Help is needed to keep elderly safe from scams
A SCAM awareness project held a drop-in event in Macclesfield as it looks to recruit volunteers to help keep older people and their communities safe.
Run by the charity Age UK, the Cheshire East Scams Awareness & Aftercare project works to empower older people to spot, avoid and report scams to keep themselves and their communities safe.
Volunteers from across the borough, including in Macclesfield, work as ‘scam awareness champions’ to connect with older people, face to face and online.
They also let the project know about scams they receive or hear of in their community, so older people can be alerted, through social media and the project’s popular monthly scams awareness bulletin.
Run in partnership with Cheshire East Council Trading Standards, and funded by the National Lottery Community Fund and Garfield Weston Foundation, the project recently held a scam awareness drop-in at the
Co-operative Bank.
The project’s manager, Sally Wilson, said: “Our project has got off to a great start, supporting many older people to be more resilient against scams.
“Our scams awareness champions are already responsible for sharing information about more than 100 scams with the project and helping their community be scam aware, but we’re appealing for more to come on board so we can reach further into our communities.”
The volunteering work is flexible and it can be from home, and the volunteers will only be required to work from as little as one hour a week.
As Covid restrictions ease, volunteers will also be helping out at scams awareness sessions for older people across northern Cheshire East as well as receiving training about scams and meeting four times a year to get to know each other.
The project is especially on the lookout for volunteers in Alderley Edge but anyone can get in touch for more information on 01625 612958, or email volunteering@ageukce.org.
Further information about the project can be found at www.ageuk.org. uk/cheshireeast/ourservices/scams-awareness/