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Blackpool Council Customer First Centre Tel: (01253) 477477 Customer First Centre Monday to Friday 8.30am-5.15pm Saturday Closed Customer First Telephone Line Monday to Friday 8.30am-5.15pm Saturday Closed Municipal Building Corporation Street Blackpool FY1 1NF View map

"5 years ago we commissioned a design and print company to produce a promotion leaflet, which we integrated with our website. 18 months ago we received a letter from Getty Images stating that one of the pictures used was in breach of copyright and requesting £938.00 GBP within 28 days or (the insinuation that) legal action would be taken.

 

The design company advised that they had used 'free stock' photos from the internet. However, it appears that Getty Images may have subsequently purchased the legal rights to the photo.

 

Legally it is my responsibility as the end user and if sued by Getty Images, I would, in turn sue the design company. But it would be Getty images to prove when they took ownership of the legal rights to this picture and to prove financial loss as a result of unauthorised use. It appears that Getty Images make routine threats of this nature but yet no one has yet been taken to court. I intend to ignore the letter from Getty Images but it appears the next stage is to get a debt collectors letter then phone demands. It all amounts to nothing but a borderline legal scam

The best advice to anyone who needs photographs displayed on a website is take your own, or use a paid-for service such as istockphoto or Shutterstock, where you can buy a license to use copyrighted images. 

Bogus Loans Websites
Consumers are warned to take care when applying for loans on the internet. Dozens of websites have sprung up offering instant loans for those with poor credit history, although customers are also contacted via cold-call and text. Once you have given your details, they will then be sold off to unscrupulous brokers who will ask you to pay a fee to access your cash. They may tell you it’s an admin or tax-related fee, and in many cases you are required to wire the money to a recipient in India. In all cases however, the money will never materialize and you will not get your fee back.

Council Tax Reclaim
Many Blackpool residents have now received calls from individuals making claims that they have overpaid Council Tax. In some cases, callers say they are working with the Council for this purpose and ask for bank details so the money can be refunded. In other cases it may be No Win No Fee, or you may be asked to pay an upfront fee. If you feel you have been wrongly banded for Council Tax and may be due a refund, it's very simple to go through the appeals process yourself for free. Call 477477 for further information.

16/12/10: Royal Mail Postal Scam
This was a problem several years ago, and now appears to be resurfacing. A card is posted through your door from a company called PDS (Parcel Delivery Service) suggesting that they were unable to deliver a parcel and that you need to contact them on 0906 6611911. However this is a premium rate number, and you will be billed an extortionate sum of money. If you do receive a card with these details, then please contact Royal Mail Fraud on 0207 2396655 or ICSTIS (the premium rate service regulator) at www.icstis.org.uk. Alternatively phone Blackpool Council's Consumer Advice section on 478375.

28/09/10: HMRC phishing scam
Trading Standards are warning that yet again there are hoax emails being sent out to people regarding tax refunds – some of them look very convincing this time round, using official HMRC logos or forms. As HMRC will tell you, they never correspond with customers about tax refunds by email, and would never ask you to fill in a form with your personal or payment details. If you have received an email claiming to be from HMRC that you suspect may be fraudulent, please forward it to phishing@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk.

15/09/10: MCO Capital Ltd
Dozens of consumers have received letter from a company called MCO Capital Ltd regarding the repayment of a loan. It is believed that MCO Capital Limited is a legitimate loan company and that some recipients have had their identity stolen in order for fraudsters to take out loans, in various names, with MCO Capital Limited. If you have received one of these letters and have not taken out a loan, DO NOT IGNORE IT. It may affect your credit rating and you may find bailiffs on your doorstep if you do not take action to inform MCO you did not request this loan. In the circumstances MCO have asked that complainants should write to them care of their registered office address to confirm that a loan has not been requested and payment has not been received. Their address is Imperial House, 15-19 Kingsway London WC2B 6UN. Anyone receiving such letters may also wish to conduct a credit reference search (with an agency such as Equifax or Experian) to ascertain if any fraudulent applications have been made against their name and address. There will be a charge for this service.

23/06/10: Phishing scam from FBI / Bank of Nigeria
Scam email supposedly sent from FBI / CBN Bank of Nigeria in relation to funds which are awaiting release into the recipient's bank account. The email requests personal financial details to be sent in order that the funds can be released. If this email is received, simply delete it immediately.

