More reported cases of childminders being the target of a scam.
Childminders please be aware!
Suffolk County Council's trading standards and childcare officers are warning of a new bank scam targeting childminders in Suffolk. They were alerted to the problem after a local childminder reported the scam that threatened to leave her two thousand pounds out of pocket.
Scam 1 - The childminder, based in Mildenhall, was approached in the elaborate fraud by an overseas trickster. He emailed her a convincing story claiming he planned to relocate to Suffolk and wanted to pre-book childcare for his son. Writing under the name of Mr Taylor, he even sent over photos of his supposed son and himself to hook people into the tale.
So, how does this new scam actually work?
The childminder is contacted by email by the fraudster claiming to be a parent planning to relocate to Suffolk.
They send over passport pictures of the child to make the story seem genuine.
They ask for the childminder’s details and their hourly rates. They even offer to pay in advance to secure the childcare.
Once the childminder has agreed terms, the fraudster sends a £3000 cheque to cover the fees and buy some toys for the child.
The childminder receives the cheque and pays it into their account.
The emailer then claims to need a refund and asks for four £500 deposits to be transferred via Western Union.
The sting in the tail is that the original cheque he sent bounces and is returned by the bank.
However, by this point the refunds given by the childminder through Western Union have cleared and the childminder is stung to the tune of two thousand pounds.
Scam 2 - This time Mrs Mary Kojo, secretary to Right Rev. Andrew John Pearce of the First Baptist Church, Accra-Ghana contacts a childminder to secure childcare for his children while he and his family are in the UK on holiday from 5 January till 2 March 2007 for an 8 week period. As with the above scam, the 'parent' gives the childminder payment prior to his arrival in the UK.
Officers are aware that this and similar scams are surfacing across the country.
Suffolk County Council's advice to anyone approached with a similar story is:
Be very wary of approaches from overseas 'parents' looking for childcare places.
Just because the money appears to on your bank balance, it does not mean the cheque has cleared.
Do not accept cheques for more than the required amount and never pay back the difference.
Please call Consumer Direct on 0845 4040 506 if you think you have been a victim of this scam, or if you have any concerns.
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