"Crime Prevention UK" scam
I had a call this evening from a woman who introduced herself and said she was calling from "Crime Prevention UK". She said she was doing a survey in the KT9 area, in the light of rising crime.
I asked her whether she was cold calling, as I subscribe to Telephone Preference Service. She replied that it was OK for her to call as she was 'not selling anything'.
So I asked her who she was calling from, and she told me that they were a commercial company specialising in security products, and they were working in the area. And she claimed she wasn't trying to sell me something!
Before I rang off, I did point out that I had some knowledge of the crime figures in my area, that crime was not rising in KT9 and that, in fact, it had one of the lowest crime rates in the whole of London.
So who are "Crime Prevention UK"?
I checked Companies House. A business called Crime Prevention Services UK Ltd is listed as having been dissolved. There are several others with the words Crime Prevention in their names, and they may well all be perfectly good organisations, so I didn't investigate them all. None of the others had 'UK' in their name.
I then got googling and discovered a very similar story relating to "Crime Research UK" which was a front for SAS Fire and Security, and who clearly used fear to persuade people to buy expensive shoddy burglar alarms. Police in Huddersfield have recently warned householders about them.
Crime Research UK Ltd is in liquidation. SAS Fire and Security has changed its name to Homeguard UK Fire and Security. (I feel very sorry for Homeguard Security Systems Ltd, who are not connected with the rogue company.)
Now I can't find any trace of Crime Prevention UK, but their techniques sound remarkably similar to those of Crime Research UK, so I'm assuming it is the reincarnation following liquidation. I have reported them to Trading Standards.
Comments
Thanks for posting that, I've just had a call from the same people claiming to be doing a similar survey in the KT17 postcode.
It's a shame when people try to tar perfectly good and legitimate companies with the same brush as the likes of sas fire and security. I have had dealings with crime prevention uk myself, I had a system installed that not only protects for burglary but also fire, panic and any medical situation imaginable. The system is also monitored 24/7 so it will alert an alarm receiving centre if my alarm activates, I can also open and close my curtains and garage door and turn on lights through my system remotely and turn on/ off my system and check it's status from anywhere in the world. The company does what it says on the tin. They help to reduce and prevent crime. I live in the kt2 area and even though the crime rate is not the highest, I would rarther have a system like this and not need it than the other way round!! My advise would be if you are contacted by this company, be open minded and decide for yourself, and as for do- gooders, if you don't like their approach or what you hear just say no, and don't feel you have to warn the local community, as if they are rogue traders and get a life!!
Well, if they are so wonderful, why are they cold calling illegally? The caller told me they weren't selling anything, which was a lie.
Are you claiming that there is no connection between Crime Prevention UK and either SAS Fire and Security or Homeguard Security Systems Ltd? Crime Prevention UK is not listed at Companies House so must be a cover for another company. Is it in any way related to Crime Prevention Services UK Ltd which has been dissolved?
Hi Mary! Looks like you have picked up a troll or employee of SAS.
Thanks for helping.
Yes, I thought as much, but worth publishing so I could challenge it.
You are worrying SAS by posting in that it confirms that they are violating the enforcement notice issued to them by the ICO on 22/03/2010 for cold calling TPS registered customers.
The ICO enforcement notice stated that if they did not stop within 35 days (i.e. by the end of April 2010) the company and their directors would be committing a criminal offence. We can but hope!
Thanks for that.
By the way I don't appreciate your casual sexism on the forum. You may think it's funny, but that doesn't stop it from being hurtful.
Mary, I am a woman, jimbo13 is not and posts things like "Nice hobby for you though" and "probably annoy spammy god bless her" when referring to me.
Jimbo13 was attempting to disparage you by remarks such as
"As for this lib dem lady and her blog she is just guessing. She also did not have a presentation, has no idea what you get etc "
I stated your credentials honestly, where is the "casual sexism" in that? I will just assume that you did not read the whole thread completely and took offence where none was intended.
OK - apologies. I thought the comment about hoovering was addressed at me. I'm happy to defend you any day.
You're a more patient person than I am!
Apology accepted - its a long thread and somewhat confusing due to recent legal action that has caused the removal of many pages.
Also, a number of employees of SAS have been active in the thread and this again causes excissions as they are outed and comments removed.
Have you reported the SAS call to the TPS? You should as that will give further ammunition to ICO who can take action against them
OK, I will report them to TPS. So far I have reported them to Trading Standards and the local police team
They have moved on to Tadworth (KT20)
Message from a reader:
"They phoned again this morning about their appointment, and I managed to find out that Crime Prevention UK was allegedly based in Richmond and Manchester, but the person I spoke to wouldn't not give me a contact number. His number when I dialled 1471 was withheld."
I had a call too and am registered with telephone preference service and was looking to see how I could report this company. I am KT21 Also a withheld number though.
P
Tonight 11.2.11 they are offering to give free alarms to 4 lucky KT20 residents!! Wanting to make appointments with people tomorrow morning. I have also reported them. The phone number they gave me is 'not recognised'.
What a surprise!
Received a call from this charming outfit this morning. Thanks to having read your blog I knew what was coming and told them that I was registered with the TPS and would make a complaint. I've just submitted my complaint via http://www.tpsonline.org.uk.
Regards
PaulR.
I just had a call from these people saying I had been chosen for a free installation funded by Crime Prevention Uk.
When I asked what the system was I was told it was a wireless monitored system and then when I asked what company the equipment was on the caller was very vague.
I pressed the point and he hung up.
Another con...get a free system and pay the earth for it to be monitored.
Clearly in breach of the TPS.
Thanks for pointing out that HOMEGUARD SECURITY SYSTEMS LTD has no connection what so ever with HOMEGUARD UK FIRE & SECURITY aka SAS FIRE & SECURITY.
We get lots of calls every day from people who have been phoned by this company thinking it is us, we have had Wetherby Police, Manchester Police and Derby Police ringing us assuming that we are this company who are chasing them for cold calling and high pressure selling to elderly people. Yesterday we had the TPS (Telephone Preferance Service) onto us for cold calling people in the Preston Area (we are based in Gildersome Leeds) who are registered with the TPS after explaining who we were and the pointed them in the right direction.
It is through bloggs like this that the word will spread about who this organisation is and maybe things will be done to stop it.
They're in the SE5 area now..
