The guest house owner concerned was about to transfer £3,500 to a third party purportedly representing a business in Northern Ireland but became suspicious and contacted East Sussex County Council’s Trading Standards. Officers informed the businesswoman that it was a scam.
Last year, Trading Standards warned hoteliers and other accommodation providers that an elaborate scam involving bogus bookings, fake cheques and money transfers was in operation and East Sussex businesses were being targeted.
Scammers were making bookings and then sending fake cheques for more than the amount required. The hotelier would bank the cheque and the scammer would then contact the hotelier and ask for the ‘difference’ to be sent via money transfer. Later the bank would identify the fake cheque and retrieve the funds. However, if the hotelier had already sent the difference by money transfer, they would be left out of pocket as cash sent in this way cannot be retrieved.
Councillor Bob Tidy, Lead Member for Community Services, said: “Once again, an East Sussex business has been targeted by these criminals. I would urge all accommodation providers and other businesses to be on their guard for this type of scam. The fraudsters aren’t interested in coming to stay in our wonderful county – they just want to rip off businesses and steal their money.
“My advice is to be alert to forged cheques and don’t forget that these can sometimes take a while to be spotted when they go through the banking system, especially if the cheque is from abroad. Don’t assume that the money is safely banked and never send funds by money transfer to a stranger. If anyone believes they are being scammed in this way then contact Trading Standards immediately.”
Western Union, the world’s largest providers of telegraphic transfer facilities has issued the following advice: “Money transfer services are a fast, easy and convenient way to send funds to people you know. They are not designed to be a payment vehicle when doing business with a stranger”.
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