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scamming the scam victims September 23, 2009

Posted by Bradley in : consumers , comments closed

Among the usual set of emails I get inviting me to share in the estate of someone I have never heard of or funds illicitly hidden somewhere and discovered, today I received a rather more ironic solicitation of personal information. The text reads:

The BRITISH High Commission in Nigeria,Benin Republic,Ghana and Bokinafaso received a report of scam against you and other British/US citizens and Malaysia,Etc. whom the country of Nigeria/Benin,Bokinafaso And Ghana have recompensed you due to meeting held with Four countries Government and the world high commissions against fraud activities by the Four country Citizens
Your name was among those scammed as listed by the Nigeria Financial Intelligent Unit (NFIU).A compensation has been issued out in ATM DEBIT CARD to all the affected victims and has been already in distribution to all the bearers. Your ATM CARD was among those that was reported undelivered as at last Friday and we wish to advise you to see to the instructions of the Committee to make sure you receives your ATM CARD immediately for your usage.

oft proposes expanding use of disqualification for competition violations August 24, 2009

Posted by Bradley in : consumers , comments closed

The UK’s Office of Fair Trading is seeking comments on proposals to improve competition law enforcement by expanding its use of director disqualification. The OFT says that the current approach:

may not sufficiently encourage directors to take positive steps to uncover potentially anticompetitive behaviour or monitor their companies’ competition law compliance. Under the current approach a director who did not know (but ought to have known) that the conduct of the undertaking constituted a breach of competition law is less likely to be subject to a CDO application than one who had reasonable grounds to suspect that it constituted a breach (but who took no steps to prevent it) or one whose own conduct contributed to a breach.

eu funding for consumer organizations July 9, 2009

Posted by Bradley in : consumers , comments closed

The EU’s Executive Agency for Health and Consumers (EAHC) has issued a call for applications for funding for consumer organizations:

Financial support may be awarded towards the functioning of two types of European organisations:
– those which have as their primary objectives and activities the promotion and protection of the health, safety and economic interests of consumers in the Community…
– those which have as their primary objectives and activities to represent consumer interests in the standardisation process at Community level…

befriending consumers July 3, 2009

Posted by Bradley in : consumers , comments closed

As people are finding it harder to be consumers, everyone wants to (seem to) be nice to them: the US Treasury published a bill to establish a Consumer Financial Protection Agency, the UK published a Consumer White Paper (A Better Deal for Consumers), and the EU Commission published a Communication which adopted a “consumer enforcement package” to strengthen EU-wide enforcement of consumer rules. The FSA announced that the new Chairman of the Financial Services Consumer Panel is to be Adam Phillips, who has been the Vice Chair. The previous Chair, Lord Lipsey, apparently thought the Panel should be more aggressive than did others at the FSA. I’m not sure how much of a champion of consumer rights Adam Phillips is – he is in the business of market research after all – but the Panel has been quite active in the last 6 months or so (under Phillips’ leadership) and has pushed the FSA to take consumer interests seriously.