Forester's Fund for Children - Scam?

[KingdomOfAdventure]

Hi all,

Just curious if anyone has been contacted by these people.

The Foresters' Fund for Children - Helping Others to Help Children

I got a phone call today asking if I wanted to donate to their charity and in return I'd be given an ad slot in their leaflets for fundraising. The add would be business card sized and would cost me £95...
The guy said that all monies raised would be kept in the area they were raised in.

It sounded suspicious so I did some googling and sure enough SCAM came up a number of times.

Anyone know anything more about this?

I've sent them an email explaining that I did not agree to any kind of donation as I already support a number of other charities.

Cheers,

David

 

[stugster]

Hi David,

It is indeed a scam! There is another company going about doing this called Vardis. I was almost scammed out of a few hundred quid before I did a google.

Have a peek here: Advertising scam? - Page 2 - UK Business Forums

 

[KingdomOfAdventure]

Bonkers. Curious if they'll come looking for the money.

 

[KingdomOfAdventure]

As if by magic I got a follow up call in response to my email from Vardis. I made it clear that I wouldn't be giving them any money and they said they'd come back to me in a month or so's time.

Some people...

 

[MandsPAs]

I have recently been emailed asking for me to help out the trustees of a charity by them sending me money and me forwarding on to another account less my fee of 20%. I think stolen cheques and fraud do spring to mind here! lol I was going to report the email to the Police but just hit that delete button instead!

 

[Employment Law Services]

Forresters Fund for children is a registered charity and Vardis is a publishing company acting on their behalf - what are you basing your opinions on?

Company Name THE FORESTERS FUND FOR CHILDREN
Incorporation Date 06/05/1987
Company Number 02128697 Sic Code 8532
Company Status Active - Accounts Filed Sic Description SOCIAL WORK ACTIVITIES WITHOUT ACCOMMODATION
Registered Address
37 Highfield
Penperlleni
Pontypool
NP4 0BH


Company Name VARDIS
Business Classification PUBLISHERS' SERVICES
Sic Code 2211 Sic Description PUBLISHING OF BOOKS
Trading Address
OFFICE SUIT 4A,TOWER BUILDING,22 WATER ST
LIVERPOOL
MERSEYSIDE
L3 1BN
Date Business Established 25/01/08

 

[stugster]

My opinions are based on facts I uncovered when researching the business and previous complaints made against them to Trading Standards and the Police.

Vardis - STAY CLEAR - UK Business Forums

Vardis - Blagger.com - The place to leave feedback and comments about companies you have used

? Scam or not - Page 2 - UK Business Forums

Forresters Fund For Children – Vardis Scam Warning - Red Cardinal

Warning - Forresters Fund For Children - Vardis Scam Warning at Studiopottery.co.uk Blog

Caricatures Ireland vardis

ALL ADS UP TO SICK KIDS CHARITY SCAM - mirror.co.uk

Oh, and here's the fantastic artwork they put together for me (sarcasm):

Not really something you'd expect from a professional publishing firm, is it?

 

[stugster]

P.S. Forgot to mention that after having declined their advert in writing, someone else phoned a month later informing me that a woman in my business had taken out an advert with them and that payment was due. The advert was not the same reference as the one published above - they'd just created an order out of thin air in the hope I'd pay.

 

[stugster]

Sorry to keep spamming this thread, but here's a very useful link:

Manchester City Council Trading Standards Service

"A typical rogue 'publisher' will consist of little more than a telesales team armed with a stack of telephone directories and other publications containing advertisements. Smaller businesses are usually targeted and operatives use deliberately misleading patter that is often carefully scripted to sell advertising space in various types of publications - wall planners, diaries, yearbooks, crime prevention or drugs awareness booklets etc. Costs usually range from about £100 to £1,000 depending upon the size of advert. Sometimes it is claimed the publication is being produced on behalf of some reputable or worthy sounding cause, or that proceeds will go to charity."


"In reality some of these rogue 'publishers' produce nothing at all, and although some may produce a few token copies of the supposed publication, these are not circulated in sufficient numbers or in the right areas to be of any practical benefit to the victims."

 

[Brian McIntosh]

This is definitely a scam. You'll get the phone call shortly asking you to pay for the advert you ordered.

 

[Former Member 1]

Forresters Fund for children is a registered charity and Vardis is a publishing company acting on their behalf - what are you basing your opinions on?

