Wednesday 21 June 2017

Beware Churchcastle also called Wynnington Wynners - Word Search phone bill shock



Beware phone bill shock - Churchcastle now running Word Search contests under the name 'Wynnington Wynners'

I've previously written about Churchcastle - they run word search competitions often with a £10,000 prize. These contests appeal to elderly players who like hunting for words but don't have eyesight good enough to read the small print.

When they've found the hidden word entrants must phone a premium rate phone line to enter. Finding the hidden word is easy, spotting the hidden phone charges is less obvious. 

Each phone call costs just over £10. Yes, £10. The phone number is 0906 6350368. These are among the most expensive call types allowed by the phone regulator. The cost per minute is £3.60 + your network operator's service charge. Calls last around 3 minutes.

My elderly relative was caught with the Churchcastle bug. She was among thousands of people convinced they had won a big prize, lured into making further expensive phone calls to claim it. She hadn't won anything. The Regulator for premium rate phone services (then called Phone Pay Plus, now called the PSA Authority) ruled they had broken the rules as the contests were misleading. Churchcastle was fined £800,000.

But now Churchcastle are back in business running word search contests under the brand 'Wynnington Wynners'. These puzzles appear to run in newspapers, online and on TV. Not much has changed. After spotting the hidden word in a grid contestants must make a 3 minute phone call costing over £10 to submit their answer.


THIS CONTEST COSTS £10 to enter online

The fun doesn't stop there though. After entering the contest and leaving their name and address entrants are sent more puzzles in the post. These are often entered in the same prize fund pool. So that means unwittingly players are making another entry for the same £10,000 prize - not a different prize. All the Wynnington organised contests typically run for 2 - 3 months. All the entries go into one pot and there is 1 winner. 

Unfortunately my partner's 96 year old mum has entered. We spotted it on her phone bill. She phoned twice, one call followed immediately by another in late April. The first call lasted 2 minutes 51 seconds and cost £10.32. The second entry took 3 minutes and 1 second and cost £10.92 - those extra 10 seconds cost 60p more to enter the same contest.

The Regulator has strict rules about the use of premium rate phone calls. The cost must be clear, vulnerable people (e.g. children, elderly, ill) must not be targeted. The Authority has the power to levy large fines and stop services if companies break those rules. 

You can check numbers on their website here. The PSA Authority lists contact numbers for customer service in the search results. The rules state these must be standard cost numbers.

I phoned Wynnington to ask them to consider refunding the cost of at least the second call - as it was clearly made because my partner's 96 year old mum didn't think her call had entered correctly. She had no idea it cost £10 for each entry. When I asked her about whether she'd entered she said 'oh yes, I found the word'. When I asked if she knew it cost £10 to enter she gasped, 'oh no, really?'.

Wynnington answered the phone quickly. The operator was helpful and immediately offered to remove her name and address from further mailings - but this could take a  few days, so she may receive further contests in the post. He said he would refer the refund request if I emailed or posted evidence of the call cost (the phone bill). My partner sent this by email. We haven't heard anything yet, but its was only a few days ago.

When I complained about Churchcastle to the Sun (who ran their puzzles) in 2012 the reader services dept instructed them to refund the £120 my partner's mum spent entering their contests. That was the contest Phone Pay Plus later levied the £800,000 fine for - and instructed Churchcastle to pay back anyone who asked. When I complained to Phone Pay Plus they declined to investigate - my complaint was too early, after mine the flood gates opened and they acted.

It may be that the PSA Authority is already monitoring Wynnington. Google searches for my original articles about Churchcastle here and here are receiving more requests than ever. 

If you, or a friend or relative has been caught out, unaware it costs £10 to enter, or that it is unclear entries for the £10,000 prize are pooled together with entries for other contests then you can complain to the PSA Authority. You should also complain to Wynnington on their customer care line 0179 730 9000 (standard call costs apply) or write to them at Flat 23, Shackleton Court, 2 Maritime Quay, London E14 3QF.

According to Companies House Wynnington Limited is a subsiduary of Churchcastle Limited and was registered in October 2012 (the same month Churchcastle was fined). The listed Director of Wynnington is Werner Straub, born 1941 with a contact address in Switzerland. Werner Straub and Thomas Alfred Backer are listed as the 2 current Directors of Churchcastle. Proof that Wynnington and Churchcastle Word Search contests are run by the same company.


