Plaid Cymru AM and Equalities Spokesperson Lindsay Whittle has warned householders to be aware of the dangers of scams in the wake of a huge number of complaints made to trading standards officers across Wales.
A 92-year-old friend of the Assembly Member for South Wales East recently fell victim to rogue traders who conned him out of £5,000 over roofing repairs.
Scores of complaints about scams and unsolicited calls are being made to trading standards officers every week.
Swansea council is receiving complaints about unsolicited calls at the rate of more than 10 a week while Denbighshire had more than 1,000 complaints over four years. Many local authorities have also taken out prosecutions following complaints
The office of the Plaid Cymru AM submitted a Freedom of Information request to all Welsh local authorities to find out the extent of complaints about scams and cold calling.
Lindsay Whittle said: “Older people are more likely to fall victim to these scammers and lose their life savings as has happened too many.
“I support Age Cymru’s call for action by government and the telecom companies to tackle these scammers along with and measures such as an expansion cold calling zones.
“The information we obtained using the Freedom of Information Act is an indication of the significant concerns of people about scammers. This is probably the tip of the iceberg because while some individuals will make complaints others may perhaps feel too embarrassed to complain. But they should go to the police and trading standards with any concerns
“These scammers and rogue traders are really the worst of society and it is important that we are all aware of the dangers, particularly if we have older relatives, friends or neighbours.”
This month Age Cymru is leading on a Scams Awareness Month highlighting online, mail, phone and doorstep scams.
