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Wednesday 29 February 2012
Arrests in rogue trader operation!
POLICE have arrested four people after a gang of rogue traders conned elderly and vulnerable Hampshire residents into handing over cash for unnecessary gardening work.
Pensioners were among the people targeted by the conmen, who forced people to spend excessive amounts of money on work that was often completely unnecessary.
The four men, who are aged 24, 39, 42 and 46 and are all from the wider Romsey area, were arrested on Tuesday by officers from Southampton CID on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud.
Rogue trader doubled quote to OAP!
An 81-year-old Cheltenham woman was preyed on by a rogue trader who charged her more than double the price he originally quoted for the work.
The woman was quoted £60 to clean her patio in the Charlton Lane area, but on completion he demanded £150.
When she said she did not have the money, he told her to go to a cash point, but she refused.
She ended up giving the man £120.
She ended up giving the man £120.
Gloucestershire police is warning residents to be careful of rogue traders following this incident. The trader was white, in his 50s and between 5ft 6in and 5ft 8in tall. He was wearing glasses, a black jacket and possibly had a northern accent.
UK Fraud hits record high!
An alleged rogue trading incident perpetrated in the London offices pushed the level of fraud in the UK to an all-time high.
The total amount of fraud in 2011 was more than £3.5bn, with the second half of the year contributing £2.5bn, according to recent research by KPMG’s Fraud Barometer,(KPMG is a global network of professional firms providing Audit, Tax, Advisory services.) which has studied fraud cases every year since 1987. Even without the trades that wiped at least £1.3bn off UBS’s books in September, the second half of 2011 would still have seen the largest amount of fraud recorded in KPMG’s survey.
The findings come the same day as Kweku Adoboli, a former trader on UBS’s London-based Delta One desk in its investment banking division, is scheduled to enter a plea to two counts of fraud and to two of false accounting.
KPMG’s report singled out a “rogue trader case” worth £1.3bn without naming the bank or individual.“2011 was an extraordinary year for fraudsters – as demonstrated by the record losses through large-scale cases of fraud which dominated the headlines. The economic uncertainty has been the double-edged sword behind these numbers,” said Hitesh Patel, a forensic partner at KPMG.
“The pressures on individuals as a result of the downturn continues to act as a catalyst for more fraud being perpetrated. These figures represent the thin edge of a much bigger wedge.”
KPMG’s findings chime with those of the government. A report published last week by the UK’s Fraud Prevention Service showed a 9 per cent increase in overall fraud in the UK during 2011, compared with the previous year. Identity fraud, which accounts for just under half of all fraud cases, had increased by 10 per cent since 2010, researchers found. The report also noted a 13 per cent rise in fraud of an account or financial policy which was legitimately obtained but later used without the owner’s permission.
While the value of fraud has increased in 2011, there have been fewer cases coming to court, according to KPMG’s research, which studies cases in court with charges above £100,000.
The UK’s Serious Fraud Office said in a statement that it was prosecuting more cases that involved increasingly more defendants. A spokesman said that the discrepancy between the SFO and KPMG’s statistics could be down to the fact that the agency’s cases take years to prepare.
Friday 24 February 2012
Rogue Purbrook electrician who conned Hampshire residents is given an Asbo!
A rogue electrician who conned people out of cash and left one home at risk of burning down has been stopped from trading.
Peter Gold would tell his victims their electricals were beyond repair and then charge hidden call-out fees.
Gold, who has no qualifications as an electrician, advertised his services offering special deals for pensioners.
Often the items he ‘tested’ could have been easily fixed by a qualified electrician.
Often the items he ‘tested’ could have been easily fixed by a qualified electrician.
He tricked 16 people out of £475 between 2008 and 2010.
Now the 65-year-old – who also uses the name Robert Pegley – has been slapped with an indefinite Anti-Social Behaviour Order preventing him from practising as an electrician.
Ethu Crorie, prosecuting at Portsmouth Crown Court, said: ‘He was running the business for a fraudulent purpose.
