioner): Many small businesses in the area have been sent letters demanding fees varying from £95 to £245 to register their businesses with the above. The website for the Information Commissioner gives details of companies known to be sending out correspondence of this nature, and also can give you advice as to whether you are required to register by law, or not. Tel: 01625 545745, or Visit: www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk If a business is required to register with the Information Commissioner then the fee is £35, so our advice is to either ignore the unsolicited request, or to forward the details to the Office of Fair Trading who have been investigating the misleading nature of this type of correspondence. They will need to know when you received the information, why you feel it to be misleading, and whether or not you would be prepared to make a statement to this effect. They can be contacted by post at:
Misleading Advertising Team (Data Protection), Office of Fair Trading, Fleetbank House, 2 - 6 Salisbury Square, London, EC4Y 8JX or by e-mail at: dataprotection@oft.gsi.gov.uk
OFFICIAL LOOKING LETTERS WHICH LOOK LIKE YOUR COMPANY MAY HAVE TO REGISTER WITH THE HEALTH AND SAFETY EXECUTIVE: Similarly threatening looking letters suggesting you will be fined if you don't send a fee up to £245, but relating to requirements under Health and Safety law. If you receive one of these letters you can either throw it away, or if in any doubt about this, contact the HSE Information Line re Scam Letters: 08701 545500.
BEWARE OF MAKING CONTRACTS OR EXPRESSING INTEREST IN ADVERTISING YOUR COMPANY IN PUBLICATIONS WHERE THE DETAILS ARE GIVEN DURING AN UNSOLICITED TELEPHONE CALL: Often the caller will suggest that for a small fee they will include your company details in a publication that will be circulated through the Police, Schools, or in aid of a Charity. Many people who do not agree to a contract over the telephone, but who do agree to receive further information, find that the company then sends them an invoice stating that they have agreed to receive artwork. It can be very difficult to prove that you did not agree to a contract when it is a matter of one word against the other. Sometimes these companies put unpaid invoices in the hands of debt collectors who raise the fees and threaten court action. If a potential customer still refuses to pay, many companies eventually stop pursuing them for the money, rather than take them to court, but we do not know if they all do - so be very careful. It takes a lot of courage to refuse to pay when you are being bombarded with threatening letters and some people pay up, just to stop them coming. DON'T get taken for a soft touch as you may find that similar companies contact you to try to catch you out again.
Vicky Gunther
Directgov