They have just phoned..said they are in the SE7 area
Youse all need to calm down on the TPS crap yas aren't nout special coz ur on there list if ya still recievin calls from these companys and ur on there list then the TPS obviously isn't doin what ur payin for, I don't know who these companies are and what rubbish there tryna promote, but yas wanna make sure about fings before yas start jumpin to conclusions
Friday 25 Feb 2011: Now operating in Greenwich, London SE10. Two calls today from "Crime Prevention UK". They knew a lot about us including Names, postal address, post code, phone number, wife's name. First time insisted insisted on arranging a visit and would this evening be "convenient"? When they were told no, they wanted to get in this afternoon instead. They phoned back instead:
When asked they gave the following information:
1 Man called "Nick";
2 Private promotional group;
3 Based in Manchester;
4 Would not give their address;
5 Did not know their post code;
6 Got our details from something called "National Security Database";
7 When asked what that was, they said everyone was on it;
8 I said it did not exist, but that anyway details were never published if you have opted out of cold calls etc.
9 They then rang off.
I dialed 1471 each time, but the "caller had withheld the number" on both occasions.
I phoned BT operator both times who transferred me to the Nuisance Call Advice Line.
On the first occasion, they said it was from a foreign call centre (not true!) and not to worry.
On the second occasion the advisor recommended that I call the Nuisance Calls Bureau (UK) Tracing Dept. on 0800 411 422.
The advisor agreed to try and trace the calls but it would not be until Monday! She will ring back on Monday.
I looked up Crime Prevention UK on internet but no sign of a private organisation.
Found this "Crime Prevention UK" scam by Mary Reid on http://www.maryreid.org.uk.
OBVIOUSLY UP TO NO GOOD.
BEWARE ... BEWARE ... BEWARE !!!
davy
They're in SE20 today - all the above comments apply. When pressed for details, the caller didn't have any information, and the number was withheld. I asked who was sponsoring this philanthropic exercise of installing free burglar alarms and she just kept trying to get me to receive a call from her manager!
I've just had a call from them, so it's SE26 area today.
Now operating out of an address in Stanmore Nth London - Central Intelligence Security Solutions (CISS) Ltd - raking in a small fortune
And now SE15 - they are doing the rounds - so very relieved to find this information thank you all - they are planning to call me back on Monday to visit - they had my address already - a bit worrying but will now know what to say - theres not such thing as a free alarm
S
I`ve just had a phone call and then a visit in the CW10 area. Offering wireless system for £1 with monitoring for 10 years for £5,000 Company name given as Homeguard Security I was half expecting it to be a scam so said I would need to speak to my son who was on nights. They wanted an answer before they left so I said no. They say they work in with trading standards and con not give a cost until they have assessed the property !!
Now in the BA2 area
Hi, I've just received a call from the same Crime Prevention UK 'lady'. She has now progressed to SW19. She said she wanted to take me through their Crime Prevention scheme, but when I asked her to tell me who she represented she just slammed the phone down. Charming !
Definitely a scam. Don't have anything to do with it.
Now in SW19 area! I am concerned that they get info on who has an alarm and who has their alarm monitored.WHO KNOWS! So I told them that I will have mine monitored by the company I'm with.
Now in the SW19 area! I just thought that this might also be a scam to find out who has an alarm and who has it monitored as well as selling their dodgy goods. I told them that I will get mine monitored with the reputable alarm company I am currently with. They still were persistant and told me that someone will phone me to explain why they are being so generous and give me an alarm PLUS monitoring for FREE.
They are now operating in the SW16 area. Guy by the name of Adam called and said somebody would call back to make arrangments.
When they rang back I challenged them to say what were they selling but they just hung up.
I have reported them to the local police.
And now in SW17! Again, I have been 'selected as one in four households in the area entitled to a free alarm system'. I have ignored the managers calls, but good to be able to find out it was a scam from this website, thank you so much.
Let me start by saying NOTHING IS FREE IT NEVER HAS BEEN so don't be fooled by what people offer you, that also applies to your local supermarkets that offer buy one get one free deals. Its business and all they want in the end is your money, no business in there in there right mind would sell a product or service at a loss.
As for COLD CALLING .............. Basically how it works is company's can buy chunks of information like your name, address and phone numbers for a huge fee, doesn't matter if your attached to the TPS they can still buy your details LEGALLY. If they phoned me I'd tell them to F**K OFF.
NEXT....... If you do let a sales man/woman into your house for whatever there selling don't be fooled they are not your friend they want to sell you something.....THEY WANT YOUR MONEY... So don't ever offer them a nice cup of tea. Sales men/women are basically liars, they all work on commission and there nan doesn't have anything there selling.
After saying all this it doesn't mean your being ripped off and if you stick to your guns you can get a good deal out of it. Do your homework, Don't pay a deposit and only pay when your totally happy with the product. Don't sign up for long contracts, do a couple of years at a time and don't be forced to pay all at once..
The equipment they use is very high quality and reliable especially if its made by VISONIC (Powermax).
I Have been in the security industry for over twenty years working for NACOSS (NIS) and SAIB companies and I have found these cold calling company's can provide an equally good service. IN THE END ITS YOUR CHOICE
Still operating in SW16. I received a preliminary call from "Marie" on 18 March, and got a follow-up call today, 21 March, from "Nick Brown" who told me my house was "one of four selected in the area for a special promotion". He said he had my details from the "National Security Database", which he said was a government listing. (I'm listed on the Telephone Preference Service.) He quoted what he claimed were the latest Home Office statistics of a burglary every ten seconds, and said crime was on the increase in SW16 (no source). Wanted to offer me free wireless security monitoring equipment and installation to cover fire, burglary and medical emergencies; when this was triggered a "team" would be despatched immediately. This turned out to be fire brigade, police or ambulance! All I would pay would be a "monitoring fee". When I asked how much this would be he said a visit would need to be made by a "risk assessment expert" now operating in the SW16 area.
I asked for an address and phone number for the company so that I could get back to them if I wished to take up the offer. He said this was not possible as it was a special promotion, they had offices all over the country but the special promotion would be available in SW16 only for two days. I discontinued the conversation. Am reporting to the TPS and police.
