Dear Kent Residents Our mission is to ‘Warn and Inform’, whilst the number of scams we are seeing increases our best defence is to know how the scam will target you and how to report. Stay safe and look out for others, tell family and friends.Kind regards
Victim Safeguarding Officer
Kent resident paid a £4,500 sourcing fee for an apartment offered for rent. This was a scam and there was no apartment and the fee was not returned.
For more information on renting in the UK watch our recent Cost of Living Newscast Know Your Rights As A Tenant
Contact Citizens Advice https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/housing/renting-privately for advice on renting and report renting scams by calling Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133.
A fake mail and email scam impersonating the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) continues to target the public after almost two years in circulation. The latest report is about an investment company that has gone insolvent and the CTSI are writing to get information.
For advice and to report call the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133
Kent resident signed up to the website that said it provided free, online resources for workplace health and safety. They later received an invoice, having put in contact details.
Be very wary about adding in any personal information on a website.
Make sure you read terms and conditions and check reviews of the website.
If you need Health & Safety information visit the Health and Safety Executive https://www.hse.gov.uk
For advice and report call Citizens Advice consumer helpline 0808 223 1133
A Kent resident invested £1,160 in Cryptocurrency. They were told the investment grew to £4,839 and were advised to put in another £2,500 to complete the registration process so that they could withdraw the full amount. After they did this they were told they had missed that deadline but if they invested £24,000 they could withdraw the full funds.
This is a scam and the resident lost thousands of pounds.
The Financial Conduct Authority warns that before you invest in cryptoassets you should be aware of the following:
– crypto assets are considered very high risk, speculative investments– if you buy these types of crypto assets, you are unlikely to have access to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) or the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) if something goes wrong– if you invest in crypto assets you should be prepared to lose all your money https://www.fca.org.uk/consumers/cryptoassets
For advice and report call Citizens Advice consumer helpline 0808 223 1133
Cost of Living Advice & Information
Food Safety on a Budget
During the cost of living crisis, we are all trying to save costs and food budgeting is no exception. In this Newscast, Mark Rolfe (Kent Scientific Services) and John Scott (Kent Trading Standards) talk about the rise of food fraud and what consumers should look out for to stay safe.
If you have information on doorstep criminals, counterfeit, fake or illegal goods, illicit tobacco, loan sharks or those selling restricted items to underage kids, call the charity Crimestoppers 100% anonymously on 0800 555 111 crimestoppers-uk.org
To report scams and get advice on consumer issues call Citizen’s Advice consumer helpline on0808 223 1133 citizensadvice.org.uk
SPEAK UP. STAY SAFE