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  1. #1
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    Question Need Help from Someone in the UK

    I purchased some radio equipment for my sim from someone in Wales. There was 2 items for a total cost of £560. I had to use Western Union since he did not use PayPal. We agreed he would ship it FedEx and I would have them in 4 days. This was on 12/21/10. Looked like a pretty good deal but things started to go wrong. I got this from him when he went to send the packages.

    Hello Larry,

    Your goods has been sent to FedEx but i was told that it won't be
    process for shipment now until after the holiday due to the fact that
    Christmas parcels are in progress now and i will be giving the tracking
    number when it is being process for shipment after the holiday. I have
    been very busy today please pardon my last email and i hope the delay
    won't be a problem for you.

    Was a little nervous about the delay. He was going away for the Holidays and could not get them shipped before the first of the year. Finally on Jan 5th the 2 boxes were shipped and he sent me a tracking number.

    Hello Larry,
    I am happy to let you know that the goods has been shipped, i
    contacted my cousin who happens to be around to help me out with the
    shipment gave him all the details he need to send the goods. Couldn't
    wait any longer because it has taken much time than expected and i had
    to look for a way to get the goods to your as soon as i could. But the
    goods were sent via First Flight Courier Service because he couldn't get
    to FedEx early enough and i also heard was an extra charge to send. Here
    is the details below:

    It had the tracking number and it was showing out for international delivery. Today he and I both received this email.

    Stop of Package Delivery

    INLAND REVENUE AND CUSTOM OFFICE.

    Westcliffe Drive Layton Square,
    Blackpool, Lancashire, FY3 7BJ

    Attn: LARRY VANDIVIER
    Inland Revenue/Custom Office/stamp and the UK Tax Investigation Service are Authorized and Regulated by the Financial Services Authority. The Custom Office and Revenue Department/stamp agents assesses certain type of taxes. A tax is levied on lotteries, raffles, goods, parcels etc. almost everywhere, normally by the payment authority on behalf of the Government. In some cases, we receive a share of lottery taxes levied by the Government.

    However, in most cases, the tax takes the form of a permit fee. It is only classified as a tax in a few Governments/Countries. Non residential tax is the sole of a packaged parcel is now on Hold because we (Tax investigation service/stamp agents) noticed you have not paid for your , parcel Tax so in this case you will have to pay a parcels Tax fee before this delivery can be initiated.

    Ability of the beneficiary. Income taxes deducted from source generally include direct federal tax , communal taxes, as well as, most of the time, church tax. As in the case of income tax, cantonal tax rates vary to a fairly large extent depending on the Locality.

    Governmental tax scales for withholding tax and the corresponding regulations are available at the Government tax departments. The delivery of a Parcel for Therefore, the amount for the Lottery Tax is £260 Pounds sterling and it is payable to the Accounts Department of the UK INLAND REVENUE Tax Office

    Please note that a Tax receipt/stamp receipt will be issued to you along with the Tax Payment. This will ensure that your funds are not Taxed again by any Tax Authority{e.g. the IRS}.

    This Parcel can only be initiated to you if only you are cleared for UK INLAND REVENUE tax, and the only way you can be cleared is when you pay the parcel Tax fee.

    A copy of this message will be forwarded to your Seller and DHL Courier Company .

    * You are to make the payment of the Parcel Tax fee to your Handling officer at the UK INLAND REVENUE Tax Office.

    To my shock I could not believe what I was reading. I figure I may have to pay something but not near this amount. I asked him if he could retrieve the packages but he said it was out of his control and with the Government. Here is his reply.

    Larry honestly speaking i didn't know about this new fees before now
    though i knew about some charges which i had already taken care of.
    This fee is a must paid fee for any goods sending outside UK and it took
    effect on 1/1/2011 the fee is only paid once and when next you order
    anything again from the UK you won't be asked to pay any custom fee
    again because you have already done that before and they have the data
    on the comp. The goods are with the UK custom already until the fees are
    paid before they can be released and finally sent and it can't be
    retrieved and also the goods becomes government's property if you fail
    to pay the fees. The receipt is a prove of payment and i assume this LAW
    affect all courier companies in the UK not just First Flight because it
    has to do with the UK custom.

    What I am trying to find out is there some truth to this? I can not believe there is a new law that if I purchase anything shipped from the UK I have to pay a 1 time tax or fee. Sounds more like a mistake in the paperwork with the shipping company http://firstflightcourierservice.totalh.com

    Any information would be greatly appreciated on where to go from here.



    Any information would be greatly appreciated.

  2. #2
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    Re: Need Help from Someone in the UK

    I really hope someone can help you. The website that you link to looks like a scam!!! The domain name is a subdomain of this domain http://totalh.com/ which is a dodgy (looks bad) site advertising free hosting and the like.

    The couriers company website has contact adresses that point to addresses outside the domain (info@firstflightcs.cz.cc ) which is a bit strange.
    Terms and Conditions are not clickable, sitemap is not clickable/
    The website still contains standard example texts like "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aliquam diam ipsum, nonummy ut, fermentu"
    The site just does not cut it for me ... it is either a really badly put together website for a company that has no money to spend or a clever iidea of a scammers site which has still been put together in a totally unconvincing manner.

