2008
Consumer Direct, the government advice service, has added a new reporting function to its website to help in the fight against scams.
18th February 2008
Anyone in the East Midlands can now report any scam mail they receive simply by visiting Consumer Direct’s website. A new online form will make it easier and more convenient for people to pass on details of scams, by recording details of the type of scam that they have encountered, provide information on the potential scammers and to add any further information which they feel may be of use to the authorities.
All information submitted about local scams will be stored on Consumer Direct's central database and made available to Local Authority Trading Standards Services and the Office of Fair Trading to help them in their battle against persistent scammers.
According to OFT research, three million UK consumers fall victim to scams every year and lose an estimated £3.5 billion. However, fewer than five per cent of people report scams to the authorities.
Sara Barry, Consumer Direct East Midlands Manager said:
'In the past, people who have been targeted by phone, internet and mail scams may have felt unsure about how they could help but this new online form will enable them to provide vital intelligence to the enforcement community. Completing a simple online form should make it much quicker and easier for people to tell us about a scam they are aware of. This will hopefully help to increase the level of scam reporting and improve the information we can pass on to Trading Standards and the OFT for investigation.'
‘Anyone who thinks they have responded to a scam should call Consumer Direct for advice.’ Sara added.
The Consumer Direct website also has information on how to spot scams currently circulating in the UK, including bogus foreign lotteries, pyramid selling, miracle cures and investment scams.
The scams reporting launch coincides with Scams Awareness Month - an annual international initiative organised by the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network. In the UK, Scams Awareness Month is supported by the OFT, local authority Trading Standards Services, Consumer Direct, the Advertising Standards Authority and other consumer and industry bodies.
The new scams reporting form can be accessed from the Consumer Direct website at http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/watch_out/scams. Anyone needing advice on scams can call Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06.
-ends-
MEDIA enquiries:
Georgina Barton
Tel: 01522 535792
Mobile: 07768 840239
Email: georgina.barton@consumerdirect-eastmidlands.gov.uk
NOTES
1. Consumer Direct is a telephone and online consumer advice service funded by government and managed by the Office of Fair Trading. It operates in partnership with Local Authority Trading Standards Services to offer consumers clear, practical and impartial advice and information.
2. The information and advice helpline is available on a single national telephone number - 08454 04 05 06 from 0800 – 1830 Monday to Friday, and 0900 – 1300 Saturday, excluding bank holidays and public holidays.
3. A Welsh-speaking Consumer Direct service is available on 08454 04 05 05. Minicom users should call 08451 28 13 84.
4. Calls to the Consumer Direct 0845 numbers are charged at no more than four pence per minute from a BT landline. Call charges from other landline providers or mobile phones may vary. Please check the rate with your phone service provider.
5. Northern Ireland has its own service called ConsumerLine (available on 08456 00 62 62) which is similar to Consumer Direct.
