There has been a rise in the number of bogus calls in the area. As a result Bury Council has created the ‘rip off register’. Details are fed in from Bury’s Trading Standards department so it is legitimate information. Below is a list of all the current scams which can also be found on http://news.bury.gov.uk/Rip-off+register.htm

Scam reported June 19: Bogus tradesmen
Two men have been approaching homes in Prestwich offering to pressure-wash driveways for cash. The men aged 20 and 50 both had Welsh accents and were wearing high visibility jackets and hard hats. They appeared very eager to get money from the householder and appear to have no vehicle or tools with them.

Scam reported June  3: Bogus callers
Two incidents in one day have sparked a warning from the council’s trading standards team for people to be on their guard against doorstep criminals. The incidents both happened on June 3 but at opposite ends of the borough, one in Prestwich and one in Ramsbottom. Interestingly, although the descriptions of the men involved in the scams were different, both told the residents that they were working on a neighbouring house and they needed to turn off the water supply to prevent a flood.

Whilst distracted with the first offender, another male entered the property. In Ramsbottom the second male was unseen, entered the house through an unlocked door, opened a cupboard and stole cash. In the incident in Prestwich, the second male was seen to enter the property and discuss the leak with the first. One of the criminals then offered to pay the vulnerable resident for the water used but claimed only to have a £50 note and asked for change.

The resident removed their savings from a drawer and as soon as their back was turned both offenders left the house with the cash.
Residents are advised not to let the individual into the property and to check with United Utilities on 08457 462200 to see if there is any work of this nature being carried out in the local area if an individual comes to their home.

Scam reported 17th May: Dodgy builder
Unknown male knocks on a householders door apologising for the noise coming from next door stating “dodgy builder have drilled through the water pipe”  and that this could flood into the householders  house.  The householder opens door to caller  who follows them in to the kitchen, leaving the front door ajar and asks householder to switch on the taps as the caller is looking for blue water coming out of the taps.  

The house holder states she wishes to call her daughter, offender refuses, blocking her exit through the hallway.  Offender leaves a short time later after being challenged and makes off.

Scam reported 4th May: Just the ticket? not quite
A Bury resident contacted the council’s trading standards team when tickets that she purchased online were not supplied. The website: www.vipblocktickets.com appears to be a scam. Bury Residents are advised that although the temptation to purchase tickets from online ticket sellers can be great; they should proceed with caution. Before purchasing tickets the website should be checked through search engines to see if other users have reported problems.

If buying tickets online; pay by credit card if possible as this may give additional cover depending on the amount paid in the event that there are problems at a later date. When purchasing tickets online, residents are advised to use established websites or the venues own website.

Scam reported May 2010: Fair trade?
Watch out for bogus calls from people offering to reclaim money for you. One recent scam was brought to the attention of officers in Bury by a Greater Manchester neighbour. A resident was called by someone saying they were from the Office of Fair Trading. When she became suspicious and said she was going to call the police the caller hung up. Beware people saying they are reclaiming money on your behalf, if the agency is genuine they will not contact you by phone.

Lottery scam confirmed
A Bury resident contacted the council’s trading standards team worried that she may have received a scam letter in the post. The official looking letter claimed she had won £800,000 Euromillions FIFA World Cup Super Lottery. Alarm bells rang for the resident as the letter asked for her bank details. It claimed to be from the Euromillions FIFA World Cup Super Lottery administered by Wallmarks Finance and Creditors. It used the address for South African High Commission and a fax back application form with the address of the Financial Service Authority. The phone numbers currently used are 0203-3189-540, 0791-927-0178 and 0207-113-2107. The council believes these numbers are redirected outside the UK, although some letters seem to have been posted in the UK.

Not a lotto dough
A Bury resident has notified Trading Standards of a mailing received claiming he had won 810,950 Euros and is asking for bank details. Has received the letter and  believes it to be a scam but does not recall entering lottery. General information about foreign lottery scams
Foreign lottery scams are a form of advance fee fraud. The consumer receives a letter, telephone call or email telling them that they have won a major cash prize in an overseas lottery (often the Spanish or Canadian lottery). They will often be told to telephone a sales agent who will ask the victim to send money to cover administration, customs and taxes. The winnings however, do not exist and are never received.Cameroon Pet scam 
Animal lovers be warned as another scam which has been reported to trading standards has just been verified. Animals are advertised online with an accompanying sad story describing why they need a new home. Money is asked for to pay transport costs and once received the animals delivery is delayed for a number of reasons. The scammers ask for more and more fees with the buyer now engaged both emotionally and financially.  These scams have been associated with puppies, kittens, monkeys, parrots, the latest reported today was a horse. The scammers tend to use Western union Money Transfers so as to avoid being traced. A resident in Bury who reported that she had fallen victim to the scam realised she had lost her money but contacted the council to make sure no-one else fell into the same trap.Internet Insecurity (reported June 2010)

Bury Trading Standards are warning local residents to be suspicious of telephone calls from people claiming to be from Microsoft.  In the past month officers have been made aware of instances where residents have received unsolicited calls from people claiming that there is a virus on their computer. They have then tried to gain remote access to the computer and ultimately request the consumer provides bank details for payment between £50 and £200 to purchase security software that can remove the virus.Enquiries have revealed that the companies are not connected to Microsoft.
The callers are not based in the UK (often India)
And diligent consumers who have terminated the phone call and taken their PCs for independent examination haven’t got a computer virus.