Staffordshire Police have issued a warning of a scam involving the use of users of MoneyGram and PayPoint to transfer money to fraudsters digitally following a rise in the number of incidents across the county.

MoneyGram is a quick and secure service that allows users to send and receive money online and PayPoint is a service based in many retail outlets and is used predominantly to pay utility bills and top-up mobile phones.

Fraudsters have been cold-calling people and falsely offering refunds for mis-sold Payment Protection Insurance on previous loans, but potential victims are asked to make payments to cover commission fees to release the funds. This means sending money to the fraudsters, who are often based abroad.

On this occasion the victim was contacted by a cold caller who claimed that they had been mis-sold PPI which they could recover for the victim. They requested a commission fee of £315, which the victim sent to Nepal using MoneyGram.

Police are keen to stress the scam is not restricted to any particular area and anyone can be targeted.

The victim was then requested to make a second payment using PayPoint.

DC Tim Whiteley, from Staffordshire Police’s Economic Crime Unit, said: “These companies are preying on people and reeling them into the scam by promising them money.

“They use various methods to get money from victims, including MoneyGram, Paypoint and Ukash. These allow them to receive the victim’s money without using a bank account. In many cases this makes the offender almost impossible to trace.

“We want to warn people to be extra vigilant and refuse these cold callers. If you wish to see if you are eligible for a refund instruct a recognised firm that is registered with the Ministry of Justice.”

For further information visit the Staffordshire police website.

To report a fraud, call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or use their online fraud reporting tool.

It is expected that drug-driving will be made an offence, with fines and sentencing guidelines similar to existing legislation in countries such as Australia, Spain and Germany.

Police will be given the power to test the saliva of suspected motorists to check whether they have been taking substances which could impede their ability to drive safely.

Prime Minister Mr Cameron said:

“We want to do for drug driving what drink driving laws have done for driving under the influence of alcohol”

“That’s why we’re doing what we can to get drugalysers rolled out more quickly. And this week we’ll publish a new drug-driving offence so that driving under the influence of drugs itself is a crime, just like it is for drink-driving.”

Police would initially test motorists who have been driving erratically for drink-driving and would then have the option of adding a drug test to the roadside test.

It is not yet clear which drugs would be included under the offence. The impact of individual drugs is being assessed by a panel of scientists who will report back to the Home Office.

The Ministry of Justice is issuing a warning to the public after a recent increase in scams where consumers are telephoned or emailed by people falsely claiming to be from the Ministry of Justice.

Scammers trick members of the public by suggesting to the person they’re calling that they could be owed money – often for repayment of bank charges, payment protection insurance, or a court settlement – but first ask for an upfront payment from the consumer in order to enable them to receive the money.

These callers have no connection with the Ministry of Justice, HM Courts & Tribunals Service, or other genuine organisations. Fraudsters have already tricked and harassed some victims into handing over thousands of pounds, only for them to find that the call was a fake.

The Ministry of Justice would never contact consumers asking them for personal bank details, or request an up front payment by money transfer.

The MoJ is warning consumers not to pass on personal or financial details to such callers. If you have already done so, contact your bank immediately to stop or check any unauthorised transactions. Do not transfer money unless you are absolutely confident the company is legitimate.

Justice Minister Jonathan Djanogly said:

“These are callous fraudsters who target people they believe are vulnerable to scams, often seeking out those who might already be struggling with debt. While their frauds are becoming increasingly sophisticated, remember that the Ministry of Justice and other genuine organisations will never approach you asking for financial information or money transfer payments.

“I would urge the public to be on their guard and not to hand over any money until completely confident a company is legitimate, and to contact the authorities immediately if they are concerned. The simple rule remains: if a call like this comes out of nowhere and seems too good to be true, there’s a good chance it could be scam.”

The bogus callers often ask for personal financial information such as bank account details, and consumers are often asked to use electronic money transfer services such as UKash vouchers or Paysafecard to provide an upfront payment.

In several recent cases scams have used the Ministry of Justice logo to try and add to the appearance of legitimacy, while web or email addresses seemingly similar to those used by the MoJ have been quoted.

Often calls or contact numbers appear to be from London phone numbers, although frequently the contact actually originates from outside the UK. The Ministry of Justice s working with Action Fraud, the police and affected money transfer companies to regularly disrupt these scams and close down telephone numbers or email addresses associated with them.

