Scams unit saves millions in one year
More than £2.5million has been saved from the hands of scammers in the past 12 months thanks to Dudley Council’s scams team.
This means the team has saved £8million since it launched at the end of 2017.
The team has today been sharing the secret to their success with Sir Hector Sants during his visit to the Black Country.
Sir Hector is the chair of the Money and Pension Service, an arm’s length organisation which aims to help people make sound financial decisions.
The team presented to Sir Hector, along with colleagues from neighbouring authorities, about how the team is tackling the issue of financial crime in the borough.
The unit’s primary aim is to prevent people from being targeted and conned out of cash by financial criminals.
People targeted are often older, lonely and vulnerable and criminals know they are more likely to be susceptible to financial scams.
To put a stop to this kind of activity the scams unit has been working closely with residents to investigate claims of potential scams and raise awareness of the warning signs.
Councillor Patrick Harley, leader elect for Dudley Council, said:
“The work of our scams team has helped save vulnerable residents more than £2.5million in the last year alone and I’m pleased the team has been able to share their success with Sir Hector today.
“As we move into the new municipal year, I can assure people that fighting financial crime remains a top priority for the council and I would urge anyone who is concerned they may have been targeted by a scammer to get in touch with us.”
The team’s savings are estimated using the scams intervention calculator, provided by the National Trading Standards scams team.
If anyone is concerned that they or someone they know may have fallen victim to scams, they should contact the scams unit on 01384 818871 or via trading.standards@dudley.gov.uk