News Archive - 2020

Public urged to help combat scam mail

Scamnesty launched to turn the tables on criminals

Conviction following investigation into drainage company

Southampton City Council’s Trading Standards service, working in partnership with the Regional Investigation Team, have secured a significant conviction against a rogue plumbing and drainage engineer.

North East fish fraudster jailed

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.

​Disclosure of hidden referral fees should be made mandatory

Review into referral fees in the estate agency industry published

World Alzheimer’s Day: action on scams

Anyone can be the victim of a scam, however some people are more vulnerable to scams and criminals will use this to their advantage.

Fraud network sentenced under Croydon-led nationwide case

Six people involved in duping vulnerable homeowners out of £400,700 for bogus roof repairs have been sentenced in a Croydon Council prosecution working with National Trading Standards.

New Covid-19 tactics to rip off consumers

Warning issued as criminals exploit new fraud opportunities

Trio sentenced to more than nine years for home improvement scam

Three scammers have been sentenced to a combined total of 9 ¼ years (111 months) at Birmingham Crown Court today (26 August 2020) for their part in running a fraudulent home improvement company in Stourport on Severn, Worcestershire.

Fall in knives sold by national retailers to children

The number of knives sold to children by national retailers appears to have fallen significantly, according to new test purchasing data published by National Trading Standards.

Husband and wife sentenced for driving school scam

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.

Faulty and unsafe cars for sale across the South West

​A trading standards investigation into second-hand car sales across the South West has uncovered traders selling faulty and unsafe used cars that could cause an accident or lead to high repair costs.

Rise in telephone scams predicted as lockdown eases

As COVID-19 lockdown measures start to ease, National Trading Standards is predicting a rise in scam telephone calls as illegitimate call centres around the world get back to work.

Jailed director ordered to pay back scam earnings

A company director has been ordered to return £150,000 to the public purse following a hearing today (2 July) at Leeds Crown Court.

Couple sentenced for online plumbing scam

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.

Prison sentence for council tax scammer

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).

Businesses join forces to combat COVID-19 scams

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.

Protecting businesses from COVID-19 scams

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.

Beware of COVID-19 scams

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.

​Time behind bars for plumbing criminals

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.

ISD supplier ordered to pay back more than £520,000

John Dodds must return money to 'public purse' after prison sentence for supplying illegal streaming devices

ASA will now refer property raffle complaints to NTSELAT

A new approach to handling complaints about ads for property raffles has been agreed by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Team (NTSELAT).

Judge’s commendation for case against rogue trader

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.

Pair jailed for secondary ticketing fraud

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.

Fairman by name, conman by nature

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.

Landmark prosecution for secondary ticketing fraud

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.

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

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.

Estate agents urged to provide feedback on referral fees guidance

The National Trading Standards Estate & Letting Agency Team and The Property Ombudsman have today launched a survey to assess awareness and uptake of the transparency rules around referral fees linked to property buying and selling.

Trio found guilty of home improvement scam

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.

BBC Radio 4 report on ‘Quick Sale Agents’

Mail scammers found guilty of tricking elderly consumers

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.

Durham builder sentenced for misleading and aggressive business practices

A building company director from County Durham has been sentenced to 8 months in prison at Teesside Crown Court after pleading guilty to 14 counts of using misleading and aggressive commercial practices.

Driveway repair criminal ordered to pay £150,000

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.