79 comments:

Unknown said...

Thanks very much for lifting the lid on this mail scam then and about time too, if I may say so!!! 😂 SC

Anonymous said...

I can't believe this company is legally allowed to run these competitions.
Also has nobody noticed that their recent crossword is incorrect?
They have the answer for popular tv programme in 1972 as Eastenders. Extenders did not start till the 80s.
Surely they should be regulated?

Anonymous said...

I to have recd a letter from Wynningtons apparently based in Rye, I think in Sussex. I entered the Wordsearch Competition a couple of months ago with the correct Word. However, I receive a letter from there every few weeks. The latest on 20 Sept 2017 with the amount I am legible to win now at £11950!. Again there is a Wordsearch Puzzle to solve & to claim phone a 0906 number. Apparently the cost is £3.60 per minute to last no longer than 2 minutes.

It is time this Company is exposed! How much they make from this!!!!! There is a TV series called 'Rip Off Britain' We should write to them perhaps or your local consumer company.

Anonymous said...

Hi keep seeing wordsearch comp on the TCM Channels loom carefully at the dated given whenEastenders fist starred it wasn't. 1972!!!!!!! Think they need o stop it why do people think they'll win !just end up with a hugh phone bill!how can they let these compando these rip off comps!

Anonymous said...

Hi keep seeing wordsearch comp on the TCM Channels look carefully at the date given when Eastenders first started it wasn't 1972! I think Churchcastle should stop this comp and they should be banned using TVads .how can they be allowed when people get big phone bills !

Unknown said...

The word search where they want you to find a tv show first aired in 1972, they have the answer as eastenders. Eastenders was first shown in 1985. As this is the only show in the word search, the answer is wrong, therefore the competition should be void. How many people have wasted their money on these scams. Shame on the TV companies for allowing them to scam money from vulnerable people.

Anonymous said...

The answer on wordsearch is Mastermind for 1972 tv show. The quizzes are overpriced with a lot of after marketing to say the least.

Anonymous said...

Answer is Mastermind and country is Canada, quiz misleading as states word search only on screen for 30 seconds so call now. Leads people to believe only those who saw that ad are likely to enter so you may have a larger chance of winning. Typical cleverly worded ad to provoke an emotional response around greed.

Anonymous said...

if you look at the current comp. they have on true tv during the adds of Ice Road Truckers, ( you could win £19,000 if you guess the correct soap opera in the grid and the clue is the soap first aired in 1972, the answer is Eastenders, but this started in October 1985 Emmerdale started in 1972 so dont waist you money as they are wrong and faulse addvertising and at the costs they are saying does,nt work true becarefull all I have reported them to the A.S.A.

Unknown said...

I noticed this too. The answer is emmerdale but it's not on the grid. Avoid at all cost.

Anonymous said...

Win £100,000...Just complete the popular phrase from 1972...."IF IT SEEMS TO GOOD TO BE TRUE....IT....??" Calls cost £10 a second. On a serious note - this "Company" is an disgrace and preys on vulnerable people with a vary dubious competition. Should not be legal.

Lennyshef1 said...

I have just seen the new TV wordsearch from Churchcastle on Channel 4.

It says "clue: find the popular British TV show which first aired in 1972"

I assume they mean Emmerdale Farm

However!

The only TV show in the wordsearch is Eastenders!!!

I have tried to find who to report this to but have so far failed.

This is due to run until 27/02/18 so they will be making a fortune on an unwinnable competition.

Anonymous said...

have freind who has spend many hundreds of pounds on this scam.unaware until the phone bill arrived.this person sits in the cold over xmas in an effort to pay these bills.while these fat scammers sit in luxury in switzerland.close them down.hit them hard where it will hurt with a big fine and bancrupcy

TheChiefExecutive said...

Lennyshef1 - you can complain to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) who regulate TV advertising on behalf of Ofcom. In my experirence this is a waste of time. They cannot impose any meaningful sanctions. You should complain to the PSA Authority who regulate the use of premium rate telephone numbers. They can fine companies and shut down their numbers and also instruct them to refund call fees.

The link to file a complaint is here:

https://psauthority.org.uk

TheChiefExecutive said...

