New scam: Self employed please read!!!!!

[Hurricane Puffrose]

Hiya guys,
this is especially important if you are self-employed or know anyone that owns their own cafe/restaurant!

Hubby is a delievery driver, he delivers to cafes/pubs etc.
Today he popped in to a customer and was having a coffe, when a young man came in and said "Mate, I lost my ipad in here, have you had it handed in?"
No says cafe owner, I'd remember an ipad.
"Oh then I need your insurance details, I need my ipad!"
Wait a sec, says cafe owner, when were you in?
"Few days ago, you were kinda busy"
Cafe owner laughed and so did Hubby and explained that the cafe had been shut for renovation for the last week, and that they had only reopened the previous day.
Its a sneaky scam isn't it? How many companies would just say Oh yeh, here you go!!

Please advise your friends of this scam..

[emdee1980]

Re: New scam: Self employed please read!!!!!

sounds like a plan, warn all cafés around, I am gunna give this a go ... only joking, but it is actually a clever idea, the way they come up with these scams, they should be politicians

[enaid]

Re: New scam: Self employed please read!!!!!

I don't understand how the scam would work tbh, if just getting the insurance details from the cafe was all that was needed to get a new ipod everyone would be at it.
What am I missing?

[Hurricane Puffrose]

Re: New scam: Self employed please read!!!!!

people are going in to cafes/restaurants for non existant losses, asking for the insurance details of the company and then making a false claim against the company, and a lot of small cafes etc are literally too busy to register every customer they have, when they are questioned about it they vanish, and fast. This is why insurance costs are rocketing, also, hubby says, there are gangs of people driving round roundabouts etc to have slow speed crashes and claim for fake injuries. If in doubt call the cops. the injuries soon vanish.
They are targeting company vehicles, white vans, signwritten cars etc.

[enaid]

Re: New scam: Self employed please read!!!!!

I know about the fake injuries caused by set up crashes my dad was involved with one of those.
If you lose your ipad or whatever you don't claim from where you lost it am sure, you claim off your own insurance. I have had a pub and worked in bookies etc never had anyone try and claim off the firm or indeed myself, unless you actually worked for the firm and had your belongings stolen while at work.

[emdee1980]

Re: New scam: Self employed please read!!!!!

at the end of the day, the businesses are too busy to take note of everyone who enters, and in most cases its probably much easier to give the details otherwise they have a potential "customer" holding up everything and possibly making a scene

[Hurricane Puffrose]

Re: New scam: Self employed please read!!!!!

i think they are trying for public liablity insurance hun, I've also been told by a friend who works for Virgin, a woman tried to claim for a lost gold watch on the train, she asked for the public liablity insurance details, my friend asked to see her ticket and she "didnt have time right then".
It's an old scam on the trains, make a claim via lost property and identify a dearer item when you go to collect it, but this is a new idea.. and if you think of it, its scary!

[enaid]

Re: New scam: Self employed please read!!!!!

So I go on the bus somewhere, have a ticket and then tell them I lost my phone on the bus. In the meantime someone has picked up and kept the phone.
I go to depot say I lost my phone I will claim off you Public Liability Insurance hey presto new phone?

Public Liability Insurance (and I have one)is as i understand it purely to insure things that happen as a result of the running of your business ie if my waitress spilled coffee all over your phone while serving you or someone else, not if you pop in and lose your phone.

[cards down]

Re: New scam: Self employed please read!!!!!

I'd be tempted to install CCTV, but that's my profession so I would say that

[emdee1980]

Re: New scam: Self employed please read!!!!!

thing is most of the time it wont work unless you actually have a valid crime number for it, but its not all that hard just to go get a crime number all you have to do is report it lost/stolen, however I think if you have the insurance for the item then you dont always need a crime number, therefore you could always "claim" you lost it, get a new one and sell it on

[Hurricane Puffrose]

Re: New scam: Self employed please read!!!!!

hey presto money for the new phone.
the minute that item goes in to your lost property it is you have taken responsibilty for its wellbeing, hence some stations charge for reuniting you with your item.
We have had someone come in for a lost canvas bag and try to identify a leather one etc, people can be scheming little....

As Emdee says, a lot of places are so worried about negative publicity they will just say oh im sorry, heres the details.
and it seems it happens in tourist towns a lot, lots of people coming and going, no one registers a face, someone walks in and asks about an item, well I know i had it in here, didnt you find it etc, well i need to claim for a new one, whats your details etc.

[cards down]

Re: New scam: Self employed please read!!!!!

My PLI only covers damage that may occur to a property I am working in, it is also voluntary and not compulsory

[wales01man]

Re: New scam: Self employed please read!!!!!

I cant beleive any insurance company would pay out if your customer says hey lost it on your premises if they did we could all claim for non existent loses please someone enlighten me

[enaid]

Re: New scam: Self employed please read!!!!!

I cant beleive any insurance company would pay out if your customer says hey lost it on your premises if they did we could all claim for non existent loses please someone enlighten me

me neither I can not understand the scam at all tbh

[Hurricane Puffrose]

Re: New scam: Self employed please read!!!!!

as i said, i dont know the legalities for insurance, just that these people are going in to businesses and doing this, and just thought to give you all a heads up about it.
Rather be safe than sorry.
I assume that giving your details of insurance is an admission that you lost it (?!), Hubby works in tourist areas and as he says, he sees some sights (remind me to tell you about the bloke in the box one day) but he said his blood ran cold when this one happened, it was so bare faced and out there.