    I think you're being scammed, but how? It looks like someone who has access to both of your information, like the shipping company, might have a dodgy co-worker who is running his scam on the side. As soon as he/she gets the goods in he copies the addresses, sends off his letters and delays the parcel for a while... hopefully you do pay him and he releases your parcel or eliminates the delay and sends it on.

    What I would suggest you do (I'm in Holland, not the UK) is send an email to HM Customs (http://search2.hmrc.gov.uk/kbroker/h...h=10&tx0=49638) and ask them if they know anything about this.... Ask your seller to do the same and be prepared to supply all the relevant info to HMC. Finally, get your seller to contact the transport company he used and inquire to the status of the package.

    I really hope this all works out for you .... and I hope my post has, in some way, been helpful.

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    Re: Need Help from Someone in the UK

    ... and reading that story again ........ it just does not make sense, .... the English used in the 'Tax Email' is not the Queens English and not official English (ie, government style), it just does not cut it I'm afraid..

    I honestly think you are being ripped off... and the contact my be involved with Western Union, these Nigerian scammers use Western Union too ... Has your seller received the payment? I mean , . is he genuine? If he is, and if he has recieved the money .... let him get / ask for the status on the package, ... is it DHL or UPS? Phone a branch near you and explain the story.

    If this is a new Nigerian money scheme then I hope someone takes these fcukers down! (excuse my French)

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    Re: Need Help from Someone in the UK

    ... and it's looking gloomier and gloomier ....

    I have just been googling this stuff and came across this website: http://www.data-wales.co.uk/nigerian_lottery.htm

    I found this
    On a general note, if you receive "lottery winner" mail and a follow up asking for payment (via Western Union) to a real or invented courier company , you will know that you have been a target of the advance fee fraud criminal!

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    Re: Need Help from Someone in the UK

    and a search on 'First Flight Courier" also comes up with a lot of bad news:
    http://data-wales.co.uk.master.com/t...Search%3A&s=SS

    ... and then again ...... reading your sellers email about having the goods shipped. ... his English ain't that good either ... I seriously think you've been had

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    Re: Need Help from Someone in the UK

    Would you mind forwarding me the email that he sent you containing the tracking number and the like? I am sure that the email addresses and the like in that email are bogus too. You can send it to my username here @gmail.com .

  7. #7
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    Re: Need Help from Someone in the UK

    I would agree with capetonian that I think you have been scammed. I am from the UK and Im pretty sure that a) if the government had encated a tax law like this it would have appeared in the UK press (as it's pretty damning for exports) and b) Tax is usually applied when importing things so for you that would be the US government on arrival (if at all any tax is due). Im also pretty sure there is no UK Tax Investigation Service and no "Lottery Tax".

    Finally the address of the so called tax office, Westcliffe Drive Layton Square, Blackpool, Lancashire, FY3 7BJ seems to be a residential area. Definately not the Inland Revenue offices.

    And again agreeing with capetonian, the language is certainly far from correct.

    I would also never trust western union for a money transfer as it offers no protection. And I would never trust anyone who doesnt use paypal.

    In the UK I would have all sorts of authorities (Office Of Fair Trading, Police, Inland Revenue Service etc) to contact but as a non-UK citizen im not sure how that would work but try contacting them anyway.

    Im gonna go ahead and guess that the email he send you with a tracking number in it links to a website clone for DHL or whatever to give you the impression of the package being sent.

    How does it work when transferring money on western union? Do you know his account details? That might be the only starting point for tracking this guy down.

    Sorry, Tom.

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    Re: Need Help from Someone in the UK

    Sorry to say this, but this is a scam, if anyone ever mentions the words 'Western Union' or 'Lotteries' its a BIG no no I'm afraid. It also sounds like it is an African scammer (all of which use western union to transfer money, they also use this method to send money to their families in their native countries). Also, the use of the English language is terrible. There is no way that this guy is for real. Nothing adds up or makes sense.

    Here is a link that could be of help:

    http://www.consumerfraudreporting.org/scamsintheUK.php

    http://www.oft.gov.uk/OFTwork/Consum...report-a-scam/

    http://antivirus.about.com/b/2008/05...ttery-scam.htm (read bottom part of page, its of a similar example).

    I really don't know what else to say, but these Nigerians make me sick! They con people because its the only industry that pays in their country, they have nothing to lose; that's why they do it. Sickening!
    GA or the Highway!

  9. #9
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    Re: Need Help from Someone in the UK

    Thanks everyone for your reply. As i read the reply I have to agree this is not looking good. I will not send any more money but will contact my CC company to see if I can get the charges removed. Not sure if the person I have been communicating with is the real ham. However in all his replies he sure sounded honest but I guess that may be just a great act. I am going to do a little more digging at the site where I purchased the radios.

    Thanks guys for your help. At least here I can trust a fellow builder.

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    Re: Need Help from Someone in the UK

    Hi Larry.

    Could you tell of the link to the site where you bought the radios so we can avoid it please?

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