Anon - your friend who has run up a bill of hundreds of pounds. Have you written to Wynnington Wynners asking for a refund? You should try this, they may prefer to refund your friend rather than you cause them problems with the regulators of premium rate telephone services.

After doing this you should complain to the regulator for premiun rate telephone services - The PSA Authority. They can impose fines, shut down providers and demand refunds. The link is here:

https://psauthority.org.uk

You MUST complain. The more complaints received the more likely it is that action will be taken to stop these scammers exploiting vulnerable people.

Anonymous said...

The second column from the bottom up is Mastermind which started in 1972. So that is the answer. The obvious program in the grid is Eastenders which would be the wrong answer but its probably what most people put in so have no chance of winning. The ad is repeated over an over so I assume its the same prize. Really should be banned as its a scam and not really a competition at all. Its for the foolish. If it seems too good to be true it really is.

Anonymous said...

This contest and company should not be allowed to air or continue these scams.
the phone in system is rigged to make you fail.
we had the answer to tv show 1972 being Mastermind for £19,000 prize. When correct name is called in over the telephone you are asked to press any key.
When we pressed a key for mastermind being read out, it ignored it and after autovoice stated our answer was incorrect for Eastenders? computer says no... probably to make you phone again to charge you another £10. At least when you text an answer on other companies there is no doubt what you answered and charges are not so excessive! But the only option available here is to call in and charge you £10.
If an ordinary person wanted to set up a business of online prizes, one would struggle to get a gambling licence, comply with endless terms and regs. Companies like this one are allowed to con people and its legal, where is the justice and accountability of the channel to monitor what they air!!!

TheChiefExecutive said...

Anon 30 December. If you are saying that the phone system does not work you should file a complaint with the PSA Authority. You should also contact Wynnington / Churchcastle and request a refund.

As has been mentioned in the comments there appears to be just a single prize across all the competitions that this company is running.

For those that have not read my previous posts Churchcastle received a massive £800,000 fine from PhonePayPlus (the previous regulator of premium rate telephone lines). This was later reduced on appeal to around half that figure.

It is very important that anyone who has a valid complaint - 1. they were mislead into entering 2. The phone system did not work 3. the terms and conditions were not clear or were not prominently displayed makes a complaint to PSA Authority and ASA.

If you saw the ad on a Channel 4 channel you should also register a complaint with Channel 4. They will probably refer you to the ASA but if they receive a lot of complaints they will also most likely check the ad complies with the Advertising Code. They may decide it doesn't.

Unknown said...

I saw this ad today. Eastenders is indeed in the grid.. But so is Mastermind, so I'm assuming Eastenders is just a red herring, designed to lure more people in.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
steve archer said...

It's mastermind . Eastenders is there to fool you. I looked on Wikipedia and mastermind started in 72

steve archer said...

If you look at the word going down to the left of eastenders and read from the bottom up it's mastermind which started in 72

steve archer said...

It's mastermind

mel said...

I have an Autistic son who finds it hard to sleep, i have had a phone bill for 170 pounds more than it should be as he has been phoning these wordsearch games, he has no idea of the scam but i do, i was wondering if anyone could tell me how to firstly try and get my money back and also then make a complaint. I have now put a lock on our house phone!

The Chief Executive said...

Mel - as I wrote above companies who use premium rate telephone services have a legal responsibility to protect the vulnerable. You can complain to the PSA Authority (The Phone Paid Services Authority) they are the regulator and they can instruct companies to refund and they can also impose fines if companies don't stick to the rules. Their web address is www.psauthority.org.uk or you can phone 0300 30 300 20 (Mon-Fri 9.30-5.00).

If you have a BT phone line you can also ask BT (dial 151) to block premium rate numbers. Once the service is set up you need to program the numbers you wish to block using your telephone keypad.

Let us know how you get on.

Silence said...

Does anyone else find it adds insult to injury these 'prizes' are only £19k (plus an additional £4K OMG!)? I see no evidence anyone wins (they probably do, given they're allowed to exist, but somehow I doubt that it's anybody duped into actually playing the game).

I'm also angry, though not affected, I imagine a lot of people are. I think Churchcastle could actually run fair games and still make a profit (think £1 entry and a decent competition would see far more entries than £19k I imagine -- in particular, repeat entries). https://puzzleplayonline.co.uk/wordsearch-winner/ suggests you can 'buy' a Wordsearch book and enter for free but IDK if they use 'free' entry via post as a way of subduing ASA.

