And I'm Afraid it's Back to Dear Old Gulza Dean

If you've been following this saga, you'll know that I received a letter from Mr. Dean, and that I reported its contents to Action Fraud. You might also know that one or two other people received identical letters, and commented on them here.

I received an e-mail today from Action Fraud, and I'm copying it here in full so that if you have received a letter from Gulza Dean, you will know what you can do about it:

Fortunately, as you have not responded to this e-mail/letter, you would not be classified as a victim or even intended victim of this fraud. You will have received what is known as a mass mailing of this letter. Copies of this email/letter will have been sent to hundreds, if not thousands of people, on the off-chance somebody will respond.

In this instance, this fraud would be better reported to Consumer Direct who could then use this information to gauge the scale of the e-mails/letters being distributed. Consumer Direct can be contacted by telephone on 0845 404 0506, opening times are 8am- 6:30pm Monday – Friday, 9am – 1pm Saturdays and their website address is www.consumerdirect.gov.uk.

I live in France. One of the other people who received a letter from Mr. Dean and commented on it here lives in the United States. I think, therefore, that the number of letters (or e-mails) being distributed is probably very large indeed.

I appreciate that it can very onerous to take the time to report things like this - and I know, too, that in most cases the letters will hit the bin and no one will be the worse for it. But most cases are not all cases. As I have said before: nobody spends this much money if they don't expect to get something back. Someone somewhere is going to fall for this scam - and therefore something needs to be done about Mr. Dean.

Please do get in touch with Consumer Direct if you have received a letter from Gulza Dean about anything at all - and please don't be concerned that Consumer Direct is situated in Britain if you are living in another country. According to the letter I received, Gulza Dean (or someone acting on his behalf) is also situated in Britain...

How Safely Are You Trading?

Coface UK has designed an on-line Quick Credit Management Health Check .

It's a 'tick the box' questionnaire that asks the right questions. It doesn't ask all the right questions - and it's certainly looking for information about the companies that complete it - but then one would expect that of an on-line questionnaire.

The important thing about this 'credit management health check' is that the first paragraph (which isn't part of the questionnaire at all, really) asks "How safely are you trading on credit terms?" Which is, of course, the most important question of all.

Good credit management policies and procedures have always provided a 'security blanket' for companies wise enough - or perhaps stubborn enough or brave enough! - to insist upon using them.

I regularly receive instructions from credit controllers who do their best to work in an environment where selling goods or services is an overriding imperative, and management seems incapable of recognising that nothing is sold until it is paid for, and that everything that is sold needs to be paid for within a specified period of time. And, moreover, that it isn't wise - in the long run - to pander too much to big clients.

Fill in the form - or just look at the questions, and think it out for yourself. How safely are you trading, really?

The 'Gulza Dean' Scam

A few days ago I wrote about a letter I'd received from a Mr. Gulza Dean. The post was entitled 'A New Slant on a Very, Very, Old Scam'.

I've since heard from two other people who have received what they believe to be 'identical' letters - but I can't get in touch with either of them to find out whether the letters were truly identical or not.

If you are reading this Christian, or Volley911Girl - what were the telephone numbers you were given in your letters, and where were the letters posted?

I had one telephone number and one mobile telephone number. The land line was a London UK number. The letter was posted in London.

This is important, because I reported the fraud to Action Fraud . Please contact Ashley Grand at actionfraud@bss.org as soon as possible to let Action Fraud know what telephone numbers you were given, and where your letters were posted. This will give Action Fraud a chance of finding out whether Mr. Dean is working alone or as part of a group - and perhaps a chance of putting a stop to Mr. Dean's latest activities.

Don't send the numbers to me. Send them to Ashley Grand.

In the meantime: Google 'Gulza Dean'. You'll find the results interesting.

And, by the way, before you decide not to get in touch with Ashley Grand and put the whole matter out of your mind - bear in mind that nobody spends this much money on postage if they don't expect to get anything back. We didn't fall for the scam. Someone else is going to.

The Spending Challenge

If you haven't received an e-mail from David Cameron about The Spending Challenge - or you don't know about The Spending Challenge - take a look at the Spending Challenge site.

The Government wants your views on public spending - and how cuts can be made fairly and responsibly.

The Spending Challenge is a big site. It could take you some time to explore it - and a lot more time to think about what you want to say. But please don't miss this opportunity to put in your two-penny worth.

It isn't often that the Government asks you for your views as to how your tax money should be spent, or invites you to comment on the waste of public funds. Actually, it's unprecedented for the Government to ask your opinion about anything at all.

One could be quite cynical about the whole Spending Challenge project - but I think that would be a mistake. Let's take the project at face value instead, look at it, think, and put forward whatever ideas we have.

And wait to see what comes out of it at the end of the day.