Aberdeenshire Council’s latest Trading Standards bulletin warning of local scams has just been published.

DOORSTEP CRIME
We have recently received a report from the Buchan area of a man who goes door to door flyering his services as a gardener.

This same man is suspected of fly tipping garden waste on private land which will cost the landowner a substantial amount of money to clean up. We are also aware that he is not registered with SEPA for a waste carrier’s licence and so is unlikely to pay the fees for commercial waste services to the council. This selfish individual would rather pocket his gains and let someone else clean up his mess.

Members of the public enlisting gardeners, landscapers, roofers or anyone who transports someone else’s waste as part of their business can help reduce the instances of fly-tipping by asking to see the trader’s SEPA Waste Carrier’s Registration Document (often just referred to as a SEPA licence). If they can’t produce one, there’s a possibility that your waste may end up being dumped once it’s left your location.

Trading Standards ask that you stick only to those tradesmen who can produce their SEPA licence.
Details of the SEPA Document can be found at: https://www.sepa.org.uk/regulations/waste/waste-carriers-and-brokers/

VERIFICATION CODE SCAM
A resident in Moray was recently called on her mobile phone from a blocked number by someone claiming to be from her bank, to report suspicious activity on her bank account.

The caller then asked the resident for the verification code which had just been texted to her, which the resident gave, resulting in a substantial loss from her account. The truth of the matter was that the caller was a scammer who had tried to access the resident’s bank account online, triggering the bank to send out a real verification code to the resident. When the resident passed the code, that was the final piece of the jigsaw the scammer needed to access her bank account.

If you receive such a call from a ‘bank’ asking for a verification code, please NEVER give it up. The caller could be anyone and the bank should have no need for the code.

Importantly, the scammer would have needed some of the resident’s personal and banking information already, such as passwords and PIN numbers. This might have been obtained a number of ways; stealing bank statements from rubbish bags or bins, or accessing written details from notebooks or similar.

These possibilities underscore the need to store confidential information securely and disposing of it by shredding or burning, rather than simply throwing it in the bin.

HMRC SCAM
A resident from Garioch recently reported a notable scam to Trading Standards which is based on making a tax a claim to HMRC.

The company concerned sends out emails to potential customers advising them that they could make a claim to HMRC if they have been working from home recently or if they wear a uniform as part of their work duties.

The company offers to act as the customer’s agent in making the claim to HMRC for any overpaid taxes and refunds due. A binding contract is then agreed between the company and the customer. However, what is not disclosed to the customer is that any pay-out from HMRC is made to the company firstly and they will then take their fees of about a third of the pay-out before giving the customer the remainder.

As the company is acting as the customer’s agent, HMRC must make the pay-out to the company. In the instance reported to Trading Standards, the company concerned took over £1000 for their services.

In many instances if someone is due a tax rebate, HMRC will attend to it automatically but if you believe you may be due a rebate which has not been paid, a good place to start the process of claiming is via HMRC directly via their website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-revenue-customs and to ignore offers from commercial companies to do so on your behalf.

SPOOFING
One north Aberdeenshire resident recently received a phone call from a number which showed up on the Caller ID as being another local number. When the resident answered the call, a male with a foreign accent spoke, claiming to be from a well-known media company. The resident immediately realised that it wasa scam or sales call and hung up.

Scams are big business these days and scammers often use computers to assist them, some as auto-dialers to go through a list of phone numbers successively looking for a victim and some to disguise (spoof) the real number from which they’re calling behind a local number.

Trading Standards would like to reinforce that just because a local number appears on your Caller ID that it won’t be a scammer or a high pressure sales call on the line, especially if it’s an unknown number or a call at a strange time of the day, and we would ask that you still remain vigilant and don’t pass any personal information until you’re satisfied the call is genuine.

If you think you’ve received a call from a spoofed number, you may be able to obtain the number via the 1471 facility or by contacting your service provider.

We would ask that you then contact Trading Standards to report the matter.