Unknown said...

I have just received a Certificate of Achievment Award saying i solved the 19.500 Royal challenge Teevision Competition.EastendersI will contact a Solicitor and sue the Company .

s.i.n. said...

They are at it again. some "promises" include that calls will last no more than 2 minutes and costs not exceed £7.40 plus phone company's access charge. Since two calls are involved total cost £14.60. Demand that I accept within 4 days but the draw will not take place before 9th October.
The puzzle is far far too easy and the extra word very obvious, This looks like a method of getting people's private information as there is no promise to keep it confidential - they actually state that winners' details and maybe photograph will be made public.
s.i.n.

Anonymous said...

Yes, I entered into one of these. Called an 0906 number that wiped out my credit. It's an obvious scam. When I called I was told to reveal my answer to the word search, but before I could respond it cut off and transferred me to another call that asked me to respond to another question. Then I got cut off. The organisers of this scam should be tracked down snd prosecuted, and the victoms compensated.

Anonymous said...

If you've had any technical issues I suggest you contact their customer service as they will give you a refund. You can also ask them for winner's details if you're interested. They obviously do award the prizes otherwise they would be unable to operate for as long as they have

Anonymous said...

SCAMMERS....various SCAMS targeting various levels of vulnerability in victims

Most recent one operating 06.01.2020 that I am aware of runs a mail merged Prize Draw to enter for a Prize Draw, the target mail solicits the FRAUD tells of winnners each week (x7), pressures victims each week to ENTER the wordsearch 'competition' aka 'the Draw' either once x1 for £7000 or up to x4 times for £10.500 eligibility, at £3.60 perm min to enter (min 3 min call so £10.80 each time) says there were x7 winnners last week. Legal print in small on the back at the bottom says just one winner will be selected some x6 months time.

Effectively it is a Draw into the Draw, with just one award of £7,000-10,000.

Plain FRAUD. Lock them up and throw away the key.
Impressed by the Prizes? Exactly the sort of Victim they want to target.
My advice, MINIMUM register (if in the UK with the Mail Preference Service, runs like the Tel. Pref Service, helps prevent unsolicited mail though if the victims is on suckers lists, good luck!
So much for 'To Protect The Public'.


Private investigations Scotland said...

The cheeky bastards have a free one on the tv to enter, its again to draw you in. People will agree to the terms unwittingly. Maybe it's time for another complaint.

lizzymay said...

I only entered once , seeing it was a scam I complained to the CEO at ITV , that was ignored and they are still,showing these scam puzzles
We should all complain online ITV , Gmb and this morning .

TheChiefExecutive said...

Lizzymay - If you've seen the advert on ITV and you believe it breaks the rules you can complain to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The advertiser has to follow their rules. They can ban ads. The advertiser will have to prove the competition is fair and legal. You will need to show that it isn't. If your complaint looks justified they will investigate - even if there is only one complaint. But you will need evidence - is it that the cost of the calls is hard to work out? Is it that the competition is misleading? Is it that the prize is misleading? You can't just say it is a 'scam' you must say why.

Contact them here: https://www.asa.org.uk/make-a-complaint.html

You can also complain to the Phone Paid Authority (PSA Authority). They have the power to stop phone services, and demand refunds for calls that are over-charged or last longer than advertised, or require follow up calls. They can impose very large fines.

You can contact them here: https://psauthority.org.uk/for-consumers/report-an-issue

ITV don't investigate ads on their channel - because government makes it the responsibility of OFCOM who both the above organisations report to. So don't spend anymore time writing to ITV.

G said...

Here is some more info on this company... they are still trading. Avoid 09 numbers!

http://findaphonenumber.org.uk/churchcastle-limited-phone-number/

Don't trust wordseach I been waiting 5 days for my £2500 and got nothing said...

My name miss Deborah Sherwood the TV program wolrdseach told me I was a winner £2500 5 days ago I find the missing word I still waiting for my winnings but not it my first time playing on this game and noting

Don't trust wordseach I been waiting 5 days for my £2500 and got nothing said...

Looks like I not getting my winnings of £2500 their company has send me a nova game to phone on saying I could win up to £20.000 witch I not be doing it this time

Marcus said...

