Robert Lloyd - a Sir Gar Blog of random news . . . and some Clecs!

Carmarthenshire’s Trading Standards team is urging people to think twice before providing their details to cold callers after dealing with a spate of local complaints relating to cavity wall insulation. The team has spoken to several people concerned about doorstep callers claiming to be able to assist with claims associated with incorrectly installed cavity wall insulation or disrepair. Householders are being encouraged to sign up for a claim, and provide personal details. Carmarthenshire County Council tenants are amongst those who have received visits from the cold callers, however the council has confirmed that it is in no way connected with the callers. The Trading Standards team is now re-issuing advice to help protect the public, and is urging anyone with information or concerns to contact them immediately on 03454 04 05 06. The advice includes: If in doubt, keep them out Always ask for an identity card and look up the organisation to check the salesperson’s identity is correc...

People in Carmarthenshire are being urged to be on the guard about a telephone scam where the caller claims to be from BT call minder service. Carmarthenshire Trading Standards has received a report from a concerned resident saying they had received a call from BT offering to block nuisance calls for a fee. The caller then goes on to ask for a debit or credit card number. People are being advised that this is a scam. Anyone who receives a similar call should hang up. Do not provide any personal or financial information to the caller. If you have provided information, and believe you have been scammed, please contact our Trading Services department. Cllr Jim Jones, Executive Board Member for Public Protection, said: “This appears to be an attempt to solicit monies from vulnerable people and we urge people to spread the word and be on their guard against this scam. Fortunately the resident in this case grew suspicious and ended the conversation before any card details were given. We h...

Carmarthenshire’s Trading Standards team is warning people to be on their guard against scammers, and asking people to look out for the welfare of elderly relatives, neighbours and friends. Their warning came on National Safeguarding Day, when Trading Standards teams across the country joined forces to raise awareness of scams. Here in Carmarthenshire, the team has dealt with thousands of pounds worth of fraud in the last 12 months alone – mostly concerning older people and those vulnerable through ill health. They include a Burry Port man conned out of £50,000 in bogus lotteries; a St Clear’s woman who lost £4,500 in a series of scam prize draws; an Ammanford man who lost more than £40,000 by buying overpriced vitamin supplements; and a Llanelli man conned out of his life savings worth £75,000 in scams involving diamonds, fine wine and art. The scams came to light through the national Scams Hub, and also through the Financial Exploitation Safeguarding Scheme (FESS) – a multi-agenc...

Carmarthenshire residents are being advised to be on their guard following a spate of high pressure sales calls from companies demanding up-front payment for boilers and home energy improvements. The council’s Trading Standards team is investigating a number of reports from people who claim they have been pressurised by cold callers in to paying money for goods or services they don’t actually need. Their advice is to be wary of sales people who ‘cold call’, to take time to think over any offers, and do some research before agreeing to sign up to a contract. Cllr Jim Jones, Executive Board Member for Public Protection, said: “Be wary of giving your bank or card details to anyone who has called you up or knocked on your door out of the blue offering you goods or services. “There are many reputable firms out there that do provide services to help you reduce your home energy costs, but some unscrupulous firms are exploiting people and pressuring them in to signing contracts and paying l...

People are being warned about a telephone scam where the caller claims to be from Carmarthenshire County Council, encouraging people to claim money for a personal injury claim. The council has received reports from several concerned people over the weekend, saying they have received a call from someone claiming to be from Carmarthenshire County Council, calling on behalf of National Health Services saying they were entitled to receive compensation relating to a car accident. The caller provides County Hall as their address, and provides a phone number which is similar to the council’s Contact Centre number. People are being advised that this is a scam. Anyone who receives a similar call should hang up. Do not provide any personal or financial information to the caller. If you have provided information, and believe you have been scammed, please contact our Trading Standards department. Cllr Jim Jones, Executive Board Member for Public Protection, said: “This appears to be an attempt ...