CONTACTS
For urgent Trading Standards matters, contact Aberdeenshire Council’s Trading Standards at 01467 537222. For non-urgent enquiries, please contact Consumer Advice Scotland at https://www.consumeradvice.scot/ or on 0808 164 6000.

Contact Police Scotland on 999 if you need urgent police assistance or 101 for non-urgent matters.

Aberdeenshire Council has stressed the need to tighten legislation to crack down on fly-tipping offenders.

That’s the key point in the council’s response to a Scottish Government consultation on a proposed new national litter and fly-tipping strategy.

The six-year strategy, due to be published in the coming months, will set out a vision for a future where the environment is unblighted by litter and fly-tipping.

It is a problem locally, with one example recently being a couch and seats being dumped near Portlethen golf course.

Before allowing any waste to be taken away, householders should take a note of the vehicle registration number, ask to see a waste carrier’s licence, ask the carrier exactly which licensed facility the waste is going to, and be suspicious if the quoted price is too low.

If the person taking the waste won’t give that information, then the chances are your waste will be illegally dumped and the householder risks being given a fixed penalty notice.

More here: https://online.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/apps/news/release.aspx?newsID=8490

Masks stay for the moment.

Some covid restrictions were due to change in the coming days, but there has been a marked increase in positive cases across the country. The BA.2 strain of Omicron is dominant in Scotland.

In summary, the First Minister today:
• Confirmed that social distancing measures in shops and other premises will end from Monday along with the requirement for businesses to collect customer details.
• Asked that people continue to wear face coverings on public transport and in certain indoor settings for a further two weeks. In two weeks, that will be reviewed. The mask wearing legislation was due to end on Monday also, but this has been extended to take account of rising case numbers in Scotland.

From 18 April, people will no longer be asked to test twice weekly if they have no symptoms.

Routine asymptomatic testing in education settings – schools, early learning and childcare, and universities – will cease at the end of the current term.

From the end of April, testing for people with symptoms will also end.

A new Test and Protect transition strategy was confirmed, and can be found here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/test-protect-transition-plan/

Last night I attended a discussion for community councils in Kincardine and Mearns about the impact of the recent storms, and the issues they caused.

It was hosted by Aberdeenshire Council as officers try to help us be better prepared from the next storms, whenever that may be.

Our two ward community councils were represented – Newtonhill, Muchalls and Cammachmore CC and North Kincardine Rural CC. No-one from Portlethen of course as the community council in the town collapsed last year due to a lack of volunteers.

The following new applications in the North Kincardine ward can be viewed on the Aberdeenshire Council planning register: https://upa.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/online-applications/.

APP/2022/0500
Date validated: 9 March 2022.
Site address: 59 Whinpark Circle, Portlethen, AB12 4SS.
Applicant: Mr Andrew Cowie c/o SL Architectural & Building Services Ltd, 22 Seafield Avenue, Aberdeen, AB15 7XB.
Application: Full planning permission for the erection of replacement garage.
Public comment expiry date: 30 March 2022.

APP/2022/0508
Date validated: 10 March 2022.
Site address: 80 Oak Drive, Portlethen, AB12 4XU.
Applicant: Mrs Linda Bain c/o Groundwater Architectural Design, 41 Bracken Road, Portlethen, AB12 4TA.
Application: Full planning permission for alterations and extension to dwellinghouse.
Public comment expiry date: 31 March 2022.

Aberdeenshire Council Ranger Service has published a video on tree planting and aftercare on its webpage: https://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/leisure-sport-and-culture/ranger-service/#treeplanting

The video supports residents, schools and community groups who wish to improve biodiversity and environment through planting trees. The video provides information on selecting appropriate sites and species, how to plant trees and how to look after planted trees so they can grow and develop.

The Ranger Service has also used NatureScot Nature Restoration grant funding to build two community equipment kits for tree planting and aftercare.

The kits contain tools such as spades, rakes, shears and gloves which support successful tree planting and aftercare. The kits can loaned to schools or community groups and can used either independently or with a Ranger (where available).