An advert for this was on tv (Sony Movies channel) today. What an outrageous ripoff this dross is: spend a relative fortune for relatively nothing.

A fool and his money...

Unknown said...

I entered the competition in April this year I guessed the answer James bond, in less than 60 seconds church castle sent me a letter to say I entered the correct answer, I have no idea if my name will come up, I do deserve an award, they said in the letter I have been entered into a drawer. Then I entered again. They said on the competition line u can get free puzzell books so I pressed any button to request for a free booklet. I hope I win on Friday the 26 of June for entering the right answer in less than 60 seconds. I'm not building my hopes up.

Anonymous said...

Have been trying to sort out problem for my 92 year old aunt. Telephone call to say she had won the competition she entered from the TV. The caller then pestered, saying that it would only cost £1.90 for postage of more books. Aunt said she wasn't interested but this lady went on and on. Bearing in mind the aunt is very deaf and can't always understand what people are saying over the phone, she gave in and read out her card details to pay the £1.90. She has since found out that another £8.00+ has been taken from her card. I have contacted the bank and stopped her card, so she will get a new one, but it is so much bother and I don't know if it is illegal, but certainly sharp practice taking money from the elderly.

Anonymous said...

Total scam. Your data will undoubtedly be delivered to hackers in far off lands.

Unknown said...

I cannot believe Werner Straub, a Swiss economist apparently, is allowed to trade through his rotten Company still. It has not affected me but I can imagine even a one off phone call is very expensive especially if you have to wait or recall. It is a total disgrace if this is legal.

Unknown said...

Got a letter saying I have a good chance of winning the £1,500 prize iv phoned the number 3 times now never again I will be complaining need them shut down for good scammers

Unknown said...

I'm so glad I saw this I rang recently I won't be ringing again

Prince3121 said...

Church castle are on ITV3 every day during the day with there work search in between every advert break the latest one is a free phone number it don't run out until next year, I entered the last free one & was played with more and more draws they were worded in a way you had to enter to qualify

Unknown said...

My elderly neighbour experienced exactly the same thing. He entered a competition on TV and they phoned him to say he could have won £15,000. They asked for his card details and other personal details, then deducted £2.95 from his account. I helped him to contact the bank and cancel the card but they obviously had enough information to set up a direct debit. They are currently taking £8.25 a fortnight. I'm helping him to liaise with the bank and get all this cancelled.

The Chief Executive said...

Unknown 16th Dec. Thank you for contributing here. It's unbelievable that this company is still perpetrating this scam 3 years after I first wrote about it. It causes heartache, stress and anxiety for loved ones and their close friends and relatives. Thank you for helping your neighbour escape the clutches of these crooks.

They used to create a charge to phone bills via a premium rate phone call. When that route to riches was shut down with a hefty fine from the regulator, they moved to taking credit card and bank card details from their confused elderly word search fans who thought they'd won life changing sums. Please everyone keep reporting them and make their lives as difficult as possible.

Competition enthusiast said...

Half of you guys think the puzzles are too easy, and the other half of you didn't realise it but you actually got the answer wrong! I prefer the puzzles to be harder because it increases our chances of winning. We all need to remember, just because you didn't win the prize it doesn't mean it's a scam. Of course you're probably not going to win - it's a prize draw!

Anonymous said...

Omg, haha. So I received a missed call from this number, lol. I read these comments and called them back to hear what they would say. They said exactly as everyone here has posted: 'You're through to the next round'..'what would yu spend the money on...' When she first picked up, all she said was 'hello...' it was all so unprofessional, lol. When I told her that I was reading comments about them, she hung up, lol. So glad I came across this site!!

Angela said...

Just had phone call from them too asking for bank details for me to pay postage of bonus prize I’ve won 🤪

Unknown said...

Mu mum received word searches in the post and has phoned the 0906 numbers - resulting in almost £100 charges on her Sky account this month for phone calls. I've emailed ChurchCastle and given them 7 days to reply and refund the money. My mum has a brain injury and can't read the small print and even when I explained about the charges, she couldn't easily grasp that she'd been scammed. I've now got Sky to block her dialling premium rate numbers.

The ChiefExecutive said...

