February Is Scams Awareness Month
Scams Awareness Month is launched today to highlight the techniques used by scammers to con UK consumers out of £3.5billion each year.
In Warwickshire alone in the last 12 months almost 400 people have reported being a target of a scam.
Warwickshire County Council Trading Standards Service are supporting the campaign that aims to give consumers and businesses in Warwickshire the knowledge and skills they need to recognise, report and help stamp out mass-marketed scams.
Mark Ryder, Head of Warwickshire Trading Standards Service said:
“From bogus psychics to fake lotteries, Warwickshire consumers and businesses receive thousands of letters, emails and telephone calls each year from criminal gangs intent on stealing their money and personal and financial information.
"Advising consumers on how they can recognise and report these scams is one way in which we are trying to reduce the numbers of Warwickshire consumers and businesses that fall victim to these cons.
"Remember, if an offer seems ‘too good to be true’, it usually is!”
Warwickshire Trading Standards Officers are beginning the month by highlighting two of the most common scams in circulation. The first relates to Spains largest lottery El Gordo which is run by Loterias y Apuestas de Estado is often used by scammers.
Many Warwickshire consumers have received a scam lottery letter entitled ‘LOTERIA PRIMITIVA’ telling them they have won €615,810 Euros in cash! However, they are expected to fill out a detailed form and reveal personal and financial information such as bank account numbers in order to collect their ‘winning’.
Those who do will immediately receive requests for more money to process the claim, and these demands will keep coming until the consumer realises it is a scam. In addition the information may be used to create false identities.
The second relates to a letter or email sent by someone calling themselves Mrs Linda Nkomo who claims to be a refugee living in South Africa. The letter asks for your help to transfer the sum of £8million dollars, for which you will ‘receive’ 30%. Again any one who responds will typically be asks to send money to help the transaction along, until they realise they have been scammed!
Every year one in fifteen people (3.2 million adults) fall victim to scams across the UK. The average amount lost per scam is £850.
Midlands residents make up 15 per cent of all UK scam victims. The Midlands has the highest incidence of miracle health scams in the UK (22 per cent of total targets and victims in the UK), foreign lottery scams (19 per cent), holiday club scams (19 per cent), and prize draw scams (16 per cent).
Warwickshire Trading Standards will be supporting the month by distributing information on scams to libraries and other locations and to organisations that represent Warwickshire consumers, businesses and residents. To access this information from your own home visit our website: http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/scams