1. SCAMS & OLDER PEOPLE
“If someone you’ve never met before asks you for money, that should be a red flag.”
Frances Wilson, National Trading Standards Scams Team

2. WHAT IS A SCAM?
Scams are crimes where the perpetrator tries to swindle the victim out of money, or personal information so they can steal their money later.
Scam is a slang term for personal fraud. All scams are frauds.
Scams can be committed over the phone, through the post, on the internet or face-to-face, often on your doorstep.
Once a person falls victim to one con artist, their personal details are often added to so-called ‘suckers lists’ and sold on to other criminals, so they are targeted again and again.
£10 billion is lost in the UK each year to scammers.

3. OLDER PEOPLE MOST AT RISK
Because older people are more likely to live alone, and are often lonely, they become targets for fraudsters. Those with dementia are at particular risk.
People who have been defrauded in their own homes are 2.5 times more likely to die or go into residential care within a year
43% of people aged 65 and over say they have been targeted by scammers – that’s almost 5 million people
The average age of a victim of mass-market postal fraud is 75

4. DON’T BE A VICTIM
There are some basic rules that should stop you falling victim to almost any scam. Here they are:
ALWAYS REMEMBER: IF SOMETHING SEEMS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT USUALLY IS
If you get an offer by , text or letter that contains bad spelling or grammar, don’t respond – it’s a scam!
If someone you have never met before asks you to send them money, that’s a red flag. Ignore it – it’s a scam!
Always be wary of uninvited approaches, whether by , over the phone, by post or on your doorstep. Instead, contact the company yourself using a known phone number or address

5. DON’T BE A VICTIM
If you are even a tiny bit suspicious – check with someone you trust before responding
Never automatically click on a link in an unexpected text or – this could contain a virus or harmful software that can steal your information
Make sure you use strong passwords on all your online accounts, and change them often
Remember that your bank or building society will never contact you and ask for your PIN number or passwords
TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS. IF YOU FEEL AT ALL WARY OR SUSPICIOUS, YOU ARE PROBABLY RIGHT!

6. DOORSTEP SCAMS
Rogue traders – turn up uninvited and offer to do some work on your property
Bogus salespeople – try to pressure you into buying items you don’t need, or are poor value for money
Fake charity fundraisers – may try to get your bank or credit card details in order to steal money from you later
Distraction burglars – often working in pairs, one keeps you at the front door while the other burgles your home from the back
65% of doorstep scam victims are 75 and over!
Doorstep fraud is where fraudsters try to scam you after knocking on your door. They can include:

7. DON’T BE A VICTIM! Don’t be fooled by talk such as:
“I’ve just done a job for your neighbour and he said your tree needed pruning”
“My mate’s just kicked his ball over your fence, can we come and get it?”
“We’re working round the corner and noticed a loose tile on your roof”
“We’re in your area and it’s a special price if you agree today!”
“We’ve got material leftover from another job”

8. DON’T BE A VICTIM!
Trading Standards advise all householders to NEVER BUY GOODS AND SERVICES ON THE DOORSTEP
Keep your front and back doors locked even when at home
Install a spyhole or keychain in your door
The safest thing to do is not to answer the door if you’re not expecting anyone. But if you do answer, and you don’t know the person, JUST SAY NO. It’s not rude to ask people to leave. Here’s some things you can say:
“I never deal with cold callers at the door, please would you leave”
“I don’t know who you are so please can you just leave”
“I have a neighbour who helps me so please go and knock on their door first”

9. MAIL SCAMS
Lottery or prize draw scams – “CONGRATULATIONS – you’ve won our prize draw of £100,000!! Now just send us your bank details/passport/£100 handling fee and we’ll send you your prize!”
2 in 5 of all postal scams are prize or lottery draws and the UK public loses £60million to these every year.
Catalogue scams – catalogues arrive in the post selling vitamins, “miracle cures” or other items at so-called “bargain prices”. Products either never arrive or are of no value.
Clairvoyant scams – these claim they can make contact with a deceased relative or can predict your future – for a fee. Bereaved people can be especially susceptible.
419 letters – another advance-fee scam where you are asked to help transfer money out of the country, and are told you can keep a percentage.
Some people receive hundreds of scam letters each week. Common mail scams include:

10. DON’T BE A VICTIM!
REMEMBER: IF IT SEEMS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT USUALLY IS!
If you’ve been told you’ve won something in a raffle, prize draw or competition, think about whether you actually entered. If not, you can be sure it’s a scam.
If you are asked to pay a fee up-front in order to receive your money, it’s a scam.
Have you received a letter or catalogue out of the blue from a company or person you’ve never had contact with before? Chances are it’s a scam.
Are they asking you for money? Any request for money is suspicious until proven otherwise. DON’T SEND ANY MONEY!
If you receive anything in the post that has any of these attributes, put it here:

