Nusrat Ghani, MP for Wealden, is supporting this year’s Scams Awareness Fortnight and urges Wealden constituents to be ‘scam aware’ and report any suspicious activity to the police or local authorities.
The National Audit Office (NAO) have estimated that individuals lose £10 billion a year due to online fraud. Scam Awareness Fortnight is taking place on 14-28 June, focussing on raising awareness of the scams that have emerged as a result of the coronavirus outbreak and offering advice on how to spot and report a scam.
Nusrat has previously been working with Sussex Police to highlight 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.
Nusrat Ghani said: “The pandemic has made everyone more vulnerable to fall victim to a scam and scammers are taking advantage of this, so it's vital people have the knowledge and tools they need to protect themselves. I’m working with local police and local authorities to help raise awareness about fraudulent activity and encouraging others to take a stand to help stop scammers.
“Having met with victims of fraud, 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 as scams can happen to anyone. 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.“
If you think someone might be trying to scam you, it’s important to act straight away. For more guidance, you can call the Citizens Advice consumer service on 0808 223 1133 or visit their website here.
Please report any suspicious activity to Sussex Police online or by calling 101. In an emergency always dial 999.
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.