If you believe you have been a victim of this scam please report the matter to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or by using theirne reporting tool. Theyl pass your reports to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau who analyse fraud information with a view to passing it to the police for further investigation.

The Trading Standards Institute says it is time to stamp out car clocking as Trading Standards busts a prolific van mileage correction operation in Nottingham.

The commercial vehicle dealer Maxwell Stuart Alvey, who has wiped millions of miles off the clocks of more than 100 vans, was sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court.

Trading Standards Officers from Nottinghamshire County Council, who investigated the case, estimate Alvey profitted by well over £100,000 in just ten months from buying the high mileage vehicles at auction, clocking them and then selling them on to unsuspecting businesses.

In the worst example, Alvey took more than 275,000 miles off a Mercedes Sprinter van – clocking the genuine 364,370 mileometer reading back to just 89,000.

Andy Foster, operations and policy manager at the Trading Standards Institute, said:

“Illegal car clocking is an old fraud, but this big case in Nottingham highlights the need to stamp out this issue with a new approach.

“It is clear that better controls are needed to stop criminals freely rolling back the miles on vehicles to considerably increase their resale value.

“We cannot see the justification for car clocking to be legal as it currently is as there are far more illegal reasons to adjust an odometer than legal. We would like to see a ban on mileage correction services – unless for very specific legitimate reasons – to better protect consumers who are buying second hand cars.”

Police are urging both members of public and businesses to be vigilant following a number of reports about forged bank notes in circulation around the Cleethorpes and Humberston area.

The incidents, which have all occurred over the last week or so, seem to have featured a male who was trying to purchase items from various shops in the Cleethorpes area with what turned out to be forged bank notes.

James Cartwright, a spokesperson for Police in North East Lincolnshire said: “This type of crime can often go unnoticed as those responsible try to make off with goods without actually paying for them.

“The current economic climate is making life challenging enough without individuals effectively stealing items by paying with forged notes but its not just the business that can be affected as these notes could be inadvertently passed on to other customers who have purchased items from within.

“With this in mind, we are asking businesses and the general public to be vigilant and ensure that notes are checked when handed over in order to identify the passing of counterfeit currency. ”

Anyone with information relating to counterfeit currency or anyone who has been approached by someone trying to spend a forged note should contact Humberside Police on 101.

The Financial Services Authority has produced two new consumer guidance videos explaining a couple of the most common scams it deals with.

Ever received an offer that sounds too good to be true? It probably is, according to Jonathan Phelan, head of Unauthorised Business at the Financial Services Authority (FSA).

The videos see Jonathan explain to viewers how to spot share fraud and get-rich-quick schemes, how to keep their money safe and what to do if they have been contacted.

•Avoid losing your money to share fraud scams

•Stay safe from get-rich-quick schemes

For further information visit the Financial Services Authority website.

Please note that Action Fraud is not responsible for the content of external websites.

To report a fraud, call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or use our online fraud reporting tool.

The Trading Standards Institute is urging scam victims to speak out to help stop the ever-growing wave of con artists during Scams Awareness Month.

A tide of mass marketed scams such as fake lottery wins is having a devastating effect on the lives of millions of people in the UK, warns the Trading Standards Institute. It wants people to ‘turn them in and turn the tide’ during the Scams Awareness Month of May.

Scammers often target elderly or vulnerable adults, tricking them into revealing their bank details or paying upfront fees with the lure of huge rewards. Victims can find themselves on the receiving end of wave after wave of letters, emails and phone calls aimed at parting them from their cash, and even after they realise they have been cheated out of their life savings, many people do not report the crime as they are too embarrassed to tell anyone.

The scammers are left free to carry on duping more and more victims, getting away with an estimated total of more than £73 billion a year according to the National Fraud Authority. The clear message from Trading Standards Institute as it launches Scams Awareness Month is ‘Turn them in and turn the tide’.

Working in partnership with Citizens Advice and Action Fraud – the national fraud and internet crime reporting and advice centre, trading standards teams across the country are encouraging anyone receiving scam mailings, or friends and family of anyone they believe is a victim of scam mailings, to speak up.

“The mailings received in this year’s ‘scamnesty’ will be analysed and the information shared with partner enforcement agencies in the UK and abroad. This will help to build a picture of what is going on and crackdown on the senders and their networks,” said Louise Baxter, chair of the TSI Consumer Education Liaison Group, which is co-ordinating the campaign.