11. TELEPHONE SCAMS
Someone posing as an official from your bank, saying your bank account has been fraudulently accessed and so a new ‘safe’ account has been opened for you to transfer your money into
Courier scams – where scammers will call and pretend to be from your bank or utility company, and ask for your PIN number, and then send a ‘courier’ to your house to collect your bank card
Investment scams – where scammers cold-call you and try to sell you shares in ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ opportunities, often in exotic-sounding assets like wine, hotels or diamonds – which don’t exist or are worthless.
Computer scams – where a caller tells you there’s a problem with your computer and offers to help fix it. After you’ve logged in and followed their instructions, the scammers install programs on your computer that steal your personal data.
People aged 65 and over are the most likely to be targeted by telephone scammers, who call you to try to obtain your personal details or convince you to send them money. Some common telephone scams are:

12. SPOT THE SIGNS Any one of these probably means it’s a scam call….
The caller asks you to transfer money to a new account
The caller asks for your 4-digit PIN number or online password. Even if they ask you to tap it into your telephone keypad, it’s still a fraud.
The caller doesn’t give you time to think, tries to stop you speaking to someone else about it, or is insistent and makes you uncomfortable
The caller asks you to hand money over to them for safekeeping
They say you’ve been a victim of fraud and offer to send a courier to your home to collect your cash, PIN, payment card or cheque book.

13. DON’T BE A VICTIM!
Never agree to anything over the phone. Just hang up if you feel at all wary of a caller.
Don’t assume a caller or texter is genuine just because they already have some details about you, such as your name. Criminals will often already have some basic information about you.
Remember: Your bank or building society will NEVER contact you out of the blue to ask for your PIN, full password or to move money to another account. If you receive a call from your bank requesting any of these, hang up immediately.
Never give out any personal information over the phone, such as bank account or credit card details, unless you made the call.
Never give control of your computer remotely to a third party over the phone.
If you’re at all wary….

14. THE DEVIL’S IN YOUR DETAILS
A short film from Action Fraud

15. INVESTMENT SCAMS ¾ of victims are men, with an average age of 65
Over-55s are at greatest risk
The average loss to an investment scam is over £32,000
Investment or pension scams can occur by , phone or in the post, and usually involve offers of worthless or non-existent shares in unregulated products like wine or diamonds.
Those with savings of over £10,000 are most likely to fall victim

16. SPOT THE SIGNS! Beware of offers that promise:
A free pension or investment review
Guaranteed returns
Low-tax or tax-free rates, including tax-free lump sums
Exotic-sounding and/or overseas investment
A once-in-a lifetime/never-before-available/when-it’s-gone-it’s-gone opportunity
Beware also of people that pressure you to sign up quickly, say they’re only making the offer available to you, or ask you not to tell anyone else about it. They are scammers!

17. DON’T BE A VICTIM!
Remember the golden rule: IF SOMETHING SEEMS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT PROBABLY IS!
Reject all unsolicited contact about investments or your pension.
If you get cold-called, the safest thing to do is to hang up. If you get unexpected offers by or text, it’s best to simply ignore them.
Don’t be rushed into making a decision – especially if they are claiming it is a time-limited offer that won’t be around for much longer.
Check to see if the investment firm or adviser is authorised on the Financial Services Register.
Check the FCA Warning List tool to see if the investment opportunity on offer is a scam – this is a list of firms that the FCA knows is operating without permission or running scams.

18. RISKY MAN
A short film from Action Fraud

19. AND ONLINE SCAMS
Many scammers use to target their victims with fraudulent offers or requests for personal information, but this is not the only way that fraudsters operate online. Here are some others:
Fake pop-ups in your online banking window
Retail websites offering fake goods
Links in or social media messages that, once clicked on, will infect your computer with a virus or malware that deletes or steals your data
Providing fraudulent wifi connections in public places
Action Fraud lists 30 different types on online fraud. Consumer group Which? says 62% of people say they have been targeted by online scammers in the last year.

20. SCAMS
419 s - Similar to 419 letters, you are offered a share in a large sum of money in return for helping to transfer it out of the country. Once you have given the scammers your bank account details, they empty your accounts.
Phishing - An from your “bank” designed to trick you into revealing your personal information and passwords. REMEMBER: your bank will NEVER contact you out of the blue to ask for your PIN, full password or to move money to another account.
Pharming – an directing you to a website which spoofs a legitimate website in order to access your personal details.
Impersonation of UK official websites or UK officials - For example HMRC, with an message claiming you are due a refund and requesting your bank account details or directing you to a website link. Examples of this scam include the HMRC Tax Rebate Scam and the Council Tax Scam.
Investment scams and pension scams – fraudulent offers of high-return investments.

