Posted on Monday 10th June 2019
Gill Heath, Cabinet Member for Communities at Staffordshire County Council and Mark Wilson, Principal Trading Standards Officer for Staffordshire Trading Standards
People across Staffordshire 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 awareness campaign.
Scams Awareness 2019, which starts today (10 June) and runs for two weeks aims to inform people of the types and extent of con tricks which pose a threat to people’s finances and wellbeing.
Led by Citizens Advice and backed by Staffordshire County Council trading standards team, the campaign is reminding people to take a moment and trust their gut instinct so that they get advice, report scams and tell others about their experiences.
Each year millions of people in the UK fall prey to scammers though it is thought less than five per cent report them. In addition to the financial cost, scams also cause emotional trauma and loss of confidence to victims.
Gill Heath, Cabinet Member for Communities at Staffordshire County Council said:
“Scams cause a huge amount of misery and often financial loss to people and it’s something we are committed to tackling here in Staffordshire.
“The message of this years’ campaign is to stop, report, talk and be scam aware. We know that lots of people feel embarrassed to speak up about being scammed, but if we get people talking about it, it helps others to avoid being scammed too.
“We’re also asking people to look out for family members, friends or neighbours who may be more vulnerable to this type of crime. And, we would always advise that if something appears too good to be true then it usually is.”
Common scams include doorstep double glazing sales, online investment offers, bogus bank calls asking for personal details, online job adverts asking for an upfront fee, offers for goods and services and fake prize draw winnings.
People can find out more about being scams aware on the Citizen's Advice website or from the national consumer service on 03454 04 05 06.