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Buyer beware
There are a number of scams 'doing the rounds' at the moment - none of them very new, but they must still catch enough people unawares for the fraudsters to carry on doing them. Be warned!
One involves an official-looking letter pointing out that your business will have to register under the Data Protection Act, and suggesting - sometimes demanding - that you pay the sender some amount of money, perhaps £99, to register. The amount is probably chosen to be small enough for some people to pay it rather than make a fuss. In fact, you should register directly with the Information Commissioner (www.dpr.gov.uk, or 01625 545740), and this will cost £35. You would be parting with your money and not complying with the law. Of course, not all businesses have to register, and you should check your obligations first.
Another involves sending documents which appear to be an offer for a one-off purchase, which you may take up, only to find later that you have apparently signed up for a subscription service with regular payments and a cancellation penalty. This is very easy to fall for, and it may be easier to take the cancellation penalty than argue. On the other hand, if you feel that the nature of the contract has been misrepresented to you, you will have good grounds for refusing to pay.
The 'grandaddy of them all' still turns up on the fax machine from time to time - called the 'Nigerian fraud' because that's where the fax often comes from. The sender claims to have some 'surplus funds' left over from a big contract, and needs to move them from A to B, and for some reason would like to use your bank account to do this. If you supply your bank details, they are supposed to put the money in your account, and then take out rather less than they put in. In fact, they will take some out and put in none. But this fax is such a ridiculous idea that no-one should now be taken in by it...we hope!
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