‘He was not interesting in actually doing any work, but was really interested in collecting money – mainly in the form of call-out fees – for doing little or no work at all.’
In one case Gold’s failure to fix a fault could have sparked a fire.
But despite failing to fix the problem at Phillipa Arnell’s St Andrew’s Road flat in Southsea, Gold charged £90 for the call-out.
Luckily the teacher called another electrician who charged £30 for fixing the socket.
Gold admitted running a fraudulent business, money laundering, two counts of carrying out unfair commercial practices, six counts of making misleading omissions and three counts of carrying out misleading actions. As well as the ASBO he was given a three-month suspended sentence and told to pay £475 compensation and £15,000 costs.
Gold, of Bursledon Road, Purbrook, was ordered not to leave his home between 7pm and 7am for six months.
Judge Ian Pearson, sentencing, said: ‘It’s perfectly clear that you are a rogue trader.
‘You have no qualifications whatsoever and this business was dishonest from the very beginning. Any work you did was useless or defective or downright dangerous.’
Councillor Ken Thornber, Hampshire County Council leader, said: ‘This is a very positive result and we hope this case will act as a deterrent to others in the future.’
Rogue traders given cold shoulder!
Cold callers and rogue traders will be getting the cold shoulder in an area of Bradford from tomorrow.
Bradford Council is joining forces with West Yorkshire Police and Trading Standards to launch a ‘No Cold Calling’ scheme in the St Wilfred’s area of Lidget Green.
Door stickers and street signs aimed at deterring uninvited sales people will be pasted up warning “no cold calling”.
Areas to be targeted include those where doorstep criminals are known to have operated and where older people live.
Councillors, police officers and Trading Standards officers will be talking to residents about the scheme.
Bradford Council deputy leader Councillor Imran Hussain said: “Forewarned is forearmed and people should not take risks when answering their doors to anyone. Cold calling by hard salesman is very unnerving for some people, especially the elderly and those who live alone.”
Local Councillor Joanne Dodds said: “I think it sends out a warning message to the culprits and makes them think twice about cold calling on people and empowers people to say no or just ignore the unwanted callers.”
Ban on rogue trader credit!
A rogue mobility scooter trader, snared by Trading Standards more than a year ago, has now had his licence to give credit to customers revoked.
Amarjit Gill, of ABM Mobility in Long Eaton, who was 49-years-old at the time, was given a six-month suspended sentence and barred from misleading customers and using aggressive sales tactics at Nottingham County Court in December 2010.
His business associate Ranjit Dhami was also judged unfit to hold a licence. Office for Fair Trading Director David Fisher said: “We warned traders that unless they stopped using aggressive sales techniques and unfair business practices to sell mobility aids they would face enforcement, and that is what we are doing.
“We will take further action, working in partnership with local Trading Standards Services, if there is evidence of unfair trading or where fitness to hold a credit licence is called into question.”
More than 100 complaints were made against Gill leading to a Trading Standards investigation in 2010.
Judge Richard Inglis imposed an injunction on Gill, who lived at Brackenfield Drive, Giltbrook, back in December 2010 ordering him to tell customers about their right to cancel and to honour refunds. The court was told he had deceived customers and failed to tell them they had a seven day ‘cooling off’ period.
He was ordered not to mislead customers by claiming to act on behalf of a Government body or use aggressive sales tactics and must supply goods that are fit for purpose.
If he breaches the injunction he was warned he could be jailed.
Thursday 16 February 2012
Anglesey trading standards crackdown on rogue builders!
Anglesey Trading Standards is continuing to crackdown on rogue builders with a second prosecution in the space of a few weeks.
Liam Ryan Lock - trading as North Wales Property Maintenance - pleaded guilty to two charges under the Fraud Act; a charge under Theft Act and a charge under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations, for failing to demonstrate a lack of professional diligence.
Holyhead Magistrates ordered Lock, 20, of 4, Bryn Gwna, Bethel, Bodorgan, to pay fines and costs totalling £600, including £350 compensation to his vulnerable elderly victim. Holyhead Magistrates heard that worked he’d carried out in November 2010 had been substandard.