05/07/10: Computer virus scam
Trading Standards have had numerous reports of residents and business owners being contacted by phone advising them that they have a virus on their computer. In some cases, people were told the caller was from Microsoft, and that monitoring checks had revealed their computer was full of viruses. Under the scam, you are led to the command prompt screen on your computer and told to enter a code that shows a list of 'errors' running on the machine. These 'errors' are not errors at all but normal code which does not affect the day-to-day running of the PC. You are then talked through steps to fix the 'problem' which allows the caller to gain remote access to your computer. Finally, you are asked to provide your bank account or credit card details or directed to PayPal in order to pay for the repair and for future 'protection'. In some cases, consumers believe this will be a one-off payment when in fact it turns out that monthly payments are taken. Amounts taken range from a one-off payment of £70 to £275 for five-year 'cover'.


The Business Community 

Businesses can be just as vulnerable to scammers. Due to high number of small businesses - particularly hotels, Blackpool is often a target for scam operators and rogue traders. Here are several to be aware of, if you haven’t already been a victim yourself

Publishing scams We have had numerous reports of small businesses receiving calls from agencies selling advertising space in various types of publications - wall planners, diaries, emergency services magazines, crime prevention or drugs awareness booklets. Often nothing will be produced at all, or only in very small numbers, at very poor quality. Sales staff will use deliberately misleading sales talk that is often carefully scripted. Many complaints relate to being talked into a ‘free trial’ or a no obligation quote, which is followed by a demand for payment on the basis that you have entered into a legally binding contractual agreement. Complainants report that calls get more and more frequent and more threatening over time. There are a number of steps you can take to avoid rogue publishers such as never agreeing to an advertisement over the phone - not even if it is presented as free or no obligation. Always asking for written details, and properly check all invoices received. In practice it is difficult to take action against such traders, as arrangements are usually made verbally over the phone, and it is hard to establish a case where no concrete proof exists.

Advance free fraud This is a well-established scam that purports to offer the opportunity to earn a substantial sum of money for allowing funds to be transferred to your account and then passing on a proportion of these to another party, keeping the remainder as your commission. The approach is usually made by letter, fax, email or telephone and typically comes from Nigeria, Hong Kong, China, Canada or the Netherlands. Recently some of these scams have come in the guise of an order or a booking, where the recipient is offered a large sum and asked to take out their ‘share’.

Unsolicited invoices and requests for payment Businesses are notoriously vulnerable with regard to unsolicited invoices and requests for payment. It may be for such small amounts, nobody thinks to query it - particularly if there are a number of employees. Typically, the invoice will be for an unsolicited directory entry, advertising of some kind, book or DVD. Recent complaints relate to a European City Guide, and advertsing in a crime prevention publication.  The invoice may also be accompanied by a letter stating the amount is overdue, and making threats to pass the matter to a debt collection and credit reference agencies.

Data Protection Registration There have been numerous instances of letters from bogus agencies being sent to small businesses, requesting payment for registering for the Data Protection Register. Letters from such agencies charge significant sums for registrations and will also highlight penalties for non-compliance. Businesses should be aware that registration can easily be done directly with the ICO for a standard fee of £35. Official letters relating to Data Protection Registration will always carry the ICO logo. For further information, refer to the Information Commissioners' website  

Business Directories and Databases Trading Standards have received numerous complaints about the above - particularly from tradespersons. Normally, sums of money are requested upfront for inclusion on a directory or database, with the implication that substantial work will result. Often these promises are empty and you may find yourself tied into the contract for many months

PPL and PRS? Who are these companies? Under Copyright law, anyone wishing to play CDs, DVDs or radio in a public or commercial environment requires a public performance license from either PPL or PRS. These companies administer the rights of those who have created the work - PPL represents artists and record companies, while PRS represents writers and publishers. Playing the radio publicly will also require you to have a license, as you will also be playing copyrighted sound recordings. Technically, you only need a license if the artist, record label, writer or publisher is registered with either PPL or PRS, but if you are playing a variety of different tracks it will be impossible to distinguish from the ones who are from those who aren’t. The tariff for a license generally depends on the type and size of premises. Go to the relevant websites for more information. If you do not currently hold a license, PPL or PRS may send you a letter claiming an additional fee for copyright infringement. If you have received one of these letters and are unsure how to proceed, please phone the advice service.

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