Just had a cold call from these people "Crime Prevention UK". I'm in SW15 so they're obviously moving about South West London now. This rough Mancunian guy was telling me we'd been selected for installation of a security system. He couldn't even pronounce the name of our road. I told him we'd already got one and the guy started swearing at me down the phone. Hope they get closed down and banged to rights.
Just had a call. I asked whether they are a publicly funded body or a profit making organisation and the caller hung up on me at once.
I've just had a call, in Barnes SW13, from Crime Prevention UK.
I asked "Are you a government body?" They said: "No but they know about us".
I asked: "Are you anything to do with the police?" They said: "No".
I asked "Are you a quango?" They hung up.
Thnaks to everyone for your comments and for keeping an eye on these people.
It's a good idea to pass your local information on to your neighbourhood police team. A number of teams have issued statements warning people about these callers, so do urge yours to do so if they haven't already.
Hello everyone. They are now calling people in the SW11 area. Same experience as Jane.
Crime Prevention UK is definitely calling in SW11 - I live in the Lavender Hill area. I work in direct marketing so am aware of the law around cold sales calls and the loophole that allows survey or other non-sales calls to get around the TPS rules. I am a member of TPS and this company is selling a no doubt expensive monthly monitoring service under the guise of a free "security system" which I imagine is a box and a few wires. Because this is two-stage selling and no sales product is offered until after the home security assesment visit, I can see how they are stretching the terms of ICO legislation and getting around TPS rules.
I too had the scaremongering crime figures and promise of a free security system (one of four to receive this in my area apparently). I was just heading out so ended the call. I have just had another call from a "manager" with more scary statistics, queries about my security arrangements and topline information on what the monthly fee would cover. After I told her firmly that I didn't want to pursue the conversation she said OK and rang off.
Their really basic website is http://crimepreventionuk.org which repeats the stats given on the telephone, mentions the free "risk assessments" and "free home safety security system and installation" and the wireless monitored system (the chargeable bit) but doesn't explain the system or any fees. Checking out the residential burglary figures in Wandsworth I find there is 5 per day - far from one every 37 seconds claimed by Crime Prevention UK. I worry for elderly people who are easily frightened and preyed upon by these unscrupulous companies.
Just firmly say that you are not interested when you receive a call from this company - the operators are just doing a job so there is no need to be rude to them. The best impact will come if the management of the company receive multiple complaints - call 08432 890259 (5p a minute from a BT phone) and ask to be put through to a manager. If enough people do it, they will soon report back to senior management.
Hello everyone. They are now calling people in the SW4 area. Same experience as Jane & John above.
I spoke to my local police about Crime Protection UK. They had heard of them but had no other information on the company (good or bad). The police reckoned it might be a case for Trading Standards (as the company are pitching their offer as "free" when in fact there's a "monitoring fee" attached, which they refuse to specify up front - as per Jane's experience, the guy I spoke to refused to give any estimate of this until a "risk assessment" visit had been carried out).
http://blogs.mirror.co.uk/investigations/2011/03/sas-fire-and-security-a...
They are now calling in UB2, with the offer of 1 of 4 free security systems. Their website doesn't inspire any trust whatsoever. I am surprised they directed me to it.
calling in SL5 with the same 'offer' as described by earlier posts.
No surprise that we are on TPS...
Will report to BT etc but don't think much will happen!
Please call your local police about this. They are supposed to be closed down.
They called me yesterday in SL1 doing their spiel about offering systems "in the area".
Their number was witheld and I subscribe to the TPS to opt out of receiving marketing calls.
I was instantly on my guard but as soon as I said I had a full security system, they hung up while I was still talking.
Have you heard of CRIME PREVENTION UK....AKA....G1S SOLUTIONS?????
Have you had enough of there COLD CALLING, SALES TACTICS and the WAY THEY PREY ON THE ELDERLY.
Well CHRISTMAS has come early and this my GIFT to YOU ALL.
Here are the PRIVATE MOBILE numbers of the DIRECTORS of the company.
John (DIRECTOR) 07734393999
Nana or Andy (DIRECTOR) 07727173047
Phil Bonney (SALES DIRECTOR) 07592602774
If you are serious about making them think twice about cold calling in your AREA. Phone them and give them some of there own medicine. I'm sure they will welcome any suggestion on how to improve there services.
HAVE FUN...BE SAFE.....
They have just called me, as above everything is supposedly free, except a monthly 'monitoring' fee. I am likewise to many above on the TPS.
I am in the BR3 area.
It's really important that you contact the local police as they have supposedly been shut down.
Given that you are in the Met area I'm going to contact the GLS members to warn them and ask for advice. It would be really helpful if you could email me with your contact details on mary *at* maryreid.org.uk so we can pass on the complaint directly.
Sorry - I meant London Assembly members
They have just called me.
I am in the SK14 area
Can I suggest you contact the local police? They are not supposed to be operating any more..
Good on you Mary!
I've always found great satisfaction by always having the number of someone like a kebab house or taxi company that has put junk mail through my letterbox handy. So when I get an unwanted call, I just say would you please call me on my other line and give them the number.
It gives me a lot of satisfaction and generally I never hear any more from the caller.
Love it!!
They are still operating as I took a call at my mothers house this afternoon.
They are working from an old list of contact details because they were asking for people who no longer
live at the address. They are hitting the FY6 area in Lancashire.
Just to clear up any confusion I can 100% vouch for Crime Prevention Services Limited based in Mold, North Wales (no 01837846). Established in 1984.
This company belongs to a family friend and is 100% legitimate
Thanks
Andy
@Andy - how embarrassing for them. But I do know that it is not the only company who have suffered from having a similar name to the scam merchants.
i have received a call from these people last week and i am in the PR3 area,
they called themselves the home protection campaign, i wonder if they have changed the pitch,
i was going to have an appointment but then cancelled it as i was a bit suspicious
i spoke to someone on the phone and the same person called back within a couple of hours said they were somone else but sounded exactly the same as the person i first initially spoke to !!
how bizzar
watch out!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you. A friend who lives near me tells me that she had a call quite recently, so they seem to have come back to my area.
I'll repeat my advice - tell your local police.
Well I've had a call today but when asked which company it was he said Group 1 based in Richmond although the beginning of the call was focussed around Crime Protection Agency and that they were calling on their behalf.