Aberdeenshire’s annual Doors Open Days event will be hosting a blended event in 2022 giving visitors both physical and online access to buildings across the Shire on Saturday and Sunday 17/18 September.

Although last year’s event was somewhat different as a result of covid restrictions, more than 30 venues took part.

The event is coordinated at a national level by the Scottish Civic Trust, and locally by Aberdeenshire Council’s environment team.

This year the team is looking to promote Aberdeenshire’s culture and heritage through a blended event, combining virtual and physical venues.

If you are part of or know of an organisation or community who would wish to participate, email doorsopen@aberdeenshire.gov.uk

The team also hopes to build on the Scottish Government’s Year of Stories by using the Doors Open Days event to highlight and celebrate stories inspired by, written, or created in Scotland.

The third year of the Aberdeenshire Council’s Coastal Communities Challenge Fund programme is now live.

Grants are being targeted at community groups, third sector organisations and small businesses on Aberdeenshire’s coastline and can fund a range of activities with positive economic, social or environmental impacts.

The fund distributes revenues generated by Crown Estate Scotland.

In the first two years grants were offered to an array of projects including equipment for sailing clubs, investments in fishing businesses, improved community facilities and access improvements to beaches and the coastline.

Funding of between £2,500 and £25,000 will be available, however applicants must make a minimum 10% match-funding contribution to projects. Small business applicants must contribute 50% match funding.

Applications must meet the following priorities:

• Supporting the development of active travel routes along, to and from the coastline
• Developing the coastal economy and sustainable tourism
• Creating or enhancing community, leisure and recreational facilities
• Safeguarding, restoring or enhancing the coastal environment.

The deadline for submitting applications is Monday, 16 May. All projects must be completed by 31 March 2023.

Potential applicants can access the application form and guidance at nesflag.org.uk/CCCF Applicants can email coastalcommunities@aberdeenshire.gov.uk for more information.

The final step was taken this afternoon for opening a vaccination centre in Stonehaven’s Invercarron Resource Centre.

Approval was given by Aberdeenshire Council’s communities committee for minor works costing £75,000 to make it fit for purpose. This includes flooring works, removal of built-in cupboards, privacy film on ground floor windows, addition of a wash hand basin, improved lighting, and making space for vaccine fridges plus hard-wiring. The work should take about six weeks.

The new centre will cater for nearly all vaccinations including flu, covid, and shingles for residents across Kincardine and Mearns.

If approval had not been given today then residents would have had to travel to Aberdeen or further afield for vaccinations. Nationally general practices no longer offer such vaccination services.
Currently Stonehaven Town Hall hosts the vaccination centre but it is being returned to normal use on 1 April.

The decision to use Invercarron was not one made by Aberdeenshire Council and legally councillors had no discretion today about the procurement approval. The decision had been taken by the Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP). Councillors were told that alternative venues were considered, but Invercarron was the only viable option.

The proposal attracted some opposition from Stonehaven residents. Accordingly the committee agreed today on a 12-2 vote to instruct officers to review the governance route and processes, and to establish a focus group with community representatives, the HSCP, council officers and other appropriate services, and that they assess the need and map out possible solutions for the groups who have been displaced from Invercarron.

The HSPC has also given an undertaking to review the situation annually.

People are still being encouraged to do a lateral flow test twice a week and to test before meeting someone at high risk.

Full details here: https://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/covid-19/community-testing

You can get free lateral flow tests by:
– Ordering online at https://www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests
– Phoning 119 (7am – 11pm daily. Calls are free of charge)
– Collecting from one of Aberdeenshire Council’s mobile centres at the following locations:

Monday 14 March – Stonehaven Market Square Car park, 10am – 12pm (collect only)
Tuesday 15 March – Portlethen Asda Car Park, 10am – 12pm (collect only)
Wednesday 16 March – Stonehaven Market Square, 1.30pm – 3.30pm (collect only)
Friday 18 March – Portlethen Asda Car Park 10am – 12.30pm & 1pm- 3.30pm.