Gloucestershire businesses and residents are being reminded to always check the identity of anyone who visits or calls claiming to be from the council.
The warning comes from Gloucestershire Trading Standards Service after reports were received recently that individuals claiming to be from Trading Standards had visited retailers in the Cheltenham area.
In one incident a man falsely claiming to be from Trading Standards threatened staff at a Cheltenham store with prosecution and said he would be back with a team to undertake an inspection.
There have also been incidents of residents being ‘cold called’ by telephone, viagra the caller falsely claiming to be from Gloucestershire County Council and asking questions concerning the resident’s financial situation and energy supplier.
If you receive a visit from someone claiming to be a Trading Standards Officer you should always ask to see official identification which all officers should carry.
Cllr Will Windsor Clive, buy Cabinet member responsible for Trading Standards said: “We’re very concerned that individuals are falsely claiming to represent authorised officers of the county council. We’ve also received reports in the past of people impersonating officers to try to scam elderly and vulnerable consumers.
“I want to make it very clear that we do not tolerate these fraudsters and we warn these individuals that it’s an offence to impersonate a Trading Standards officer and claim to be able to use their statutory powers under any circumstances. Any person found doing so can face a fine of up to £5, viagra buy 000.”
If you get an unexpected call from a person claiming to be from the county council, and you are suspicious they are not genuine, you should not give out any personal information and ask for the caller’s name and department and contact the council on 01452 425000 to check.