Unsolicited Deliveries

[auralflea 0]

Weird start to my day today

Postie just delivered a parcel. Opened the Special Delivery envelope - inside is a plain cardboard box containing a sealed box marked as Blackberry.

There is no paperwork in the parcel of any kind, and sender is apparently Focus Network with a Bingley postcode, who I have never heard of. No contact details given apart from the name and postcode.

I have never ordered a Blackberry and it has not come from anyone I know. However the parcel is correctly addressed to me by name at my address.

Anybody heard of a scam starting this way??

[russ abbott - royds broth 3]

http://maps.live.com/localsearch/default.aspx?what=focus+network&where=Bingley&s_cid=ansPhBkYp01&mkt=en-gb&ac=false

[auralflea 0]

Yeah, I just found a phone number via Thomson

Called the number - it goes to an answer message to contact David Wakefield via e-mail.

Never heard of him or the company and I don't want to start leaving contact traces out there either (like sending e-mails to unkown people) - paranoid I know

[russ abbott - royds broth 3]

Just clicked on the web link and it takes you to ebay shop thats closed.

Maybe bell them from a pay phone.

[auralflea 0]

I called them from my mobile. Rings to answer phone to send this guy an e-mail.

How odd

Maybe some paperwork will arrive in the normal post today, however I have no reason to want a Blackberry and wouldn't know what to do with it....

[auralflea 0]

Just looked to see what was actually sent (without opening the seal) - a Blackberry 9000 Enterprise.

Looked online - this sells for £400 - £500

[lower bullens 238]

3/4 years ago we had a series of deliveries of stuff we knew nothing about using my wifes maiden name,which is how we were listed in the phone book.We complained to one courier company as they left stuff when the kids opened the door and didn't ask to see an adult,and another firm left stuff on the doorstep when we were out at work and we had to sort out returning it all.But then she got correspondence from GE capital finance about her account being in arrears, she didn't have an account and it took a lot of phone calls to sort it out.We never really got to the bottom of it, it was either low-level i.d. theft,if there is a low level ! or a scam where stuff is ordered and the scammers take a chance its left on the doorstep and come round and pick it up before you get home.I'd get in touch with the sender as soon as possible.

[Chumpy 61]

Yes.

Good fortune in resolving this/getting shot of overpriced/hyped junk.

[auralflea 0]

Mr Cat wrote:

I'd check your credit card staements etc..? - maybe they've (a thief) ordered it online using ya card details and it's inadvertedly got sent to your house and instead of theirs?

Funnily enough was just off doing that

Nothing untoward there either?

Baffled

[Borats Baby 1]

I wish I would receive expensive items I hadn't paid for.

Never heard of owt like that Kevin so can't offer any decent advice.

[auralflea 0]

Cloth-Ears wrote:

Here another bit of paranoia for you .......................

Maybe the Blackberry has been preloaded with spyware or has been hacked somehow to send on keystrokes so they get card numbers, passwords, etc.

Assuming it's merely a straight Blackberry, why not simply contact noone. The Unsolicited Goods Act allows the the recipient to have unequivolcal ownership, I think, after six months if silent or, if the sender is informed of the mistake they haveone month to make arrangements for it'sreturn or it is yours. ( Check this info is current with the local trading standards office ) It''s up to you what to do.

But then, that Blackberry might be mining your identity

I'd never heard of the Unsolicited Goods Act tbh - thanks for that info.

In the interim I have made every effort to contact what seems to be the sender. If they don't claim it within the month then, assume it is mine legally? So be it.

As to tampering with it, the device is in it's pre-packed box with the 'special' tape seal which remains untampered, so it would have to be a massive conspiracy to try to get little old me.

Bloody expensive way of tapping me too.

[meninblack 537]

If you go to www.hushmail.com you can open a free, anonymous (you don't have to give the site any details at all) and disposable email account and use that to contact him.

[Davewhityetagain 0]

The Unsolicited Goods and Services Act 1971 makes it an offence for a company to send you goods you have not ordered. The legislation is intended to discourage companies from sending customers unordered goods in the hope that they will be induced by lethargy or ignorance to pay for them. Companies who send out unordered goods in this way do so at great risk since once you receive the goods you do not have to pay for them and they are yours to keep.

Unsolicited Goods and Services Act 1971

http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file34916.pdf