Gavin Williamson, MP for South Staffordshire, is supporting Scams Awareness Month this July in order to help avoid people falling prey to scams.
Supported by Citizens Advice and the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, Scams Awareness Month is held annually in July in order to encourage people to report scams. This year, alongside the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, organisations are encouraging people to ‘play their part, act on scams’ in order to tackle this issue which sees £10 billion a year lost.
Although scams and fraud is on the increase, only 5-15% of incidents are reported so, as a result, there are a huge number of scams that continue to be active. What is most concerning is the fact that scams are increasingly sophisticated and perpetrators are finding new ways to target individuals.
Commenting on the issue, Gavin said “It greatly concerns me that so many people are targeted by scam artists that have absolutely no compassion or empathy. Please ensure that you are wary when receiving unexpected calls, letters or emails, especially those that request money and your personal details.
“In order to tackle this issue, we need to be reporting scams in order to ensure that they are effectively dealt with by our authorities. I strongly urge all residents affected to get in touch with Citizens Advice or Action Fraud in order to report an incident. By doing this, you are preventing future scams as well as helping to inform the work of advice or enforcement agencies”
To report a scam or to have further information on Scams Awareness, please visit www.scams.citizensadvice.org.uk or contact your local Citizens Advice Branch. You can find your local branch by visiting www.citizensadvice.org.uk/sam17. Alternatively, you can contact Action Fraud via 0300 123 2040 or visit www.actionfraud.police.uk.