School warned about conmen scamming parents (From Clacton and Frinton Gazette)

Essex: School warned about conmen scamming parents

2:16pm Monday 18th February 2013 in News

SCHOOLS have been warned about scammers trying to con parents out of cash.

Essex County Council’s counter fraud team has warned schools in Tendring about the scammers who are pretending to be from the Education Welfare Service.

They are phoning parents and stating that their child had not attended school that day and asking them to pay a fine of £340.

Schools have been passing the warning on to parents.

A spokesman at Tendring Technology College said: “The Education Welfare Service does not phone parents demanding payment immediately over the phone.

“At no time would the service phone a parent demanding payment like that, so we need parents to be aware and careful.”

The real service sends invoices and penalty notices via post.

The alert was launched after an incident at another school in Essex on February 7.