Hundreds Affected

Trading Standards are looking into a mobile phone insurance scam that may have affected hundreds of people across the UK.

The scam targets those with new phones, and makes people believe they are receiving a call from the shop or mobile phone network. 

Usually, customers are led to believe they are being offered cheaper insurance for their phone. However, after payment details are given, the consumer is lucky to receive poor quality insurance, and most receive no insurance at all.

Trading Standards say that the scam has been a problem for the last 18 months, and is looking into 10 companies in the Swansea area. It is also warning people not to give their details to cold callers.

Those involved are believed to be buying phones and calling numbers quite similar to their own until they find someone with a new mobile phone.

Speaking Out

One victim has spoken out. Rebekah Swift bought an iPhone for her sons 17th birthday. She explained her story: “I took him to Carphone Warehouse and bought him an iPhone and paid for some insurance.

“We came home and a few hours later his new phone rang and it was from some people who led him to believe they were from Carphone Warehouse.

“He came into the kitchen and he said they were offering a cheaper insurance deal and we thought that was great. I let him give my debit card details over the phone and thought nothing more of it.

“Then he received a text some while later from Carphone Warehouse warning him of an insurance scam going on and by that stage the money had already gone out of my account, and we’d both been scammed.”

What Do You Think?

Have you been targeted by these pranksters or pranks of a similar nature?  Do you have any advice for people in order to help them avoid being the victim, or ideas what they can do if they think they have been targeted? Leave your comments here.