THE Office of Fair Trading has warned of scam calls circulating from people claiming to be from IT suppliers.
Although legitimate companies may contact consumers by telephone it is important to make checks on the company before agreeing to any services offered.
The Office has issued the following advice:
• Don't feel obliged to continue with the conversation – put the telephone down.
• If you carry on with the call advise the caller that you do not wish to make an immediate decision. Tell them you will contact them should you decide to take up their offer.
• Ask for full contact details, including a telephone number. Be wary of a company which only provides a mobile phone number.
• Put the company's name into an internet search engine to see what you can find out but don't be fooled by professional-looking websites as scammers are good at making their scams look authentic.
• If the company purports to be based in the UK, check with Companies House (www.companieshouse.gov.uk) to make sure that it is correctly registered.
• Do not provide any financial details until you have taken the above steps and decided to accept the offer - in particular your credit or debit card details as these transactions can be difficult to cancel with your bank.
• Check with your own IT support if you are worried.
Consumers may wish to consider asking for their names to be removed from telemarketing lists. To do so contact the Telephone Preference Service on 020 7291 3320 or visit www.tpsonline.org.uk.
Also see: Residents warned over scam IT calls