As scammers use ever more sophisticated tactics and materials, an increasing percentage of people targeted are falling victim to crime. The most common types of scam include fake lotteries, prize draws and sweepstakes, advance fees and money transfers, ticketing, home working and career opportunities, health and slimming miracles, pay in advance credit, and investment opportunities.

Peter Wilson, Director of Action Fraud, said:

“An essential part of stopping fraudsters preying on vulnerable people is to make sure these incidents are reported to Action Fraud. Whether you’ve lost money or not, we want to know what’s happened. All information is good information when it comes to tracking down those responsible for the network of scams that continue to plague people, particularly the elderly, daily.”

Another important aim of May’s campaign is to help everyone recognise the warning signs and have the confidence to seek advice or simply reject approaches.

People with elderly or vulnerable relatives are being urged to be extra-vigilant. An increase in mail, unusual payments or bank transactions, or more incoming telephone calls than normal to a parent, grandparent or other vulnerable adult could be a sign that scammers are at work.

Remember the following tips:

•Stop, think and be sceptical. If something sounds too good to be true it probably is.

•Do not be rushed into sending off money to someone you do not know, however plausible they might sound and even
where an approach is personalised.

•Ask yourself how likely it is that you have been especially chosen for this offer – thousands of other people will probably have received the same offer.

•Think about how much money you could lose from replying to a potential scam – it’s not a gamble worth taking.

•If you are unsure of an offer, speak to family or friends and seek advice before sending any money or giving out any banking or credit card details.

For further information visit the Trading Standards Institute website.

To report a fraud, call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or use our online fraud reporting tool.

A 31-year-old man has been arrested in connection with an incident in which an elderly woman was robbed as she walked along Laceby Road in Grimsby.

The incident happened shortly before 1516hrs on Monday 30 April 2012. Police were called right away and attended the area. Officers searched in the vicinity that the incident happened and soon located the male who matched the description of the suspect and hadn’t had time to discard all of the items stolen from the elderly lady.

He was arrested on suspicion of robbery and taken into police custody to be questioned about the incident.

Shortly after the incident, police received a number of calls relating to suspicious activity and sightings of a male acting strangely from residents around the Laceby Road area so thank you to everyone who called in to report these potentially vital sightings

36 websites offering credit card details and other private information for sale have been taken down in a global police operation.

The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) says raids in Australia, Europe, the UK and US are the result of two years work.

The sites, identified by SOCA as specialising in selling stolen payment card and online bank account details, used e-commerce type platforms known as Automated Vending Carts (AVC’s) allowing criminals to sell large quantities of stolen data quickly and easily.

Visitors trying to access these sites are now directed to a screen indicating that the web domain has been seized by law enforcement.

Credit card numbers or bank account details of millions of unsuspecting victims were sold for as little as £2.

Two Britons and a man from Macedonia were arrested, with 36 sites shut down.

Some of the websites have been under observation for two years.

During that period the details of about two-and-a-half million credit cards were recovered – preventing fraud, according to industry calculations, of at least £0.5bn.

Commenting on the operation, Lee Miles, Head of Cyber Operations for SOCA said:

“This operation is an excellent example of the level of international cooperation being focused on tackling online fraud. Our activities have saved business, online retailers and financial institutions potential fraud losses estimated at more than half a billion pounds, and at the same time protected thousands of individuals from the distress caused by being a victim of fraud or identity crime.”

For further information visit The Serious Organised Crime Agency website.

To report a fraud, call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or use our online fraud reporting tool.

Police in North East Lincolnshire are appealing for information in connection with a cable theft which happened between 1100hrs on Sunday 22 April and 1430hrs on Monday 23 April 2012.

Thieves have stolen around 400m of electric cable from Stallingborough Road, Immingham.

Police believe a vehicle was used to help remove and transport the cable.

The cable was later found to have been left in a nearby field and enquiries indicate that the vehicle used was driven through a fence and on to the A180 after the cable was disposed of.

Police are appealing for anyone who may have seen a vehicle acting suspiciously in the area, prior to the incident or who may have witnessed anything suspicious to call Humberside Police tel 101 quoting crime reference 1903175 or call Crimestoppers tel 0800 555 111.