22 November 2006

Beware of telephone salespeople who give the impression that they represent Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service and ask you to buy advertising space.

The warning follows a report of a call to a company in Amersham this morning from a man purporting to be a local fire safety representative.

He tried to persuade them to spend £445 on a quarter-page advertisement in a diary. He did not give a business name and was calling from a withheld number.

Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service does not ring people and ask them to buy advertising space, and has not authorised anyone to do so on its behalf.

If you are approached in this way, our advice is:

• Take a name and telephone number and ask for the offer to be made in writing.

• Never make a commitment or agree to make a payment on the spot without taking time to think about the offer.

• If in doubt, tell Consumer Direct by ringing 08454 04 05 06 or emailing from their website. The number for Minicom users is 08451 28 13 84.

• If a salesperson says he or she is working with Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service in particular, or the fire service in general, please email the person’s or company’s name and telephone number, along with details of any offer that has been made, to Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service HQ at info@bucksfire.gov.uk