Kids Safe Campaign Scam

marsupial_mama

Would you believe the stupidity of these people??? They called me today again, claiming we spoke in February.
I told them straight away I did not and that I am aware of the scam they have going on. She just mumbled something and put the phone down. The cheek!

Andreja

wary

If I understand you correctly, they phoned not realising they'd already tried this one on you?

You should have asked them why they phoned you in Feb when Martinos wasn't even incorporated until April!

greisingel

Here they are:
Company Details - MARTINOS MEDIA LIMITED

Registered No.06494614

Address:2ND FLOOR, 145-157 ST JOHN STREET, LONDON, EC1V 4PYTel: We do not list telephone numbers. Click here to search for a telephone number at 192.com Type:Private Limited with share capitalIncorporation Date:05-02-2008Status:UnknownLast Accounts Filed up to:-Last Accounts Analysed:-Nature of business SIC:

Had a feisty lass telling me to expect 70 books + invoice. I had been recorded on a previous call agreeing (not!!) to sponsor the campaign.

wary

Is it definitely this lot? We were leaning more towards the Manchester Martinos company.
It's been a few weeks now but I haven't received the promised tape or invoice from them.

bankinsider

Please note that the London and Manchester firms could be the same. All companies need to have registered address where the list of company shareholders and dircetors can be physically viewed, and where the Revneue and Customs can send official documentation. Many small (and legitimate) companies simply pay about 90 quid a year to an accountant, lawyer or serviced office company to achieve this. They then conduct their busines from where ever they want (from home for example)

I for example registered a company in Scotland some years ago using my home address. When I moved to England, I had to arrange a serviced office as the registered address (Scottish registered companies cannot have a registered address in England or Wales)

This is a very old scam and has been reported on fraud forum sites as far back as three years ago. Different company names, but same MO.

Next time, tell them you'll meet them at a specific address where you will settle the invoice in cash. Then give the address of your local cop shop.

wary

Martinos Media Ltd
Director: Westco Directors Ltd
Secretary: Westco Nominees Ltd

Westco are accountants run by Howard & Keith Graham. They act as nominees so the real controllers of the company can stay hidden … and sometimes with very good reason, it would seem.

There’s some bits about them on
http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/news/columnists/article.html?in_article_id=428923&in_page_id=19&in_author_id=5

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?f=10&h=0&t=408311

wary

There's quite a lengthy ongoing thread about a similar Drugs Awareness scam on the "Small Biz & Charity Organisers MoneySaving" forum.

dikvdyke

I got a call from a company about three months ago looking for money that I had allegedly agreed to at Christmas time. The number was anonymous, but the woman was very adamant that I had agreed to have my company published in this school safety campaign. I was suspicious because I doubt that anyone is allowed to advertise in schools anyway and when I told her it was a scam, she was cool as a cucumber. That silky night drink has a lot to answer for, i can tell you.
I got another one today from a man publishing booklets for the ambulance service. How can they sleep at night??

RichardFE

All of these experiences do unfortunately resemble a scam which is known by trading standards as a "Rogue Publishing House". A cold call is made claiming that advertising has been ordered in a good cause publication. If you reject that version of events repeated harassing or threatening calls may be made, and doctored recordings of phone calls/poor quality samples and invoices may be forwarded.

There appear to be quite a few "brands" of this scam, mainly based in the North West, but targeting businesses across the UK: all pretending to be good causes (child safety, drug education, emergency services charities).

There is an extensive discussion of similar scams and advice from different trading standards offices and consumer direct on this blog: http://www.firetop.co.uk/2007/05/31/school-books-scam-continues/

Basically just say no. You are in the right, and any threats that are made will not be enacted. On the above blog out of 300 comments not one person has been taken to the county court: it would cost more than they could recover and court buildings are the last place these people want to be. Reporting to your local trading standards and police station could help get these people shut down. Also the Met has a reporting email address [EMAIL="fraud.alert@met.police.uk"]fraud.alert@met.police.uk[/EMAIL] and fraud website http://www.met.police.uk/fraudalert/news/Rogue_Publishing_Houses.htm . This scam is actually a criminal offence (fraud related to presenting an unsolicited invoice).

A group of small businessmen (myself included) think it takes too long for the authorities to shut these people down (trading under the same name they can continue for months), and the priority with which it is treated does not reflect the overall scale of the crime and the distress it causes to the people receiving harassing and abusive calls. To raise the profile of the issue there is an e-petition on the #10 web site http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/SME-Scam-Review/ (if you agree your support will of course be appreciated), we have contacted MPs to raise the issue politically and are developing briefing material on the problem.

Sorry for the essay...

not_supplied

My mother has been targeted by several 'rogue publishing' scammers. She signed up once for an advertising deal that sounded reasonable, then was contacted again by other companies who took advantage of her being under stress and made it sound like they were the same company asking for confirmation, whereas in fact they were taking payment again. She has ended up paying about £1000.

The credit card company say they will require us to prove that the services were not provided or agreed to in order to reverse the charges. Trading standards can't actually investigate. We have been in touch the police, but from the info in that link it doesn't look hopeful that they can do anything.

Is there anything we can actually do to recover the money? We are considering getting a solicitor to write a letter demanding " Proof of the conversation, Proof of a contract, Proof of the advertisement, Proof of distribution" Do you reckon it'd be worth it - would the CC company accept non reply or insufficient proof as grounds to reverse the charges?