National Trading Standards’ flagship Scam Marshals programme is to be expanded thanks to new funding from the Home Office as part of the government’s Loneliness Strategy.
Read MoreNational Trading Standards’ annual Consumer Harm Report reveals more consumer detriment prevented and record prison sentences handed down. Report also highlights new and emerging threats facing consumers and businesses.
Read MoreA man has been sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison for defrauding vulnerable and elderly consumers across the country out of at least £300,000 at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court today. The sentencing follows a nationwide case taken by Powys County Council Trading Standards supported by the National Trading Standards Investigation Team Wales.
Read MoreA man who operated websites which conned consumers out of £1.6m has been handed a one year suspended prison sentence and ordered to pay £200,000 within 28 days at Leeds Crown Court today. The sentence comes after he pleaded guilty to breaches of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 following a National Trading Standards investigation.
Read MoreTelephone scammers who target vulnerable and elderly consumers with scams and nuisance telephone calls have been stopped in their tracks, with a National Trading Standards project blocking more than 100,000 unwanted calls in less than a year.
Read MoreAt Reading Crown Court on 20th June 2018, MICHAEL FREEMAN, 46, of Huntercombe Lane North, Taplow, Maidenhead, was sentenced to 9 months in custody suspended for a period of 2 years after pleading guilty to engaging in an unfair commercial practice in relation to a website www.drivinglicenses.org.uk that consumers thought was the DVLA. In addition the Court set a timetable for confiscation under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Read MoreNational Standards Estate Agency Team (NTSEAT), with the support of The Property Ombudsman and the Property Redress Scheme, have today launched a survey to assess the use of referral fees among estate agents.
Read MoreA man who said he could cure diseases such as cancer and diabetes using just blood tests and food has been fined a total of £2,250 and handed a Criminal Behaviour Order at Blackfriars Crown Court today.
Read MoreSeven people have been sentenced to three years in prison at Cambridge Crown Court today for their role in a scam that targeted homeowners on their doorsteps.
Read MoreTwo more people have been sentenced after pleading guilty to their roles in one of the biggest online conspiracy cases in UK legal history. Liam Hincks received 11 months in prison – which took into account his cooperation with the prosecution – and Caroline Gowans received a two year suspended prison sentence. Their sentencings bring to a conclusion Operation Dougal, National Trading Standards’ landmark investigation into the operation of copycat websites which has now secured convictions against seven defendants and prison sentences totalling 38 years and seven months.
Read MoreFollowing a trial at Chester Crown Court that lasted 4 weeks, three people have been sentenced to a total of almost 10 years on Friday 16th March for their roles in a home improvement fraud following an investigation by National Trading Standards.
Read MoreSix people have been sentenced to a total of more than 35 years in prison after being convicted of defrauding UK consumers out of over £37 million in one of the largest UK online crime cases. They operated a number of ‘copycat websites’, impersonating official government services to sell passports, driving licences and other key documents for vastly inflated prices.
Read MoreA husband and wife from Leeds convicted of consumer protection offences against vulnerable people have been ordered to pay back £917,287 under the Proceeds of Crime Act following a hearing at Leeds Crown Court.
Read MoreA call centre trader who misled consumers by claiming to be from Microsoft to carry out computer repairs has today [26 January 2018] been sentenced after pleading guilty to four unfair trading practices. Narendra Harilal Vadgama (age 56 of Babington Road, Barrow upon Soar, LE12 8NH), who traded under the name Internet Security Direct, admitted four charges brought under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.
Read MoreA call to action for individuals, communities, businesses, neighbours and work colleagues to help ‘take a stand against scams’ is being announced by the Government this morning during Take Five to Stop Fraud week. At an event in Westminster it will be confirmed that the Friends Against Scams campaign – run by National Trading Standards to help people spot and report scams – is planning to train up to a million people to be Friends Against Scams by 2020.
Read MoreTWO company directors have each been jailed for three years after admitting a £300k plus claims scam involving fake compensation claims for mis-sold solar panels.
Read MoreMan sentenced to five years and ten months for fraudulent business
Read MoreConcerns that Brits could put themselves at risk of online fraud this Christmas
Read MoreNational Trading Standards (NTS) prevented nearly £127 million in losses to consumers and businesses over the last year, new figures from the third annual Consumer Harm Report reveal. This represents an increase of more than a third on last year and takes the total losses prevented by NTS over the last three years to nearly half a billion pounds (over £471 million).
