A mail scam in which the name and branding of the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) are fraudulently used is still circulating across the UK.
CTSI warned has previously warned about letters informing recipients that trading standards have caught insurance scammers and that they should fill in a “creditors debt form” as part of a bogus compensation scheme. The letter, clad in CTSI branding, is entirely fraudulent and filling out the form, which requests personal details, puts the respondent at risk of financial theft.
Initially, reports of the letter came from people living in England; however, CTSI understands that scammers are sending it throughout the United Kingdom, with the letter recently materialising at a Scottish address.
CTSI Chief Executive, John Herriman, said: “It disgusts me that fraudsters are impersonating CTSI to trick the public into handing over hard-earned sums of money. Scammers routinely impersonate trusted organisations to deceive people. Pretending to be an organisation committed to protecting consumers is an affront to the hard-working trading standards teams who work tirelessly to protect the public and demonstrates the depths to which some will stoop.
“We have notified trading standards services across the country of these letters, and consumer protection professionals continue working hard to protect the public from these types of scams.”
Members of the public who receive this letter should contact the Financial Conduct Authority.
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