Cracking down on prize draw mail scammers

More than 400 people across Bury could be victims of prize draw mail scammers, say trading standards chiefs.

Across the country, around 6,000 people have had a total of £100,000 returned to them under an initiative launched in June by the National Trading Standards Scams Team and Royal Mail to return seized responses to mail scams before the money reaches the hands of scammers. A further 4,000 replies to suspected scam mail are currently being assessed.

Importantly, people are receiving their money alongside a letter or visit from a local trading standards officer informing them that they have been a victim of a prize draw scam. It is hoped this will deter them from responding to such mail in future.

Bury Trading Standards Team signed up to the project and officers will be visiting throughout the borough to help residents receive back the money sent off to the scams.

Andrew Johnson, head of Bury’s trading standards and licensing team, said: “It is often very difficult to persuade vulnerable, often elderly, individuals that letters telling them they have won large sums of money are scams. The fact that we will be directly contacting as many of the victims as we can, and hopefully reuniting them with their money, should really help to break the cycle in so many cases.

“Every cheque or money returned is another person helped and another blow to the criminals, so I’m delighted with the progress made so far and we look forward to continuing this important work.

“We are seeing many different types of scams from prize draws, lotteries and inheritance money to clairvoyants predicting lottery numbers. These are being sent from all over the world including America, the South Pacific and Australia.

“Anyone who thinks they may be a victim of scams, or thinks someone they know may have been, should get in touch with Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 03454040506.”

Lord Toby Harris, chair of National Trading Standards, said: “To have reunited so many people with so much money in the months since the project launched is a great achievement and I’m incredibly proud of the work the teams are doing. But our job isn’t finished. We are determined to prevent as much money as possible reaching the hands of these criminals, sending an ever louder message to the scammers that their cowardly activities will not be tolerated.”

Tony Marsh, director of security at Royal Mail said: “Royal Mail does not want any of its customers to be targeted by scammers or to suffer loss as a result of its services. We are very pleased to be part of this initiative to protect some of our most vulnerable customers. People who want to make us aware of potentially fraudulent mail so that we can then work with the relevant authorities to investigate and take action can write to Royal Mail at Freepost Scam Mail or call us on 03456 113 413 or email scam.mail@royalmail.com<mailto:scam.mail@royalmail.com>”

It is estimated that prize draw scams cost the UK public £60 million per year, with an estimated 380,000 members of the public falling victim each year.

As part of its work to crack down on mail scams, the National Trading Standards Scams Team has also obtained a list of 160,000 people who have been identified by scammers as repeat victims. These names are being passed to local trading standards officers who are contacting individuals to make them aware they are being targeted.

ENDS

Issued: 28 October 2014.

Picture: Andrew Johnson, head of Bury’s trading standards and licensing team, goes through some of the scam letters that people receive.

Notes to editors:

National Trading Standards Board

 *  The National Trading Standards Board is a group of senior and experienced local government heads of trading standards, representing all trading standards services across England and Wales. The Board has been set up by the Government as part of changes to the consumer protection landscape and an enhanced role for trading standards.

 *  The National Trading Standards Board provides leadership influence, support and resources to help combat consumer and business detriment locally, regionally and nationally.

National Trading Standards Scams Team

 *  The National Trading Standards Scams Team works in partnership with other agencies across the country to identify and support victims of mass marketing fraud.

 *  The National Trading Standards Scams Team is funded by the National Trading Standards Board to help tackle mass marketing scams

For media enquiries, interview requests or more information please contact the National Trading Standards press office on 020 7025 7570 or e-mail nationaltradingstandards@grayling.com<mailto:nationaltradingstandards@grayling.com>