News Room

Pandemic cancellations - beware ‘refund vouchers’ and ‘admin’ fees

Posted: 08/06/2020

Consumers who have tickets for cancelled flights, holidays and events must have their legal rights to a refund upheld, says London Trading Standards (LTS), who have today published advice to consumers on their website (http://www.londontradingstandards.org.uk).

CTSI warns scam website links to fake Trading Standards hotline

Posted: 05/06/2020

The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) warns the public to be aware of bogus websites claiming to be a "Trading Standards Call Connection Service."

Trading Standards alert over 'test and trace' scammers

Posted: 03/06/2020

'Think before you click' scam alerts have been sounded by Trading Standards officers to try to head off scams in the wake of the launch of the Government's coronavirus Test & Trace system.

Millions of sub-standard masks and thousands of fake hand sanitisers seized at Heathrow

Posted: 01/06/2020

Trading standards teams at Heathrow Airport have stopped 6.5 million sub-standard face masks and 8,000 counterfeit hand sanitisers coming through the airport since the pandemic started, according to London Trading Standards (LTS).

Coronavirus guides help businesses during lockdown

Posted: 27/05/2020

A series of free government-backed guides have now been published by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to help guide businesses in those industries.

Beware pandemic profiteers and coronavirus crooks

Posted: 26/05/2020

London Trading Standards is warning Londoners to beware of unscrupulous traders seeking to profiteer from the coronavirus pandemic and criminal scammers exploiting the fears of the vulnerable.

Hundreds of consumer protection professionals trained to detect fake PPE

Posted: 22/05/2020

The Office for Product Safety & Standards (OPSS) and the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) are delivering a series of webinars focussing on the identification and classification of PPE alongside identifying active ingredients and checking labelling and effectiveness claims.

Reluctance to seek medical care drives counterfeit medicine

Posted: 21/05/2020

People are buying prescription-based medicines over the internet rather than seek medical advice says Phil Lewis, Director General of the Anti-Counterfeiting Group (ACG).

98% of London businesses respecting lockdown

Posted: 18/05/2020

Most London businesses have so far respected the law on business closure, according to data from London borough enforcement teams.  Just 2% of the businesses visited over the past two months have had to be instructed to close by local authority officers.

Fake council tax COVID-19 scam emails target public in lockdown

Posted: 15/05/2020

An email scam, claiming to offer a council tax reduction is hitting inboxes during the lockdown. The phoney email, clad in UK Government branding, and signed off from 'The Government Digital Service Team', offers a supposed council tax reduction. The email quotes the annual reduction amount and asks the recipient to click a link to "claim your council tax reduction now".

New COVID-19 food businesses guide launches

Posted: 14/05/2020

The COVID-19 coronavirus and the resulting lockdown has changed our lives drastically in a short time. Everyone has had to change the way they live, work and conduct their business. The closures of all pubs and restaurants have hit a UK industry worth over £40bn, and many fear long-term damage to the industry. 

Many businesses are exploring, and others have already begun diversifying their business model to adapt to "the new normal". To aid this, the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI), and the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) have launched a free expert guide on business diversification during the pandemic.

Businesses join forces to combat COVID-19 scams

Posted: 14/05/2020

Remote working increasing business exposure to fraud
More than 100 organisations are spearheading a new initiative to combat fraud against businesses as more companies and employees adjust to working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing their exposure to sophisticated business scams.