CITIZENS ADVICE Bureau (CAB) Wyre Forest has issued a warning to residents in a bid to prevent them falling victim to scammers.
The advice coincides with a Scams Awareness Campaign which began on Monday and runs until November 2.
As part of the drive, the charity is highlighting the many ways people are being duped by scammers and is offering its top tips on how to prevent being caught out.
Shocking statistics from the CAB show 10 per cent of people in the West Midlands have been caught out by a scam in the past year.
Nationally, more than 7million people are estimated to have been deceived in the past 12 months.
Top five frauds
CAB Wyre Forest research shows the top scam, which affected more than a quarter (26 per cent) of those across the UK, was online shopping, including fake websites and counterfeit or non-existent goods.
The second and third most popular ones were investment scams – including ‘get rich quick’ and cryptocurrency ruses – and other financial scams, such as fake loans, card, and bank fraud. Both of those affected 18 per cent of the country’s victims.
The fourth top scam was ‘a friend or family member needs help’. This saw 16 per cent of victims tricked into parting with cash.
And, in fifth, was a mobile phone network scam where the person targeted is duped into taking out a new contract or paying for a new handset. A total of 14 per cent fell for that ruse.
Advice from the CAB
CAB Wyre Forest is urging consumers to be cautious, especially ahead of Black Friday and Christmas where companies offer ‘special deals’.
A Citizens Advice Wyre Forest spokesperon said:“Opportunistic scammers are preying on hard times to trick people into handing over their cash and their tactics are getting harder to spot.
“Anyone can be scammed and the impact can be devastating – leaving people not only out of pocket, but in some cases unable to go about their daily lives.
“As scammers get ever more sophisticated it’s so important to all work together to raise awareness, report scams and share our experiences to help protect ourselves from their tricks.”
People should be wary if contacted unexpectedly or asked to transfer funds quickly or if they are being asked to share personal or security information, such as passwords, PINs or codes.
Companies can be checked out to see if they have a postal address and residents should watch out if they are asked to pay in an unusual way – paying by debit or credit card gives you extra protection if things go wrong.
And, the golden rule, according to CAB is: ‘If something seems too good to be true or does not feel right, it may be a scam’ – take a moment and get advice.
Anyone scammed should talk to their bank or card company immediately and, if they have handed over any financial and sensitive information or made a payment, report the scam to Action Fraud on 0300 123 204.
People can also contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Service for help with what to do next.
