Scams

Auctioneer Nick Hall of Frank Marshall in Knutsford has issued a warning to dealers and auctioneers to be wary of bogus appointments after he was the victim of a vicious attack.

AUCTIONEERS across the country have recently been the recipients of this potentially interesting document, a copy of The Order of Service for the Funeral of Sir Winston Churchill, 30th January 1965.

A STOLEN chequebook has been used to purchase items from at least two antiques shops in Ludlow, Shropshire.

THE dealer who bounced a cheque at Durrants Auction Rooms, reported in last week's ATG has come forward to say it was a 'hiccup' and the bill will be paid.

DURRANTS Auction Rooms have issued an alert about a man claiming to be an antiques dealer from Belgium, who has recently bounced a cheque for nearly £3500 at their rooms.

A BANKRUPT Suffolk antiques dealer who went on the run to Bulgaria after swindling creditors in a £1.9m fraud has been jailed for ten years.

THE UK government has acceded to European Union rules which would see the extradition of suspects like antiquities dealer Malcolm Hay.

A NEW European-based listings con has emerged that has all the hallmarks of the previous scam guides which have been targeting dealers for years.

SPECIALIST glass dealer Ron Wheeler is alerting the trade to a possible scam after being approached via email by someone looking for gifts.

A Kent dealer has fallen victim to a thief whose practised deception suggests he will strike again.

EXHIBITORS booked for the forthcoming NEC Birmingham and LAPADA Cheltenham fairs are being targeted by Austrian-based scam guide FAIR Guide.

Readers are advised to be wary of cut-price Whitefriars Drunken Bricklayer vases – they may be fakes.

A MAN has pleaded guilty to defrauding dealers, auction houses, museums, and art galleries over a 17-year period.

AT last, after nearly a decade of investigating their dubious practices, ATG can report that Austrian scam guide firm Construct Data/Fairguide have been brought to book.

Ebay are to pilot a new feedback system in the UK in late February as part of what they say is a more proactive approach to issues of fraud and safety on the site.

A STRING of auction houses have come forward to tell of unpaid lots by rogue bidder Mark Wilson since ATG reported the issue.

EBAY users are warned to exercise particular vigilance in online payment transactions following the emergence of a new high-tech scam that has already claimed several victims. The latest fraud to hit the online marketplace involves the replication of pages from the website eBay recommends for escrow transactions.

THE world stamp market is reeling this week after what could prove to be a €5bn pyramid selling scheme was unmasked in Spain.

THE Swiss authorities have launched a criminal investigation into scam guide firms and their associated debt recovery agencies.

A SINGLE vendor has been trying to sell very convincing fake silver smallwork through auction rooms in central and southwest England.