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News Archive - 2016

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Alarm Fraudster Sent To Prison

4th November 2016 • Posted in

A 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.

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Warning To Consumers About Growing Online Threat

3rd November 2016 • Posted in

Consumers 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.

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Prison Sentence For Man Behind Call Blocker Scam

31st October 2016 • Posted in

A 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.

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Conman sentenced to 7 ½ years for fraud and theft

11th October 2016 • Posted in

A 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.

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​New Campaign To Tackle Criminal Scams Launched

6th October 2016 • Posted in

A 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’.

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Pair jailed over fraudulent construction work

29th September 2016 • Posted in

A 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.

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Alarm fraudster convicted

23rd September 2016 • Posted in

A 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.

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Scams campaign scoops award

16th September 2016 • Posted in

The 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.

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New warning over scam mail

22nd July 2016 • Posted in

Nearly 750,000 pieces of scam mail have been prevented from entering the UK postal system in the last three months

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Operation Tackling Counterfeiting on Social Media Expands

5th July 2016 • Posted in

Operation 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.

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Sibling criminals sentenced to three years in debt recovery scam

5th July 2016 • Posted in

Two 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.

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Redcar builder sentenced for unfair trading practices

28th June 2016 • Posted in

A 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.

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Doorstep criminals who preyed on vulnerable are sentenced

16th June 2016 • Posted in

Two 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.

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Buying tickets online - checklist

21st May 2016 • Posted in

People 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.

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​Scam Email Warning

27th January 2016 • Posted in

In recent days fraudulent emails have been circulating offering compensation for a so-called “Microsoft Support Scam”.

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