Consumers are urged to check with trusted friends or relatives about anyone asking for financial details and to report dodgy requests

Haringey Citizens Advice Bureaux is calling for people in Haringey to be on the lookout for any website, letter, doorstep seller or phone call with a proposal that sounds too good to be true – because it might very well be a scam.

Scams come in lots of different shapes and sizes, including dodgy online adverts and tricksters using dating websites to build relationships with people they later defraud. Other common types including ‘phishing’ emails and ‘vishing’ phone calls designed to con people into giving away sensitive information, investment scams, and advanced fees requested to claim unexpected lottery wins.

With fewer than five per cent of people in the UK reporting scams to the authorities, Haringey CAB has said that it is time to “fight back against scammers” to ensure they don’t get away with conning innocent people. People should report dodgy adverts or sales pitches to the authorities and speak to a friend or relative first about any out of the blue offers they get on the doorstep, by phone or email.

The push is part of the national campaign Scams Awareness Month, which launched on 1st May, Over the course of the month the campaign will highlight how people can be caught out through scams. The focus will be on online scams, postal cheats, phone cons and doorstep rip-offs.

Lynn Hannah, Chief Executive of Haringey CAB, said:

“Scammers can’t continue to get away with fleecing people of their hard-earned money. We want to see a fight back against scams.

“It is a disgrace that scammers often target older people with sophisticated scams such as posing as their bank or phone company. People regularly come to us with heart-breaking stories about con artists taking their money, it’s important that people know what to look out for and what they can do.

“Anyone who is unsure about someone asking for their financial details should check with someone they trust and report anything that sounds dodgy to their local Citizens Advice Bureau. You can get the low-down on scams by visiting Citizensadvice.org.uk/sam14.”

Top tips for dealing with scams

• If it sounds too good to be true it probably is.
• It you haven’t bought a ticket – you can’t win it.
• You shouldn’t have to pay anything to get a prize.
• If in doubt, don’t reply. Bin it, delete it or hang up.
• Persuasive sales patter? Just say: “No thank you”.
• Contacted out of the blue – be suspicious.
• Never give out your bank details unless you are certain you can trust the person contacting you.
• Take your time – resist pressure to make a decision straight away.
• Never send money to someone you don’t know.
• Walk away from job ads that ask for money in advance.
• Your bank will never attend your home.
• Your bank and the police will never collect your bank card.
• Your bank and the police will never ask for your PIN.
• Computer firms do not make unsolicited phone calls to help you fix your computer.
• Don’t suffer in silence – tell others about scams.

What to do if you have been scammed

• Report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 to help stop it happening to others.
• Often you can't always get your money back if you've been scammed, especially if you've handed over cash.
• If you've paid for goods or services by credit card you have more protection and if you used a debit card you may be able to ask your bank for a chargeback.
• Get advice and report it to Trading Standards through the Citizens Advice consumer service on 08454 04 05 06 or online advice at www.adviceguide.org.uk

Scams to watch out for

• Online shopping and auction scams – internet shoppers get lured into buying phantom cars, mobile phones, pets or anything else you can buy online. Scammers use a range of tricks including bogus websites, spoofed payment services and a nasty new variation called “second chance offers” tempting losing bidders with bogus opportunities. Online property market places are also infiltrated by scammers harvesting legitimate property details and posing as landlords.

• Investment fraud – also called “boiler room” scams because of the high pressure sales technique employed. Shares remain the most common product offered, but they also ask for investment in carbon credits, land, and rare earth metals.

• Dating scams – using online dating websites scammers groom victims into long-distance relationships using emails, instant messaging, texting and phone calls. Once they are confident of the victim’s trust, scammers will tell them about a problem they are experiencing and ask for financial help.

• Software scams – fraudsters often use the names of well-known companies to commit their crime as it gives a mask of legitimacy to their cruel schemes. Methods include asking for credit card details to “validate” copies of operating systems, stealing personal information, and installing malware before charging to remove it.

• Courier scams (a form of vishing) – where people receive unsolicited telephone calls from scammers posing as police or their bank warning of a fraudulent payment on their card or that their card is due to expire. The fraudster will then attend the person’s address or send an innocent courier company driver to collect the card and sometimes provide them with a “replacement” fake card.