OT - for those of us on the newsgroup running a business, or working with data on people.

[Wafflycathcsdir]

Sorry this is off-topic, but I think it is justified out of friendship to you guys, so please bear
with me

I run a business which requires to be registered with the Data Protection Registrar - so I am.

This morning, in the post was a very official looking bit of correspondence from an organisation
calling itself "The Data Enforcement Agency" with

"Notification under the Data Protection Act 1988 URGENT NOTICE We are writing to you with regard to
- you are not held on our records as having registered under the Data Protection Act 1998, to comply
with the Data Protection Registrar.
- Failure to comply with the Data Protection Registrar constitutes a criminal offence liable to a
large fine.
- To avoid further action please return your forms immediately"

Then you read a bit further and the demand is for £95 ...

I smelled a rat - the stuff that I got is *very* cleverly designed - even with a Wilmslow address,
which is where the real DPR is located, but it's a different one. Plus the phone number is a
national rate one - so I really smelled a rat! I could see this very easily getting filled in &
check sent off by someone working who was busy, harassed and with no time to look really closely at
the correspondence. Plus I *knew* I had registered with the DPA!

I did a Net search and this is an organisation being investigated by Trading Standards and is being
referred to the Office of Fair Trading. Indeed, the real Data Protection Registrar has a bit on the
real site stressing concerned about the organisation that sent me stuff and stressing it has nothing
to do with the real DPR and you are asked to let your local Trading Standards know if you get
approached by The Data Collection Enforcement Agency. Indeed, it was my local Trading Standards who
told me everyting is being passed to the OFT.

Please don't get caught out by this!

Cheers, helen s

p.s. now back on to bikes - I'm off out for a quick morning constitutional soon!

~~~~~~~~~~
Flush out that intestinal parasite and/or the waste product before sending a reply!

Any speeliong mistake$ aR the resiult of my cats sitting on the keyboaRRRDdd
~~~~~~~~~~

 

[Just Zis Guy]

wafflycathcsdirtycatlitter wrote:

> This morning, in the post was a very official looking bit of correspondence from an organisation
> calling itself "The Data Enforcement Agency" with

It's a known scam, of course, but thanks - I recommend you forward copies of the document to the ASA
and Cheshire Trading Standards.

--
Guy
===
I wonder if you wouldn't mind piecing out our imperfections with your thoughts; and while you're
about it perhaps you could think when we talk of bicycles, that you see them printing their proud
wheels i' the receiving earth; thanks awfully.

http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/09.shtml#103 http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/09.shtml#104

 

[Just Zis Guy]

wafflycathcsdirtycatlitter wrote:

> This morning, in the post was a very official looking bit of correspondence from an organisation
> calling itself "The Data Enforcement Agency" with

It's a known scam, of course, but thanks - I recommend you forward copies of the document to the ASA
and Cheshire Trading Standards.

--
Guy
===
I wonder if you wouldn't mind piecing out our imperfections with your thoughts; and while you're
about it perhaps you could think when we talk of bicycles, that you see them printing their proud
wheels i' the receiving earth; thanks awfully.

http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/09.shtml#103 http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/09.shtml#104

 

[Simon Ward]

wafflycathcsdirtycatlitter <[email protected]> wrote:
> Sorry this is off-topic, but I think it is justified out of friendship to you guys, so please bear
> with me
>
> I run a business which requires to be registered with the Data Protection Registrar - so I am.
>
> This morning, in the post was a very official looking bit of correspondence from an organisation
> calling itself "The Data Enforcement Agency" with
It's a scam, and one that has been around for a while. Send it to abuse@isp, the appropriate
trading standards people (Wilmslow is in Cheshire, IIRC) and your local fraud squad.

Simon
--
Simon Ward, Accent Optical Technologies (UK) Ltd., York, YO31 8SD, UK "Perl is the ideal tool for
the inspired slacker who'd rather sing and dance than spend longer than they need to at work ..."
- http://www.perl.com/pub/a/2002/12/18/hohoho.html

 

[Russell Pinder]

"Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> wafflycathcsdirtycatlitter wrote:
>
> > This morning, in the post was a very official looking bit of correspondence from an organisation
> > calling itself "The Data Enforcement Agency" with
>
> It's a known scam, of course, but thanks - I recommend you forward copies
of
> the document to the ASA and Cheshire Trading Standards.

I see something similar at least 3 or 4 times a year - along with various bogus Fax directory
invoices from slovakia or the chezk republic - They just go straight in the bin along with the rest
of the junk mail. At the end of the day the reason they've not been closed down is that what they're
doing isn't actually illegal (just a bit misleading if you don't read it too closely) - they will
register you if you send them £95. You can of course do it yourself direct for considerably less.
Caveat Emptor and all that.

What never fails to astound me is that people still get drawn in to the Nigerians with 20million
quid wanting to use your bank account - an example of stupidity and greed n equal measures exceeding
all measures of common sense.

Russ

 

[Ian Smith]

On Mon, 27 Jan 2003 20:06:20 -0000, russell pinder <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> the day the reason they've not been closed down is that what they're doing isn't actually
> illegal (just a bit misleading if you don't read it too closely) - they will register you if you
> send them £95. You can of course do it yourself direct for considerably less. Caveat Emptor and
> all that.

Actually, at least some of teh data protection ones _are_ illegal, and the reason they haven't been
closed down is that they can't catch them fast enough. The government has obtained injunctions, but
the individuals in question have stopped using the name on teh injunction before the injunction is
generated anyway.

At least, that's what we were told last time we reported one, and there's some stuff about the
injunctions on either the data protection registrars website, or the home office (I think)
somewhere. Can't remember where.

regards, Ian SMith
--
|\ /| no .sig
|o o|
|/ \|

 

[David Hansen]

On 27 Jan 2003 10:10:38 GMT someone who may be [email protected]
(wafflycathcsdirtycatlitter) wrote this:-

>Please don't get caught out by this!

Some people already have been. My colleague, who runs an FSB branch has heard of several cases.

--
David Hansen, Edinburgh | PGP email preferred-key number F566DA0E I will always explain revoked
keys, unless the UK government prevents me using the RIP Act 2000.