Scamnesty 2010
Don’t Let Them Con You or Someone You Know
Have you received a scam letter for a Prize Draw or Mystery Psychic may be you’ve received a bogus letter claiming you’ve won thousands or millions on a Euro Lottery you've never even entered! If you have, Warwickshire Trading Standards Service would like to hear from you.
February is national Scams Awareness Month and Warwickshire Trading Standards Service would like members of the public and business to forward any potential scam letters/mailings they have received and any phishing emails and information on potential scam telephone calls.
Working in partnership with the Office of Fair Trading the aim of Scamnesty is to raise awareness of the many scams that are targeted at people of all ages and backgrounds. This information will be recorded and used to investigate the scale of the problem both in Warwickshire and across the country.
The OFT estimate that £3.5 billion is lost from the economy to scams and in this tough economic climate these criminals are becoming more sophisticated in the ways in which they obtain information, personal details and money from people. Victims can be targeted in a number of ways; telephone, letter, email or classified adverts – and be aware, everyone and anyone is the potential victim of these scammers.
Common Scams include:
- Foreign Lottery Winning Notification Mailings
- Prize Draw Mailings
- Phishing emails from bogus banks, building societies, tax, office etc
- Miracle Cure Mailings
- Psychic Mailings
- Mock Business Advertising Telephone Calls
Avoid being Scammed – 5 rules
- Never send money to anyone who says you’ve won a prize or the lottery
- Never give out your bank account details or other personal information to people you do not know.
- Never feel pressured to respond immediately
- Never send money in response to bogus psychic mailings.
- If something sounds too good to be true it probably is!
For more information about Scamnesty go to www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/scamnesty where you can send any suspect email or online scams to the online Scamnesty bin.
Please send your information to:
Scamnesty
Warwickshire County Council
Trading Standards Service
FREEPOST
Old Budbrooke Road
CV35 7DP
Email: tsnews@warwickshire.gov.uk |