Beware of the con men peddling fire prevention equipment under false pretenses.
The warning was issued by the Consumer Council in the light of complaints involving the deceptive sale of fire fighting appliances such as extinguishers, gas masks, and maintenance service.
Their modus operandi involved falsely representing themselves as agents contracted by the Fire Services Department (FSD) to organize free talks on fire prevention.
They claimed to be representatives of organizations of a non-profit making nature using names such as Fire Prevention Concern Centre, Fire Prevention Co-operative, Fire Research Institute, or the like.
Under such false pretenses, they were able to gain the trust of their targets involving usually community groups, building owners' associations, restaurants, cinemas, schools, etc.
In one complaint, highlighted in CHOICE, a community group believing that they were authorized agents of the FSD agreed to their offer to give a free talk on fire prevention.
In the end, the group signed a contract for the purchase of a quantity of fire extinguishers and maintenance service at a price which turned out to be far higher than that in the market.
The hapless victim was also duped into holding an excess stock of unnecessary fire fighting equipment.
Similar complaints have been received by both the FSD and the Consumer Council in the past.
The FSD stressed that the Department had never outsourced the work of fire prevention to private organizations.
Any organizations conducting sales in the name of the FSD should be reported to the Department's Community Relations Section at 2170 9630. Or the Police, if any criminal element is suspected.
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