Tune into Trading Standards’ winter warning
The 12 Scams of Christmas was written by Shelley Edwards, an officer from Trading Standards, based on her experiences dealing with the victims of con men and women.
Loosely based on the 12 days of the Christmas the song catalogues many of the most common approaches made by scammers from telling people not to speak to their families about their transaction through to promising people they will be rich.
Shelley said: ”I have seen first-hand the devastating effect scammers can have on people’s lives whether it is conning someone out of £20 through to defrauding someone out of £40,000.
“The song, actually came to me whilst I was cleaning at home. It is a light hearted way of getting over a serious message which is to be very careful when someone rings, writes or knocks on the door with an offer which seems too good to be true. The golden rule is if something seems too good to be true – it very probably is.”
Jody Kerman, Trading Standards Operations Manager said: ”The team had great fun doing the song although I am not sure it will make it to number one. However it is a great way of reminding people to be on the lookout for unscrupulous people who are offering what might seem like amazing deals.
“A good rule to remember is that if someone comes to you out of the blue, with what seems an amazing offer, there is a chance they are operation some kind of scam. Before making your decision, stop, take a breath, talk to others and do some research of your own”
Top tips to remember:
Remember
- never give out your name, address , bank account details or any other personal information
- speak to a friend before replying to any offer
- never trust someone who says you’ve won a prize
- don’t ring any number you are given to claim a prize
- never send money to anyone to claim a prize
- sign up to the free Telephone and Mailing Preference Services, which cuts down unwanted phone calls, texts and post.
- Don’t give money to anyone at your doorstep
- Seriously consider whether you need the work done that a trader is offering at your doorstep