News New Fundraising Preference Service email scam warning The Fundraising Regulator has warned charities to be on their guard against a scam email that asks for payment for the Fundraising Preference Service (FPS) or implies that an invoice is due. The regulator has clarified that invoices are not sent out for the FPS because the cost of it is included in the fundraising levy; charities that spend more than 100,000 a year on fundraising are asked to pay a voluntary levy to cover the Fundraising Regulators costs, including the FPS. The FPS was set up earlier this year following a cross-party review of how fundraising is regulated. It allows members of the public to choose to stop email, telephone, addressed post and/or text messages from selected charities that they no longer wish to hear from. FPS requests can also be made on behalf of someone else if the individual concerned needs help to complete the request and has given authority to a relative or carer. Once the FPS request has been made, the charities selected are informed of their obligation to remove the personal details from their communications databases within 28 days. The Fundraising Regulator has reported the scam to Action Fraud and urges charities that think they may have been affected to get in touch. fundraising resources pack now available The Fundraising Regulator has created a pack of resources for professionals working with people in vulnerable circumstances, including: Fact sheet for frontline staff FpS poster free copies available upon request FpS postcard free copies available upon request For more information or to order copies of the poster or postcard, please contact the Fundraising Regulator. Dangerous perfume taken off streets harmful to eyes and the nervous system. The court heard that in December last year Staffordshire trading standards officers, supported by police, raided a property in Burntwood where they found various counterfeit items that were being advertised on social media. These included counterfeit bottles of Christian Dior perfume which was found to contain harmful levels of methanol in addition to other cosmetics. Counterfeit electrical goods were also discovered that had the potential to cause fire or electrocution. Other items included counterfeit-branded clothes and fake Rolex watches. ISToCk.Com / STUrTI A couple who sold counterfeit perfume containing dangerous levels of methanol, among other items, have been handed an 18-month conditional discharge and been ordered to pay costs of more than 1,000. Paul Adams and Louise Caunt, both of Oakdene Road, Burntwood, admitted 12 trade mark offences at North Staffordshire Magistrates Court. If genuine, the goods would be worth 175,000. Methanol is toxic, causing skin irritation, and can be ADR comes up trumps for Greek consumer Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) has proved its worth to a Greek consumer after the European Consumer Centre Network (ECC Net) and the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) secured a 69,000 (60,809) claim for him. Mr O, who is in his late 80s, contacted ECC Greece (the European Consumer Centre of Greece) over a disputed claim with his health insurance company based in the UK. He had held an international health insurance policy since 2010 and, in 2016, he experienced health problems after a fall. He had successful treatment for a broken arm and spinal surgery at a private hospital in Greece. Mr O told his insurance company that the treatments had cost around 69,000. The insurance company refused to pay the claims, saying that the insurance contract terms excluded from the cover any investigations and treatment related to back trouble and any underlying cause. He contacted ECC Greece and it argued that his health problems were the result of an accident (the fall) and should therefore be covered by the insurance company. The case was shared with the UK European Consumer Centre, who involved the Financial Ombudsman Service as an Alternative Dispute Resolution body (ADR). The dispute was settled, with the hospital accepting a payment of 69,000 for consumer hospitalisation and eight per cent interest from the time the claims originated. UK ECC consumer adviser Adam Mortimer said: Our involvement sped up what could have been a lengthy process. We wouldnt have been able to take this action without the UK ECCs cooperation with ADR bodies. It also shows the value of working together with other European Consumer Centres within the network. UK consumers who have a dispute with a trader based in an EU country outside the UK can visit the UK European Consumer Centres website or call 01268 886690. oldham car dealer made to pay for unfair practices Oldham Council has successfully prosecuted a car salesman for misleading two customers. Sanjib Saggar, director of S Cars Ltd, of Queen Anne Garage in Shaw, was due to stand trial at Tameside Magistrates Court, but entered a guilty plea before it was due to begin under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008. The court ordered him to pay a fine of 5,000 with 4,000 costs and a victim surcharge of 500. Saggar sold two cars in March 2016 to separate customers on a trade sale basis giving them the impression that they had no legal rights. When the customers subsequently started to experience faults with the cars, they were told by Saggar that because the cars had been sold as trade sales they would either not be given their money back, or not be entitled to a repair. The two customers eventually obtained refunds after they complained to Citizens Advice and the matter was referred to Oldham Trading Standards to investigate.