The Office of
Fair Trading (OFT) has acted against Churchcastle, a promoter of premium
rate prize competitions.
The company, trading as 'Fast Cash' and 'UK Prize Bonanza' sent 1.4 million
postal mailings to consumers saying they were entitled to claim one of the
awards listed and urging them to call a premium rate number to claim their
prize. The wording suggested that they had won £5,000 or £10,000.
Some 190,000 people called the number at an average cost of £7.50 per caller.
However, most callers received giveaway items such as vouchers for holidays,
health and leisure services, or a family portrait. All vouchers had restrictions
on their use.
As a result of the investigation by OFT in association with the
Trading Standards
Authority and
ICSTIS, Churchcastle has
agreed not publish or distribute materials that mislead recipients.
Penny Boys, OFT executive director, said: "Misleading mailings such as these
deceive consumers and damage the reputation of fair-dealing businesses."
Consumers are being warned to be wary of unsolicited emails which invite them to connect to a particular website promising such topics of interest as celebrity or sports news. 07 May 2001
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Watchdog could order crackdown on rogue diallers and mobile scams 04 Aug 2004
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