TRADING standards officers are warning businesspeople to beware if they receive letters from firms claiming to regulate health and safety legislation.
One woman in Hartlepool recently received an official-looking letter from an organisation calling itself the Health and Safety Registration Enforcement Division, in Rochdale.
The letter, similar to two others recently sent to businesses in the town, asks the business to pay £249 for registration.
Malcolm Graham, a Hartlepool Borough Council trading standards officer, said: "None of these organisations are connected with the Health and Safety Executive and under the Health and Safety Act, there is no legal requirement for anyone to pay a fee for registration.
"If this businesswoman had replied to the letter, filled out a questionnaire and paid the fee by credit card, not only would she have lost her payment, but the fraudsters would also have had her business details and credit card details, which could have led to further fraud being committed."
Hartlepool's Trading Standards team can be contacted on (01429) 523351.
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