Police have issued a warning to businesses to be vigilant to cold callers following two incidents in Norfolk and Suffolk. It comes after a company based in Harleston, Norfolk received a call on Monday 17 September from someone claiming to be ‘Sergeant Mark Shepherd’ from Suffolk Police and asked to speak with the director. He then stated he ‘was doing a campaign involving going into schools and talking about safety issues and requesting sponsorship’. When the call recipient declined, the caller put the phone down. On Wednesday 26 September a company based in Hadleigh, Suffolk received a similar call from someone claiming to be ‘Mark Shepherd’. He stated he was from the media department of the police and was asking for charity donations. When challenged he stated he was a freelancer and provided an invalid phone number. Later in the day a further call was received from a man to a sister company which shares the same address and was answered by the same member of staff. The man was challenged after he repeated his request to speak to a director and he then gave his name as ‘Steven Gerrard’ before the call was ended. Officers have this advice: Never give out personal information about your bank account to anybody over the phone. If someone calls claiming to be a police officer, ask for their identification number and police force. Hang up and call 101 using a different phone. If you can’t use a different phone, wait at least five minutes before calling back. A genuine police officer will not mind waiting while you check. Police and banks will never ask you to give out personal details such as account numbers or PIN numbers. If you have given out information which could compromise your bank account security in any way, call your bank to cancel your cards as soon as possible. Never hand over money to someone at the door to be sent off elsewhere. Anyone with concerns about such calls should contact Norfolk Police on the non-emergency number 101 or 999 if a crime is in progress. Alternatively, contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.
Cold Calling Alert – Cold callers offering to sharpen and coat blades and tools – 27 September 2018
Businesses need to be aware of cold callers visiting premises offering to sharpen and coat tools and blades. This follows an incident where a member of staff at a company was approached by individuals offering this service quoting a price ‘per unit’. The cold caller also offered a free sample of the service which was accepted. Following this an agreement for a number of items to be sharpened and coated was agreed. Since then the company has been invoiced for a vastly inflated amount as the cold caller is stating the unit in the ‘per unit’ price relates to ‘per centimetre’ not ‘per item’. Always be very wary of claims made by cold callers to your premises and never agree to services, buy items or for return visits if approached in this manner. If you are looking to contract work out only deal with reputable companies you have researched and chosen yourself, and always obtain a written quotation from them in advance of the work commencing. If you receive a cold call to your business from someone offering to sharpen and coat tools or blades we would advise that you decline the offer, ask the cold caller to leave your premises and then report the incident to us via our partners the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 03454 04 05 06.
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Business Companion has advice on how to spot and avoid scams targeting businesses