Sutton Council warns about the fraudsters preying on hard-up households through Scams Awareness Month.

Fraudsters are “picking the pockets” of up to four million people each year, finds new research from Citizens Advice.

Sutton Council Trading Standards warns that as people in Sutton struggle to make ends meet they are being sized up by devious con artists.

This year between 23 – 30 April five elderly residents in Sutton were contacted by telephone callers purporting to come from their ‘bank’ asking for their PIN details and to collect their bank cards. The residents targeted were aged between 69 – 91. One female resident, aged 91, lost £2,000 whilst a male resident aged 88 was tricked out of £250. In the other three reports, the bank cards were cancelled before any withdrawals could be made – and in one case a victim’s neighbour intervened and cancelled the cards after he saw a cab arrive at the victim’s front door.

Fraud offences in England and Wales rose by 25% in 2013, compared to the previous year, with 207,252 cases reported to Action Fraud. But nationally Citizens Advice has calculated up to four million people could be scammed each year as many scams go unreported.

Scams Awareness Month launched this May and Sutton Trading Standards is urging people to “fight back against the fraudsters”.

People are just as likely to be conned over the phone and via text messages as they are through emails and websites. New analysis reveals:

• Over a third of scams (34%) were over the phone.
• Almost a quarter of scams (24%) were through visits to a web site.
• 16% were letter or fax scams.
• One in ten scams (10%) were through emails.

Sutton Trading Standards is warning that people should watch out for non-secure websites that ask for financial details. It’s important that people realise scammers are also at the end of the phone and on your doorstep.

Counterfeit cashier cheques, fraudulent lenders offering loans to get hold of personal details, dating scams, ticket cons and computer hacking were amongst commonly reported scams. Online shopping and auction fraud was the biggest single fraud type with almost 40,000 recorded cases.

Mary Morrissey, Strategic Director Environment and Neighbourhood at Sutton Council said:

“We are running Scams Awareness Month to encourage people to fight back against the fraudsters pushing their cons into the nation’s homes by reporting those scams. It is important that we do all we can to protect our vulnerable citizens” 

Top tips for dealing with scams

1. If it sounds too good to be true it probably is.
2. Never give out your bank details or send money unless you are certain you can trust the person contacting you.
3. Contacted out of the blue? Be suspicious.
4. Your bank and the police will never collect your bank card, ask for your PIN or come to your home.
5. Make sure the website’s secure, if you are buying online – check for the padlock or “https” next to the web address
6. It you haven’t bought a ticket you can’t win it.
7. You shouldn’t have to pay anything to get a prize.
8. Pressure to make a decision straight away? Take your time and just say: “No thank you”.
9. Walk away from job ads that ask for money in advance.
10. Computer firms do not make unsolicited phone calls to help you fix your computer.
11. Don’t suffer in silence – tell others about scams.

What to do if you have been scammed

• Report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 to help stop it happening to others.
• Often you can’t get your money back if you’ve been scammed, especially if you’ve handed over cash.
• If you’ve paid for goods or services by credit card you have more protection and if you used a debit card you may be able to ask your bank for a chargeback.
• Get advice and report scams to Trading Standards through the Citizens Advice consumer service on 08454 04 05 06 (for advice in Welsh phone 08454 04 05 05) or online advice at www.adviceguide.org.uk

Scams to watch out for

Online shopping and auction scams – internet shoppers get lured into buying phantom cars, mobile phones, pets or anything else you can buy online. Scammers use a range of tricks including bogus websites, spoofed payment services and a nasty new variation called “second chance offers” tempting losing bidders with bogus opportunities. Online property market places are also infiltrated by scammers harvesting legitimate property details and posing as landlords.

Lender loan fraud – some scammers pose as payday lenders or credit brokers and after they have obtained someone’s details they pass these on, or take out sums without the person’s knowledge or consent.

Online dating scams – con artists groom victims into long-distance relationships using emails, instant messaging, texting and phone calls. Once they are confident of the victim’s trust, scammers will tell them about a problem they are experiencing and ask for financial help.

Software scams – fraudsters often use the names of well-known companies to commit their crime as it gives a mask of legitimacy to their cruel schemes. Methods include asking for credit card details to “validate” copies of operating systems, stealing personal information, and installing malware before charging to remove it.

Courier scams – where people receive unsolicited telephone calls from scammers posing as police or their bank warning of a fraudulent payment on their card or that their card is due to expire. The fraudster will then attend the person’s address or send an innocent courier company driver to collect the card and sometimes provide them with a “replacement” fake card.