Older people are being urged to speak up if they have been targeted by scammers after it was revealed that almost half of those approached in scams are over 55s.
Age UK and the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) are trying to raise awareness of mass-marketing scams during Scamnesty 2011. Age UK is tackling the issue under its ‘Older People and Crime Initiative’, which involves training volunteers to advise on issues such as scams by visiting older people in the community.
The OFT and Age UK are giving people the following advice:
- if you are unsure of an offer, speak to family or friends and seek advice from Consumer Direct before sending any money or giving out any banking or credit card details
- stop, think and be sceptical. If something sounds too good to be true it probably is
- do not be rushed into sending off money to someone you do not know, however plausible they might sound and even where an approach is personalised
- ask yourself how likely it is that you have been especially chosen for this offer - thousands of other people will probably have received the same offer
- think about how much money you could lose from replying to a potential scam - it's not a gamble worth taking.
If you have been a victim of mass-marketing fraud, or any other type of fraud, report it to Action Fraud.
Read more about older people and scams on the OFT’s website.
Please note: Action Fraud is not responsible for the content on external websites.
To report a fraud, call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or use our online fraud reporting tool.
See also:
Mass marketing fraud
Have you won a luxury holiday?