Well they are now in the congleton area, apparently I can get a free alarm! They are ringing me back in a bit but am going to tell them I'm not interested after reading all these posts! Thankyou
I'm from Congleton - had a call a moment ago (withheld number) from Crime Prevention.. (Didnt hear the full thing what she said, as she spoke far to quick)
She was phoning me back as we 'spoke' in December and I accepted a contract....
I don't know what for, but I have not accepted no contract in the slightest.
I told her this, and said I am pretty sure, that ive not even spoke to you before.
She said pretty sure isn't good enough, you will be gettin a bill in the post and if you don't pay you will be hearing from court..
She said she has a voice recorded contract that she will send out to me. .
I'm a small business, and im wondering if she has had my number from the thomson local or yell.com... etc.
What the hell
Its quite worrying. Does anyone know what to do?
thanks
Report it to the Police. That is fraud
I'm in London E11. Just had such a call from a guy with a Manchester accent. When I queried why he had withheld his number he cut off.
They are still going HP15 got a call this morning!!!
Also in HP10 this afternoon
They are now trying to conn the people of South Essex RM17 area.
I had a call from them today, told them I was not interested and I put the phone down.
Just got one today (UB8) which cut itself off after the person said "Crime Prevention...", and had another at the end of last week which sounded official, but I told them I was too busy when I was asked to go through a survey :(
Maybe they looked me up on TPS after they dialled this time...
Just "give the tablet" to bland nasal sounding person of the ilk described above "covering the RM5 area" I kinda washed over and rolled with im not the homeowner to get rid of them as I have a short fuse today...
Hi Mary!
SURPRISE!! I had a call an hour ago from the same mob, purporting to be concerned because of the rising crime numbers in the RG9 area. I was less than helpful and very suspicious, and a cursory Google search found your very helpful post. I have not read all the comments above, but the early negative ones should be ashamed of themselves because clearly this bogus company are still doing the rounds more than a year later. Thanks for the alert - much appreciated.
And now they're trawling CH45.
Yes now in the Wirral area of Merseyside! Thanks for the heads up. Luckily I was visiting my parents place when the call came through. I questioned who he was, the name Roger Holcomb and after a few pauses, I extracted his company name from him which was Group 1 Security based in Cheshire. After asking him to remove the number from the telephone list and not wanting wireless security, he soon hung up.
The company doing most of country is group 1 and they always use false names ( they really called Anna and john) they based in altrincham and small office at heathrow and selling system for upto 5k, I'm an self employed engineer and no about the system and although it's good they ripping people off as I as well as other reputable fitters know
Crime Protection Initiative is the people phoning not crime prevention, and they're a really good company. They offer free monitored alarm systems across the UK - as part of a national promotional campaign. I went along with this and they did alert me nice and early that as it is a monitored alarm system there is a monitoring fee. I was told the prices and was very pleased. I arranged an appointment with the alarm providers and then a very nice gentleman came down and demonstrated this system to myself. I was delighted with the system they were offering, it has everything you could possibly want/need from an alarm system - at a reasonable cost.
Crime Protection Initiative is nothing to worry about. They will not pester you if you declare yourself not interested in the campaign they are running. But I would like to recommend to anyone looking for an alarm system at the moment, to definitely take a look into this company.
I believe the providers of the alarm are Group One Security - You should definitely have a look at them there brilliant!!!!
I have published the last comment even though I believe it to be a troll (that is, planted by the company).
I suggest everyone checks out http://forum.sydenham.org.uk/viewtopic.php?t=7181 before being taken in by Crime Protection Initiative.
If you have a complaint against Group 1 Security you can call the Sales Director Jon Rigby on 07580043730
I can confirm Group 1 Security are operating on The Wirral. Targeted my mum with stories of high crime rates and an offer of a free alarm before getting her to sign up to four and a half thousand pounds worth of work she didn't need. Disgraceful.
I received one of these calls today, having already read the info on this site I knew what was coming, I can handle myself so I thought i'd give them the benefit of the doubt as I used to work in one of these call centres, I received a call back from a chap named Daniel Grey about 20mins after the first phone call, he gave me some information on crime statistics and explained how the bell alarm is no longer being responded to by police (something that I did not know) he then continued to explain how it was group one security who were running a promotional campaign in the area and could offer me a wireless monitored system free of charge also installation free, with just a monitoring cost, he was not able to give me an exact price because each alarm is made to suit an individual needs, I agreed to an appointment and got a call back from a lady at the head office at Group1 who explained further and gave me the identification of the assessor called Peter who was also an ex police officer now employed by Group1. His came around and pitched the system to me and my wife, he was not pushy what so ever, lovely chap to be honest, we did not take on the system because we had both just been made redundant but we have the number and as soon as we are back in employment we will surely take one of these systems. I suppose it goes to show its not a scam however I do agree ''Crime Protection'' could be abit misleading but certainly not a scam preying on the elderly.
- Mark
Sorry for the delay in publishing the comment above
Look group 1 security are fraudsters. If you want to complain you can call Jon Rigby sales director on 07580043730
After cancelling the work that my mum had been talked into over the phone, in a letter and in an email, she received a further call from the manager at Group 1 Security saying that she should continue with the installation and he was 'worried about her because she's on her own'. I can't help but think that those saying they are 'not pushy' are from the company. I have reported them to the Telephone Preference Service and Trading standards.
They are now phoning in the RH1 area. I have had 2 calls today. One from a woman who assured me she wasn't selling anything but was describing a product to prevent crime, and the other from a man named Tom.
Both hung up immediately when I said I was on the TPS list and that I would be reporting them.
TSP will be sending me a form to fill in as they have said that they will investigate further.
Just had a call for Crime Prevention UK - offering free installation - and was I or anyone in the household over 60 years old. When told no, she said - oh (with surprise) you may still qualify. Then went into crimes "statitstics mode". Both of us got bored quite quickly and she put the phone down. Number withheld. Checked Google and found this blog. We are Essex: SS6 area
G1S Solutions (Group 1 Security) are agressive when cold calling, the aim is to get a risk assessement officer round to see you the next day, get the system installed the next day and get your money.
If you have been unfortunate to be receiving a visit from G1S/Group 1 Security please phone Citizens Advise Helpline on 08454 04 05 06 and they will arrange the police to be there at the time.
A home alarm is designed to keep criminals out, Group 1 Security are criminals!
