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by prestwichfocus on 3 July, 2019
Bury Trading Standards is supporting the Citizens Advice campaign on scams awareness which is running over the next couple of weeks.
This is a yearly campaign to highlight the dangers posed by scammers but also provide advice to keep people safe and feeling confident in what to do when they see a scam.
Scams to watch out for:
Eight common scams reported to Citizens Advice are:
1. Investment – victims are persuaded to invest money into fake ventures and are then unable to get their money back.
2. Fake services – people are offered a service for a fee, only to find the service isn’t real or doesn’t exist at all. Examples include offers to fix computers remotely and fake invoices for advertising.
3. Vishing – con artists cold-call people pretending to be a legitimate company, asking for credit or debit card details, e.g. on the pretence that they need to refund overpaid bills.
4. Doorstep selling – victims are offered goods door-to-door or from the back of a van, which are likely to be counterfeit. Fraudsters selling mattresses, “fresh” fish and cleaning products were all reported to Citizens Advice.
5. Upfront payment or fee – fraudsters ask for a payment in advance for a service or product that never materialises, such as asking for a fee to get a loan, or to pay for a training course to secure a job.
6. Premium rate texts – victims inadvertently agree to receive premium rate texts about games or competitions, usually costing around £4 each.
7. Counterfeit goods – people buy goods at marketplaces or online that turn out to be counterfeit or even stolen. Common products include cigarettes, shoes and clothing, and tickets for events.
8. Goods not received – people place orders for goods which don’t arrive. Scams are often carried out through social media and online auction sites.
Top tips to avoid scams:
Remember:
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