Read MoreToday (Friday 3rd November) at Hull Crown Court Mohammed Usman (age 36) of Highfield Lane, Keighley was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment suspended for 2 years and ordered to pay £39,752 compensation to his customers and £17,778.59 prosecution costs.
Read MoreWilliam Stringfellow, 51, of Killins Lane in Shotton, was convicted of conspiring to defraud at Mold Crown Court today (25th October). Stringfellow, who was the brains behind a company that conned businesses into believing it was a charity donating money to the emergency services, has been warned that he faces prison.
Read MoreTwo men have been sentenced today at Teesside Crown Court after pleading guilty to charges relating to the sale of IPTV boxes which allowed people to illegally stream subscription content, infringing the rights of copyright holders. The convictions follow an investigation led by National Trading Standards.
Read MoreAction Fraud reports show that Binary Options fraud is a growing problem. In just the first half of 2017, 697 people reported to have lost over £18 million. The day of action used Operation Broadway tactics, mostly visiting businesses occupying serviced offices and reviewing their compliance documents.
Read MoreTwo brothers who ran a computer repair scam across England and Wales were sentenced to a total of four and a half years at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday (6th October). This sentencing follows a lengthy investigation led by the National Trading Standards Central England Regional Investigations Team.
Read MoreA mother and son who ran a company that fraudulently serviced Dyson vacuums have been sentenced at Leeds Crown Court today (25 September) for a total ten years for conspiracy to defraud following an investigation by National Trading Standards.
Read MoreThousands of dangerous and unsafe electrical products including children’s tablets and nail UV lamps have been seized after a trading standards investigation in Swansea.
Read MoreA rogue trader who defrauded hundreds of people and is currently serving a five year prison sentence following his conviction for fraud at Bournemouth Crown Court, has now been ordered to pay £128,950 under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Read MoreTwo people who ran a company that fraudulently serviced Dyson vacuums have been convicted at Leeds Crown Court of conspiracy to defraud following an investigation by National Trading Standards.
Read MoreEstate agency businesses are being reminded to ensure that their advertising claims are accurate and truthful.
Read MoreMore and more people are being caught out by ‘phantom goods’ scams costing them an average of £1,100, Citizens Advice says.
Read MoreA rogue trader who preyed on the vulnerable and defrauded 21 elderly victims out of £108,000 over almost two years has been jailed.
Read MoreProceeds of crime hearing on conspiracy to defraud pair
Read MoreFour leading figures of a multi-million pound fraud involving a Derby-based company mis-selling advertising space have been ordered to hand over a combined £1.3m from their ill-gotten gains at a Nottingham Crown Court hearing today (Friday 12 May).
Read MorePrime Minister Theresa May announces plan to give elderly and vulnerable people hi-tech devices to block nuisance calls.
Read MoreThree men were sentenced today to a total of 11 years and 1 month for running a fraudulent property repair business which targeted elderly and vulnerable consumers across the Midlands, following a three week trial at Birmingham Crown Court. These sentences came after a fourth individual had already been sentenced on 17th March for his part in the scam.
Read MoreA man and his company who misled disabled people into paying £49 a time for Blue Badge parking permits was sentenced to financial penalties totalling £15,457.35 today (29 March 2017) at York Magistrates’ Court.
Read MoreA man who sold illegal media player boxes which allowed the free viewing of premium television content has pleaded guilty at Teesside Crown Court to breaching the Copyright, Designs & Patents Act 1988, following an investigation by the National Trading Standards North East Regional Investigations Team and Hartlepool Borough Council.
Read MoreA husband and wife from Leeds convicted of consumer protection offences against vulnerable people have been sentenced to a total 40 months imprisonment at Leeds Crown Court today (3rd March).
Read MoreNational Trading Standards is warning consumers about a new scam targeting those looking for help with printer problems. The warning comes after a rise in the number of cases seen by the National Trading Standards eCrime Team.
Read MoreA criminal who misled and pressurised elderly and vulnerable people into paying for advertising worth £88,239 has received a 22-month suspended sentence at Nottingham Crown Court today (Thursday 9 February).
Read MoreA property fraudster has been jailed following his conviction on 9 counts of fraud, theft and forgery. Tahir Khaliq was sentenced to 45 months imprisonment at Bolton Crown Court. His accomplice Paul Dickinson; acting as an employee in the property businesses received a two-year suspended sentence and 240 hours of community service for his involvement in 6 counts of insurance fraud. Their convictions follow a lengthy investigation by the National Trading Standards North West Regional Investigations Team.
