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SCAMS..!
HOME Watch in
Sefton have
been notified about 2 Scams that have taken place in Sefton in
recent weeks.
SCAM 1 The son of a member put an advertisement in a local Sefton newspaper
stating he had a car for sale. Within an hour, he received a
phone call from a firm's representative, stating he could put him in
contact with a buyer for his vehicle.
All they required was a £10 fee for administration. He was asked to
supply the caller with his debit card details so the money could be
deducted from his account.
The owner of the vehicle later had second thoughts and contacted the
bank to find £80 had been withdrawn by the firm. He then contacted
the representative and was told he had misunderstood, the amount the
firm required was £80 but £70 would be returned to him when they had
got a buyer for his vehicle.
It is very unlikely that a buyer would have been found for the
vehicle and the "firm" had gained £80.
Advise. Do not give any personal bank or credit card details to
anyone who phones you. These details should only be given if you
contact a firm and you are happy they are genuine.
SCAM 2 Residents in an area in Sefton received a flyer requesting unwanted
clothing to be left out for collection on the Wednesday. The Flyer
stated they urgently required clothing "The Greatest Gift of Love is
Sharing" and the company provided jobs in the third world and UK
sorting clothes.
Two complaints have been received and upheld regarding the leaflet
implying it was from a registered company. The company stated that
they had not distributed the advertisement.
The company number on the leaflet relates to a company which was
dissolved in February 2008.
It would appear the people doing this scam are deceiving people into
giving clothing and committing theft of the clothing as the company
has been dissolved and the leaflet gives the impression you are
giving to a charity. |
PARLIAMENT'S COLLAPSE CREATES CHANCE FOR CHANGE,
THE roof has
fallen in at the European Parliament, literally, and the catastrophe
has prompted calls from Euro-MP Chris Davies for a major reform in
the working of the institution.
The Parliament's Secretary-General has informed MEPs that 10% of the
ceiling of the vast debating chamber in Strasbourg collapsed.
"Serious damage" was caused to the room, which was opened in 1999
and is often compared to an aircraft hangar in size.
As Parliament was in recess until Monday, 25 August 2008, no-one
was hurt in the incident, but with repair work expected to cost more
than 1 million euros it is doubtful whether the chamber will be fit
for use in time for the next session.
MEPs work for 3 weeks each month in Brussels where there is another
fully equipped parliament building.
Under the terms of a treaty
agreed by all 27 EU governments they are required to meet twelve
times a year in the city of Strasbourg, a procedure said to cost
more than £120m annually and often criticised as a 'travelling
circus'. Although the arrangements are deeply unpopular with a
majority of MEPs, Strasbourg is regarded by the French and many
Germans as a symbol of unity after years of European division and
attempts to change the treaty provisions have always faced the
prospect of veto.
But the structural problems of the parliament building could allow
major reform to take place, claims Liberal Democrat MEP Chris
Davies. He said:- "Instead of being bound by ridiculous
arrangements we should put an end to the nonsense of the
Parliament's perpetual momentum.
To save taxpayers' money and to do
its job more effectively it should be permanently based in Brussels,
alongside the other EU institutions."
The treaty agreed by governments may require MEPs to hold 12
sessions in Strasbourg each year, but there is nothing to say how
long or how short a session need be. "We should turn
catastrophe into opportunity and meet continuously in Brussels.
To
comply with the treaty we can arrange for all 12 of the required
sessions in Strasbourg to be held on just one day a year,
successively at hourly intervals." |
