A new attempt to trick people out of money has been reported as National Scams Awareness Month kicks off

A Journal reader contacted us on Tuesday morning to let us know about a phone scam which she had encountered. Individuals have been calling residents in the local area offering lower cost insurance on white goods.

The reader, who wishes to remain anonymous, had the last four digits of her bank card quoted to her, before the caller asked for the rest of the number to enable a direct debit to be set up. The reader wasn’t able to provide this information and the call was ended. Luckily, she has avoided making any payments, but is concerned that others might be caught out. She has contacted the police about the matter and this is being looked into.

The month of August is National Scams Awareness Month and B&NES Council has been issuing advice to people on how to avoid becoming victims of fraud. Councillor Martin Veal (Conservative, Bathavon North), Cabinet Member for Community Services, said: “These people use a range of tactics to deceive others, but no matter what their method, their intention is to steal money. I would advise people to be careful and to take on board the advice from our Trading Standards team.”

During July, a team from Trading Standards has visited Age UK B&NES groups in Midsomer Norton and Bath to give advice to older people about avoiding scams, and more visits are planned later in the year. Janet Dabbs, Chief Executive of Age UK B&NES, said: “Older people are often the target of these fraudsters, so it’s been really useful to have Trading Standards officers from the Council to come along and talk to our groups. This type of crime can have a lasting impact on older people; many feel ashamed that they have been taken in. It’s so important that we work together to try to tackle it.”

The National Trading Standards Scams Team sorts through thousands of mail items from people who have sent money/cheques in to fake lotteries, prize draws or special offers. Where possible, the team can recover this money and this is returned to local Trading Standards teams. This month, B&NES Council’s Trading Standards team has also visited a number of people to return their cash or cheques, usually totalling between £5 and £30. By making a personal visit, they can offer advice on how to avoid such scams in future.

Advice from Trading Standards is as follows. It could be a scam if money is aksed for in advance, or the call, letter, email or text has come out of the blue, telling the consumer they have to respond quickly.

Common types of scams include: Lottery and prize draw scams, clairvoyant scams, catalogue and brochure scams and computer software service fraud involving victims being contacted by telephone and told that there is a problem with their computer and for a fee, this can be fixed.

Residents have also raised concerns of scams involving offering insurance, like the

example reported to The Journal. If you think you’ve already responded to a scam, end all further communication immediately. Call your bank and cancel any recurring payments. You can speak with Citizens Advice consumer helpline on: 03454 040506, calling this number will also involve Trading Standards. You can report the scam to Action Fraud on: 0300 1232040.