Dont get caught out by plasma TV phone scam

22nd January 2008

A South Wales resident has warned householders not to be duped by cards that appear to have come from a delivery company.

Cards from RTX Express have been pushed through the letterboxes of houses across Cardiff, leading owners to believe they missed the delivery of a plasma television.

The card tells people to ring a telephone number to inquire about their “delivery”. But small print at the bottom reveals the true nature and cost of the call.

The telephone number is a premium rate line charged at £1.50 per minute and the plasma television is the offer in a prize draw.

Sandra Colley aged 61, from Cardiff, received a card through her door.

She said: “I rang my four children straight away to let them know.

“Nobody has any conscience about what they are doing."

“I could see quite a lot of people calling this number and getting caught out.”

Her daughter said a lot of people might call the number and end up losing money.

“Sometimes you don’t read things fully,” she said.

“The lady down the road gets lots of stuff delivered and a lot of people take parcels in for her.

“It could well have been that you think you’ve missed a parcel for next door and give them a ring to find out where the depot is.

“It’s disgusting to try and cheat money out of people in this way.

“It’s so easy to get caught out in this way.

A spokeswoman from Cardiff Trading Standards warned people to watch out for constantly changing scams.

She said: “Read posted cards very carefully and be cautious, as the people operating these scams are continually changing their methods.

“If you are concerned call one of our experienced operators at Consumer Direct Wales on 08454 04 05 06 for further advice.”