Carmarthenshire Trading Standards and Dyfed Powys Police have joined a nationwide initiative to help the victims of scams. Officers will be contacting people whose names are on ‘sucker lists’ shared by scammers. The Service has joined the National Scams Hub which is being funded by the National Trading Standards Board and currently has 66 Trading Standards authorities signed up. The Hub comes out of a project run by East Sussex Trading Standards aimed at raising awareness of scams and creating links between different agencies to try and spot scam victims. The aims of the Hub are to introduce a referral system between agencies, gathering intelligence on scams and scam victims, to raise public awareness of damage caused by scams as well as educate victims and potential victims of scams and try to prevent further people suffering from this kind of financial abuse. Trading Standards Service Manager Roger Edmunds said: “The Hub currently gets intelligence about scam victims across the cou...

Residents in Bury Port and Llanelli are urged to be vigilant after residents reported a spate of cold call incidents involving companies attempting to defraud consumers by giving the impression they were working for the Government’s Green Deal Scheme. The callers generally request an upfront fee of several hundred pounds to carry out energy efficiency assessments, however after making the payments some residents have been left in the cold when assessors have failed to turn up and calls left unanswered. Carmarthenshire County Council executive board member for environmental and public protection Cllr Jim Jones said: “Some private companies are charging householders for Green Deal Assessments, which they are allowed to do, however the charges can vary and there has been some concern as some householders have paid for surveys that have never been carried out.” Trading Standards in Carmarthenshire advise residents to be wary of any approaches made over the telephone and that if people a...

Online scammers are trying to help dieters lose the wrong type of pounds - local residents are being warned. Carmarthenshire County Council Trading Standards Service Manager Roger Edmunds said: “New Year's Resolutions often involve attempts to work off mince pies and lose weight. “Scammers know this and have created pop-ups offering free trials on items like weight loss supplements while disguising contracts in amongst the fine print. “After entering their card details to pay for the post and packaging, the scammers use these hidden contracts to regularly take sums of moneys from the victim's account.” Councillor Jim Jones, Executive Board Member for Environmental and Public Protection services, said “Rather than pay for expensive weight loss supplements through an internet supplier and risk losing money from your bank account, why not visit your local leisure centre or one of the Council’s Fusion Health and Fitness Clubs? They’re safer, cheaper and you’ll feel a lot better f...

Are you worried about oil thefts or becoming the victim of a rogue trader or a scam? Do you live in or around Newcastle Emlyn either in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion or Pembrokeshire. Then come to the Age Cymru Sir Gâr Scams awareness event, where you can find out information on how to avoid falling for these scams and preventing oil thefts. You’ll be able to talk to various community organisations and pick up literature which will help you prevent falling victim to scams or oil thefts. The event is being held between 10.00am and 12noon at the Teifi Valley Centre, 38 Church Lane, Newcastle Emlyn (in the grounds of Maes Llewellyn residential home) on Tuesday 5 November. There is also an opportunity to join the lunch club afterwards for those that want to stay for lunch. However, please notify us before 10.30am if you intend to stay for lunch. While at the centre, you can also find out about the friendship groups and other activities we host. If you wish to attend but have problems...

Elderly residents are warned about latest scam involving a euromillions online lottery | Dyfed Powys Police | Heddlu Dyfed Powys Dyfed Powys Police are warning elderly residents not to be drawn in to revealing bank details after reports of a lottery scam operating in the Cross Hands area. Officers there have been contacted by several people who have received letters from the ‘Euromillions Commonwealth of Nations Online Lottery’ advising them of surprise wins.

Scam alert - beware unexpected refunds, lottery wins or insurance payouts | Dyfed Powys Police | Heddlu Dyfed Powys Dyfed Powys Police is appealing for people to be on their guard against fraudsters and scams after several reports of residents in the Llanelli area being conned out of substantial amounts of money or attempts being made by fraudsters to scam them. The scam works by fraudsters calling residents, usually elderly or vulnerable people, telling them they are owed money in the form of refunded bank charges, from a payment protection insurance claim, or from any manner of other types of refund or winnings they’re due. The caller then asks for an administration fee, in many cases more than once, to process the repayment.

Gills sentenced in court | Dyfed Powys Police | Heddlu Dyfed Powys Dyfed Powys Police have welcomed the sentence handed to Reginald and Leila Gill at Swansea Crown Court. The convictions resulted from complaints from two separate victims made in May 2011, after receiving treatment at Mr and Mrs Gill's address in Cwmduad, Carmarthenshire.

