Plymouth residents are being urged to support the national ‘Scamnesty campaign’ to fight back against criminals who prey on vulnerable consumers using fake lotteries and prize draws.
Plymouth City Council’s Trading Standards team believes there has been a rise in scammers using the pandemic to target unsuspecting consumers who being put on mailing lists after responding to a letter inviting them to claim a winning prize draw.
The campaign is encouraging people to send in any scam marketing mail they receive to the National Scams Team at NTSST, FREEPOST, MAIL MARSHALS. Postage is free and more information can be found at www.friendsagainstscams.org.uk/scamnesty
Scams can include people being sent a letter saying they have won a prize. By saying ‘you are a winner’ the scammers grab people’s attention and some are tempted to respond. This can result in someone’s personal details being put on a ‘victims list’ which leads to them being inundated with unwanted post.
In the past, Plymouth Trading Standards helped a lady in her 80s who was responding to mass marketing fraud. Although she was reluctant to talk about her experiences initially, it became apparent that the lady was a victim and had sent criminals in excess of £180,000. Whilst it started with prize draw letters it escalated to receiving post from all over the world. Unfortunately, in this case the victim could not recover any of her money.
Throughout December, the ‘Scamnesty’ campaign will focus on a different topic starting with information about lotteries and prize draw. Subsequent weeks focus on other common issues including clairvoyant scams, advanced fee scams and unsolicited mail scams.
Cllr Sally Haydon, Cabinet Member for Customer Focus and Community Safety said: “Unscrupulous scammers have taken advantage of the pandemic to target people who are spending more time at home and shopping on the internet. It’s a cliché but if it seems too good to be true, then you should exercise caution.
“Often victims are elderly or vulnerable and can lose significant amounts, so we are asking residents to get involved in the ‘Scamnesty’ campaign and forward any scam mail they receive. This will give our Trading Standards team valuable insight into how scammers are targeting people in the Plymouth area.”
If you are being targeted by scammers you can report it to Trading Standards via the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133. The Mailing Preference Service may be able to help with unwanted mail. You should also report any scams to Action Fraud.