Read MoreFollowing media coverage this morning regarding repeat victims lists, National Trading Standards has published the following statement.
Read MoreA man from Gosforth, Newcastle has been sentenced to 16 months in prison after pleading guilty to nine offences relating to the possession and sale of counterfeit items and one offence of transferring criminal property, following an investigation by the National Trading Standards Scambuster North East Team and Newcastle Trading Standards.
Read MoreAction taken as part of fourth phase of Operation Jasper, the biggest enforcement operation ever seen in the UK to combat counterfeiting and piracy on social media
Read MoreMichael Patrick Phelan (61) finally started his prison sentence yesterday (15 December), having been arrested in Bournemouth on 13th December by Dorset Police.
Read MoreResponding to today’s National Audit Office report Lord Toby Harris, Chair of National Trading Standards, said:
Read MoreA cold calling criminal who conned elderly and vulnerable people out of over £150,000 has been sentenced to five years imprisonment today and disqualified from being a company director for eight years for his part in a fraudulent home alarm business.
Read MoreConsumers are being deceived through the clever use of digital technologies and this is behind a number of emerging threats, including counterfeit and dangerous goods being advertised on social media platforms and misleading listings on online portals. The threats have been identified by National Trading Standards in its annual ‘Consumer Harm Report’, which highlights the types of scams people should look out for and how to report suspected criminal activity.
Read MoreA rogue trader who defrauded hundreds of people has been sentenced to five years in prison and disqualified from being a director for ten years, following his conviction for fraud at Bournemouth Crown Court.
Read MoreA managing director and four co-directors of a Derby-based company have today (Friday 28 October) been sentenced to a total of 15 and half years at Nottingham Crown Court for their part in a multi-million pound fraud involving the mis-selling of advertising space to companies across the UK and Europe.
Read MoreA man from Stourbridge was sentenced today to 7 ½ years imprisonment, having been found guilty yesterday of 33 offences of fraud and theft for running a business franchise scam between 1997 and 2010. The conviction and sentencing follows a lengthy investigation by the National Trading Standards Central England Scambuster Team and a trial lasting over 4 weeks.
Read MoreA new campaign has launched today to raise awareness of scams and encourage people to take a stand against them. Scams often target people in vulnerable situations - the Friends Against Scams campaign aims to protect and prevent these people from becoming victims of scams by empowering communities to ‘Take a Stand Against Scams’.
Read MoreAdditional guidance on who should join an approved redress scheme if they work within the estate agency industry has today been issued.
Read MoreA father and son who defrauded fifteen victims in South Wales of more than £70,000 have been sentenced today (29 September) to four and two years respectively at Cardiff Crown Court.
Read MoreJames Munro, Team Leader of the National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team, said:
Read MoreA cold calling criminal who conned elderly and vulnerable people out of over £150,000 has been found guilty at Bristol Crown Court yesterday (Thursday 22 September) of fraud and for breaching Consumer Protection legislation for his part in a fraudulent home alarm business.
Read MoreThe National Trading Standards Scams Team has seen its pioneering Friends Against Scams campaign recognised at the Government Counter Fraud Awards. The NTS Scams Team scooped the Excellence in Fraud Awareness award for the campaign.
Read MoreOver £232,000 worth of dangerous products destroyed
Read MoreIllegal practice that misleads homebuyers on property websites in the spotlight.
Read MoreNearly 750,000 pieces of scam mail have been prevented from entering the UK postal system in the last three months
Read MoreOperation Jasper extended its reach into Eire in June and begins operating in Scotland this July as officers from Trading Standards and the Police in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland are joined by their Scottish and Irish equivalents in the fight against social media counterfeiting. The move is part of the latest phase of Operation Jasper, which was launched in May 2015 to tackle counterfeiting and piracy on social media.
Read MoreTwo criminals behind an elaborate debt recovery scam – which defrauded victims across the country out of tens of thousands of pounds – were sentenced to more than three years in prison at Chester Crown Court today (5 July). Mohammed Ali and Samira Saddique – who are brother and sister – pleaded guilty to offences of conspiracy to defraud and fraud by false representation. Ali was sentenced to 15 months in prison, whilst his sister Saddique received a two-year prison sentence. Both have also been disqualified from holding company directorships for five years.
Read MoreA husband and wife from Leeds charged with consumer protection offences against vulnerable customers have, at Leeds Crown Court today (4 July 2016), given opposing pleas.
