People are being urged to spot the signs of scams, report them and look out for those who may become victims as part of a national campaign.
Scams Awareness Week is an annual campaign run by Citizens Advice and supported by Staffordshire County Council’s Trading Standards service. The campaign, which launches this week aims to create a network of confident, alert consumers who know what to do when they spot a scam.
With many people facing increased financial pressures, and scams on the rise, officers now want people to spot tell-tale signs online, on the phone, through the post or on the doorstep.
Common scams include, energy rebate scams, bogus bank calls and emails asking for personal details, offers for goods and services and doorstep scams like double glazing sales.
Officers have also seen an increase in the ‘Hello mum’ scam. This is where victims receive a text message purporting from a family relative claiming to need urgent financial assistance. Believing it to be genuine, victims agree to make bank transfers of substantial amounts of money, not realising they are dealing with a scammer.
Some tips for avoiding scams:
- Unsolicited emails from banks and social media websites asking you to take urgent action with your account are almost always fake. Delete them immediately, and if you think you have been tricked into sending money to a scammer, contact your bank immediately.
- Always use unique, hard to guess passwords for your important banking, shopping and social media websites.
- Consider using a callblocker and ‘No Cold Callers’ cards to help deter telephone and doorstep scammers.
- Don’t be rushed – you never need to make a decision straight away and if you feel pressured say “no”
- Consider learning more about scammers to help protect yourself and others – become a ‘Friend Against Scams’.
- Report the scam to Citizens Advice who will give you advice on what to do next and report the scam to Trading Standards
Estimates from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) suggest there were 5.1 million fraud offences in the year ending Sept 2021. Additionally, Citizens Advice found in the first 5 months of 2021 more than two thirds of adults (36 million) had been targeted by a scam.
People can report online scams to Citizens Advice and 0808 223 1133
