1. SUFFOLK TRADING STANDARDS

2. Lesley Crompton Trading Standards Officer
Lead Officer for Safeguarding, Vulnerable Adults and Scams
Chair of Scams Focus Group, East of England Trading Standards Association

3. Who are Trading Standards?
Suffolk Trading Standards is part of Suffolk County Council. We are placed within the Fire & Public Safety Directorate.
Our role is to protect consumers and traders in Suffolk by :
enforcing government legislation (UK and EU)
Offering advice to consumers (via Citizens Advice Consumer Service Helpline)
Providing advice and inspections for businesses
investigating offences and prosecuting offenders

4. What work does Suffolk Trading Standards cover?
Examples of our work include:
Age restricted sales / Illegal tobacco
Weights and Measures – pubs/petroleum
Fair Trading – doorstep incidents / scams /NCCZ
Explosives - fireworks
Product safety – consumer products - e.g. electricals,
imported goods at docks
Food standards – labelling /composition
Intellectual property – counterfeit goods
Animal feed - crops
Animal health & welfare – animal movement and
disease control .

5. We are working to achieve a fair and safe trading environment, and informed, confident consumers.

6. Our work with vulnerable consumers – in the fair trading environment
Protect consumers from becoming victims of crime – utilising our doorstep rapid response system
Setting up No Cold Calling Zones
Work with Police, Social Care and the Court system
We actively prosecute rogue traders who target vulnerable consumers
We support victims of financial abuse (scams)- with reassurance, education and removal of scam mail/products.

7. Focussing on financial abuse
Category of abuse in the Care Act 2014.
Its criminal fraud.
define it as …….. “someone stealing money or other valuables from you, or it might be someone who is appointed to look after your money on your behalf using the money inappropriately or coercing you into spending it in a way you are not happy with. Internet scams and doorstep crime are also common forms of financial abuse”.

8. What is a scam??? It’s a FRAUD – criminal activity and
financial abuse – a safeguarding matter.
Designed to persuade consumers to part with their money.
Usually offering a win or prize – neither of which exist.
Offering “miracle” products - that may be unsafe.
Offering “exclusive or luxury” products - that can be obtained from the high street at a fraction of the price.
Offering a link to a dearly departed relative via clairvoyance, mediumship etc.
Offering great investment opportunities e.g diamonds, carbon credits, binary options, land banking – that never actually materialise.
Offering a relationship – by , Facebook, Skype
All of the above for a “reasonable” fee !!
Can be by post, phone, social media or .

9. Who is a scam victim?

10. How do I know if someone is a victim?
Real images taken during home visits to consumers.

11. Suffolk TSD is working with the national team to stamp out scams – with the focus being on mail scams

12. In Suffolk…..
Since 2014, there have been over 1,639 mail scam victims identified. We have contacted all of them.
We were able to return cheques to some consumers thanks to work with the National Team and Royal Mail who intercepted the fraudulent transactions.
We gave tailored advice to consumers and conducted home visits.
And our work continues…….

13. In Suffolk……. We have already completed :
Home visits to victims – ongoing.
Consumers have been advised by phone.
Consumers have been sent scam information by post.
Over 500 kg of scam products have been removed from consumers homes.
Installation of 27 phone call blocking devices for the most vulnerable.
Over 40 partnership event requests this year with external agencies eg. banks, CAB – and this is increasing as scams awareness increases.
Training our colleagues and partners within County Council and Health.
Publicity campaigns e.g Inside Out on BBC, Radio Suffolk slot, Scamnesty, Scams Month etc.
Strong social media presence – alerts are sent out weekly to Consumer Champions and interested parties.

14. In Suffolk……..
We are part of the Suffolk Information Partnership – TSD make “warm handover” referrals to external agencies that can support consumers with additional needs.
Work with Social Care – we undertake joint visits to consumer’s homes and make safeguarding referrals.
Social prescribing – referrals by clinicians to other available sources of help. Citizens Advice now sit within some GP surgeries and can also refer consumers on to Trading Standards.
Work with Citizens Advice – they triage all of TSD’s civil enquiries and refer through to us those with criminal elements.
TSD is represented on the SSAB and at the SSAB Training & Development Sub Group.

15. How does scamming affect consumers
How does scamming affect consumers? This is scam mail removed from just 2 consumers homes

16. Health & wellbeing

17. Scam products removed from one consumer’s home
This box was the result of 1 visit to the premises.
We had to revisit on another 2 occasions - we ended up removing further products that had been hidden in a disused fridge and 8 burn bags full of scam mail.

18. What happens to victims?
They run out of money - if they have access to overdrafts, savings, credit cards and loans these are quickly exhausted by the relentless pressure from criminal scammers .
They sell their homes to equity companies or cash in pensions – all at a fraction of their real value.

19. Many become estranged from family/carers.
They become isolated and secretive.
They run out of money and cannot pay their residential setting fees.
Victims end up depending on the state for support – care and housing.
They become stressed/obsessed/ ill, requiring further support from the NHS.
We need to support victims and prevent this fraud and financial abuse of the most vulnerable.

20. Scamming destroys victim’s lives
Olive Cooke
Mr X, Ipswich
Jessica

21. What are we doing about it?
Consumer and business education.
Supporting vulnerable consumers – removing scam products, working with families to close down bank accounts, set up POAs etc.
Making referrals and working with Police, Health & Social Care.
Working with National Scams Team to disrupt scammers and enforcing legislation where we can.
Training and learning events – eg. our Join the Fight Conference.
Making sure that Suffolk has a robust approach to scams – we will not tolerate scammers!

22. Remember - there are other types of scam
Telephone scams
Investment scams
Technical Support scams
Bank account courier scams
Online scams
Phishing s
Dating scams
Social media scams
Survey scams
Doorstep scams
Rogue Traders
Bogus Officials
Fake charity collections
“Nottingham Knockers”

23. Raising Awareness with our partners
Partnership working:
Police, Victim Support, Social Care, Health services, Fire Service , Citizens Advice, SIP, the public, banks, the media

24. Speak to your colleagues about the effects scamming has on consumers – share the knowledge, prevent fraud.
Recognise that scamming is criminal fraud and has dire consequences for the victims.
When visiting your clients, look at the environment within the home/room – if you have concerns, report them to Trading Standards – we can help.
Remember that ANYONE can be a victim.

25. Become Consumer Champions !
Learn about what is happening in Suffolk via our weekly newsletters – containing alerts, warnings, product recalls etc.
share information with their community
report details of concerns back to Trading Standards
Consumer Champions can be anyone who wants to help and who cares about their community.

27. Thank you for your attention.
If you have further queries, please contact Suffolk Trading Standards on
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If you have a consumer complaint, please contact our partners at Citizen’s Advice Consumer Helpline on