Thanks Mary for this information. I've received a rather frightening scare mongering letter from Group 1 Security today. The title says "IMPORTANT - DO NOT DISREGARD THIS LETTER". I'll now be ready for when they call and the letter has been "filed".
I received a letter from Group 1 Security about a proactive campaign that they were running throughout my local borough (I'm from the Potters Bar area) - Initially I was very skeptical about the campaign and soon received a call from one of their consultants, Geoffrey Moss - who's job was to run me through the campaign in a bit more detail.
The figures he used were from the official Police.UK website (and I did my homework, no exaggeration was used) and they did indeed show a slight upwards trend in home burglary since this time last year. He explained very thoroughly that as part of the regional campaign I would be eligible for a free system and installation, with the only cost to myself being the monitoring of it.
I invited one of their risk assessment officers around who was a lovely chap called Douglas Smith who was an ex police officer, after a brief demonstration of the system and a risk assessment he worked out several packages for the monitoring cost dependent on how extensively I would like to be covered and my own personal budget (I'm on a state pension) was taken in to account. I bought a monitoring package for just £24 per month on a rolling contract and I've found my system to be very useful.
One piece of advice from me: Don't judge all security companies around what SAS Fire and Security did, G1S is a legitimate and professional company.
Sorry for the delay in publishing the comment from Willie Taylor, but I have been on holiday.
I would refer you to my post here: http://www.maryreid.org.uk/blog/?q=node/240
The local police advised me: "We are advising residents not to have dealings with them nor Central Intelligence Security Solutions ( CISS) and Group 1 Security. They all appear to be telemarketing/cold caller type companies."
See further comments from other people about Group 1 Security in the thread above.
Had a call from a suspicious sounding gentleman who said he was calling from the 'crime prevention control center' - after asking him if he was part of the local constabulary I eventually found out he was calling from Group 1 Security and wanted to make an appointment to demonstrate an alarm system to me and my wife.
I actually had a call from these guys today. I always make brief notes when I receive unsolicited sales calls so I can expand on my experience.
'PC James Thompson' called me claiming to be part of the crime prevention team with Merseyside constabulary.
He explained that there was a 'defeat the burglar' campaign running in my area due to an upsurge in robbery and burglary. (Figures which I later discovered were false when I looked at my neighborhood watch briefing as provided by the Home Office.)
A company, G1S, were sponsoring the campaign (he later confirmed that he was directly affiliated with the company) and said company had agreed to issue free house alarms to all local house holders in a bid to reduce crime rate.
Upon further questioning Mr Thompson explained that there would be a monitoring cost in order to receive a response. When asked how much said cost would be he insisted that a sales representative must come round to evaluate my needs and determine the cost.
I declined and was then mocked by Mr Thompson who then slammed the phone.
Willie Taylor is actually Jon Rigby, sales director of G1S.
Willie Taylor above describes Doug Smith as a lovely chap who is an ex police officer. In fact Doug Smith is a thief and a conman who has spent time in Wormwood scrubs!
I have decided not to publish a comment posted yesterday because it makes accusations which could be viewed as libellous. If the commenter can substantiate those claims, perhaps with links to news reports, then I could publish it.
What was the basic outline of the post which you decided not to publish Mrs Reid?
Having had the call myself I am very curious.
It stated that someone had a criminal record. I can't risk publishing that unless someone points me towards the evidence.
I had a call from a gentleman calling himself "Matthew Peterson" this morning. At first he told me clearly he was calling from Merseyside Police (crime prevention unit). He explained that an official government campaign was running due to a "rise in crime" (funny as our local PCSO has told us crime rates are falling).
He went on to explain i was eligible for a free alarm where everything is free. The only cost was for the monitoring so i declined the offer. When i then asked where he was calling from he back tracked and said group 1 security and his name was "James Thompson."
Who was this man? Where was he from? Why did he use an alias?
I would strongly advise you to tell the local police team about it.
It seems that Mr. Thompson is making these phone calls to a large number of people in Merseyside.
I encountered a similar call today after receiving a letter three days earlier. It was explained that the crime rate in Merseyside has increased somewhat since last year! I was then quite boldly asked what kind of security measures I have taken to secure my home, a question which I refused to answer! These guys could be asking this under false premise to case the joint for all I know.
After some deliberation I was told that I was eligible for a free security system (apparently my postal code is in a "qualifying sub-section of what ever they're doing") (What the hell is a qualifying sub-section?!)
I eventually agreed to take up a free demonstration of the system as I figured I had nothing to lose, after a quick google search I found this page and called G1S to cancel my appointment. I was greeted by Richard Tailor, a manager at the company, who interrogated me as to why I wanted to cancel my appointment (in a manner which sounded rather aggressive) - I explained that I had seen bad write ups about the company on the Internet to which he replied "I know what the home-owner wants, I know what the home-owner needs." And hung up.
Very odd indeed. I advise people to be very careful.
These con men are now operating in the N14 area, I initially received a call this morning around 10:03 AM from a male called Stephen McNuff who informed me of the campaign and asked if I would like a call back with further information (I said no because I was in bed at the time;) Mr McNuff then asked if I was "one of those lazy people who stays in bed all day" I went on to explain that I was disabled and have a hard time moving around independently, how dare this man have the audacity to ask that?! I accepted the call back to get him off the phone eventually!
My phone rang again 5 minutes later and I was greeted to the nasal/frog sounding voice of a gentleman called Nigel Millett - and what ensued was one of the oddest conversations I've ever had!! I too was told I am in a 'qualifying subsection' of my local borough and would be eligible for a free alarm.. I asked Mr Millett what kind of back up or sponsorship the campaign had and he actually told me it was officially backed by the UK Home Office and Barnet Council! (Yeah, right!)
He went on to explain that a former military police officer, Douglas Smith, was patrolling my area offering friendly 30 minute surveys and a demonstrations of this system as a way of establishing what would interest me, he also explained that Mr McNuff had passed on the message of the fact I suffered from a disability and he thought I would benefit from the "Medi-care" aspect of the system which came equipped with trip-and-fall sensors as well as medical pendants for emergencies.. this sounded like it would cost a fortune but when I asked Nigel how much it'd be he said it depends on how many call outs I would require and my risk level "You may require a call out once in a blue moon, if not never.." was his method of explaining the cost (too vague for my liking Mr. Millett!)
