5th June '08 - Warning Over Bogus Debt Management SMS
The Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) have issued a statement confirming that they are not responsible for a text message that has been sent to thousands of people offering to help them with debt management-related issues.
The text message, which has been widely circulated to people living in the Staffordshire area, reads: "Citizens Advice Bureau will talk to 6,600 people today with a debt problem. Do you need debt advice? Reply TALK to receive a call from a friendly advisor."
However, the CAB has denied that they have anything to do with the message, claiming that it has instead been sent by an unscrupulous private finance company.
People who have replied to the text message have found this out the hard way.
Rather than being connected to a CAB advisor, they receive a call from a company representative offering to sell them debt management plans, Individual Voluntary Arrangements (IVAs) and debt consolidation loans.
Trading Standards officers have warned people to be “extremely careful” about such scams, advising them that there are more reputable ways of organising their debt management than replying to bogus text messages.
They also warned consumers to be wary of other phone scams, many of which purport to offer callers cash prizes if they reply, only to then transfer them to premium rate phone lines.
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