Bleeding them dry
Financial abuse by mass
marketing scams
What we will cover
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Mass marketing
Trading Standards involvement
Case studies
Interventions
Mass marketing
What, who, how... effects and
problems
What is a mass marketing scam?
• Misleading or deceptive practice
• Unsolicited or uninvited mail/phone call
• False promises
With the aim to con victim out of money
Methods
Who is targeted?
Anyone can be a target
But, statistics show:
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Average age of a victim is 72
Most live alone, often widowed
Lonely and isolated
Not always lacking capacity
Trusting
• They don’t believe they are a victim of crime
How does the con work?
Meet Frank:
Frank is 75 years old, a widower and
lives alone
His family live nearby and are in regular
contact but Frank likes keeping his privacy
and independence, so is very self-reliant
1
Frank responds to a catalogue
prize draw – he could win cash or
a brand new car
Sometimes no money is
requested initially
The catalogue company sells on
his information to many other
companies
2
More prize draw offers and
competitions arrive through the letter
box
Frank responds and wins a prize!
All he needs to do is pay a small
fee to receive his winnings
Frank starts receiving several letters a
day requesting small sums of money,
soon he’s paying hundreds a month
3
A month on: Franks personal details
have been added to a ‘suckers list’
His letter box is flooded with
‘URGENT’ letters from clairvoyants
and overseas lotteries
He’s persuaded to share his bank
details
Payments ranging £18 to £1800 leave
his account. He eventually goes
overdrawn, can’t pay bills or buy food
What is the effect on the victim?
• The elderly victim cannot regain their
losses
• Lose confidence in living alone
• Victims who need care may no longer be
able to afford it and become dependent on
the state
What are the problems?
• Scam mail is targeted from abroad
via mail forwarders in the UK
• The Royal Mail must deliver all
mail; we cannot interrupt the
delivery
• Pseudo-legitimate companies use
catalogues selling high priced goods
as their initial pitch
What are the problems?
Age
Dementia
Loss of
control
Embarrassment
Denial
Enjoyment
Vulnerability
Addiction
Further problems...
Safeguarding
Has not picked up the problem as financial abuse
• Is only seen as targeted fraud by carers or family
with known perpetrators
• Most victims not known to adult social care
Trading Standards
Stopping the cycle
What does the Care Act 2014 bring
to the table for us?
Financial abuse is defined:
• Having money or property stolen
• Being defrauded
• Being put under pressure in relation to money or
other property
• Having money or other property misused
Section 42
• Duty to make enquiries
• Reasonable cause to suspect
• Experiencing or at risk of abuse
• Unable to protect themselves
Why are Trading Standards
involved?
• We are trained to
investigate criminality
• We prosecute
perpetrators
• Now we have a victim list
But...
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Offenders outside UK and EU
They are chameleons
Mail forwarders are being targeted
Need to cut off the supply of victims
- keep the ‘dealer’ away from the ‘users’
How we intervene?
• Mail and lists of victims are collected/seized
• Support worker (Age UK) visits
individuals to scope risk of further
scams, collects scam mail and promotes
‘TH!NK Jessica’
• We make referrals to other agencies; “We
Care and Repair” etc
How we intervene? Continued
• We contact banks with permission to prevent
further losses
• We fit call-blockers on loan....for 12 months free of
charge
• We support family members and victim to stop
responding to mail
• Provide advice on ‘doorstep crime’
• Refer to ASC and Care Connect
• If family have Lasting Power of Attorney...advise
redirection of mail
What we have discovered already
• Recipients do not accept they are victims of a fraud
• They may be addicted to the process
• They have routine and structure to their day, waiting
for and responding to mail
• They are bored and lonely
• They do not add up their losses - shocked when they
do
• Sometimes it is an early sign of dementia
• Too trusting - believing they will ‘win’
Case studies
Case study 1
• Phoebe is in her 70s living alone,
widowed
• She enjoys buying porcelain ornaments
and buys from catalogues
• She suffers from mobility issues
following a road traffic accident
• There may be following head injuries
mental capacity issues
• Very lonely and susceptible to
‘grooming by befriending’ – yet has good
family support
• Responds to telephone sales
Case study 2
• Fraser is in his 80s, a widower and lives
alone with no family nearby
• on the scams hub list having responded to
mail
• on pension credit
• high volumes of scam mail
• paying out £280 per month by cheque and
£550 by debit to scammers
• didn’t believe he was a victim of crime
• believed he could win
• bought items from catalogues he didn’t
want
• overdrawn at bank...no savings
Interventions
The psychology
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Jessica Scam Syndrome
Early stages of dementia
Lacking capacity?
Lasting Power of Attorney
Court of Protection
Everyone can help
spot the signs
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Dealing with causes; loneliness and isolation
Recognising dementia
Recognising JSS
Referring to the right people
community.mailwatch@n-somerset.gov.uk
• Support the process by passing on the message
SCHEMING
CRAFTY
AGGRESSIVE
MALICIOUS
Help me to help them.....
Helen Heskins
Principal Officer
North Somerset Trading Standards
01275 888640
Artistic direction by Frank Salt