Scam Warning!

[Midland Retty]

The following fire safety related  "scams" have been brought to my attention.

The first scam relates to bogus individuals who claim to work for the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA). The scamsters have been contacting several businesses across the country claiming that the NFPA is the new national enforcing authority for fire safety and that they intend to undertake a inspection of the victims premises. They use scare tactics to ensure that their victims comply - things along the lines of "If you dont agree to let us inspect your premises we will take you to court".

The exact intentions of the scamters are unclear, but it doesn't take a genius to work out some possible motives.

I should note that the National Fire Protection Agency is a legitimate company offering risk assessment and other fire protection services to the corporate sector and have nothing to do with the scam. However their name could be taken to suggest or infer that they are a Government agency. They insist they have sought all relevent permissions to use words like 'National' and 'Agency' in their company name but it's easy to see why people might get sucked in.

The NFPA is aware of the scamsters using their name in this way and have lodged complaints with Trading Standards  .

The second scam involves door-to-door salesmen flogging smoke detectors to householders.

In order to get unwitting householders to buy their expensive product the salesmen claim that their particular smoke detectors are unique and feature a radio link connection to the local fire station, thus if the smoke detector activates the householder is led to believe they won't need to dial 999 in an emergency because the detector will have already have miraculously alerted the fire service. Clearly this not the case.

If you have any information relating to this or similar scams please contact your local trading standards department.

[FSO]

And to the local FRA for consideration of prosecution of course! 

[Chris Houston]

What is the source of your information?  Who told you about these scams?

[Davo]

MM

What you say about the detectors "alerting the FRS" has very serious consequences and I reckon Plod should deal with this


davo

[Clevelandfire 3]

Surely its trading standards i didnt think plod got involved with stuff like this

[Indiana]

Article 32(f) of the RRO for the first scam -

(2) It is an offence for any person to—(f) pretend, with intent to deceive, to be an inspector;



and trading standards for the second scam.


I would think that it would be difficult for the fire service to catch and prove the first scam though

[Chris Houston]

I should note that the National Fire Protection Agency is a legitimate company offering risk assessment and other fire protection services to the corporate sector and have nothing to do with the scam.

1 - is this really a scam, or is it a hoax?  Have you any evidence of this occuring?

2 - The NFPA is surely a non-profit organisation, not a "company".

3 - Are you suggesting that the NFPA do risk assessments in the UK, or are you warning us about a scam in the US?

[Mike Buckley]

for information, there is an NFPA working in this country which does offer fire risk assessments, they were looking for assessors in January.

[Tom Sutton]

Try http://www.nfpa.org.uk/ It uses the title National Fire Prevention Agency. The one over the pond uses the title National Fire Protection Association ( http://www.nfpa.org/ )

[kurnal]

Well its a good way of raising some free publicity at least!

I have an aversion to private companies that use the words "agency" within their name. Always smacks of something a bit underhand to me. You can bet their sales staff always refer tothemselves as "THE .....agency"

[Tom Sutton]

Another point to note is the use of org.uk as an internet domain these should only be use for non  profit organisations.

[Midland Retty]

What is the source of your information?  Who told you about these scams?

The first scam was uncovered after two seperate RPs (responsible persons) contacted us to establish if the NFPA  was an enforcing authority. They smelt a rat when someone contacted them claiming to be an Inspector with NFPA and decided to verify who the organisation was with us (their local fire authority). We made a few enquiries and established that the NFPA is a legitimiate company. THE NFPA as I stated before is aware that scamsters are using its name illegally. It has already informed its local trading standards department who are looking into it.

The second scam became known to us via a referral from the Police. It is part of an ongoing Trading Standards investigation affecting several geographical areas. Trading Standards advised me to inform other brigades and other interested parties of the scam. Davo crimes of this nature are normally dealt with Trading Standards rather than the boys girls (and cats) in Blue!

Chris the NFPA is a BRITISH organisation. It is a company as far as I am aware. That is not the issue anyway. The fact is the scamsters are using the NFPA's name inappropriately.

Obviously there would be little point warning members here of a scam in the USA!!

As I said before like Kurnal I share concerns about companies or any other NON GOVERNMENT organisation that uses the Term "National" and "Agency" in their names.

[Chris Houston]

What is the source of your information?  Who told you about these scams?

The first scam was uncovered after two seperate RPs (responsible persons) contacted us to establish if the NFPA  was an enforcing authority. They smelt a rat when someone contacted them claiming to be an Inspector with NFPA and decided to verify who the organisation was with us (their local fire authority). We made a few enquiries and established that the NFPA a legitimiate company. THE NFPA as I stated before is aware that scamsters are using its name illegally. It has already informed its local trading standards department who are looking into it.

The second scam became known to us via a referral from the Police. It is part of an ongoing Trading Standards investigation affecting several geographical areas. Trading Standards advised me to inform other brigades and other interested parties of the scam. Davo crimes of this nature are normally dealt with Trading Standards rather than the boys girls (and cats) in Blue!

Chris the NFPA is a BRITISH organisation. It is a company as far as I am aware. That is not the issue anyway. The fact is the scamsters are using the NFPA's name inappropriately.

Obviously there would be little point warning members here of a scam in the USA!!

As I said before like Kurnal I share concerns about companies or any other NON GOVERNMENT organisation that uses the Term "National" and "Agency" in their names.

Thanks for clarifying.  There are a lot of warning on the internet which are just chain letter hoaxes, so it's good to know if one is real or just another hoax.