I agreed to the appointment in the end as I was promised a free UV property marking pen as well as a free risk assessment for my time. My door bell rang 30 minutes later and I was greeted not by Douglas Smith, former police officer, but by a lady called Sarah (who didn't look a ten-bob note if I'm completely honest) I asked for her badge and identification at the door and she gave me a poorly made, self laminated, G1S identification that looked like it had been made on Microsoft Paint..Needless to say that was enough to put me off letting "Sarah Wade" in to my home, I turned her away from my door and that was the end of that (Or so I thought!)
Richard Taylor, marketing and sales manager, at Group 1 gave me a call no longer than five minutes after I had turned his representative away, he sounded angry.. comparable to a rhinoceros on heat and in a fashion similar to what the poster above encountered he yelled at me "I KNOW WHAT THE HOME OWNER WANTSHH, I KNOW WHAT THE HOME OWNER NEEDSHHH, I INVENTED THE PITCH FOR THESE ALARM SYSTEMS!! YOU THINK ITS A SURPRISE WE GET SO MANY PICK UPSSSSHH" and the phone then slammed with some force!
Geoff - I would have laughed at their stupidity if it wasn't so serious. They appear to be using a script to identify people with disabilities. I hope you have been in touch with your local police, and with Barnet Council to warn them.
Richard Taylor does not exist, the person you were speaking to would have been Jon Rigby Sales Director and yes he is very obnoxious indeed. Mr Rigby also uses the names Simon Manning, Andrew Langley and on this board as Willie Taylor.
Either him or Nima Rastegar, sales manager.
Group 1 Security (G1S Solutions) fit the Visionic PowerMax plus system which is a good wireless alarm system but a typical 4 bed house kit costs just £300. A simple search on the web will find this system for sale an example is www.quick2fit.co.uk for around £300. Group 1 charge £5,000 plus for these systems so please don't get ripped off!
I would like to advise people that Group 1 do not charge £5,000 for this system. Part of the packages they offer include monitoring of the system which you would obviously not get if you were to just buy the system one off.
Monitoring means that 24 hours a day, 7 days a week the system would be remotely connected to a station where by if anything was to activate the system weather the home owner was at home or not it would send them a signal and allow them to deal with it appropriately. (even able to send a response to the property).
There are several companies who offer this service in the UK, the largest of which being ADT. ADT charge between £99 and £149 one off for the system. They then go on to charge around £35 a month for the monitoring. This means that if you were with ADT for 10 years you would have paid around £4300. With ADT you rent the system for as long as you have it, so if you decide to end your contract with them you wont even benefit from a deterrent as they will come and take the system out. How is this not unacceptable when Group 1 charging a similar amount is?
Also i receive aggressive, misleading calls from a number of large companies (including British Gas, Santander ect) and they seem to be ok with it. Lets face it how many times have we been told by gas and electric companies that they WILL save us money but when we switch it doesn't turn out to be the case. To me this is much much worse than what Group 1 do. If somebody doesn't want one of the systems, dont book an appointment, its that simple.
i realise i am going to be called a "troll" maybe even an employee but that is why i have shown my working out above.
ps mary, i think you should make more of an effort to verify some of the comments above as i struggle to believe some of them are true. I think theres a word for publishing untrue comments.
mary have you contacted the company themselves to give them a right to reply before publishing these derogatory comments?
I am sure the company is monitoring this blog and has indeed posted comments in the past. I cannot vouch for the accuracy of anything written by commenters on my blog, but I publish them in the spirit of free speech. However, the accumulated impact of the comments, both here and elsewhere on the web, is quite persuasive.
I do not give in to veiled threats.
In reply to those writing in support of Crime Prevention UK and its various guises I would ask why a reputable company would want to mislead punters, and why police forces across the country have warned against them.
I would assume the above comment was penned by Nima Rastegar. He's a former salesman at G1S, now serving as a make-shift manager, commonly referred to as Richard Taylor when he liaises with clients.
Admittedly British Gas and similar companies may make said comments, but they do so whilst abiding by the OfCom codes of conduct, something which G1S Ltd. (Soon to rename due to their lousy reputation) do not.
Firstly they canvass to numbers which have not been screened against the TPS database, the call-centre staff are actively encouraged to use scare-mongering tactics to persuade people to take up demonstrations (inflated crime statistics). Not to mention the fact that they prey on the elderly, people whom they feel will cave in to the massive amount of pressure piled on to them by the field salesmen (who they claim are former members of the Police force, when in fact they are former double-glazing sales sharks.)
I am a former manager at the company, I am all to familiar with the slimy tactics they use to con elderly, innocent people out of their money. Yes Nima, you do offer the monitoring service (a service which could be bought independently for £3/month) but your maintenance is certainly not free, you charge for that. The fact you mention ADT is laughable, they are by and large the most reputable security company in the country, it is also funny the fact you calculate how much their monitoring would be over 10 years, they give people the option to pay in small monthly amounts rather than taking several thousand pounds upfront.
I agree with Nima (sorry I mean Mark Regis) that Group 1 Security do not charge £5,000 for an alarm system –in fact they typically charge £6,000 - £7,000. This is what that Doug Smith quoted my elderly parents. And yes I am referring to the "lovely chap Douglas Smith" as Jon Rigby (sorry I mean Willie Taylor) described him in his post on the 18 October 2012. I stepped in to stop the sale.
The readers on this board can take their own view on why G1S ask for all the money up front for a long term monitoring contract!
Interesting comments by the poster on 20 December 2012 as he was a manager at G1S and one would assume there is sufficient info that G1S will know who he is so he is unlikely to be on G1S Christmas card list.
What I would like to ask is
How did you get the job and did you know what you were getting into to?
Do G1S actually monitor?
Background information on Jon Rigby, Nima, Andy, What did they do before G1S, Group 1 Security, Easy Credit etc
Commission rates for sales staff and tele canvasses?
Mobile phone number of directors. Jon Rigby no longer seems to be answering his mobile!