A Police Building Inspector, drafted in by trading standards officers following a complaint, said the work fell well below the quality expected of a professional trade person.
Anglesey’s Chief Trading Standards Officer David Riley welcomed the conviction and warned home improvement professionals to maintain high standards.
He added, “Rogue Builders damage the reputation of genuine traders by preying on the vulnerable; overcharging, using aggressive trading practices and carrying out substandard work. This kind of fraudulent activity won’t be tolerated and those offending will be brought before the courts.”
Senior Enforcement Officer, Martin Wyn Jones, who led the investigation said, “When members of the public employ trades people, prices should be fair and work should be professional. This was certainly not the case with Liam Lock. Consumers should also be provided with a written cancellation notice which gives them the chance to cancel a contract within seven days should they choose to do so.”
This is the second recent conviction of a rogue builder secured by Anglesey Trading Standards.
In November, Oswyn Gruffudd Williams, 38, of 31, Maes Meuring Gwalchmai - trading as Anglesey Gardening Services - was found guilty of one charge under the Fraud Act and three charges under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations, including engaging in an aggressive practice and demonstrating a lack of professional diligence.
A complaint was received from an elderly vulnerable resident in January 2010 after work was carried out on her property and garden. The trader had called himself ‘John’, but it was in fact Oswyn Williams. A Police Building Inspector described the work as “…one of the most sub standard…” he had seen and “…totally unprofessional…”
Trading Standards also uncovered aggressive practices, with Oswyn Williams using a threatening note to intimidate the elderly lady into paying for work. Despite displaying the ‘Fair Trades’ logo on paperwork and his vehicle, he was found guilty of failing to meet minimum standards of his membership. Although Williams had not been paid for the work carried out at the property, he was ordered to pay fines and costs totalling £675.
Illegal street traders face council crackdown in city!
Council chiefs have pledged to tighten up licensing laws following a barrage of complaints against illegal street traders.
York Council’s cabinet member for crime and community safety, Coun Sandy Fraser, will be asked to approve an amended enforcement policy which aims to tackle the pedlars.
The move will see tougher rules imposed on rogue traders, including the sellers of ‘gag mags’ claiming to be student charity collectors - a key problem for the authority’s Trading Standards and licensing officers.
Coun Fraser, said: “Illegal street trading undermines legitimate business activities in York and gives the perpetrator an unfair commercial advantage and damages the reputation out city. So, I will be discussing how to take these steps to change the enforcement policy and help tackle rogue street traders.
“The majority of the complaints the council receives are about sellers of ‘gag mags’ claiming to be students collecting for charity when clearly they are not.”
Coun Fraser will be asked for approve the ‘Review of Street Trading Enforcement Controls’ at a decision session tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the council has launched an appeal in the hope residents will shop the illegal street sellers.
Coun Fraser said: “We would like to hear from anyone who believes illegal street trading activities are taking place, or anyone who has been approached in the street to buy goods, particularly if claims are made about where the money is going.”
Street trading is defined as the selling or offering for sale of any article in the street.
This includes food, such as burgers, kebabs and doughnuts, or other things such as household items or novelty items.
Traders need to apply to York Council for consent before they can sell items on the city’s historic streets.
Rogue traders given cold shoulder!
Cold callers and rogue traders will be getting the cold shoulder in an area of Bradford.
Bradford Council is joining forces with West Yorkshire Police and Trading Standards to launch a ‘No Cold Calling’ scheme in the St Wilfred’s area of Lidget Green.
Door stickers and street signs aimed at deterring uninvited sales people will be pasted up warning “no cold calling”.
Areas to be targeted include those where doorstep criminals are known to have operated and where older people live.
Councillors, police officers and Trading Standards officers will be talking to residents about the scheme.
Bradford Council deputy leader Councillor Imran Hussain said: “Forewarned is forearmed and people should not take risks when answering their doors to anyone. Cold calling by hard salesman is very unnerving for some people, especially the elderly and those who live alone.”