Read MoreA Redcar builder who cheated residents out of more than £30,000 has been sentenced to nine months in prison, suspended for two years, and fined £6,000 after pleading guilty to a number offences at Teesside Crown Court.
Read MoreA parking fraudster who was sentenced to 16 months in prison back in September has now been ordered to pay more than £150,000.
Read MoreVictims were intimidated into paying hundreds of pounds for shoddy driveway repairs
Read MoreTwo criminals have each been sentenced to two years, suspended for two years, after swindling around 80 customers - including a wheelchair bound couple - out of an estimated total of £291,000 for shoddy and unnecessary housing repair works.
Read MoreSix people sentenced to go to prison for a total of 5 years 9 months after judge hears testimony from over 300 victims.
Read MoreAn order banning a Brentwood man from estate agency work has taken effect after successful legal action by the National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team (NTSEAT).
Read MoreA new partnership between the National Trading Standards Scams Team and home care provider, Home Instead Senior Care, will place Home Instead’s 8,000 caregivers at the forefront of a new scambusting initiative.
Read MorePeople desperate to attend major pop concerts, music festivals and sporting events this summer face a greater risk of falling victim to criminals after online ticket fraud soared by 55 per cent.
Read MoreJustice served for 90 victims duped out of £30,000
Read MoreKirk Michael Claus (aged 51) of Slate Delf Farm, Cragg Vale, Mytholmroyd has been sentenced to over six years in jail for failing to pay back £6.2 million gained from criminal activity
Read MoreMore than 35 victims who were ruthlessly targeted on their own doorsteps by a rogue building company have seen justice served after the company’s sole director, William Henry King, was sentenced to 14 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, at Maidstone Crown Court.
Read MorePhilip Mark Harris (49) of Kingsbridge Devon and Roy John O’Grady (45) of Olton Road Solihull have been found guilty of fraud following a four-week trial at Birmingham Crown Court.
Read MoreIn recent days fraudulent emails have been circulating offering compensation for a so-called “Microsoft Support Scam”.
Read MoreFive people have been sentenced for being part of a £5.2m publishing fraud which affected thousands of victims from across the country.
Read MoreThe National Trading Standards Scambuster Team East Midlands has welcomed the latest crown court outcome against a criminal who preyed on older and vulnerable people on their own doorsteps.
Read MoreThe National Trading Standards e-crime Team is concerned about the possibility of fraud after a recent upsurge in call recording services, which people are using to provide proof of phone conversations with banking staff in the event of disputes.
Read MoreElectrical products detained in the run-up to Christmas
Read MoreEnforcement teams raided premises across the country last week as Operation Jasper, the UK’s biggest crackdown on counterfeiting and piracy enabled through social media, entered its second phase.
Read MoreLatest figures from National Trading Standards and trading standards services in Scotland reveal more than 15,000 self-balancing scooters detained at UK points of entry. Major safety risks identified include issues with the plug, cabling, charger, battery or cut-off switch.
Read MoreHigh street discount retailer Poundstretcher has been fined £350,000 for selling tens of thousands of dodgy batteries that were potentially harmful to young children.
Read MoreAn internet conman is today behind bars after being found guilty of operating a series of online pyramid selling schemes.
Read MoreInaugural National Trading Standards ‘Consumer Harm Report’ reveals annual data and predicts biggest threats for 2016 including energy, lottery and telephone preference scams.
Read MoreSutton Council has advised small businesses in the borough to be vigilant if approached about online grant advertising after a Buckinghamshire man received a suspended sentence for an elaborate grants scam that targeted businesses across the UK.
Read MoreA third UK redress for the property sales sector has been approved by the National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team.
Read MoreDangerous goods bound for the streets of Tyneside have been detained by National Trading Standards and will be destroyed after a stash of more than 1,000 items was impounded at the Port of Felixstowe.
Read MoreLeslie Smith of Minsterworth, Gloucestershire, trading as “Ringway Traffic Management”, “Traffic Management Solutions” and “Highway Safety Link”, was sentenced today at Bristol Crown Court to 16 months imprisonment for Fraudulent Trading contrary to Section 9 of the Fraud Act 2006.
Read MoreNational Trading Standards has produced a leaflet, which aims to explain the importance of feed hygiene enforcement and the impact of the National Trading Standards Feed Delivery Programme.
Read MoreApple is expected to unveil a new iPhone this week and the National Trading Standards eCrime Team is urging consumers to be on the lookout for criminals trying to exploit the hype by flooding popular social media platforms with misleading adverts and bogus offers.
