Survey reveals 33% of residents targeted by scam during lockkdown

A third of people in the north of England have been targeted by a scam since lockdown began, a survey carried out on behalf of Citizens Advice has revealed.
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Data also reveals that 63 per cent of residents are worried someone they know will fall foul of a con and 89 per cent reported they felt wary of coronavirus scams.

Citizens Advice Northumberland is encouraging people to talk about their experiences and look out for others they think could be at risk.

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Citizens Advice Northumberland is asking residents to be wary of scams.Citizens Advice Northumberland is asking residents to be wary of scams.
Citizens Advice Northumberland is asking residents to be wary of scams.

Abi Conway, chief officer of Citizens Advice Northumberland, said: “Our data shows that the last few months have been very difficult for a lot of people across Northumberland.

“And despite this, we’ve seen appalling evidence of opportunistic scammers taking advantage of people’s worries and concerns.

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“It’s really important we all do our bit and report anything that looks like a con when we see it.

“By learning how scammers operate, and helping each other understand what to look out for, we can all work together to stop fraudsters in their tracks.“

Data from Citizens Advice shows that many new scams have emerged during the coronavirus pandemic, including adverts for face masks or medical equipment at high prices; adverts selling fake cures for coronavirus; emails or texts pretending to be from the government; emails offering life insurance against coronavirus; and people knocking at the door and asking for money for fake charities.

To help stop more people being fleeced by these types of scams, Citizens Advice Northumberland is sharing the following tips on how to spot them: Look into installing a call blocker to help combat telephone scams; talk to your or their bank immediately if there is any suspicious activity or transactions from account or credit cards; report the scam to Citizens Advice and Trading Standards; report the scam to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.

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Also, be suspicious if you’re contacted out of the blue. If it sounds too good to be true it probably is, never send money to someone you’ve never met, never give out your bank details unless you are certain you can trust the person contacting you and hang up if you suspect a scam.

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