Supporting Carers to Protect Vulnerable People
In Carers Week 2010 Warwickshire County Council Trading Standards Service is educating Carers to spot the rogues who prey on elderly and vulnerable people and the warning signs that the person they care for might be a scam victim.
Trading Standards Officers have been visiting Carers groups across Warwickshire to talk to Carers and Care professionals and provide them information, advice and practical tips on everything from rogue traders to bogus lotteries and deceptive prize draws.
Warwickshire County Councillor Richard Hobbs, Portfolio Holder for Community Protection said:
“Rogue traders and the criminal gangs who organize bogus lotteries, prize draws and sweep stakes, often target the most vulnerable people in our society.
Sadly, these crimes do not always come to light until many months or even years afterwards when the victims have already lost their life savings and may be suffering debt and depression
We work all year long with Carers groups and Care professionals to educate them on how to identify rogue traders and scams and help prevent the vulnerable people they care for falling victim.
In Carers Week 2010, we want to highlight this work and provide Carers with some practical advice so that they can protect the people they care for.”
Spotting the Signs of Scams and Dealing with Rogue Traders
Mass marketing scams typically work by criminal gangs sending out thousands of letters or emails and sometimes making phone calls. Most people who receive them soon spot the scam, but for the few that respond, they are the ones who are then bombarded with similar scam mailings or phone calls – sometimes more than 100 per week – hounding them for money.
If you are caring for an elderly or vulnerable person, here are some of the warning signs:
they may receive lots of junk mail
have a house full of cheap looking goods such as jewellery or health products
receive frequent phone calls from strangers, or
become secretive when discussing finances with family or friends.
Rogue Traders and Dodgy Doorstep Sales People
Rogue traders and dodgy doorstep sales people often operate door to door or try to arrange appointments following unsolicited phone calls. They may offer to do gardening work, driveway cleaning or tarmacing or roofing work or they may be selling burglar alarms or mobility aids.
They may:
point out work that needs to be done on your home immediately
use scare tactics such as inflated burglary statistics or claiming you home is in a dangerous state
start work straight away
not provide cancellation rights as they are obliged to by law
offer low prices and OAP discounts – but the price then goes up quickly!
Anyone can fall for a scam but the elderly are often hit hardest. Older victims are likely to lose nearly twice as much per scam as others.
For more information, please visit http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/tradingstandards
If you think you have been the victim of a scam, or you suspect a scam, call Consumer Direct for clear, practical consumer advice on 08454 04 05 06