Scams
Scams can be defined as:
an illegal plan for making money, especially one
that involves tricking people
- Cambridge dictionary
a stratagem for gain; a swindle
- Collins dictionary
a trick, a ruse; a swindle, a racket
- Oxford English dictionary
“Mass Marketing Fraud (scams) is
a type of fraud, which aims to
make victims part with their
money by promising cash, prizes,
services and high returns on
investment”
SFO (Serious Fraud Office)
To get victims hooked
and responding to
scams, criminals rely
on…
1) The fact that it doesn’t take much
time to respond
2) The fact that it doesn’t need vast
amounts of money to get started
Just a trickle of
money, ten pounds
here, five pounds
there…
Anyone can be a scam victim
Your mum or dad
Your grandparents
Your brother or sister
Your friends
Your neighbour
Or even the person sitting right next
to you!
This problem is growing
A 2015 Which? survey found that 54%
of respondents have been personally
exposed to a scam in the last 2 years,
or have a friend or family member
who has
This is only going to get worse
Once a victim has
responded to an initial
scam…
…their personal details
are added to a
“Suckers” list…
…these “Suckers” lists
are perpetually shared
and sold on to other
scammers…
…who will repeatedly target
the victim with scam mail,
multiple phone calls, and will
even send somebody to
knock on their door…
…in order to con,
mislead, intimidate…
…and bully the victim
into parting with their
life savings.
The victims get caught in
a trap; a cycle of
victimisation.
Ultimately, the
scam victim
SUFFERS IN SILENCE.
Everyday, people get
caught out by scams
such as…
Lottery & Prize draws
Phishing
1
Investment
Direct transfers
1
Pensions
Leading to situations like
these…
Leading to situations like
these…
One victim was found to have been
receiving 30 bits of mail and 10
phone calls per day
It was later discovered she had lost
over £1 Million
The National Trading
Standards Scams Team
estimates a loss of between
£5 – 10 BILLION to Mass
Marketing Fraud every year…
…not to mention the cost of
looking after people who
give away their life savings
to these criminals.
Sadly, these victims are not
going to win a foreign lottery
or receive the millions of
pounds that are “waiting” for
them…
(For a small fee)
…instead, they will be
repeatedly targeted...
…and the victimisation
will only stop when...
…the victim runs out
of money, someone
intervenes, or the
victim passes away.
As you can see…
…the problem is
massive…
…but that’s why the National
Trading Standards Scams Team
exists.
To give a voice to
those “silent” victims
About the NTSST
The National Scams Team (NST) is a project
funded by the National Trading Standards
Board (NTSB) and hosted by East Sussex
Trading Standards Service
Aims of the NTSST
IDENTIFY victims of Fraud
PREVENT victims from further victimisation
INVESTIGATE criminal activity
EDUCATE Local Authorities and other
agencies on how to work with scam victims
Working with LAs
The NTSST has approached over 200 Local
Authority Trading Standards Services
nationally
163
38
3
Signed up
*Not signed up
Refused to sign up
Delivering tangible outcomes
Victim Feedback
16%
10%
74%
Victims
Not Victims
Unknown
Identifying victims
• £17,950,690.27 Estimated Detriment to consumers
• £971.99 Estimated per victim
• £15,590,713.80 Estimated Savings to consumers as
result of intervention
• £844.20 Estimated per victim
A picture tells a 1,000 words
Mr K – His Story
• “I lost my wife 10 years ago I was lonely”
• ”I get up, I wait for the post, I sort it, I go to bed.
What else have I got? I might as well be dead”
• “I hope I win, so I can move to a home. I want
some one to talk to”
• They ring me every day because I'm the big
winner”
• I don’t get out, because I'm frightened. But these
letters are all the company I ever get”
Scams Toolkit: A holistic guide
to mail fraud
• Released Edition 1 of the
Scams Toolkit in April
2015
• Designed to assist LA’s in
their work with
consumers who are at
risk of scam victimisation
Royal Mail WTLL
• Training programme
agreed with Royal Mail
• Delivery staff trained
to identify potential
scam victims
• Joint working with
Royal Mail and Local
Authorities
• 2355 staff trained
Investigations
Seizure of Post – Over 110,000 bits of mail has been
seized along with an excess of 150,000 cheques
Enforcement– Establishing law enforcement
contacts abroad
Partnership & Disruption –The key to our success
Mail Marshals
Call Blocker Project
• 100 Call Blockers
• Working with 40 Local Authorities
• 61 trials completed / 11 ongoing
95%
of calls scam
/nuisance calls
blocked
15897
of calls scam
/nuisance calls
blocked
42%
of all calls received
were scam
/nuisance
Bournemouth University
Research
Does early intervention with scam victims
allow them to remain independent and living in
their own homes longer than victims who
receive later or no intervention?
of all calls received
were scam
/nuisance
Bournemouth University
Research
• Defining a victim and how many victims there
are
• Cost to victims, NOT just financial
• How do mass marketing databases work
• Developing good practice guides and advice
for professionals working in this field and for
vulnerable citizens and their families/carers
• Look at the law enforcement landscape
Questions???