DEPARTMENT FOR
BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM News Release (2008/124)
issued by The Government News Network on 18 June 2008
Rogue traders and
other con merchants in Wales are set to be thwarted by a new team
of "Scambusters" backed by £761,000 of Government funding.
The specialist Trading Standards team will be based in two
locations, Newport and Conwy. It will help local authorities
across the entire country and the Police to crackdown on rogue
traders, dodgy door-step salespeople, counterfeiters, prize draw
scams, cowboy builders and many other scams.
Consumer Affairs Minister Gareth Thomas said:
"Rogue traders who con honest people out of their hard
earned money are a disgrace.
"This new unit will help to shut these conmen down and bring
them to justice. It will concentrate on the most serious scams
that cause consumers in Wales the biggest problems, but are often
beyond the capacity of local councils to deal with."
Trading Standards Manager, Matthew Cridland from Newport City
Council said:
"We are delighted in Wales to have secured this additional
resource to tackle rogue trading activities. Effective partnership
working with Trading Standards in Wales and beyond will enable us
to ensure that scam operators are prioritised for rapid
enforcement action.
"The team will protect the public and legitimate businesses
from scams that take advantage of vulnerable consumers and damage
responsible businesses."
Consumers who feel that they have been ripped off by cold calling
traders or who wish to report scams or suspicious activity can
report the matter to Trading Standards via the national Consumer
Direct helpline on 08454 04 05 06.
Notes for Editors
* The Government's grant will be over
three years to the Welsh Heads of Trading Standards group
*
The team will work across 22 local authorities in Wales covering a
population of 2.94m
* Local press office contact Steve Peters
Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council 01685 725030
* The new
team is part of a nationwide crackdown. The Government is
investing approximately £7.5 million in new Scambusters teams so
that Wales, Scotland and each of the nine Government regions in
England have a team
* The national roll out follows the
success of pilot Scambusters teams in the Midlands, North East and
a combined team working across the South East, East and London.
Since September 2006 their work is estimated to have saved
consumers £3million
* Larger scams tend to work across local
authority boundaries. This makes it difficult for local authority
trading standards teams to target them. The cross border approach
of Scambusters is helping to tackle this problem.
* Case
studies of successful action taken by the pilot teams:
- On
Thursday 31 January 2008 Phil Vyse was sent to jail for 8months
and Aqualine, a damp proofing business, fined thousands of pounds
after they ripped off a number of elderly people across the
Midlands. An investigation found that Aqualine had conned
householders by misdiagnosing damp so that it could sell
unnecessary work.
- In October 2007 a massive raid involving
Scambusters and three Police forces resulted in tarmac trucks,
work vans and three high value sports cars being seized from a
family of cold calling tarmacers. Hundreds of people were ripped
off after being charged up to ten times the original quote for
work. Six people have been charged with a number of criminal
offences as a result of this investigation.
- Stephen Bean, a
kitchen salesman from the north east, received a CRASBO (criminal
ASBO) which bars him from running a business or taking part in one
except as an employee. The action followed more than 100
complaints against the trader for charging for work that he did
not complete.
* The Department for Business Enterprise and
Regulatory Reform helps UK business succeed in an increasingly
competitive world. It promotes business growth and a strong
enterprise economy, leads the better regulation agenda and
champions free and fair markets. It is the shareholder in a number
of Government-owned assets and it works to secure, clean and
competitively priced energy supplies.
Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory
Reform
7th Floor, 1 Victoria Street, London SW1H 0ET
Public enquiries +44 (0)20 7215 5000
Textphone +44 (0)20 7215
6740 (for those with hearing impairment)
http://www.berr.gov.uk