There have been a number of scams that are said to have taken place this week on the Isle of Wight.
Trading Standards have received lots of reports about a scam letter purporting to be from the Postcode Lottery. The letters are identical but have been sent to a range of different postcodes across the Island.
If you receive one of these letters – this is a SCAM. Do not phone the number on the letter.
If you play the Postcode Lottery and are worried that you might be missing out on winnings, find the number for the organisation independently and contact them. They are aware that scam letters are being sent out in their name and will be able to confirm whether this is one of them.
Trading Standards would like to remind residents to be wary of emails purporting to come from legitimate organisations. It appears that the following scams are once again doing the rounds:
- Claims to be from TV Licensing advising that your licence is due to expire and that you will need to click on a link to renew
- Claims to be from HMRC saying that you are owed a refund and to click on a link to claim
- Claims to be from Council Tax advising that you are entitled to a Council Tax reduction and you just need to click on a link to claim it
In each case, the link will take you to a copycat website where the scammers will be able to obtain your banking information. A good way to check the validity of an email if you are unsure is to look at the sender's actual email address – it won't be genuine.
Trading Standards are receiving reports of Doorstep traders currently operating on the Island and would like to remind residents that a trader that knocks your door and tries to convince you to have work carried out is highly likely to be a rogue trader who will probably do a poor job and overcharge you for the little work that is done.
Recent reports include:
- Offers to power wash your drive – they may even use our fears over Coronavirus to encourage you to have this done, saying that it will kill virus’ and bacteria
- Roofers have been spotted, quoting £150 to fix a loose tile
If you have a door chain – use it. No Cold Calling stickers can be obtained from [email protected] and remember If You Aren’t Sure Don’t Open The Door!