Read MoreA new and innovative enforcement toolkit which has been designed to assist local authority trading standards enforcement staff to determine the levels of compliance of local estate agents has been launched.
Read MoreTwo individuals have this week been arrested following an investigation into the manufacture and supply of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) or ‘legal highs’.
Read MoreA criminal who ran an elaborate business grants scam online was jailed yesterday for 18 months, suspended for two years.
Read MoreTwo of the UK’s redress schemes for the property sales sector have been approved by the National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team.
Read MoreAn updated version of the Guidance of Property Sales has today (Tuesday 1 September) been launched by the National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team.
Read MoreAdvice issued to supporters buying remaining tickets.
Read MoreHampshire County Council Trading Standards has welcomed a successful outcome in the courts, after three market traders were handed suspended sentences this week for selling counterfeit clothing at a Hampshire market.
Read MoreTwo people were today sentenced by HH Judge Marson QC for their activities whilst operating a West Yorkshire based Home Improvement Business and a mobility aid business Adjust 4 Life Ltd.
Read MoreFight against mail scams intensifies during Scams Awareness Month
Read MoreLouise Baxter received a Hero Award at the Chartered Trading Standards Institute's Conference in Bournemouth on Thursday 2 July for the significant contribution she made to consumer protection in East Sussex, over and above her professional role.
Read MoreArrests at copycat website company after a surge of consumer complaints. National Trading Standards is once again warning consumers to be vigilant about ‘copycat’ websites – and to report suspect sites – following the arrest of five people this morning.
Read MoreBiggest enforcement operation ever seen in the England, Wales and Northern Ireland launched to combat piracy on social media
Read MoreInvestigators from the National Trading Standards eCrime team based in York and North Yorkshire have brought a national travel company and its sole director to justice. TravelnTravel.co.uk lured consumers with the promise of cheap flights, but failed to honour them.
Read MoreA Nottinghamshire-based gang that scammed pensioners of sums estimated to run into millions of pounds has been sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court today (Friday 12th June 2015).
Read MoreTwo men from Weston-super-Mare have been convicted of trading in counterfeit goods following a lengthy investigation that uncovered more than 10,000 counterfeit items.
Read MoreOn 6 Mar 2015, the successful conclusion to Operation Kennet was heard in Reading Crown Court after a complicated two year investigation by West Berkshire Council Trading Standards Service.
Read MoreLatest figures from National Trading Standards reveal nearly two million unsafe or noncompliant products were identified between April and December 2014. Children’s toys, cosmetics and DIY products are biggest offenders.
Read MoreAlthough it’s difficult to be 100% certain that a website or seller you are buying from is legitimate, there are some simple things you can do to increase the odds that you’re buying from an honest trader. Here is National Trading Standards’ new checklist to help you buy safe online.
Read MoreFive Bentleys, a Ferrari and other prestige vehicles seized from criminals are being auctioned tomorrow (Friday 27 February) following an investigation by a York-based National Trading Standards Team.
Read MoreJocelyn Hunter of Willows Avenue, Swindon, Wiltshire was convicted today at Swindon Crown Court of conspiracy to import and distribute counterfeit goods and sentenced to 15 months imprisonment.
Read MoreTwo men who misled consumers through a Cardiff-based green deal business have been fined at Cardiff Crown Court in a prosecution brought by Newport City Council and the National Trading Standards Scambusters Team of Wales.
Read MoreA judge has ordered £6.5 million payback under the Proceeds of Crime Act as a result of what is believed to be the UK’s largest seizure of vehicles from a single rogue trader.
Read MoreThree people at the heart of a country-wide council tax re-banding scam were today sentenced by His Honour Judge Kearl QC at Leeds Crown Court, following a year-long investigation and prosecution by the National Trading Standards Scambuster Team.
Read MoreCommunities urged to support vulnerable residents and report doorstep callers.
Read MoreMore than 6,000 people have had money returned to them as a result of a new crackdown on prize draw mail scams.
Read MoreA Carmarthenshire rogue trader was jailed for 19 months after he failed to pay money back to the victims of his rogue trading.
Read MoreRoyal Mail and Trading Standards have joined forces to launch a new initiative to tackle scam mail in the postal system
Read MoreAvoid being conned by deceptive websites.
Read MoreIn June 2014 the National Trading Standards Scams Team and Royal Mail launched an initiative to return seized responses to prize draw mail scams before the money reached the hands of scammers.
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