Information on Coalville

Council campaigns to snare scamsters

Posted on 03/02/11

Leicestershire Councty CouncilChief Executive's

3 February 2011

Council campaigns to snare scamsters

Leicestershire Trading Standards is urging residents to back its battle against scams, after revealing each con costs victims an average of 850.

The county councils Trading Standards team wants people to post scam letters (with the envelope) and flyers into special collection bins in Leicestershires 39 libraries, so it can gather evidence to combat cons.

According to Leicestershire County Council, the top five scams are:

Advance fee rackets, offering a prize if someone sends off money first

Prize draws and sweepstakes

Money transfer cons

Ticket scams

Lotteries

Almost half of all adults have been targeted by a scam and one in 15 people have fallen victim. UK consumers lose around 3.5 billion to scams each year. The average amount lost is 850 per victim but for people aged over 55, the average amount lost is 1,261.

David Bull, Head of Leicestershire Trading Standards, said: To most of us these mailings are just junk mail to be binned straightaway, but others fall victim and end up losing thousands, causing them untold stress and misery.

Some people refuse to believe that the offers cant be true, and keep responding until it becomes an obsession. Were urging everyone who has received a scam letter to hand the letter and its envelope in, as this will help us to gather evidence.

Byron Rhodes, Cabinet Member for Trading Standards said This is an opportunity to help us stamp out these scams and I would urge Leicestershire residents to bring to Trading Standards all the examples they come across over the next few weeks.

The bins will be in the libraries until February 28th - Trading Standards will collect the contents throughout the month, and use the intelligence gathered from the mailings to plan future work.

For interviews and further information, please contact: Colin Hoskins on 0116 3057576 or colin.hoskins@leics.gov.uk or Keith Regan on 0116 3056533 or keith.regan@leics.gov.uk

Background:

People should contact Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06 or visit www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/scams if they think they have been the victim of a scam, or suspect a scam

Or they can report an online scam to:

www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/reportascam

For further information, order the OFTs free

leaflet Scambuster by calling 0800 389 3158, and quoting ref OFT 831PR.

The libraries taking part are:

Ashby De La Zouch

Barrow upon Soar

Birstall

Braunstone Town

Broughton Astley

Castle Donington

Coalville

Cosby

Countesthorpe

County Hall

Desford

Earl Shilton

East Goscote

Enderby

Fleckney

Glenfield

Great Glen

Groby

Hinckley

Ibstock

Kirby Muxloe

Leicester Forest East

Loughborough

Lutterworth

Market Bosworth

Market Harborough

Markfield

Measham

Melton Mowbray

Narborough

Newbold Verdon

Oadby

Ratby

Shepshed

Sileby

South Wigston

Stoney Stanton

Syston

Wigston

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