Nus Ghani, MP for Wealden, is supporting the Scams Awareness Fortnight, running from 15th - 28th June and urges Wealden constituents to be ‘scam aware’ and report any suspicious activity to the police or local authorities.
Scams are crimes that can happen to anyone. The 2019 Financial Cost of Fraud report estimates that the cost of fraud to the UK is anything between £130bn - £190bn a year. Citizens Advice research has found that over a third of British adults (36%) have been the target of a scam since lockdown began, including 2 in 5 people (42%) in the South East.
Nus Ghani MP has been highlighting the fact that scammers are exploiting the coronavirus crisis to target new victims. The overall anxiety caused by the pandemic is making everyone more vulnerable and scammers have sought to exploit this in various ways such as sending emails pretending to help people apply for government support schemes or knocking on constituents’ doors asking for money for fake charities.
As part of the Scam Awareness Campaign, Wealden Citizens Advice have compiled a guide on what to do and whom to contact. Please see the full document attached at the bottom of this page. You can contact the Citizens Advice on 0808 223 133 or visit their website here.
Sussex Police have issued a list of key things to remember:
- Never send or give money to anyone you don't know or trust.
- Check people are who they say they are.
- Don't share your personal information.
- Make decisions in your own time.
- If in doubt phone a relative or a friend.
- Trust no-one who cold calls you about your bank account or a problem with your computer.
Under no circumstances would the bank or police:
- request a card PIN or security details over the telephone, or
- arrange collection of bank cards from a home address
Please report any suspicious activity to Sussex Police online or by calling 101. In an emergency always dial 999.
To get advice or report a scam, you can also visit the Action Fraud website or call them on 0300 123 2040.
Nus Ghani said: “The heightened uncertainty and anxiety caused by the pandemic is making everyone more vulnerable to fall victim to a scam. I am working with local police and local authorities to help raise awareness about fraudulent activity.”
“We can all take a stand to help stop scammers by raising awareness of scams to safeguard ourselves and others. Having met with victims, I know that one of the problems we face in tackling scams is that many are embarrassed about coming forward. They absolutely should not be. I encourage victims to speak up and ensure these crimes are reported, perpetrators are brought to justice, and others are protected from falling victim in the future.“
