Residents in Swansea are being given help to avoid being caught out by scams.
This July is ‘Scams Awareness Month’ and Swansea Council’s Trading Standards is calling on residents to ‘Take a Stand’ against scams by following advice provided on the latest scams that are operating.
A series of posters have been produced and can be downloaded from the Council’s website. Each poster provides five top tips against a wide range of scams either on the internet, over the phone, direct mail or cold callers at the door.
Some recent scams operating in Swansea and across the country have included fake online supermarket vouchers, telesales calls from bogus Microsoft representatives and fake Peoples Lottery letters.
More recently, residents in Swansea have reported receiving phone calls from individuals claiming to be calling from Swansea Council. The Council issued a warning to confirm it had not been calling residents.
Mark Child, Cabinet Member for Wellbeing and Healthy City, said: “We have recognised that scams come in many forms and they are designed to take advantage of decent trusting people in our communities.
A public drop in session has also been organised on July 13 at the Civic Centre where the public can speak directly to a Trading Standards Officer about any concerns they have about scams.
Cllr Child added: “Our aim is to provide as much help and assistance as we can, not only to vulnerable people, but to everyone living in Swansea. Hopefully the information we provide will make residents stop and think before they start parting with any money.”
And to help residents in the city become more secure, the Council’s Trading Standards Team has trained and given talks to more than 1,500 people as part of its Scam Awareness sessions. Groups have included the fire service, Age Concern, the Red Cross and staff in sheltered accommodation.
Cllr Child added: “We are continuing to raise awareness of scams with a wide range of partners including care providers, and housing association groups. This training is designed to assist staff in recognising scams and encourage earliest intervention to prevent members of the public becoming victims.”
To find out more and help protect yourself against scams, visit www.swansea.gov.uk/scams
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