CNES Trading Standards are Issuing a Reminder to the Public to Beware of Scams

27 January 2021 at 14:04:56

There has been an increased amount of telephone, email and letter scams reported taking many different forms.  In this difficult time we are currently facing there are unscrupulous scammers who are taking advantage of this.  It can be sometimes difficult to tell if something is a scam, please read guidance below for some tips to help.

How to spot and avoid potential Scams:

• At the moment, particularly watch out for unsolicited emails or phone calls claiming to come from health bodies such as the National Health Service, the World Health Organisation or the Government.
• Some emails have an urgent tone: phishing messages are designed to scare you into clicking on their links
• Check correspondence for grammar and spelling errors
• You've been asked to transfer money quickly
• You've been asked to give away personal information like passwords or PINs
• No name: legitimate emails from services you have accounts with will always address you by name. Phishing emails usually start with 'Dear Sir' or 'Dear Customer'
• Please be on alert for any potential telephone scams.

Our colleagues at Citizens Advice Scotland have a useful e-Mail Scam Checker  and it is worthwhile signing up to the Trading Standards Scotland Scam Share E-bulletin It provides a weekly update on current scams in circulation.

General scam calls and emails can be reported to CNES Trading Standards on 01851 822694 or email details to ts@cne-siar.gov.uk  If you suspect that you have been a victim of fraud, please report this to the Police on 101.