Carmarthenshire Trading Standards officers are warning residents to be on their guard against advanced fee fraud. The county council’s Trading Standards Service has had numerous complaints from residents who have received calls by fraudsters telling them that they are owed money from refunded bank charges or from a payment protection insurance claim. The caller goes on to ask for an administration fee in order to process the payment, to be made via a Ukash Voucher. In reality, there is no payment and victims lose the admin fee they pay. Ukash is an e-commerce cash payment method that lets consumers exchange their banknotes and coins for a voucher code which represents electronic money of the same value. They can then use this money on the Internet. Fraudsters use the service to their advantage by asking residents to purchase the vouchers and phone them back with the voucher numbers. They do this on the pretence of checking the money is present before processing the bogus repayment....

Police warn elderly of scams | Dyfed Powys Police | Heddlu Dyfed Powys As part of its commitment to help reduce crimes in the elderly and vulnerable community, Dyfed-Powys Police is warning people to be aware of a variety of sophisticated scams. The incidents range from telephone scams where fraudsters claim to be calling from organisations, which can repair, or remove any unwanted and corrupted files on their computer – or say they are from the TAX office or Ministry of Justice and offering opportunities of cash rebates.

Email scam warning | Dyfed Powys Police | Heddlu Dyfed Powys Dyfed Powys Police are asking the public to be mindful of email scams. Anyone receiving emails with unexpected requests for money from friends or known email contacts should not respond to the email and should contact the sender by other means to verify the request.

Trading Standards officers in Carmarthenshire are warning about conmen pretending to take advertisements for Crimestoppers Wales on behalf of Carmarthenshire County Council. The county council’s Trading Standards Service has issued the warning following an incident in which a trader was contacted recently. The trader who is setting up in business and who has not advertised at all as yet was surprised to be contacted by phone recently by a man who stated that he was phoning on behalf of Carmarthenshire County Council seeking sponsorship for an advertisement on Crimestoppers Wales. The caller claimed that the county council’s economic development department was backing the scheme and even named individuals, none of whom work for the authority. He said he was working for a third party employed by the council to seek sponsorship for advertisements. The caller then asked for bank details in order to obtain payment. The trader thought it sounded a bit strange and asked for the caller...

Police warn of bogus Virtual PC Doctor calls | Dyfed Powys Police | Heddlu Dyfed Powys Dyfed Powys Police is warning people to be aware of a sophisticated telephone scam where fraudsters claim to be calling from 'Virtual PC Doctor'.

Carmarthenshire County Council Trading Standards officers are urging consumers to beware of rogue telephone cold callers offering energy saving devices. Trading Standards Service departments across the country have reported hundreds of complaints about people claiming to be their energy supplier or working in partnership with them, offering a plug in device which they say can save them 40 per cent off their energy bills. Trading standards have had a number of the items tested which not only failed to satisfy electrical safety standards but do not deliver any tangible energy savings. Trading Standards Manager Roger Edmunds said: “Consumers are warned not to use the products as they pose a risk of fire and electrocution and a safety recall has been issued for the items traced so far. “Unscrupulous criminals are using the rising energy prices as an opportunity to lure in cash strapped consumers – elderly people seem to have been deliberately targeted. “The addresses the scammers give is t...

Businesses in Carmarthenshire are being warned about a scam claiming to sell advertising space on behalf of ‘police community support’. Police and Trading Standards have received a number of reports from small businesses in the county that have been targeted over the telephone and by post. A man has phoned or sent letters to a number of businesses claiming to be local and selling advertising space in either magazines or on calendars for ‘police community support’. Cllr Anthony Jones, local member for Llandybie, took a call for the Ammanford Miners Association from a company who portrayed themselves as local but when questioned were based in Chester. He said: “They wanted £100 to take out an advert which they said would support the local community police partnership, which I thought was suspicious and when I started asking questions they became very evasive.” Rogue ‘publishers’ may persuade people to pay for adverts in publications that do not exist, or are not what people are led to be...

Llanelli Resident Victimized with E-Mail Scam - SPAMfighter Llanelli man John Wynne Hopkins, 56, was hit by an email scam. Reportedly, phone calls started to pour in for Hopkins from anxious relatives and friends when they got messages in their mailboxes stating that robbers had attacked him. The e-mail, which reached everyone on his address book, urged readers to wire cash so he could clear his hotel expenses. It was only when a friend from the army asked about his well-being that he came to know about the scam.