Court writ phone scam poses threat

BUSINESSES in the borough are being warned of a potential phone scam which could defraud firms out of up to £6,000.

Officials at Hinckley BID issued the caution after a local member received what was most likely a con call.

Thankfully the boss the enterprise concerned was switched on enough to realise the threat.

Steve Wegeriff, from Hinckley BID, said: “A member received a telephone call recently from somebody claiming to be a High of Court enforcement officer from Worcestershire, actioning a writ against them. To begin with this didn’t ring true as writs have to be served in person not over the telephone.

“When questioned, the caller said the writ was from a business directory entry company and the court case was on that day. He stated the BID member had agreed an entry at £59 back in 2014 but had failed to set up a direct debit for a further £59 a month for the remaining three year contract, meaning that the outstanding debt was over £2,000.

“If the debtor was not planning to attend court, the fees would go up to over £4,000 and would then involve bailiffs attending the business which would add further costs taking the total up to nearly £6,000.”

In response the business owner explained they had received no correspondence from any company or court but the caller countered this by saying they had tried to make contact unsuccessfully, on numerous occasions.

Becoming increasingly suspicious the business owner complained that the call was out of the blue and they were not convinced the enforcement officer was who he said he was.

This seemed to spook the scammer who told the businessman to check up on his credentials but when asked to email details of the writ, the line quickly went dead.

Steve added: “After that a search on the internet revealed several articles about a business directory scam, all saying they target several businesses in the same area. We are grateful to our member for bringing this to our attention and want to warn others to be on their guard.”

If anyone receives a suspicious call of a similar nature contact Hinckley BID on Hinckley 698494 and/or report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.