Ever received a letter congratulating you on winning a lottery you’re sure you never entered, or received a phone call telling you to ring some expensive premium-rate telephone number in order to claim your ‘star prize’? While some scams are fairly easy to spot, others aren’t.
Throughout May, Cardiff Trading Standards, along with other agencies, will be promoting ‘Scamnesty’, a scams awareness month.
According to research conducted by the Office of Fair Trading, (www.oft.gov.uk) £3.5 billion is lost to scams every year in the UK alone. This equates to £850 per victim. Some victims of scams have been known to lose their life savings, and even their own homes.
In order to combat the scammers Trading Standards is raising awareness of the nature of mass marketed scams, which can include fake lottery and prize draw wins, bogus ‘psychic’ predictions and miracle health cures. These normally come in the form of unsolicited letters, emails or telephone calls.
Some victims, typically the elderly or vulnerable, can become chronically involved, constantly sending off money for false fees or charges. In some cases victims will be asked to transfer money abroad to someone they do not really know.
Other scams are the Bogus Holiday Club type clubs which invite consumers to join an exclusive club for an initial charge and then promising special rates or discounts on flights, accommodation and other services. While there are legitimate holiday clubs, some are bogus with consumers handing over money for something that barely compares to what they were told.
In the run up to events such as Pop Concerts and Festivals, there are many opportunities for Ticket Scams to target consumers. Fake websites claim to have tickets for events but the tickets never materialise after payment is sent to them.
Cardiff Council’s head of Regulatory and Supporting Services, Dave Holland, said: ““We receive reports of losses worth £10,000’s every year by residents in Cardiff. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg as most victims are too afraid or embarrassed to report that they have been defrauded.”
“Fraudsters use subtle psychological ploys to draw their victims in the scam. Anyone can fall for a scam, but the greatest financial losses are usually suffered by those who are socially isolated”.
“Victims can be threatened and bullied by the fraudsters into sending ever increasing sums of money. Often friends and family do not discover the problem until utility bills stop getting paid or the victim has no money left to buy food.”
Throughout the month, Trading Standards are asking for examples of any scams that consumers may have received to be handed in to special ‘scamnesty’ collection boxes, located at the following Hubs in the city:
* Trading Standards Consumer Advice, Bridge St, Cardiff City Centre
* Llanrumney Community Hub, Llanrumney Library
* St Mellons Library and Community Hub
If you would like any further information about scams, or believe that you may have been a victim of a scam, please contact Trading Standards by e-mailing: [email protected] or by visiting:
Consumer Advice Centre
71 Bridge street
Cardiff
CF10 2TS
The mailings collected during the Scamnesty campaign will be used to help identify trends and new tricks that scammers, both in the UK and overseas, are using, and will help the OFT and Trading Standards prevent others from being scammed.
