News Archive - 2021

Rogue builder sentenced to five years in prison

Victims conned out of tens of thousands of pounds by Bath fraudster

Scams Team wins Tackling Economic Crime Award

Online shoppers buy 80 million ‘disappointing’ items based on rave reviews

National Trading Standards urges consumers to beware of fake online reviews when Christmas shopping

Secondary ticketing fraud appeal rejected in court

The Court of Appeal has today (26 November 2021) dismissed appeals from two online ‘ticket touts’ who were jailed on 24 February 2020 in a landmark case heard at Leeds Crown Court.

Fake show home behind home improvements scam

Three men who conspired to defraud victims across London and the home counties have been found guilty at Snaresbrook Crown Court today (24 November) for their part in a property improvement scam. A fourth individual pleaded guilty to one count of fraud earlier in the proceedings.

WhatsApp launches ‘STOP. THINK. CALL.’ campaign to stamp out message-based scams

WhatsApp enlists ‘Scambassador’ Joel Dommett to encourage the British public to Stop. Think. Call. before responding to a suspicious message that may be a scam

Millions of illegal tobacco products seized as part of crackdown on illicit tobacco trade

More than five million illegal cigarettes have been seized from local retail outlets in the first six months of the year as part of Operation CeCe, a joint initiative between National Trading Standards and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to tackle the illegal tobacco trade.

Crackdown on criminal fish sellers continues across the North East

Criminal trader from County Durham receives custodial sentence

New crackdown launched in Wales to curb illegal puppy market

A new operation has been launched to tackle the growing number of illegal puppy farms following a multi-agency investigation led by National Trading Standards and Trading Standards Wales.

Doorstep crime to rise as office return gathers pace

Twin threats to vulnerable as criminals resume doorstep tactics whilst scaling up mass marketing scams; reports jump 76% during pandemic.

Banned estate agent sentenced for unlawfully engaging in estate agency work

A banned West Midlands estate agent has today been sentenced to a custodial sentence of six weeks, suspended for two years, and fined £4,000 at Wolverhampton Crown Court after pleading guilty to unlawfully engaging in estate agency work.

Birmingham man sentenced to four years imprisonment for running a counterfeit clothing factory

A Birmingham man has been sentenced today (23 August 2021) to four years imprisonment at Birmingham Crown Court today after previously pleading guilty to 26 offences for manufacturing and selling fake designer clothes.

Cracking down on criminals who target self-storage industry

A new initiative is launched to crack down on criminals using self-storage facilities fraudulently.

Fish fraudsters sentenced to a combined total of 8 years

Today three mobile fish sellers who defrauded and knowingly misled elderly and vulnerable consumers out of approximately £325,000 have been sentenced to a combined total of 8 years at Teesside Crown Court.

36 million Brits targeted by a scammer so far this year

More than two thirds of British adults (36 million) have been targeted by a scammer since January, new research by Citizens Advice has found.

Online retailers fined £179,755 for selling knives to children

Prosecutions follow National Trading Standards test purchasing programme

Improving material information on property listings

National Trading Standards is launching a new programme with input from property portals and industry groups to make it as easy as possible for estate and letting agents to provide basic essential material information.

Scam and nuisance phone calls return to pre-COVID-19 levels

New findings highlight a surge in the proportion of scam and nuisance calls as callers target people over the age of 70 to exploit new and unfamiliar processes associated with COVID-19, such as applying for swab tests and vaccines.