Reply for unknown 22 February 2021 - I'm sorry to hear this. As you'll have seen from my post I know how upsetting it is. Please also tell the PSA authority what has happened. They won't get you a refund - but they do monitor and regulate these services. It will help protect others. Have you also asked Sky to consider refunding the money? https://psauthority.org.uk/for-consumers/ive-been-charged-what-next

gmar96 said...

Hi I stupidly entered this competition while watching heartbeat or something silly like that. It was a kneejerk I'd love £10000 reaction. Was a freephone number so thought what harm?

Was called today and the outcome was I made the shortlist for the £10000 and had to pay £1.95 for free lottery tickets in a syndicate. I cut it off there and reported to ITV.

This should not be allowed. To me they are making money from the £1.95 and that's it.

Here's my complaint


I entered a competition to win £10000 during one of your adverts at the approximate date and time 23rd March 2021 12.56pm. The number I called was 08005003313. Today at 11.22am I missed a call from this number 02045483304. I called the number back at 12.14pm. I made contact at 12.14pm on 29th March 2021 with someone who told me my name had been selected to go through to the next round of the competition. Then the representative of this competition line told me there was an extra special offer and I only needed to pay £1.95 to get free lottery tickets. I cut the call off there because I do not find it acceptable that I give out card details or even have to pay anything. I believe this is a mail scam and belies the so called free competition offer.

Is this the standards that ITV3 have set themselves?

Please look into this and respond.

daveyden said...

I entered the "EastEnders" competition two years ago. I had a new mobile number and kept it to only my friends and family, due to harassment on my previous number.i did use it to enter the competition though. I was called one morning shortly after and was asked by a woman with quite a stern voice if I was..(she gave my name)...
I asked who was calling please and she repeated her question. I said I wouldnt
Confirm who I was unless she told me who was calling, to which she replied..."oh well, it's your loss, you've just thrown away 12 thousand pounds". Then the penny dropped! I had no way of contacting them and the whole experience left me feeling quite anguished for some time.. especially as I am far from well off since illness forced me to retire early. I hope they get put out of business soon so others don't suffer.

Unknown said...

Scammers the 2 companies

Consumerwatch said...

They are at it again on TV esp after traditional crime fiction show repeats .

Unknown said...

Hi thanks for the information, my 79yrs old mum has been doing these wordsearch, for months, thinking that she has won, then been told it now going into another competition. This is still continuing with this company, preying on the elderly in 2021.

Anonymous said...

I entered a TV wordsearch competition about 2 years ago, even though it was questionable because it was ridiculously easy. It should really be classed as a lottery, because no one could possibly not see the answer if they could see at all. I got a reply .. a letter purportedly from the tv company saying I'd got it right, which of course I knew. I was asked to make a call costing £3.60 to give an answer to a similar search enclosed with the letter, to increase the prize money if I won. I declined. I thought it was dishonest. But at the time I assumed it really was from the tv company since whoever sent it had my details and the answer to the competition. Now of course I'm much more aware of scams - so when I got another letter today .. over a year later and at my new address, which they had no legitimate way of knowing .. saying they hadn't heard from me and wanted me to send yet another wordsearch answer to make sure I was entered in the draw, I knew what was going on .. and to be certain I googled and found this info. This one particular scam has been ongoing for about 2 years that I know of. Certainly the Sun, and ITV must know about the scams. Why don't they inform people about it when they publish the competitions? And explain that they don't contact anyone except the winnersto congratulate them and actually send the cheque? Its a disgrace .. they should be more honourable towards their viewers and readers.

Anonymous said...

PS .. the name in the small print of the latest letter is still Churchcastle so they must be using both names now

Anonymous said...

They're back again. This time it's free to enter, but they will ring you back and you will be charged for their call !!!

Anonymous said...

This company are low life,,,,I intend to find them and uncover them, and I will,,, I promise

Anonymous said...

The Wynnington advert is s currently showing on ITV3 and now showing an 0800 number. Still wouldn’t touch them with a bargepole. Companies House shows one of the Directors is Swiss residing in Switzerland the other is Dutch and resident in New Zealand!

Anonymous said...

