Postal Fraud Warnings

[dots]

I just got this alert through a freecycle contact... This message is NOT from me... it is just as the statement quotes...

I received notice of a nasty scam which started at Xmas 2005 but have been warned at work might again this Xmas. Its about being duped into calling a premium rate number(starting 09) has been confirmed by the Police, Post Office and Trading Standards.

The original scam was a card posted through your door from a company called PDS(Parcel Delivery Service) suggesting that they were unable to deliver a parcel and that you need to contact them on 0906 6611911(a premium rate number). DO NOT call this number, as this is a mail scam originating from Belize. If you call the number and you start to hear a recorded message you will already have been billed £15 for the phone call.

There may be variations which look as if they come from a legit parcel delivery company, but they'll use 0800 or 0845 numbers, not number 09 numbers.

If you do receive a suspicious card, then you can contact Royal Mail Fraud on 020 7239 6655 or if it starts with 09 perform a lookup of the number with PhonepayPlus (the premium rate service regulator) at http://www.phonepayplus.org.uk/numberchecker/

Let people know ......

Gordon

If it is something you cannot see... contact your IP!

Try to develop the present to change the future that will enhance new memories of the past... It is not what we have done wrong, but what we are doing to our future from now on that counts... So... Count on the future by doing what we have not done wrong already

www.thedotdots.com
Outreaching World Concerns

[ray_a]

Many thanks!

[R1chard]

ill keep a look out for this, i bet since the postal srikes and the back log a few would of fell for this scam.

58 PAYMENTS TO GO..

[Oliver]

Thanks for the heads up.


Best Regards
Oliver

Thomas Charles and Co Ltd.
Experts in personal debt solutions.
Read customer feedback at: www.thomascharles.com/about_us.asp

[dots]

What I may do is add those paragraphs to my outreach website as a permenant warning and it can stay there as a continuous reference... I am just off to work shortly and on one of my long nighters, so maybe look at doing something over the next few days.

Gordon

If it is something you cannot see... contact your IP!

Try to develop the present to change the future that will enhance new memories of the past... It is not what we have done wrong, but what we are doing to our future from now on that counts... So... Count on the future by doing what we have not done wrong already

www.thedotdots.com
Outreaching World Concerns

[DBC]

Hello,

I am afraid that most of this "warning" is NOT true. A company was operating in this way back in 2005 and they were closed down. This email has been doing the rounds for over a year.The mention of the immediate £15 charge is also false. If you don't believe me, see this statement from PhonePayPlus , which is the new name of ICSTIS

A STATEMENT FROM PHONEPAYPLUS ABOUT THE CURRENT
‘POSTAL SCAM’ CHAIN EMAIL
PhonepayPlus, the phone-paid services regulator, is aware that a chain e-mail about an alleged
postal scam is being circulated on the internet. The email refers to the Royal Mail, Trading
Standards and ICSTIS (PhonepayPlus’ former name).
PhonepayPlus appreciates that recipients of the email may want to find out more information
about the alleged scam and has therefore issued the following statement:
• The chain email refers to a service that was shut down by us in December 2005.
• We subsequently fined the company that was operating the service, Studio Telecom
(based in Belize), £10,000.
• The service is NO LONGER running and has NOT been running since December 2005.
• The email refers to a £15 charge for simply being connected to a recorded message.
This is NOT TRUE – a £15 connection charge does NOT exist. The service in question
actually cost £1.50 per minute and lasted six minutes, making a total cost of £9 if callers
stayed on the line for the full six minutes.
• You do NOT need to contact us, or the Royal Mail, about this service as it was stopped
almost two years ago.
• If you receive a copy of the email warning you about the alleged scam, please do NOT
forward it to others. Instead, please forward this statement from PhonepayPlus.
• Please go to www.phonepayplus.org.uk/pdfs_news/ConsumerGuide.pdf for useful
information about how to recognise phone-paid services and understand what they cost,
and some simple tips to help you enjoy using services with confidence.
• For more detailed information about our work, please visit www.phonepayplus.org.uk.
19 October 2007