Public put on scam alert

WARRINGTON Borough Council has urged members of the public to make extra efforts to spot and report scams as the final week of Scams Awareness Month approaches.
The latest national figures reveal that more than 22,000 reports of scams were made to the Citizens Advice service in England and Wales during the last 12 months. Yet Citizens Advice says many people fail to report if they have been ripped-off.
According to the Office of Fair Trading almost half the population are targeted by scams with three million falling victim to cons costing a total of £3.5 billion a year.
Peter Astley (pictured), public protection manager at Warrington and Halton Trading Standards, said: “People are seeing their money go down the drain as con artists rip them off by promising lottery wins, work on their home or a new job only to find there is nothing at the end.
“During Scams Awareness Month we’ve been warning people to be on the look out for rogues looking to make a quick buck at their expense.”
Andy Farrall, the council’s executive director for environment and regeneration, said:
“As we approach the final week of Scams Awareness Month we’re urging members of the public to be extra vigilant, and to make sure they report scams.”
Trading Standards have received an increase in complaints about phishing scams in the last few months. This is where an email pretending to be from a bank or HMRC asks for details of an account.
People should report scams to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 to help stop it happening to others and advice can be obtained from 08454 04 05 06 or online at www.adviceguide.org.uk