Briefing to help thwart scammers

TRADING Standards chiefs in Dundee are calling on groups who provide support for older people to arm themselves in the fight against scammers.

Alan Ross, convener of the city council’s community safety and public protection committee, has invited such groups in the city to contact Trading Standards for a briefing on how to avoid being conned.

He said: “We get complaints about lots of different scams including doorstep crime, bogus workmen, junk mail, nuisance phone calls and emails.

“Our standard message — that if it seems to be good to be true then it is probably a scam — still holds true but scammers are finding more and more ways to deceive people out of their hard-earned cash.

“The council and its partners have been working hard to take the fight to criminals by working with banks, creating a Trusted Traders scheme, offering advice and call blocking technology to combat nuisance calls and assisting in the return of money to people caught out by mass marketing fraud.

“But we want to do more. That is why I am calling for groups who provide services and support for older and vulnerable people to get in touch on 01382 436260 so they can get more advice. This might be a talk, a displays or by using some other learning resources but we want to explore more ways of arming people who are frequently targeted so we can help to prevent these cruel and expensive scams before they even start.”