Trading standards chief warn over 'catalogue' scam

Hungerford woman is among those fallen prey to the tricksters

TRADING standards chiefs have issued a warning after a Hungerford woman was caught in a catalogue gift fraud scheme.

The victim, in her 70s, has asked for her name to be withheld but her daughter who lives nearby, 46-year-old Dee Fitzgerald, revealed how the scam worked.

She said: “A parcel arrived for Mum and she thought nothing of it because she sometimes buys things from catalogues. But when she opened the parcel it contained two smart phones and a bottle of expensive aftershave, which she definitely hadn't ordered. She was still wondering about it when the phone rang and the caller said the goods had been sent to her by mistake.

“They offered to send a courier round straight away and, sure enough, someone arrived to collect the goods. My mother asked for a receipt and the caller apologised for the ‘mistake' and gave her the receipt.”

What the victim did not know, said Ms Fitzgerald, was that the courier was one of the fraudsters and that the receipt was a fake.

She added: “A few days later, a bill from the catalogue company, Very, arrived. Mum rang them and explained that she'd been sent the goods by mistake and that they'd sent a courier round to collect them. She mentioned the receipt.

“The company was obviously aware of the scam because they knew immediately what had happened. Thankfully they agreed not to pursue Mum for the bill but I wonder how many other people are getting charged in the same circumstances.”

Mrs Fitzgerald said she had just discovered that a friend's credit rating had inexplicably plummeted after a similar incident involving unsolicited goods being delivered to her door, only to be collected later by an apologetic supposed courier.

Very had not returned our calls as the Newbury Weekly News went to press.

But West Berkshire Council trading standards officer Sean Murphy confirmed that his department had recently received a similar report of the scam operating in West Berkshire.

He said: “In that instance it involved an expensive camera, worth between £500 and £600. Fortunately the victim phoned the catalogue company the same day it arrived and said she had not ordered it and was not charged.

“These days, reputable companies don't send out unsolicited goods on approval. If you do receive unordered goods it's important that you call the company straight away and explain that you did not request them.”

Mr Murphy said that anyone who does receive such unsolicited goods, or who fears they may be the potential victim of a scam, should call West Berkshire trading standards department immediately on 01635 519 930.