MS FARMER ASKED THE MINISTER FOR TOURISM AND FAIR TRADING (MR LAWLOR) —
QUESTION:
Will the Minister provide details of the most common ‘scams’ being aimed at seniors in Queensland this year?
ANSWER:
The Bligh Government is committed to informing Queenslanders about scams and prosecuting scammers who breach Fair Trading legislation.
While it is difficult to pinpoint exact numbers, it is believed Queensland seniors have been most commonly targeted by two types of scams in 2010; letters which claim to offer the recipient financial rewards and door-to-door traders selling dodgy goods and services.
Types of scam letters received include fake lottery wins, clairvoyant predictions of ‘positive financial luck’ and inheritance claims. One letter claims to be from an overseas-based lawyer offering large inheritances based on the recipient sharing the surname of a recently deceased person, while another purports to be from a clairvoyant who offers to reward people with a period of financial good luck which could result in large cash prizes.
There have also been reports of letters which claim the recipient has won a multi-million dollar overseas lottery, despite the person never entering.
These scam letters generally ask the recipient to pay an administration fee of up to $80 in return for a potential fortune. Some letters simply ask for personal details, although follow up correspondence will usually include a request for some form of payment.
The letters are normally personally addressed to the resident of the household, which can cause additional stress and confusion for an elderly recipient.
Door-to-door traders who target elderly Queenslanders generally offer to lay bitumen driveways or complete handyman work such as painting or roof repairs. These traders often ignore basic requirements of the door-to-door provisions of Fair Trading legislation, such as the ten-day cooling off period for products or services worth more than $75. During this cooling off period, no payments or deposits should be made, and no work should commence.
Door to door traders who offer to lay bitumen driveways often claim they have leftover materials from a nearby job, however the reality is that the product is watered down and of a poor standard, leaving the consumer to pay for repairs.
Traders who breach Queensland’s door-to-door legislation can face fines of up to $10,000 for an individual and $50,000 for a corporation.
The Office of Fair Trading issues regular consumer warnings when scams emerge in areas across the state and encourages Queenslanders to lodge a complaint when they feel they have been misled.
