Nus Ghani was a panellist at a Fraud event supported by Royal Mail and Age UK. Nus highlighted the extent of the damaging effects that fraud can have and called on organisations, such as post offices and banks, to work together and do more to protect vulnerable consumers.
Representatives from Royal Mail, Age UK and the Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner for Northamptonshire were also panellists at the event.
Nus highlighted several cases during the Q&A, which had been noted in the local media. These cases all exemplified the issue of elderly people being targeted by fraudsters because they were seen to be vulnerable and isolated. One case was that of a couple from Mayfield who were sentenced in February this year for defrauding elderly women across Wealden of money and possessions. Another case was brought to Nus’s attention by the Sussex police, concerning a man who targeted elderly people and telephoned them, claiming to be a police officer. This man then told his vulnerable victims to withdraw and transfer substantial amounts of money to him. Similar cases have also occurred recently in Rotherfield and Wadhurst.
The issue of crimes targeting elderly and vulnerable people is something that Nus has raised repeatedly in Parliament. As former Chair of the APPG on Ageing and Older People, she launched a unique consultation, in conjunction with the Sussex Police, on crime and community safety with respect to elderly people. As a member of the Home Affairs Select Committee, Nus called on the Government to prioritise elder abuse alongside child abuse.
Commenting on the issue, Ms Ghani said: “As a Member of Parliament, I am often invited to address local neighbourhood-watch groups and the issue that repeatedly comes up is that of fraud and scamming. I recently spoke to a group of concerned people from Cross-in-Hand about fraud and my advice to them applies to everyone: always be vigilant when giving bank details and if you think you have been the victim of a scam, do not be embarrassed to come forward.
Anyone can be the victim of a scam and the more people who come forward and share their experiences, the better chance we have of catching fraudsters and preventing similar scams from happening in the future.
It is a tragic state of affairs that one in five elderly people in Sussex is afraid to answer the phone in their own home. What is more, the average high-risk victim in East Sussex stands to lose £23,000 over a three month period.
I am pleased that the Conservative Government is treating scamming as a priority. Last year, the Home Office launched a joint fraud taskforce in order to develop better solutions to this increasingly common crime. Furthermore, the Government have taken action on nuisance calls, including a new requirement for all direct marketing callers to provide caller line identification.
There is still more that can be done by organisations like Royal Mail and banks who, in conjunction with the police, are well placed to catch fraudsters and to warn people of common scamming techniques.
Together we can all look out for our elderly or vulnerable family members, friends and neighbours by making sure they are aware of the signs of fraudulent emails or phone calls and by reporting any suspicious calls or emails received to Action Fraud.”
If you or someone you know is vulnerable and has been a victim of fraud, call Sussex Police on 101 or visit www.sussex.police.uk.
If you need to report fraud or attempted fraud, you can do so by visiting the Action Fraud website or by calling 0300 123 2040.