Residents are being alerted to bogus callers working in the district through a special early warning system.
Incidents reported to Durham County Council's Trading Standards can now be found on this page to help keep people informed of potential dangers.
Members of the public are reminded to exercise great caution if approached be cold callers and to always use a door chain when answering their door.
In the instance that the caller states they are from District of Easington Council, they should be carrying ID and members of the public are reminded that they should ask the caller to produce this, to confirm their identity before giving out any information.
REPORTED INCIDENTS:
April 2008
If you receive a call from 08707 188389, do not call it back as it is a con.
If the number is dialled, the call is answered straight away, but a track is played to make it sound like the phone is still ringing. The charge is 75p a minute while you wait for an answer.
April 2008
Trading Standards regularly receive complaints regarding fish sellers who operate by cold calling door to door. Many of these doorstep fish sellers are causing distress and harassment to vulnerable, older adults that they are targeting with their high pressure sales techniques.
Trading Standards are trying to clamp down on these people and members of the public are urged to contact Sharon Harrison on (0191) 383 3586 or e-mail sharon.harrison@durham.gov.uk with as much information as possible(registration numbers, descriptions etc) if they witness any 'fish sellers' in the area.
April 2008
A resident of Derwent Close, Seaham had a doorstep caller claiming to be from Social Services.
The caller stated he was there to discuss her personal safety and the installation of a security alarm and pendant. He referred to recent break ins in area, trying to instill fear in the resident.
He advised that she would need to contribute £200 to house alarm and then £17 per month for the pendant The resident invited him in as she had said she already had an alarm system and he asked if he could check it.
The resident informed him that she did not keep money in the house so was unable to pay for anything; she then asked him to leave.
Social Services have confirmed that they do not call on residents without prior appointments.
February 2008
It has been reported that a member of the public has received a letter telling them that they have an 'unclaimed cash prize' waiting for them and advising them to fill in a declaration and entitlement claim form.
The form requests that they either send a postal order for £9.99, (to pay handling and delivery expenses) or advised they can pay by credit card which then asks for bank account details.
This actual scam originates from the Netherlands, but there are similar ones from the UK, so members of the public are advised not to reply to letters of this nature. Although they do promise a large amount money, they are not legitimate and respondents risk money being stolen from their bank accounts.
January 2008
Two men have been reported attempting to con their way into the homes of elderly residents in the Wingate area. The men claim to be from East Durham Homes and claim to be checking windows on behalf of the council. East Durham Homes have confirmed that they did not have any employees undertaking window surveys in that area at that time. Please be careful who you let into your home and always ask the caller to produce ID.
January 2008
Some Vodaphone customers have experienced the following SMS hoax alert on their phone:
VODAFONE CUSTOMER.. Please call ASAP regarding your mobile phone. 08700200002. The sender appears as 'URGENT'.
This is NOT an SMS originating from Vodafone Corporate and is a fraudulent third party. Vodafone have been informed of the situation.
Affected users must reply to the SMS with the word 'STOP' to cease the problem. In addition affected users should forward the fraudulent SMS to the Vodaphone free of charge spam reporting mechanism VSPAM on - 87726. This will enable them to identify from where the texts are originating. Vodaphone will then take action accordingly and notify the offending party to the regulatory authority.
January 2008
A resident of Byron Terrace, Shotton was called upon by two men who said they worked for the council and were working on a guttering scheme and needed to do some work on her property.
They charged the lady £250, which she paid before any work was carried out. The men then told her they were returning to the depot to fill in some forms and get the equipment they needed to carry out the work. They never returned.
Council employees would never ask or take money for repair work. Members of the public should always ask for ID from callers who claim they are from District of Easington Council. If there is any doubt regarding the authenticity of a caller who claims to be from the council, ring the council offices on (0191) 527 0501 to verify their identity.
November 2007
Postal Scam
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
September 2007
Credit card holders are being warned to be on their guard against the latest ploy by crooks - the 51p iTunes fraud.
The iTunes fraud works in three stages. First, a person's card details are stolen over the internet. The crook then tests to see that the details work by carrying out a small transaction - with iTunes being a particular favourite as a music download can cost as little as 51p.
