Argos/John Lewis/M&S holiday scam.

criminal_smile

There is currently a new scam operating using the name of the companies above. You receive a call telling you that you have won a prize in a draw entered in one of the stores mentioned. You will then be told that you have won a holiday, but need to pay $300 (this figure varies). In reality, you will end up paying around $3000 once you tack on car hire, transfers, flights etc. Hardly what can be described as a prize.
As part of my job is to warn consumers about these type of scams, I need to find some info on the company behind this. If anyone is aware of the NAME of the company operating this particular scam, or their websites, can they please post, or if unwilling to post, pm me.
I've had a few calls about this (mostly from angry retailers!), but no-one seems to know the name of the company operating it.
All help appreciated.

BFG_2

Surely if you know anyonme who has been scammed it will be on their credit card statement details ie the merchant number.??

criminal_smile

Calls only come through in last few days. Awaiting credit card statements for the details.

MarkyMarkD

Eh? Phone the card company and ask them for the details. No need to wait for paper statements.

travelchick

Hi
I had the same phonecall but from littlewoods saying i had won free trip to disney paris for 10 days including flts blah blah to be honest i follow one simple rule if a company cant afford to employ someone to call me personally they they cant afford the freebies they are offering.
If the company can afford to have a person call me i ask them to pop everything in the post for me to read and to give me their number to call them back when i decide.
To date i have never had any offical prize notifacation connected to these phonecalls so i guess i caught the scam.
hope that helps
trav
xx

soolin

Isn't this an old scam just still doing the rounds?

The scammers just change the company details every now and then but basically it is the same. You've won a competition that you've never entered and it is going to cost you money to collect your prize?

It's been all over Watchdog (not this series though) and all over the other magazine type programmes on the TV.

I really don't know the answer to stopping people falling for this obvious scam except I suppose making the credit card companies fully liable for any loss. That way they might take more notice of who they give trading contracts to.

Soo

April2

I just ask them when I entered the competition and, if they give a rough date, I tell them I was in prison at the time so how is that possible?

criminal_smile

April2 wrote:

I just ask them when I entered the competition and, if they give a rough date, I tell them I was in prison at the time so how is that possible?

Brilliantly simple! any truth in it though?????

I'm almost sure this is a particular American company (possibly Canadian), but until we're sure, the press releases can only be general, and not specifically name those responsible. Unfortunately a lot of people are not sufficiently clued up enough to realise that the call they're taking is from one of the myraid companies operating what Soolin correctly called 'an old scam doing the rounds'. We will eventually get the name iof the company responsible, but every day that passes someone else gets caught.

soolin

I can't see why you need the name of the company, after all you can't name them in a press release as that is libel.

Surely any company you are working for has legal advice or contact with the financial bodies who can tell you what is going on and what you can safely say.

Also, as far as I remember these companies never say who they are, that's the whole point!

Soo

Cullumpster

I keep getting this call, but it's pre recorded message, goes something along the lines of.
Hi, john lewis and marks & spencers have joined forces and are offering you blah blah blah, i always hag up before hearing the rest so i can't help with the name i'm afraid

criminal_smile

Have got the name of the company operating this scam, and as usual they are outside UK jurisdiction. Turns out to be a sister company of who I originally thought they were.