No reputable charity employs Vardis as its agent....

There are DOZENS of cases where people have been contacted by Vardis. NOT agreed to an ad, but they go ahead and publish it anyway then send in the hounds...

And the structure of a charity is REGULARLY abused by people who set them up in order to syphon money off for themselves. There are HUNDREDS of essentially bogus charities in the UK...

 

[Former Member 1]

OOH! And while we're at it....

There will be a crop of these guys working their scams between now and mid-November. Some will claim to be supporting the Police, Fire, Ambulance and Coastguard....

I'm doing a wee documentary about these characters. If you're contacted by anyone claiming to work on behalf of any of the emergency services let me know. Hoping to involve some of my contacts in the Police and Trading standards... And of course will be collating and passing on any and all information on to them...

 

[Gordon N]

They tried to sting me a few years back, and funnily enough when I threatened court action, and copied the letter to a solicitor and two newspapers they stopped harrassing me.

Scammers through and through - they have tried again since too! The business I ran then is buried now so I have a new business name which means I have the pleasure of telling them the same story everytime they call.

 

[vardis]

I hope they're not still going.

Especially as they share their name with my company - Vardis Driving School.

 

[Former Member 1]

I don't know if I'm relieved or disappointed....

Sadly, Vardis, the 'publishers' are alive, well and (in my opinion :001_tt2 scamming folk right left and centre.... As well as ripping off your good name!

I did notice that you'd joined, and was hoping, just hoping one of THEM was going to come on here and provide me with a little sport.... Had me claws 'specially sharpened and everything

But I'm sure you're very welcome and we'll take careful note of the fact that you and they are VERY different businesses, In every possible way...

Welcome to SBF... :thumbup1:

 

[stugster]

I hope they're not still going.

Especially as they share their name with my company - Vardis Driving School.

A little bit of me was also hoping that you were in fact the infamous Vardis 'publishing'.

Welcome to the forums though!

 

[biggsdogg]

Well we're now 2 weeks away from Xmas and those cheeky wee chappies from Vardis(Foresters Fund for Children) are still on the go. Took a call 14/12/2009 from them selling ads for businesses. The usual call back 10 minutes later, recording the call. I did what most people have and asked for a proof to be sent and it now looks like I have an ad whether I want it or not. Well I aint no pushover so I can't wait for them to call back cause we've got the fraud squad involved after visting this forum. Lets bring this mob down. After reading these posts surely enough is enough

 

[Gordon N]

Vardis are a rather unfortunate bad smell amongst the businesses community, they will always back down before you manage to get them into court (I know I tried!)

I have a feeling that just when we all think we have got rid of them again, the whiff of pushy sales call will appear again.

All we can do is educate the masses to say no and hangup during the first call from Vardis or any other similar company selling ads in so called 'police magazines', regional business year planners and fake charity publications.

 

[biggsdogg]

Hi everyone,
You won't believe this but Vardis, those lovely people who try to take all our hard earned cash and make our lives miserable, have now totally astounded me. The postman turned up this morning and delivered his usual array of bills and other nice treats. I opened a few and got to the best laugh I've had in a while.
A nice man called Mr M Andrews, on behalf of Foresters fund for Children, had sent my family and I a lovely Christmas card which left me amused but confused. Do I send them one back or do I just pay the £166.75 bill that was enclosed. I think I'll do neither and just pass it on to the Fraud Investigation Team like they told me to do !!!!!
I'm now away to E-mail them a witty reply that I know I'm not allowed to print on here. My one man Stop Vardis campaign.
Hope to get them out of our lives soon. Have a Merry Christmas everyone from All at Paterson Plumbing & Heating.
Ps Let me know if they're still contacting you. I'll keep you updated Ha Ha:thumbup:

 

[stugster]

Hi Guys,

Sorry for bumping an old thread but thought you might like to know that there appears to be another lot out there doing pretty much the same thing, using the same techniques.

Guy who pretends to have spoken to us before, trys it on, then when you ask if they're Vardis all of a sudden they can't hear you and hang up.

The company is "Presentation & Design Service" (PADS) looking for me to place an ad in a wall-planner for Prostate Cancer awareness. Two limited companies associated with the same address - one is currently in receivership and the other has just begun trading.

Guy on the phone refused to tell me where these magical imaginary calendars are being distributed to. Their website leaves a lot to be desired: Presentation and Design Services - Home