21. SPOT THE SIGNS! 7 signs that an email you’ve been sent is a scam:
The sender’s address doesn’t match the website address of the organisation it says it’s from. Roll your mouse pointer over the sender’s name to see its true address
The doesn’t use your name – it says something like ‘Dear customer’ instead
There’s a sense of urgency, asking you to act immediately
There’s a prominent website link which may look at first glance like the proper address, but has one letter missing or is spelt wrong
There’s a request for personal information
There is poor grammar and spelling
The entire text of the is contained within an image rather than the usual text format, and the image contains an embedded hyperlink to a bogus site. Again, roll your mouse pointer over the link to reveal its true destination. But don’t click it!

22. DON’T BE A VICTIM!
Follow these back-to-basics rules from Get Safe Online:
ALWAYS REMEMBER: IF SOMETHING SEEMS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT USUALLY IS
Make sure you have strong passwords on all your online accounts. For a secure password, use three random words and include a symbol, numbers and upper and lower-case letters.
Ensure you always have internet security software loaded on computers and update to new versions immediately.
Don’t assume that Wi-Fi hotspots in places like cafes, bars and hotel rooms are secure, so never use them when you’re doing anything confidential online, like banking. Instead, use 3G or 4G.
Never reveal too much personal or financial information in s, on social networking and dating sites and in person. You never know who might see it or use it.
Always consider that online or on the phone, people aren’t always who they claim to be.

23. DON’T BE A VICTIM!
Don’t click on links in s, posts, tweets or texts – and don’t open attachments – if the source isn’t 100% known and trustworthy
Always access internet banking sites by typing the bank's address into your web browser
Never pay for anything by direct bank transfer unless it’s to someone you know personally and is reputable
Never respond to any s, text messages, letters or social media that look suspicious
If you are at all suspicious, heed your instincts! You are very probably right. Go and check with someone you trust
If someone you’ve never met in person asks you for money, that should be a red flag. Tell them you’re not interested and stop all contact

24. ROMANCE SCAMS
This type of scam is especially insidious because the scammer is manipulating and abusing the victim’s emotions. It plays on the need we all have for love and companionship and many people fall victim every year.
If the scammer is successful in persuading you to lend or give them money, they will usually come back with more and more reasons for needing more.
Romance fraud happens when someone pretends to have met their perfect match on an online dating site, but is in fact a scammer who is after the person’s money.

25. They refuse to Skype or videocall you
SPOT THE SIGNS!
They ask you lots of questions about yourself
The chat is friendly at first, but turns romantic very quickly
Usually the initial contact is made by the scammer
They refuse to Skype or videocall you
Their grammar and spelling is poor
Eventually they ask you to lend them money
Their story, or parts of it, change over time
Their profile picture is very attractive

26. DON’T BE A VICTIM!
Just because there are some mean, dishonest people out there doesn’t mean you have to stop using dating sites altogether. You just have to follow some simple rules:
If you’re using social media sites like Facebook, don’t accept friend requests from people you don’t know.
Don’t give away too many personal details about yourself online. Revealing your full name, date of birth and home address could lead to your identity being stolen.
NEVER send or receive money or give away your bank details to someone you’ve only met online.
Use reputable dating sites and keep communicating through their messaging service. Fraudsters will want you to quickly switch to text, social media or telephone so there is no evidence on the dating site of them asking you for money.

27. PROTECT YOURSELF
There are some more preventative measures you can take to help protect yourself from scams:
Sign up to the Mailing Preference Service
Sign up to the Royal Mail opt-out service
Register your phone numbers with the Telephone Preference Service (and if registering a mobile number you can also download TPS Protect, which will send you messages about new scams and nuisance calls).
Install a call blocker on your phone
Register with the Fundraising Preference Service
Sign up to Action Fraud Alert
Put a No Cold Callers sign in your window
Set up a password with your utility company – this will be used by anyone they send to your home so you know the caller is genuine.

28. YOU’VE BEEN SCAMMED?
If you do fall victim to a scam, don’t be embarrassed. It’s not your fault – scammers are professional criminals and very good at what they do. Thousands of older people are victims of scammers every year.
You should report it immediately to the police by calling 101, and to Action Fraud on , or via their website. You should also tell your local Trading Standards office and the Citizens Advice consumer support line.
Action Fraud is the national fraud reporting database, which exists to build an accurate picture of frauds and scams, in order to help police and other agencies prevent more of these crimes taking place.
The quicker you act, the sooner you might prevent someone else becoming a victim. You may even be able to get your money back – though this is highly unusual. Which? has a guide online that might help you get your money back.
Victim Support can provide further help and advice if you need it.

29. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING
For more information, see
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING