Solihull residents hit back at scammers
From Press Office on 16 September 2008
Solihull Council has today announced the results of its ‘Scamnesty’ campaign which it ran earlier this year calling on residents to collect mailings they believed were mass-marketed scams.
The campaign was part of the Office of Fair Trading’s (OFT) Scams Awareness Month which asked residents to fight back against scammers by collecting any dubious mailings they may have received and dropping them into designated ‘Scamnesty’ bins and boxes at local libraries and other public areas.
During the campaign the Council received 115 mailings from local residents with the most common scams across the borough being identified as sweepstake, prize draw and bogus lottery hoaxes, clairvoyant scams and health cure scams.
Every year three million people in the UK lose money to mass marketed scams they receive by mail, email, text or over the phone which are designed to con victims out of their cash. The problem costs UK consumers an estimated £3.5billion per year but less than 5 per cent of victims report their experience.
Councillor Diana Holl-Allen, Cabinet Member for Quality of Life and Neighbourhoods said, “The mailings uncovered by the Scamnesty campaign illustrate that there really is a scam for everyone. This campaign has provided crucial intelligence, helping us to stop scams bringing misery to many people every year.”
If you think you have been the victim of a scam, or you suspect a scam, call Consumer Direct for clear, practical advice on 08454 04 05 06 or visit the Consumer Direct website. Consumers can also report scams online at https://secure.consumerdirect.gov.uk/reportascam.aspx
Notes to Editor
1. The Scamnesty campaign took place as part of the OFT Scams Awareness month in February 2008. The nationwide campaign involved nearly 50 local authority trading standards services. The campaign will be run again by the OFT and Local Authority Trading Standards Services in February 2009.
2. The local authorities taking part included Hampshire, Darlington, Wigan, Scottish Highlands, Bracknell-Forest, Milton Keynes, West Berkshire, Nottinghamshire, Reading, Wokingham, Buckinghamshire, Nottingham, Norfolk, Suffolk, Southend, Bedfordshire, Gloucestershire, Warrington, Oxfordshire, Derbyshire, Hull, Stockport, Wirral, Brighton, Dorset, South Gloucestershire, Poole, Edinburgh, Belfast, Wolverhampton, Dundee, Solihull, Telford, Walsall, Dudley, Birmingham, Bristol, Worcestershire, West Yorkshire, West Sussex, North East Lincolnshire, Lancashire, Kent, East Lothian, Doncaster, Clackmannanshire, CEnTSA Scambusters Team.
3. The OFT's advice to anyone who receives a possible scam offer is: 'Stop, think, and think again'. Do not be rushed into sending off money straight away to someone you do not know. How likely is it that you have been especially chosen for this offer? Millions of other people are likely to have received the same offer. Think again - read the offer carefully. If you are unsure, speak to family or friends or seek advice.
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