Citizens Advice Cheshire West is holding events to help people know when they’ve been targeted with a scam and Esther McVey MP recently visited their offices to hear more about it.
The events are part of Scams Awareness Month in June, a national campaign encouraging people to report and talk about scams. Scams Awareness Month is run by the Consumer Protection Partnership. Formed in April 2012, the CPP brings together key partners within the consumer landscape to better identify, prioritise and coordinate collective action to tackle detriment more effectively than they could through working in isolation
People will learn about the common signs of a scam, such as receiving an offer that sounds too good to be true or being told to pay an advance fee for an item or service. Attendees will also be encouraged to report scams so that the police can take action and they can get advice on how to try and get their money back.
Esther commented ‘I was particularly interested to hear that scams are not just targeted at the more elderly and vulnerable and that young people are equally susceptible to sophisticated scammers. The important message for me was not to be embarrassed if you are the victim of a scam, you need to report it and know that anyone can be a victim’.
Paul Nicholls, Chief Executive of Citizens Advice Cheshire West, said:
“‘Don’t miss a trick, be scams aware’ is our message to people. While there might be new scams cropping up all the time, the tactics of scammers remain the same. From getting contacted out of the blue to being pressured to sign up to a deal on the spot, our event will reveal the tell-tale signs of a scam that people need to keep an eye out for. While all of us can have the bad luck of being targeted with a scam, we hope these events will stop more scammers from running off with people’s money.”
“If people are in doubt about whether or not an offer is genuine, they should contact the Citizens Advice consumer service or get free confidential advice from Citizens Advice Cheshire West or Cheshire East by visiting your local office’’.