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News Archive - 2020

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North East fish fraudster jailed

30th October 2020 • Posted in

A mobile fish seller who defrauded vulnerable households out of £100,000 has been sentenced today at Teesside Crown Court to 60 months in prison, reduced to 40 months for an early guilty plea.

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Husband and wife sentenced for driving school scam

24th July 2020 • Posted in

A couple who mis-sold driving lessons to thousands of learner drivers across the country have been sentenced to 46 weeks’ custody, suspended for two years, at Leeds Crown Court today (Friday 24th July) after pleading guilty to breaching the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations.

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Couple Sentenced for Online Plumbing Scam

10th June 2020 • Posted in

A couple who ran an online plumbing services scam have each been sentenced to six months imprisonment (suspended for 12 months) and ordered to carry out 80 hours unpaid work.

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Prison sentence for council tax scammer

22nd May 2020 • Posted in

A criminal who ran a council tax scam across the North West has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison following a recent hearing at Liverpool Crown Court (22 May).

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Businesses join forces to combat COVID-19 scams

14th May 2020 • Posted in

More than 100 organisations are spearheading a new initiative to combat fraud against businesses as more companies and employees adjust to working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing their exposure to sophisticated business scams.

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Protecting businesses from COVID-19 scams

23rd April 2020 • Posted in

Malicious email attachments, false government grant phone calls and CEO impersonation scams are among a raft of scams undermining businesses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Beware of COVID-19 scams

24th March 2020 • Posted in

Unscrupulous criminals are exploiting fears about COVID-19 to prey on members of the public, particularly older and vulnerable people who are isolated from family and friends. National Trading Standards is warning people to remain vigilant following a rise in coronavirus-related scams that seek to benefit from the public’s concern and uncertainty over COVID-19.

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​Time Behind Bars for Plumbing Criminals

5th March 2020 • Posted in

Seven men have been sentenced at Leicester Crown Court for their part in a fraudulent emergency plumbing operation that preyed on victims across the country. Three of the men received custodial sentences totalling more than four years following an investigation by Trading Standards officers at Leicestershire County Council.

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Judge’s commendation for case against rogue trader

27th February 2020 • Posted in

Judge Jeremy Jenkins commended Powys County Council yesterday at Merthyr Crown Court for prosecuting a rogue trader who targeted vulnerable males in Powys and South Wales and other parts of the UK in a ‘leather jacket’ scam.

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Pair jailed for secondary ticketing fraud

24th February 2020 • Posted in

Two ‘ticket touts’ from London have been sentenced to a total of six-and-a-half years behind bars following a ground-breaking hearing at Leeds Crown Court today. The sentences follow the first successful prosecution against a company fraudulently reselling tickets on a large scale.

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Fairman by name, conman by nature

13th February 2020 • Posted in

A tradesman from Swindon has been sentenced to 20 months imprisonment suspended for two years at Bristol Crown Court today, Thursday 13th February 2020, after pleading guilty to two counts of fraudulent trading. He was also disqualified from being a director of a company for 8 years, must complete 160 hours unpaid work and wear an electronic tag for 3 months with curfew.

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Landmark prosecution for secondary ticketing fraud

13th February 2020 • Posted in

Two ‘ticket touts’ from London have been found guilty of fraudulently and dishonestly buying and reselling tickets for high-profile music and entertainment events. The landmark case at Leeds Crown Court marks the first successful prosecution against a company fraudulently reselling tickets on a large scale. It follows an investigation by the National Trading Standards eCrime Team, which is hosted by North Yorkshire County Council and City of York Council.

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Father and stepdaughter ordered to pay back over £400,000

12th February 2020 • Posted in

Two individuals have been ordered to pay back £424,560 for their part in a ‘leisure club’ scam. The confiscation orders were handed down at Birmingham Crown Court on 12 February 2020, where Dominic O’Reilly and Stephanie O’Reilly were ordered to pay £274,560 and £150,000 respectively for their part in running Eze Europe Ltd and linked businesses.

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Trio found guilty of home improvement scam

31st January 2020 • Posted in

Three individuals and a company have been found guilty of 34 offences for conning people into paying for overpriced, ineffective or unnecessary home improvement work and taking payment for work that was never even started. The convictions were handed down at Birmingham Crown Court on 31 January following an investigation by the National Trading Standards Regional Investigations Team in Central England, hosted by Birmingham City Council.

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Mail Scammers Found Guilty of Tricking Elderly Consumers

21st January 2020 • Posted in

A company that sent out scam promotional mailings to elderly consumers has been fined £150,000 at York Magistrates’ Court today (21 January 2020) after being found guilty of tricking recipients into thinking they had won, or could win, substantial cash prizes. The company has also been ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £170 and prosecution costs of £10,763.84.

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Driveway Repair Criminal Ordered To Pay £150,000

10th January 2020 • Posted in

A man found guilty of running a fraudulent tarmac repair business has been ordered to pay back £150,000 to his victims at a Proceeds of Crime hearing at Cardiff Crown Court. The POCA proceedings follow his five-and-a-half-year prison sentence handed down in August 2018 for his crimes. Failure to pay this sum within three months could result in an additional prison sentence of two years.

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