Scams awareness

Louise Baxter

About the NTSST

The National Scams Team (NST) is a project funded by the National Trading Standards Board (NTSB) and hosted by East Sussex Trading Standards Service

Aims of the NTSST

IDENTIFY victims of Fraud

PREVENT victims from further victimisation

INVESTIGATE criminal activity

EDUCATE Local Authorities and other agencies on how to work with scam victims

Scams

Scams can be defined as:an illegal plan for making money, especially one

that involves tricking people Cambridge dictionary

a stratagem for gain; a swindleCollins dictionary

a trick, a ruse; a swindle, a racketOxford English dictionary

“Mass Marketing Fraud (scams) is a type of fraud which aims to make victims part

with their money by promising cash, prizes, services and high returns on

investment”

SFO (Serious Fraud Office)

To get victims hooked and responding to

scams, criminals rely on…

1) The fact that it doesn’t take much time to respond

2) The fact that it doesn’t need vast amounts of money to get started

Just a trickle of money, ten pounds

here, five pounds there…

Anyone can be a scam victimYour mum or dad

Your grandparentsYour brother or sister

Your friendsYour neighbour

Or even the person sitting right next to you!

This problem is growingA 2015 Which? survey found that 54% of respondents have been personally exposed to a scam in the last 2 years,

or have a friend or family member who has

This is only going to get worse

Once a victim has responded to an initial

scam…

…their personal details are added to a “Suckers” list…

…these “Suckers” lists are perpetually shared

and sold on to other scammers…

…who will repeatedly target the victim with scam mail,

multiple phone calls, and will even send somebody to

knock on their door…

…in order to con, mislead, intimidate…

…and bully the victim into parting with their

life savings.

The victims get caught in a trap; a cycle of

victimisation.

Ultimately, the scam victim

SUFFERS IN SILENCE.

Everyday, people get caught out by scams

such as…

Lottery & Prize drawsPhishing

1

Investment

Direct transfers1

Pensions

Leading to situations like these…

Leading to situations like these…

One victim was found to have been receiving 30 bits of mail and 10

phone calls per day

It was later discovered she had lost over £1 Million

The National Trading Standards Scams Team

estimates a loss of between £5 – 10 BILLION to Mass

Marketing Fraud every year…

…not to mention the cost of looking after people who give

away their life savings to these criminals.

Sadly, these victims are not going to win a foreign lottery

or receive the millions of pounds that are “waiting” for

them…

(For a small fee)

…instead, they will be repeatedly targeted...

…and the victimisation will only stop when...

…the victim runs out of money, someone intervenes, or the

victim passes away.

As you can see…

…the problem is massive…

…but that’s why the National Trading Standards Scams Team

exists.

To give a voice to those “silent” victims

• The NTSST has approached over 200 Local Authority Trading Standards Services nationally

• The NTSST works in partnership with Local Authorities to support these silent victims of fraud

• 75% of Local Authorities have signed up to the project and are supporting local victims.

What do the NTSST do?

• 200,000 potential victims and increasing weekly • 13 suckers lists • 33 national partners who send referrals

What do the NTSST do?

• £15,950,720 Estimated Detriment to consumers • £1,076 Estimated per victim

• £9,480,483 Estimated Savings to consumers as result of intervention

• £640 Estimated per victim

Identifying victims

Scam victims are only human• They could be going through a period of vulnerability

• They want to provide a financial gift to their family

• They are lonely or bored and want something to do during the day

• They are recently widowed or inexperienced in dealing with financial matters

• They are in financial hardship

• They respond impulsively

• They feel pressured to respond

• Through habit or a dislike of change

• They believe they have won

Scammers are clever• Scam mail looks genuine• High value rewards offered• Exploitation of human wants and needs• Personalisation of scams• False timescales• Participants active engagement• Secrecy

• The NTSST project has revealed scam victims as young as 19 years old

• However, the average age of victims is around 75 years old

Scam victims are NOT always old

Scammers target the elderly. Why?• Have access to their own funds and sometimes substantial disposable

income• Live alone• Have few or no visitors so often spend the day at home• Are trusting of peoples motives• Own a landline telephone• Have physical or mental health problems• Suffer from a cognitive impairment such as a form of dementia like

Alzheimer’s disease

If you identify a victim what do you currently do?

What can you do to help?

1. Scam victims are only human2. Scam victims are NOT always motivated by financial gain3. Anyone can be a scam victim, regardless of age, gender,

education or economic background4. Scammers are extremely clever 5. Scammers will use any means possible to obtain your

personal details or steal your money

5 key points about scams