People Purporting To Be Consumer Officers
“There are some members of the public who are going into retail establishments and saying they are Consumer Affairs Enforcement Officers in order to deceive retailers,” Minister Walter Roban said.
Speaking at last night’s [Dec 30] press briefing, Minister Roban said, “I will now move to my Ministry, Home Affairs where fraudulent activity has been brought to the attention of the Office of Consumer Affairs.
“There are some members of the public who are going into retail establishments and saying they are Consumer Affairs Enforcement Officers in order to deceive retailers. The offenders operate in small groups to intimidate retail staff. This is an offence under the Consumer Protection Act 1999 and the offender is liable on summary conviction to a fine of $10,000 or imprisonment for six months.
“Consumer Affairs Enforcement Officers are issued with badges and appropriate ID. If you are approached by someone claiming to be from Consumer Affairs, immediately ask for identification to verify the person is who they say they are.
“If the person does not provide their badge and ID, immediately contact the Bermuda Police Service and provide a physical description. If you know the person, give their name to the Police as well.
“If you find that you have been a victim of this fraudulent behavior please file a complaint immediately with the Office of Consumer Affairs. Call 297-7627 so they can investigate and prosecute the offenders.”
What exactly are they accomplishing by acting like Consumer affairs ppl?