If this is successful, the crook then uses the card details to commit bigger frauds until the customer realises their card details have been stolen or the card issuer becomes suspicious. Call centre staff at the credit card operation of the John Lewis Partnership have been alerting victims to the fraud. The retailer has 600,000 cardholders and recently invested heavily in fraud protection measures, part of which are centred on identifying suspicious small transactions.
Sandra Quinn, spokeswoman for payment services trade organisation Apacs said the fraud was the modern day version of the 'pint of milk scam'. 'Fraudsters used to buy a pint of milk from a supermarket with a stolen card and if it went through they would then ask to use the cashback facility,' she said. 'The introduction of Pin numbers has brought an end to that so fraudsters are now turning to card-not-present fraud where Pin numbers are not required for transactions to be processed.' Quinn said it was crucial for cardholders to check their statements carefully.
August 2007
A tall, dark skinned gentleman in an small orange coloured pick up has been calling at properties in the Frederick Terrace area of South Hetton.
He is asking residents if he can inspect trees on their property to see if they need cutting. The man does not claim to be from the council, however when one resident told him her son in law worked on horticulture for District of Easington Council he quickly left.
July 2007
It has been reported that a male, approximately 30 years, who is largely built and has a shaven head has been knocking on doors and attempting to sell goods in the Blackhall area. He is producing a fake council ID card and has tried to sell items including tea towels, fridge fresheners, toilet fresheners and address books. He is not a District of Easington Council employee as he claims, so please inform District of Easington Council on 0191 527 0501 if he approaches you.
July 2007
A young woman has been conning her way into houses in the Deneside/Northlea area of Seaham. She was simply knocking on doors and asking to if she could go in to get out of the rain.
A number of residents agreed to let her in. Once inside, she stole cash, purses, handbags etc. She has subsequently been caught, arrested and remanded for burglary.
The police have asked us to warn residents, especially in that area, of the dangers of letting anyone into their homes that they do not know.
May 2007
The following e-mail has been received within the council and future recipients are advised not to reply as it is a suspected scam. (members of the public are advised not to provide their bank details to unknown sources)
Subject: We proudly present a chance for you!
Greetings. Would you be interested in a home job that allows you to earn up to $10000 per month? No start up fees, no "envelope stuffing" nonsense.
We proudly present Amato Logistics Co. Ltd.
The job we offer will not affect your present career, it will only take a small part of your time. The only things you need to have to start running your business with our company are reliable Internet/E-mail access and checking/savings bank account. And of course your decency and willingness to earn.
The first vacancy is Transfer manager:
The nature of the job is payment processing. It is related to online banking operating the funds from either our company or our partners to designated bank account approved by our manager keeping specified money transaction fee as a commission for your services (usually between $150 to $500, no less than $150 per transfer).
You will receive the funds which our customers/resellers send directly to you and forward it to us or our agents (less your commission)via one of chosen money transfer agencies. The job is rather simple and you won't need any special knowledge to become our partner, though we do require that you are able to act on a very short notice. We can afford to pay such a decent commission only because we keep our customers happy with our promptness.
And the second is Shipment manager.
The job we offer is related to mail. It is an easy part time job that doesn't require leaving your main occupation. You will be receiving mail and packages for our clients, either repack them or ship them further out following our manager's instructions.
For those who look for career opportunities it's a chance of becoming a part of our team in the future (based on your performance), team in which you will be highly respected and decently rewarded - just think about this! We will be hoping to hear from you soon. ylbiz@businessmail.hk
If you would like to get our application form please email us with your request. No fees are asked, just leave your contact details: "random e-mail"
Write us to: ylbiz@businessmail.hk
We would appreciate your continued patronage and get in touch with you soon. Thank you!
May 2007
Workmen have been targeting elderly residents in the South Hetton area. The men, claim to be from a firm called EUR Electrics, which is unknown to District of Easington Council and East Durham Homes. They state they have come to check on electrical work carried out by East Durham Homes.
They appear to be aware that the tenant's property has recently been the subject of electrical work. They don't carry ID and are driving an unmarked white van. When challenged they have threatened violence. The police have been made aware.
March 2007
A company called 'Hill Top Tree Services' have been going into people's gardens and stating that the trees are too high and should be cut down, then offering to carry out the work.
They recently targeted an elderly East Durham Homes' tenant, who was unsure whether she was responsible for paying for the tree work.
District of Easington Council carry out all East Durham Homes' tree work, following the Tree Officers' recommendations.
