This year’s campaign, ‘Don’t miss a trick, be scam aware’, will focus on those frequently targeted for scams.
BACAB and CAB as the wider organisation are warning people to look out for the most frequent scams to avoid becoming a victim. Spam emails, suspicious activity alerts from your bank, cold calling seem to have become part of our daily lives.
Citizens Advice found almost three-quarters of people recently surveyed were targeted by a scam in the previous two years only 5-15 percent of scams are reported. Often people feel embarrassed if they have fallen for these tricks.
June is the official Scam Awareness Month, with this year’s strapline being ‘Don’t miss a trick, be scam aware’ supported by many local councils and charities.
The Chartered Trading Standards Institute has teamed up with Citizens Advice to raise awareness of scams across the country.
Leon Livermore chief executive of the Chartered Trading Standards Institute said: “It’s worrying that scam victims still feel reluctant to come forward and report a crime.”
“It is therefore reassuring and heartening to know that devoted trading standards and consumer protection champions around the country are tirelessly working in the background to help raise awareness and drive down criminal behaviour.”
This year’s campaign focuses on those targeted by scams. Citizens Advice found that scams have been against adults as young as 18 to the elderly over 70. Often these are phone scams as most adults now own or have access to a smartphone.
Tips to avoid phone scams include
• If you receive a call you think is a phone scam you should hang up immediately, wait five minutes and call your bank to find out if there has been any suspicious activity on your account.
• Genuine computer or IT companies do not make phone calls to help fix your computer unless you have asked them to. Hang up straight away and do not give them access details to your computer.
• Contacted out of the blue? Don’t recognise the number? Be suspicious.
• Always reject cold calls offering investments or pension advice.
For more information to keep you, your information and your money safe click here.
