Nearly three quarters of people living in the North East have been targeted by scammers as the cost-of-living crisis bites. As Citizens Advice and the Consumer Protection Partnership launched their annual Scams Awareness campaign, it was revealed that 73% of people have been targeted by a scammer so far this year - a 14% increase compared to this time last year.
Citizens Advice Newcastle has seen a range of different cost-of-living scam tactics, from emails claiming to be from Ofgem asking for bank details to get the £400 energy rebate to claims that the Government is giving £200,000 out at random to people who are of pension age, disabled or on a low income.
Read more: Charities complain of donations plunge as people stop carrying cash
The top five most common types of cons reported in Newcastle were:
- Deliveries and courier services - 59%
- Texts or emails pretending to be from the Government or HMRC - 40%
- Offers of fake investment or financial ‘get rich quick’ schemes - 34%
- Online shopping - 30%
- Banking - 27%
Tracy Armstrong, chief officer of Citizens Advice Newcastle, said: “A shocking number of people in Newcastle have been targeted by a scammer so far this year. We know scammers prey on our worries and fears, sadly the cost-of-living crisis is no exception. Anyone can be targeted by a scam, and as the purse strings are tightened and financial pressures pile on, it’s important we work together to protect ourselves and each other.”
Citizens Advice Newcastle's five top warning flags to spot your caller or texter may be a scammer are:
- It seems too good to be true – for example, scammers pretending to be energy companies to lure people into “too good to be true” deals
- You suspect you’re not dealing with a real company or a genuine person – take a moment to step back and double-check
- You’ve been pressured to transfer money quickly
- You’ve been asked to pay in an unusual way – like by an iTunes vouchers or a transfer service
- You’ve been asked to give away personal information such as passwords, PINs or other verification codes.
If you think you’ve been scammed, Citizens Advice Newcastle's advice is you do the following:
- Talk to your bank or card company immediately if you’ve handed over any financial and sensitive information or made a payment
- Report the scam to Citizens Advice. Offline scams, like those using the telephone, post and coming to your door, can be reported to the Citizens Advice website or by calling 0808 223 1133. Report online scams to the dedicated Scams Action service either online or on 0808 250 5050
- Text scams can be reported to your mobile phone provider by forwarding it to 7726
- Report the scam to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.
Scams Awareness is an annual campaign which aims to create a network of confident, alert consumers who know what to do when they see a scam. This year's campaign runs until Sunday, June 26.
Now read:
- Ten tricks restaurants use to make you spend more than you planned
- Parking tickets: do you have to pay up if you get a fine?
- Ukrainian families still need our help, says fundraiser returning from Polish refugee centre
- Martin Lewis warning over 'clever' Post Office text scam
- 99 ice creams may be off the menu as UK gets set for heatwave