Local Councillor Joanne Dodds said: “I think it sends out a warning message to the culprits and makes them think twice about cold calling on people and empowers people to say no or just ignore the unwanted callers.”
Tuesday 14 February 2012
Kweku Adoboli's rogue trader court date puts unwanted spotlight on UBS!
UBS rogue trader, Kweku Adoboli will make his latest court appearance today where he will enter a plea in mitigation against two counts of fraud and two charges of false accounting at Southwark Crown Court.
Mr Adoboli, 31, from East London is accused of losing £1.4 billion, causing UBS losses, exposing the bank to the risk of loss and trying to make a personal gain.
Mr Adoboli pleaded not guilty to the charges and this means that an extended trial is likely.
The trial, which is expected to last for months, will see the working practices of traders at UBS forensically examined, potentially highlighting inappropriate working practices at UBS. In reality, if poor working practices did occur, it is almost certain that they happen at other banks. However, UBS will be the bank in the spotlight at the trial.
The trial comes at a time when the bank is trying to restructure its business and shift focus away from its investment division which has been hampered by regulatory burdens and a battle with US regulators over alleged tax evasion by some of UBS's biggest clients from the United States.
Mr Adoboli worked for Swiss investment bank UBS’s global synthetic equities division. The main part of his job was buying and selling exchange traded funds (ETF’s). These funds track different types of bonds, stocks and commodities.
Traders are supposed to secure their positions by taking up hedging positions to guard against losses. It is alleged that Mr Adoboli neglected to do this.
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) launched an investigation into why UBS took so long to discover the fraudulent trading.
Illegal street traders face council crackdown in city!
Council chiefs have pledged to tighten up licensing laws following a barrage of complaints against illegal street traders.
York Council’s cabinet member for crime and community safety, Sandy Fraser, will be asked to approve an amended enforcement policy which aims to tackle the pedlars.
The move will see tougher rules imposed on rogue traders, including the sellers of ‘gag mags’ claiming to be student charity collectors - a key problem for the authority’s Trading Standards and licensing officers.
Fraser, said: “Illegal street trading undermines legitimate business activities in York and gives the perpetrator an unfair commercial advantage and damages the reputation out city. So, I will be discussing how to take these steps to change the enforcement policy and help tackle rogue street traders.
“The majority of the complaints the council receives are about sellers of ‘gag mags’ claiming to be students collecting for charity when clearly they are not.”
Fraser will be asked for approve the ‘Review of Street Trading Enforcement Controls’ at a decision session tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the council has launched an appeal in the hope residents will shop the illegal street sellers.
Fraser said: “We would like to hear from anyone who believes illegal street trading activities are taking place, or anyone who has been approached in the street to buy goods, particularly if claims are made about where the money is going.”
Street trading is defined as the selling or offering for sale of any article in the street.
Traders need to apply to York Council for consent before they can sell items on the city’s historic streets.
York Council’s Trading Standards can be contacted via Consumer.
City rogue trader at Credit Suisse pleads guilty!
A trader at the centre of the sub-prime mortgage securities scandal at Credit Suisse in London was unmasked as he pleaded guilty to falsifying the books in a New York court.
David Higgs, who worked as a managing director in the investment banking division in Credit Suisse in London in 2007 and 2008, surrendered to US authorities to face criminal charges that he and some colleagues inflated the value of mortgage securities in the bank's portfolio.
The overstatement forced Credit Suisse to announce a $2.85bn (£1.8bn) write down in March 2008, a month after finding "mismarkings" by a group of unnamed rogue traders. This is the first time that Mr Higgs has been identified as one of the traders involved.
Mr Higgs, who was fired from Credit Suisse in 2008, pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to falsify books and records and commit wire fraud, which carries a prison sentence of up to five years.
"Today is a terribly difficult day for me and my family. I am truly sorry," said Mr Higgs, adding that he falsified the records to improve the look of his performance to his boss, Kareem Serageldin, and, in turn, his bonus.
