County Council Backs National Scams Awareness Campaign
Residents are being urged to educate themselves so that they don’t fall victim to scams – but to realise that these crimes can happen to anyone and to report them if they do happen.
Scams Awareness is a yearly campaign which aims to create a network of confident, alert consumers who know what to do when they see a scam. This year's campaign runs until 23 June.
Citizens Advice is running the campaign, which Derbyshire County Council is backing, with the aim of helping people find out how scams operate and how to protect themselves.
Between April 2018 and March 2019, the county council trading standards team helped 260 scam victims and saved them £115,840 and they received 282 reports of doorstep crime from Derbyshire residents.
Some 140 of those were from consumers who said they had lost money – £418,184 in total – which is around £2,987 per person.
Trading standards directly intervened to assist consumers in their disputes with doorstep traders on 43 occasions, achieving redress that amounts to a total of £45,113.
Trading standards officers are asking people to help spread the message that scams are crimes that can happen to anyone and people don’t need to be embarrassed if they fall victim to them.
There is lots of information on both the Derbyshire County Council and Citizens Advice websites on how to help raise awareness of scams, how to check if something is a scam, how to report a scam and what to do if you’re scammed.
Derbyshire County Council Cabinet Member for Health and Communities, Councillor Carol Hart, said: “Scammers are clever and convincing but if people arm themselves with some knowledge they are less likely to be a victim The more people are aware, the better chance they have of avoiding being scammed.
“Victims can lose money and peace of mind. They can also feel too embarrassed to report a scam. We want people to report these criminals.
“Whether you’re an individual consumer looking to guard yourself and your loved ones from scams, or an organisation representing consumers, your efforts during the campaign could make a real difference.”
Residents can find out how to spot scams and find information about relevant support services to help older or vulnerable people at www.derbyshire.gov.uk/scams
Find resources and sign up to the campaign mailing list on Citizens Advice website www.citizensadvice.org.uk/scams
You can also get advice and report issues to the Citizens Advice Consumer Service at 08454 040506 www.citizensadvice.org.uk and report suspected frauds to Action Fraud at 0300 123 2040 www.actionfraud.police.uk
Although Scams Awareness is running in June the council’s trading standards team is urging people to report scams all year round and look out for people they care for who may be vulnerable.
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