Don’t be a victim of fraud

West Lothian’s Trading Standards team have backed a national campaign which brings a seasonal warning to shoppers and householders to fight back against scammers.

National Trading Standards has launched a Friends Against Scams campaign.Throughout December the Friends Against Scams Team are running a Scamnesty (a scam mail amnesty) campaign aiming to encourage everyone in the UK to send in any unwanted scam and nuisance mail that they receive into the National Trading Standards (NTS) Scams Team completely free of charge.

Highlighted this month will be the typical types of scam sent through mail. They include unsolicited mail or catalogues, lotteries and prize draw scams, which tell you to send money to release your prize. Others involve clairvoyants and psychics.

The NTS Scams Team estimate that only five per cent of these crimes are reported, this can be due to a number of reasons like shame or embarrassment or even that they don’t know who to report them to. Victims of these crimes shouldn’t feel ashamed at all, these criminals are experts at what they do and know exactly how to commit their fraud.

West Lothian Council’s trading standards manager Ed Machin said:“We are delighted to support the national Scamnesty campaign to try prevent West Lothian residents falling victim to scams.

“We will be helping raise awareness of the campaign through our social media channels and encouraging local residents to send their nuisance mail into the National Trading Standards Scams Team completely free of charge.”