NEWS RELEASE
COUNCIL SERVICES AND SCHOOLS TARGETED BY MISLEADING TELESALES SCAMS
West Yorkshire Trading Standards Service is today warning all Council Services in West Yorkshire including schools to be on their guard following a number of complaints made to Consumer Direct, where council departments and schools have been billed for services following misleading sales calls.
Examples of scams include:
- Schools being targeted for electrical testing. The school receives a phone call purporting to be from the council advising that the school’s electrical testing is due. An engineer then arrives at the school carries out the testing and the school is subsequently invoiced.
- Schools being targeted for training websites. A phone call is received offering a free trial to a training materials website. The caller will usually fail to advise that unless you cancel the contract within the free trial period, the school will be bound to a 12 month contract.
- Schools being invoiced for recruitment advertising. The scam usually works with the school advertising a job in the Times Educational Supplement. The school then receives a phone call purporting to be from the Times advising the school that the advert needs checking. The advert usually has a spelling mistake which is pointed out to the school. The advert is faxed back for amending, the school amend the advert and fax it back, still believing they are dealing with the Times Educational supplement. An invoice is then received by the school for the advert being placed on a random recruitment website or publication.
- Kirklees Environmental Health received a package containing drug awareness booklets apparently for a local school with an invoice for the Department. A phone call was then received from the sales company who played a ‘recording’, of the Environmental Health Officer apparently agreeing to the order. The officer was on annual leave on the date the order was made and therefore the recording was false.
If your department has been targeted, what can you do?
- What is your ordering policy? Was the contract formed with a member of staff with no authorisation to make a contract? The contract may not be valid.
- Was the contract mis-sold/misrepresented to you? If so then you need to advise the company of this, advising that as such the contract is void.
If your Department has been targeted by a similar scam contact your council’s legal services for advice.
Graham Hebblethwaite, Chief Officer of West Yorkshire Trading Standards, said: “Such scams are currently targeting Council Services throughout West Yorkshire. Please be on your guard for similar types of scams and don’t be afraid of challenging suspect orders and invoices.”
Councillor Val Slater, Chair of the Trading Standards Committee, said: “I urge all managers within council departments to pass the alert on to all members of staff. Council Departments have ended up finding themselves paying for goods or services costing thousands of pounds in some cases.”
Notes to Editors:
For more information, please contact:
- David Lodge, Divisional Manager, West Yorkshire Trading Standards, on 0113 2898243.
- Carolyne Dollins, West Yorkshire Trading Standards Service, on 0113 289 8264.