Hand in your scam mail to help beat the fraudsters
News article (Lancashire County Council)
Some of the many scams people handed in during last year's Scamnesty.
LANCASHIRE Trading Standards Service is teaming up with Lancashire Constabulary again in February to tackle the problem of scam mail.
The Scamnesty campaign will see special bins placed at various locations, including police stations and libraries, for people to deposit any scams they receive through the post.
New for this year, people can also send any emailed scams through to the team for further investigation at tsscams@lancashire.gov.uk.
County Councillor Albert Atkinson, deputy leader of Lancashire County Council, said: "Scammers are always coming up with new ideas to catch people out. The intelligence we get through the Scamnesty campaign helps us to raise awareness of the types of scam that are out there.
"The sad reality is that while scams are a massive problem, with some people being conned out of very large sums, only one in 20 victims report them. This makes it very difficult to target prevention and take action against those responsible.
"If people know what to watch out for, it helps to reduce the chance of them being scammed in the future."
Last year's campaign identified 400 separate scams which, had they worked, could have cost Lancashire residents £10.6m. It also revealed that fake prize draws remain the biggest problem, showing a seven-fold increase between 2010 and 2011.
Scams are a massive hidden problem with victims often too embarrassed to report them. Estimates put the cost to Lancashire residents alone at £64m annually, with 76,000 people becoming victims every year.
DC Tony McClements, Lancashire Constabulary fraud evaluation and liaison officer added: “We are delighted to support Trading Standards in this campaign, especially due to the fact that many of the victims may be vulnerable.
"Being scammed in this fashion can be devastating to the victim due to the level of trust cultivated by the fraudster who effectively befriends them before striking."
"Predominantly the criminals perpetrating these types of scams are based outside the UK jurisdiction making investigation extremely difficult, so always remember if it looks too good to be true it probably is.”
If you are unsure of an offer, speak to family or friends, and seek advice from Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or visit www.actionfraud.org.uk (external link). You can report e-scams online via the action fraud website.
If you think you may have been misled into paying money as a result of a scam, please register your complaint with Trading Standards by calling Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06.
Picture caption: Detective Inspector Janet Baldwin Lancashire Constabulary and County Councillor Albert Atkinson, deputy leader of Lancashire County Council with some of the many scams people handed in during last year's Scamnesty.
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