The directors of G1S have set up 2 new companies, this is public information and a search of www.companieshouse.co.uk will find this information:
DEFENCE MM LIMITED
Company incorporated 7 December 2012, 13 December 2012 Nima, Andy and Jon appointed as directors, Companies House Reg 08322233
INTEL DEFENCE SECURITY LIMITED (previously know as SUSSEX SECURITY SERVICES LIMITED) Companies House Reg No 06016964
Taken over this company and Nima, Jon and Andy appointed as directors on 13 December 2012 and company name changed to INTEL DEFENCE SECURITY LIMITED
The directors are:
HALAPPERUMAGE ANANGALAL SARATHCHANDA GUNASEKERA (known as Andy)
Date of Birth: 19 January 1954
Jon Paul Rigby Date of birth : 11 May 1981
Nima Rastegar Date of Birth 10 September 1986
Company reg 06016964 changed name to INTER DEFENCE SECURITY LIMITED and Andy, Jon and Nima are the directors.
The www.group1security.com website has gone and they have a new website:
http://www.interdefencesecurity.biz/
http://www.interdefencesecurity.com/
http://www.interdefencesecurity.info/
http://www.interdefencesecurity.net/
http://www.interdefencesecurity.org/
http://www.interdefencesecurity.org.uk/
Different company, same directors, sama scam
If you look at http://interdefencesecurity.co.uk it is exactly the same as group1security's website
Its even a got a picture of the notorious Doug Smith http://www.intds.co.uk/Campaign
If you see Doug please call you local police station!
Yesterday both Jon Rigby and Andy resigned as directors of Inter Defence Security, Have the directors fallen out? As the saying goes there is no honour amongst theives...
Also can anyone shed light on what Defence MM Limited is about?
Thanks for updating us!
Hi does anyone know if LOCKEDUP monitored security is by chance conected with these people. we are in gu6 area.
G1S Solutions went into administration on Friday 8 March 2013 see London Gazette
http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/all=g1s/start=1
This is nothing to celebrate as no doubt Jon Rigby and Andy have made off with the money and Nima Rastegar continues with Inter Defence Security.
Customers of G1S Solutions are now being contacted by Locked Up Monitored Security of Middlesbough company reg 03645169
Can the anonymous who posted on 8 March 2013 in GU6 area advise if they were a victim of G1S and if so how much?
Regarding Locked Up Monitoring, they have operated under many different company names, I strongly recommend you read this newspaper article:
http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/news-archive/2005/02/05/...
about their directors being sent to prison in 2005 when trading standards threw the book at them for preying on and ripping off pensioners.
They are currently going around scamming people with current systems fitted by G1S security systems, stating G1S has been liquidated and their customers with 10 year monitoring as part of the alarm purchase package are no longer entitled to monitoring.
In my opinion G1S and Locked Up monitoring are all one and the same scum of the earth scam artists preying on vulnerable elderly people.
Be warned SAME PEOPLE
http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/news-archive/2005/02/05/...
They are now operating in the Enfield & South Herts areas under the name of IDS (Inter Defence Secutiry), using almost identical promotional material and sales techniques as G1S last September.
Hi yes we did fall foul of G1S in 2011 and will not disclose the amount on an open forum.
We reviewed the www.intds.co.uk site
Overall the site is amateurish with poor grammar, we assume it was produced by Jon Rigby who is way less smart than he thinks he is. The testimonials are all false. The campaigns page is bizarre! At least it has pictures of aggressive sales duo of Doug Smith and Peter De Abreu. Do not let them enter your home, call the police.
IDS Web Statement: The No.1 in home protection
Comment: Absolutely not.
IDS Web: Guarantee
Your system and all related services come with an unlimited and unconditional guarantee. We will repair, replace and provide all services necessary free of charge against any possible defects as part of this guarantee.
Comment: Yes but the directors previous companies Group 1 Security and G1S closed after a year so it is unlikely IDS will be around for long to honour the guarantee
IDS Web: Established in 2006
Comment: The company was originally called Sussex Security Services Limited which was established in 2006 but the current directors were only appointed in December 2012.
IDS Web: Our company directors and managers have over 4 decades of valuable experience in the home safety and security industry.
Comment: Utter rubbish, IDS is currently run by Nima Rastegar who is an arrogant 26 year old with no experience of the security industry
IDS Web: With bases already in Manchester and London, we are opening more and more offices across the country.
Comment: No they have a rented mailbox in Manchester and Hownslow.
IDS: Most of our business comes from referrals, an indication that our clients are sure of our ability to deliver on all that we do and promise
Comment: No their business comes from telling lies and bullying customers
Please note that I have no way of verifying the claims made by people who post comments on this website.
The warnings I received from my local police, plus the investigations by journalists of some of the companies mentioned, do imply that there is a solid base to the allegations. However I do have to cover myself and say that I have not personally investigated the claims in the comments and invite my readers to judge them for themselves.
I once had the pleasure of working for John and Nima I went around actually selling the systems I was on commission only so had to be ruthless or didn't get paid if you paid 5000 pound for a system I would have made £850 I could do 3 of them a week so as you can see it was extremely good money John and Nima use fake names all the time I never new there real name for about 2 weeks after starting with them they have there call centere in altrincham were they are on commission only as well if anyone's got anymore questions i will more than happily answere them.
Some articles relating to alarm scams. A little research would probably show that all these people are related in some way or other.
http://blogs.mirror.co.uk/investigations/2012/03/stewart-timmins-banned-...
http://blogs.mirror.co.uk/investigations/2011/03/sas-fire-and-security-a...
Same people as SAS fire and security, 50 million pound solar panel scam
http://blogs.mirror.co.uk/cgi-bin/mt522/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=49&se...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006mg74/features/rogue-traders-landmark...
http://www.homesecurityexpert.org.uk/news/174-jail-for-burglar-alarm-scam
Thank you - very helpful
IDS appointed 2 new directors on 14 March 2013, Ordered Management Director Ltd and Ordered Management Secretary Ltd http://www.orderedmanagement.co.uk
This comes just 2 weeks after I reported that Jon Rigby and Andy GUNASEKERA resigned as directors. Is this because Jon and Andy are about to be banned from being directors or an attempt to hide from the authorities?
They are recruiting 15 telephone canvassers to their Altringham call centre, below are the details from a gumtree add:
Telephone Appointment Makers Required
Manchester
Reply to this ad or Alex on 07952019549
Contract type
Permanent
Due to Expansion 15 Additional Positions Available
£10 Per Hour, Plus Bonuses Paid Weekly
Full and Part Time Positions Available, Flexible Hours
No Cold Calling
Full Training Is Provided
Experience Is An Advantage
Based in Timperley, Altrincham
Send Your CV and a Manager Will Contact You Back Within 2 Hours to Arrange an Interview
Immediate Start
The Ordered Management directors resigned 22 March 2012, just 1 week after being appointed. I do not know the reason but I believe Ordered Management are a legit company who may not have been aware of the background of IDS.