Hi all i also enterd this same tv ad competition via phoning throu the anser to the puzzle and after a few weeks i had a telephone call from them to say i am currently a runner up in the final prize draw competition but to enter i would need to subscribe to a magazine witch they assured me would only cost £1.95 per issue it turned out to my horror when i read my bank statement they had taken £19.95 from my account plus the £1.95 and when i rang them up to cancel it the chap the other end tryed everything to keep me on the competition saying im 1 of 3 runners up and i should stay on another 10 days and then only i was told it was £40 a month i was never told any of these extra charges surley this must be illegal as its robbing and misleading the public in the end i blocked future payments from my bank account . This company should be closed down for good .

Anonymous said...

My advice to all of you is to make a complaint to the police (Economic Crime Unit). They may be able to fob off one or
two individuals, but 500 of you will force them to act.

Mark Jolly said...

Just back from visiting my 86 year old aunt to do her weekly shopping. When I attempted to pay for her shopping on her debit card it was declined. I subsequently phoned her bank and it transpires that her account had been block because her account had been charged £1.95 and then 10 days later £19.95 for Wordsearch and the bank had deemed it suspicious. Unfortunately because we can’t say the transaction was fraudulent it will need to stand and we will need to contact Wordsearch to cancel the subscription. My aunt is adamant she didn’t intend to take out a subscription but it is what it is. The phone competition and this subscription are a complete rip off and the vulnerable are candidates for exploitation. How it can be legal is beyond me.

Anonymous said...

How can they be allowed to advertise this scam on ITV. Shame on I T V for taking the money.

Anonymous said...

Not heard about these for a while and used to be a keen player and entrant - more fool me coS of phone bill costs!
I also thought it must all be above board as advertised on telly...

Anonymous said...

My mum has just been stung with this. I have just found a pile of unopened puzzle books and lottery tickets which she swears she did not request (she did say they said they would send her a free magazine after being runner up in phone in comp). They have been taking £19.95 a fortnight for the last 4 months. Conveniently the Web address they give to cancel the subscription doesn't work! 😡

Kev said...

It is time this competition was removed from TV. I believe that the ITV company is equally responsible for this scam and should be exposed and fined heavily. If it cost them they would not publish the ad. Perhaps the government should also be looking more closely at this kind of scam as there should be regulation to prevent it.

Anonymous said...

I totally agree. I'm disgusted that ITV let this company advertise its dubious competitions on their channel.

Anonymous said...

Don’t forget itv are making a lot of money on the back of all this

Anonymous said...

If it is a scam why are they still trading and sending out puzzles? Has anyone ever seen a list of winners?

Anonymous said...

The very same thing has happened to me. This has made me feel very stupid and foolish for actually believing ITV would not vet the companies they agree to let advertise with them. Again, all ITV are interested in is the fee they receive via adverts. I have had £19.96 taken from my bank without my consent, which is fraud. How disgraceful and low can people be, praying on older people. How would they like it if I did this to one of their family..... ITV have a legal department and SHOULD be investgating Wynnington and Churchcastle Ltd, they have received complaints about both the competition and these companies in the past, but still they are allowed to advertise and con the TV Licence payers.
I hope the lady above who was also scammed is ok in herself as I know what this does to a person.

Anonymous said...

I’ve just received a letter in the format of a Certificate Of Achievement ! Television Wordsearch Awards… posted on 26th October 2023 and competition deadline is 28th October 2023, one way of getting you to hurry and pick up the phone (not) same company, small print states CHURCHCASTLE LTD may receive other offers from WYNNINGTON by post. Currently based in Brighton. Call cost which they state in SMALL PRINT will need an additional 2 minutes this will then make the total of the call £14.60p warn your friends and family, glad I searched for scamming companies before participating. Thank you for all your concerning information people.

Anonymous said...

Scam

Anonymous said...

They r still doing it now on advert in lingo

Anonymous said...

Just seen the Christmas wordsearch for thier favourite Christmas film. It looks on first glance to be A Christmas Carol, but a few rows down backwards is Home Alone!! Absolute scam.

Anonymous said...

Would like to share this on facebook

Angela said...

Jan 29th 2024..
Yes they are trying to con people again..my friends were told they had won £14500 just before xmas and would recieve the money 16th January 2024..NOTHING..when they rang them, they fobbed them off saying they were going to be put in a draw...obviously a big scam..they found the competition on itv..so they thought it was legitimate, why are itv putting it on there channel????? This had been going on for years..!!!!!!!!