City of York Council Trading Standards is urging people in York to spread the word this month about scams and to expose the tactics of fraudsters to protect others.
Trading Standards launches Scams Awareness Month in July to help stop people falling prey to scams by following a three-step rule – get advice, report it, and tell others about it.
It comes just as City of York Council has had reports from residents of cold callers claiming to have been told by the council about a supposed car accident.
Scam methods such as this are known as ‘vishing’ whereby scammers cold-call people in a bid to get their bank details, and offers of fake services. Besides claiming to be from a reputable organisation, these include telling people their computer has a virus which they can fix remotely.
Investment scams carried the highest price tag, with people investing in fake diamonds or bogus stocks and shares losing of on average £20,000 each.
In fact, national research by Citizens Advice finds that scammers are using a variety of tactics to get people to part with their cash, with people losing an average of £2,500 across all types of scam.
InYork, Trading Standards has helped many people targeted by scams including residents who receive hundreds of items of unsolicited mail each month.
Trading Standards is warning people to be on guard and watch out for the different methods used by fraudsters, from doorstep selling of counterfeit goods to demands for upfront payments for services that never materialise.
Eight common scams reported to Citizens Advice are: (more…)
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