He alleged that Mr Serageldin directed him and other traders at Credit Suisse to manipulate figures "in order to hide losses", Bloomberg News reported. It is not known whether Mr Serageldin is facing charges.
Thursday 9 February 2012
Rogue traders will face action – Mayor
COUNCIL bosses are warning business owners who flout environmental laws will be prosecuted after a brother and sister were jailed.
Doncaster Council has welcomed the nine month sentences handed to Jane Hopkins and David Squire, who were taken to court following a huge blaze at an illegal tyre dump.
Scores of homes had to be evacuated when the Tyre Trade UK site in White Lea Road, Mexborough, went up in flames in an arson attack in June 2010. The site had around 120,000 dumped on it at the time.
Hopkins, 45, of Ewood Drive, Cantley, and Squire, 31, of Cecil Avenue, Warmsworth, were jailed and banned from being company directors after they admitted environmental law breaches.
After their sentencing Peter Davies, mayor of Doncaster, said: “I am delighted the courts have handed out a jail term which is a fitting punishment and serves as a deterrent.
“Tackling environmental crime is a top priority for Doncaster Council and we take strong action against those who seek to blight our borough with pollution.”
Rogue traders jailed for conning homeowners!
Two builders who conned homeowners out of thousands of pounds for inadequate building work have been jailed by Oxford Crown Court today, Monday 9 January 2012.
The partners, who ran AS Contractors of Oxford, were found guilty by the court in December last year following an investigation by Oxfordshire County Council’s Trading Standards Service.
Trevor Bateman aged 54 and from Swindon, was sentenced to four years for ten frauds, seven counts of unfair trading and six charges of money laundering.
David Merriman aged 49 and from Nottinghamshire, received a three and a half year prison sentence for six frauds, six counts of unfair trading and six of money laundering.
The pair was found guilty for not finishing work which had been paid for and failing to complete work to a satisfactory standard at ten houses across Oxfordshire and two in West Berkshire.
Overcharging victims
During the four week trial last year, the court heard how the pair took £47,000 from an 80-year-old woman for work that a surveyor valued at £8,320. This work included a new bathroom, conservatory and solar panels.
Neither the conservatory nor the solar heating were completed and the victim had to pay a further £5,500 to another company to get the conservatory finished.
In another incident, they charged their victim £16,000 to replace the roof on her house. When the work was completed, she was surprised that lead work which she thought was included in the original quote, had not been done. She was told she had to pay a further £5,500 for this work to be finished.
She paid this additional sum and the court found that the defendants knew that she had paid twice for the work.
Unfinished work
Jane Thomas from Wallingford was one of the victims. She said: “I called AS Contractors to lay a brick path in my garden and a whole group of men turned up, it was very confusing. The path cost an arm and a leg and when they had finished it, it looked lovely but now it is really overgrown with moss.
“While they were carrying out the work, I asked them to give me a quote to fit a new bathroom. They didn’t put the hand basin in properly and when my cat jumped in it, it fell over and chipped the bath. I came home one day and the toilet had been left in the middle of the kitchen floor. I called them back and they eventually plumbed it back in.
“The work for the path and the bathroom came to just under £7,000. At this point I went to Oxfordshire Trading Standards and they told me not to hand over any more money. When AS Contractors asked for more, I refused to pay them and they all just left.
“The bathroom was working, but it was unfinished and wasn’t in very good condition. All the piping needed to be boxed in, the tiling needed finishing, the grouting wasn’t done properly; it was a shambles really. I paid someone else to fix the work and I can’t remember what he charged me, but it wasn’t anything like £7,000 and he did a good job on it too.”
Clear message
Martin Woodley, Oxfordshire County Council’s Doorstep Crime Team Leader, said: “This has been a very long and complex investigation. It has been demanding not only for the officers involved but also for the victims. This outcome has been the result of a multi-agency approach involving Oxfordshire County Council’s Trading Standards Service, West Berkshire District Council, Thames Valley Police and Wiltshire Police. I would like to thank them all for their hard work in achieving this result.