No one should approach these men who appear to be from the Bishop Auckland Area and have Irish Accents.
September,
The following e-mails have been confirmed to be hoaxes, if you receive these, please disregard them:
1) 'Dear Customer,
This message has been sent to you by Visa Security Program.
You’ve specified this email as reachable with your credit card online transaction (your credit card details are not shown here for security reasons).
We notify you that your level of authorization has been altered during your last transaction of GBP 107.40 together with the service fee of GBP 24.00
You can check details in the attachment (which didn’t open)
If you believe there was a mistake please report this to Verified by Visa.
Protect your Visa card online with a personal password.
Visa provides reassurance that only you can use your Visa card online. Learn more about the benefits of Verified by Visa
2)From: Mr.John Bernard
Address: 30 Borough High Street, London, UK
Occupations: Investment Consultant
Compliment of the Day!!!
I was reading through your profile on the internet and found it interesting to contact you in this small business opportunity. but kindly to contact me at your earliest convenient time for a possible business deal involving money transfer of about £15 million pounds.
I am presently in London working as an investment consultant with the above bank at their London office. I am poised to work this deal out,if we can do this business with me.
As at this moment,I am constrained to issue more details about this business until your response is received. I will provide the necessary information needed in order to claim this money out,Thank you for your time and attention
Warmest regards,
Mr.John Bernard.
July, Derwentside
The Alzheimer’s Society in Derwentside have reported an incident whereby a group of Irish men and boys cold called on an elderly couple in Stanley.
The man is nearly blind and his wife has Alzheimer’s. The group told the couple that the ends of their tarmac drive was crumbling away. They dug out two inches on either side of the drive and around the manhole cover. They then filled some of it in with tarmac but did not do the job to an acceptable standard. They also laid garden flags on a small balcony that needed tiling. They charged £900 for this work.
The group then called at the couple’s house at 12 midnight and demanded money. They were given £300. The group then stated they would call the next day to finish job and to get the rest of the money. The Alzheimer’s Society then intervened and the police were informed and the group were moved on.
All of the group was Irish. The two men were about 5ft 11 and were heavily built and unshaven. There was an older man in the group and he was believed to have been in his mid 50s to early 60s. He had grey hair and a grey beard and moustache. There were also two youths in the group, thought to have been aged between 12 and 15 years. They travelled in a blue van.
July, Belmont
A male with an Irish accent is approaching residents in the Belmont area of Durham offering to clean and seal their driveways for up to £400 cash. One resident refused to pay due to the very poor quality of the work and the tradesman used threatening behaviour and bad language, resulting in the police attending the incident. He is not giving the cancellation rights to which they are legally entitled. He works with another male colleague and claims he needs money to visit sick relatives.
July, Wingate
An older gentleman who was stopped in the street by a male who had what he described as 'a flash car'. The male was selling coats and boxed watches. The gentleman purchased five coats at a cost of £200 and five watches at a cost of £100. The male stated that he was Italian. Relatives informed their local councillor when they were given the watches and coats by their father as presents. Community Safety at Easington have been informed.
2 June, Seaham
It has been reported that a cold caller who said he was from a burglar alarm company in Redcar visited a resident in Seaham and tried to set up a three year contract with her for a burglar alarm system costing £1000. The resident has said he claimed to be working through Durham County Council. Durham County Council does not endorse or recommend any such companies and luckily the resident was not taken in.
June, Wheatley Hill
Two service users were approached by a smartly dressed Asian gentleman carrying large briefcase containing clothing. One client didn't let him in but the other did, on the pretence that he had just taken some tablets and needed a drink of water. He sold the client two T- shirts at a cost of £20 each. When the carer looked at these T-shirts she found they were very basic cheap looking T-shirts. The man is described as not too tall and pleasant looking.
24 May, Seaham
A man with southern Irish accent approached some elderly residents. The man offered to seal some paving for £250; the resident declined so he reduced price to £140. The resident accepted and watched as the he plugged the power washer into the electric and water supplies. He then spent only ten minutes powerwashing the paving. He then demanded and received £140 cash.
While 'work' was in progress two children aged approximately 8 and 10 got out of the van and there appears to have been a possible attempted distraction burglary (although police have not established actual theft). The man then went on to do the same at bungalow round the corner, this time charging £200.
News article created on the 24 January 2007