Authorities hoodwinked by hoax scam warnings

Typically the warnings read:

"SCAM, PLEASE BE AWARE 
The Trading Standards Office have brought the following scam to our attention: A card is posted through your door from a company called PDS (Parcel Delivery Service) suggesting that they were unable to deliver a parcel and that you need to contact them on 0906 6611911 (a premium rate number).

"DO NOT call this number as this is a mail scam originating from Belize. If you call this number and you start to hear a recorded message you will already have been billed £15 for the phone call.

If you do receive a card with these details, then please contact Royal Mail Fraud on 0207 239 6655 or ICSTIS (the premium rate service regulator) at www.icstis.org.uk or your local trading standards office. This is a genuine scam. This service is under investigation by ICSTIS."

We alerted the various organisations taken in by the hoax. The webmaster for the West Yorkshire police website said it would be impossible to know which officer had posted the warning, but would investigate. "There are going to be a number of red faces I am sure," he added.

Surrey police and the Brighton and Hove councillor have now amended their warnings since we contacted them. Surrey police however had also posted a warning on its site the same day as the PDS hoax about a non-existent mobile phone scam.

Icstis has now posted its own warning on its website telling people to disregard this chain email. It said people should always be careful about premium rate numbers, but the majority of companies abide by its code of conduct.

However, members of the public can check any premium rate number they are concerned about either by calling Icstis or via its website.