“I hope this sends a clear message that we will take action against any perpetrator who think they can take advantage of the elderly and vulnerable. It is also important to make them aware that officers from this service are prepared to execute warrants outside the county in pursuit of these people.
“I would like to also thank all the witnesses and victims for their help and cooperation in this case, and I hope they can now finally put this behind them.”
The partners, who ran AS Contractors of Oxford, were found guilty by the court in December last year following an investigation by Oxfordshire County Council’s Trading Standards Service.
Trevor Bateman aged 54 and from Swindon, was sentenced to four years for ten frauds, seven counts of unfair trading and six charges of money laundering.
David Merriman aged 49 and from Nottinghamshire, received a three and a half year prison sentence for six frauds, six counts of unfair trading and six of money laundering.
The pair was found guilty for not finishing work which had been paid for and failing to complete work to a satisfactory standard at ten houses across Oxfordshire and two in West Berkshire.
Overcharging victims
During the four week trial last year, the court heard how the pair took £47,000 from an 80-year-old woman for work that a surveyor valued at £8,320. This work included a new bathroom, conservatory and solar panels.
Neither the conservatory nor the solar heating were completed and the victim had to pay a further £5,500 to another company to get the conservatory finished.
In another incident, they charged their victim £16,000 to replace the roof on her house. When the work was completed, she was surprised that lead work which she thought was included in the original quote, had not been done. She was told she had to pay a further £5,500 for this work to be finished.
She paid this additional sum and the court found that the defendants knew that she had paid twice for the work.
Unfinished work
Jane Thomas from Wallingford was one of the victims. She said: “I called AS Contractors to lay a brick path in my garden and a whole group of men turned up, it was very confusing. The path cost an arm and a leg and when they had finished it, it looked lovely but now it is really overgrown with moss.
“While they were carrying out the work, I asked them to give me a quote to fit a new bathroom. They didn’t put the hand basin in properly and when my cat jumped in it, it fell over and chipped the bath. I came home one day and the toilet had been left in the middle of the kitchen floor. I called them back and they eventually plumbed it back in.
“The work for the path and the bathroom came to just under £7,000. At this point I went to Oxfordshire Trading Standards and they told me not to hand over any more money. When AS Contractors asked for more, I refused to pay them and they all just left.
“The bathroom was working, but it was unfinished and wasn’t in very good condition. All the piping needed to be boxed in, the tiling needed finishing, the grouting wasn’t done properly; it was a shambles really. I paid someone else to fix the work and I can’t remember what he charged me, but it wasn’t anything like £7,000 and he did a good job on it too.”
Clear message
Martin Woodley, Oxfordshire County Council’s Doorstep Crime Team Leader, said: “This has been a very long and complex investigation. It has been demanding not only for the officers involved but also for the victims. This outcome has been the result of a multi-agency approach involving Oxfordshire County Council’s Trading Standards Service, West Berkshire District Council, Thames Valley Police and Wiltshire Police. I would like to thank them all for their hard work in achieving this result.
“I hope this sends a clear message that we will take action against any perpetrator who think they can take advantage of the elderly and vulnerable. It is also important to make them aware that officers from this service are prepared to execute warrants outside the county in pursuit of these people.
“I would like to also thank all the witnesses and victims for their help and cooperation in this case, and I hope they can now finally put this behind them.”
'Be aware of rogue traders' Bradford residents warned!
Householders in Bradford have been warned to be “extra vigilant” when dealing with traders offering to rectify damage caused by recent storms.
West Yorkshire Trading Standards has issued a warning about the dangers of unscrupulous doorstep sellers. Officers said rogue traders have been targeting vulnerable customers offering repairs and jobs.
Graham Hebblethwaite, chief officer of West Yorkshire Trading Standards, said: “Previous years have demonstrated while rogue traders operate throughout the year, there is likely to be an increase in the numbers operating now to carry out roofing work.
“Typical scams include claims that tiles or chimneys are loose and dangerous, or that leaks will occur and damage properties. Large sums of money are also charged for small amounts of gardening work, to clear away leaves, shrubs.
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