RAWTENSTALL couple Alan and Susan Spencer are warning small businesses to be on their guard after getting a scam letter demanding £135.

Susan runs her own graphic design business in the town and the pair were shocked when an official-looking brown envelope dropped through the letterbox of their Slaidburn Avenue home saying Susan could face a £5,000 fine.

The pack came from the 'Data Protection Agency' based in Blackpool and said Susan had to register under the Data Protection Act and send a £135 fee to cover administration.

The couple contacted Lancashire Trading Standards who confirmed it was a con trick.

Firefighter Alan was furious. He said: "My wife was concerned at first. It's quite a heavy letter and asks for names, job details and contact telephone numbers.

"It's got an official-looking emblem of the scales of justice printed at the top, and then goes into the statutory requirements of the Data Protection Act and Freedom of Information Act.

"There's no need for my wife to register under the Data Protection Act and, even if she did, the fee is only £35. So they are ripping people off asking for £135.

"Trading Standards said quite a few of these scams are going around and some people do respond to it."

Lancashire Trading Standards said such scams were continuing to target small businesses, despite the Office of Fair Trading closing down several misleading data protection registration services.

Lancashire County Council deputy leader, Doreen Pollitt, said: "Businesses are often intimidated into paying £135 by these 'official' looking mail shots.

"I would advise any businesses in Lancashire receiving any invitation to register, to forward details to trading standards. Complaints can then be passed to the Office of Fair Trading.

"Despite paying up to three times the going rate for registration to these operations, there is no certainty that the registration details would be passed on to the Information Commissioner as many of the operations simply disappear having cashed sufficient £135 cheques from innocent businesses."

Anyone concerned about such letters should contact Lancashire Trading Standards at 58-60 Guildhall Street, Preston PR1 3NU.