Friends Against Scams!

Due to the success of the campaign in 2020 and 2021, the Friends Against Scams Team are again running a SCAMnesty (a scam mail amnesty) campaign aiming to encourage everyone in the UK to send in any unwanted scam and nuisance mail that they receive into the National Trading Standards (NTS) Scams Team completely free of charge.

This campaign will be running throughout the Summer, but you can send post to our Freepost address anytime.

If you, or someone you know is in receipt of scam or nuisance mail, the NTS Scams Team’s Investigators want to see it! They already use the mail that they receive from Scam Marshals to great effect through their disruption techniques but the team would like to see more and put a stop to these mailings landing on consumers’ door steps.

Postal scams are letters sent with the goal of obtaining your money using deception or fraud.
There are many different types of scam mail:

• fake lotteries or prize draws
• fake psychics
• bogus health cures
• investment scams

Advance Fee Scams Often Include:

• Official language or stamps/seals
• The amount that you’re entitled to (in this case £147,000) as they know it will entice people
• A sense of urgency (respond within 7 days, before the deadline etc.)
• Sometimes certificates or fake cheques
• Use of your name throughout to personalise it, making it seem like this is just for you
• Requests for cash in advance as an ‘admin fee’ to release funds you’re supposedly entitled to

Clairvoyant Or Psychic Scams Often Include:

• Promises of happiness, hope, money etc. to sell a dream to the recipient
• A picture of the clairvoyant to make the sender seem more personal
• Use of the recipient’s first name throughout
• Requests for cash to get more information/specific details about your future
• Offers of trinkets, treasures or charms that will bring good luck – for a price

The NTS Scams Team estimate that only 5% of these crimes are reported; this can be due to a number of reasons, including shame or embarrassment, or even that victims don’t know who to report scams to. Victims of these crimes shouldn’t feel ashamed at all – these criminals are experts at what they do and know exactly how to commit their fraud.

You can view the NTS Scams Team’s privacy policy here.

A social media pack has been produced for anyone to share the message, please email FriendsAgainstScams@Surreycc.gov.uk to request this. 

For more information on scams, complete the free awareness session here.