Unfortunately Mary the law in the UK doesn't work like that. As a qualified barrister I would advise you seek to verify all comments you receive. Posting them on your site without doing so could potentially lead to a court case. This is personified by the fact the company do nothing wrong. They are registered at companies house, all accounts are up to date and their office location information is in the public domain. If they were as bad as some of your posts state, they would have been closed down and prosecuted some time back. I would be very very careful if I were you. Remember, it's your name in the address bar and it's you choosing to publish these comments with no real effort to verify them.
I disagree with the comment submitted by anonymous on 13 April 2013. Whilst they are registered at companies house their accounts are not up to date and they owe both VAT and corporation tax, that is why they went into liquidation. DirectorCheck will show that Jon Paul Rigby and Halapperuage Gunasekera were directors of the following companies
Group 1 Security (dissolved )
Crime Prevention Organisation (dissolved )
G1S Solutions (in liquidation)
Inter Defence Security
Defence MM
They operate by setting up companies and deliberately taking them into liquidation and then setting up a new company.
Mary does sterling work posting this blog and has no doubt saved many from being ripped off. They sell 10-15 year monitoring deals with payment up front so as you can see from their company history the companies do not stay around long.
Their registered address is a mailbox but there is nothing wrong with a mailbox as many legit companies do this.
Every Police force up and down the country is aware of the these companies and will not hesitate to take action, anyone who receives a visit from an Inter Defence Security Sales rep should call their local police. However, this type of crime is low on the priority radar and building a case for prosecution takes effort which is not always supported.
In reply to the poster on 13 April 2013. You are incorrect when you say the company do nothing wrong.
Telling lies to make sales is against the law
Dear Qualified Barrister
Welcome to the forum but I must say that I was perplexed by the nature of your post. Barristers defend criminals in court which is perfectly acceptable and part of the legal process. But what I cannot understand is why a Barrister would come to this forum to defend the despicable and disgraceful behaviour of companies like Group 1 Security and Inter Defence Security?
I also find it ironic that you complain that Mary makes no real effort to verify the posts when you yourself have made no effort to verify your own post. You have made the following incorrect statements:
“Accounts are up to date”: - Companies house has the G1S statement of affairs dated 4 March 2013 and signed by Halapperuage Gunasekera which shows they own £20K PAYE/NI and £32K VAT
“They would have been closed down”:- The companies have been closed down they simple open new ones. Perhaps as someone with legal training you could advise how the system should be changed to prevent this
“The company does nothing wrong”:- Objection your Honor, this statement is ridiculous
The original company, SAS used similar tactics on a local resident in my area who got suckered into installing a system. Did they adhere to the cooling off period as prescribed by UK law ?, no chance, the engineer was round the next day and it was installed in less than 4 hours.
As I am the Vice chairman of the local residents association, the resident contacted me. Now, to most people this wouldn't be totally interesting. However I have over 33 years experience in legitimate electronic security so this really got my attention.
The first thing I did was inspect the system. 3 cheap £28.00 each passive infra red detectors. A control panel from Mexico and 2 radio door contact switches a "smoke" detector and a personal attack / medical alert button. Total cost, maximum £640 !. The hire agreement and so called alarm recieving centre cost would have made this over £4000 over 5 years.
The control panel had a wire leading to a BT socket with a doubler unit to enable the phone to be connected and the control system. Only problem was inside the control box it went nowhere. If the system had activated it would have made a noise inside but nothing else, no call for Police ( notice I said "for" and not "to". No systems are directly connected to Police stations over than Royalty and MOD sites, the connected to Police blurb is all rubbish). This means that the "medical and Fire" help also would not have been monitored either.
The system had no external sounder, i.e. bell or siren so just a siren inside.
Quite simply one big fat con job. At the request of the home owner I completely removed every scrap of this system. It went in a small box and was store by the resident. It took me 10 seconds to shut the siren up and 10 minutes to take it all down.
On the advice of Trading Standards no money was paid as they had broken the consumer credit act, the system had no merit in law and had they sued for money they would have been slapped down hard by a Judge.
In the end a very sheepish "customer service rep" called and took the system in the box away. Nothing was heard until Inter Defence Security sent the same resident a letter trying to do exactly the same thing. You would have thought they would have learned a lesson, but nooooo..
Moral: Non certified companies cannot offer insurance guarantees and often insurers will reject them and demand properly installed systems. If you want an intruder alarm go to a reputable company which has something like the following text on its website or literature:
"We are a National Security Inspectorate (NSI) NACOSS Gold company- This ensures the highest level of compliance with NSI guidance. Accredited companies are audited to guarantee that the installations of security systems are to industry standards. It also ensures that the company is fully supported by an ISO 9001 management system to guarantee the undertaking of key procedures such as staff training, false alarm management, customer satisfaction and complaint procedures."
I might add that I do not now install or design intruder systems, but I have done so in the past for very large UK companies and designed systems for very big institutions. These sort of tactics don't do an honest industry and favours and only run by cheats out to make a quick buck.
If you get a call simply ask them if they are members of NACOSS, that should get you a very nice "click" on the telephone !!
theguitarman thanks for the post but bear in mind that lying comes natural to IDS so they are very likely to say they are members of NACOSS. I mean they say they are the number one in the UK and that there sales reps are ex police so one more lie won't matter to them!
IDS are still operating and I confirm that the UKs most dishonest salesman Doug Smith is still out on the road. Doug is IDS's top con man and worked for G1S and Group 1 Security. He can make up to £1,000 per sale, if you know his whereabouts let the authorities know
http://www.intds.co.uk/Campaign
Mary
There must be more we can do to stop IDS and ensure that the directors can't just start up again. Otherwise we will still be reading posts on this blog for years. The law needs changing surely is this something that should be raised at Parliament?
Has everyone who has been caught by these people reported it to Action Fraud? It should be possible to take some collective action as well. I'm not a victim so I can't do much more than provide a space for discussion.
I will take it up with my MP too. It would make sense for each person to go to their MP as they can only act for their constituents. But I will find out if anyone in Parliament is taking any action.
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