Consumerline - Scam Alert

Northern Ireland businesses warned about local scam - 22/01/2009

Businesses are being warned about a company which makes 'cold calls' claiming to represent the Health & Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) to sell health and safety policies.

This warning has been issued by Trading Standards Service (TSS) and HSENI. A number of complaints have been received by TSS and HSENI recently, regarding a company which makes 'cold calls' to unsuspecting local businesses, particularly small businesses.

During the call, the company offers to provide services to enable the business to comply with health and safety legal requirements. This includes selling health and safety policies, or offering to write health and safety risk assessments on behalf of the business.

Businesses are subjected to a number of misleading claims during the unsolicited telephone call, which leads to the unwitting ordering of a health and safety policy document at a cost of £199 plus VAT, or a health and safety law poster at a cost of £19.99. Small businesses that have been caught out by this scam say:

· they are led to believe that the company contacting them is doing so on behalf of HSENI;
· they are told that it is mandatory for businesses to have a health and safety policy, even if they have less than five employees (this is not the case);
· they are assured that they have a cooling off period when, in fact, no cancellation is allowed;
· they are told it is a legal requirement to register with HSENI.

A spokesperson from the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland said: "It is a legal requirement for every employer to have arrangements in place to manage health and safety. These arrangements must be recorded, usually in the company's health and safety policy, when the employer employs five or more employees."

Damien Doherty of the Trading Standards Service said: "These scammers go to considerable lengths to appear legitimate, but they are all simply after one thing - to part local businesses from their hard-earned money.

"When the Business Protection from Misleading Marketing Regulations 2008 (BPMMRs) came into force on 26 May 2008, it became a criminal offence to deceive traders through misleading advertisements. The introduction of the BPMMRs allows the Trading Standards Service to take robust enforcement action against unscrupulous businesses that attempt to defraud ordinary traders in this manner."

For further advice or information, or to report a 'cold caller' or any other suspicious trader, contact Consumerline on tel: 0845 600 62 62 or tel: 028 9025 3900 or log onto www.consumerline.org

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