SMALL businesses in Tavistock are being targeted by a scam in the form of a data protection company posing as various official government agencies.
The company, which is trading under several pseudonyms, has been sending letters demanding that businesses register under the Data Protection Act at a cost of £95 plus VAT.
These letters give the impression that registration is a legal requirement, and threaten dire consequences for failing to sign up.
In fact, the current charge for registration is £35, and not all businesses are legally obliged to register. The company itself has no connection with the Government?s own Data Protection Registry, now known as the Information Commissioner.
Beverley Calvert, a chiropodist based in Tavistock?s Village Arcade, recently received a letter from Data Protection Agency Services, a Southport based company also trading as Data Collection Enforcement Agency and DPA Registration Agency , amongst others.
The letter, headed ?Final Notice?, pointed out that the business had not submitted notification to the Information Commissioner ?in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998?.
It goes on to say: ?Failure to register is a criminal offence; on conviction an offender is liable to a maximum fine not exceeding level five on the criminal justice scale. At present this level is no greater than £5,000.?
It then demands a registration fee of £95 to be sent off with the completed form.
Mrs Calvert realised the letter was bogus, because she had read a warning from the Federation of Small Businesses in a trade magazine.
?A friend and colleague of mine wasn?t so lucky,? she said. ?She received a letter and thought it was legitimate, so she sent off her money to register. It?s a disgrace.?
Several suspicious companies are currently under investigation by the Office of Fair Trading, and businesses receiving suspect letters should refer the matter to the Trading Standards Service.
You can find out whether your business needs to notify under the 1998 Data Protection Act by telephoning 0870 9027 522.