Bin the scammers - stop, think and check
The Think Jessica campaign, which raises awareness of scam mail, has once again put a spotlight on the issue of organised groups who are out to con people - whether it is by post, telephone, door knocking or online.
The message from West Lothian Community Safety Unit (CSU) and West Lothian Trading Standards is if it seems too good to be true - it probably is, and to 'stop, think and check'.
We are working hard to raise awareness of the issues of scams and frauds and encourage local residents to stop, think and check.
West Lothian Council's Trading Standards team added:
" A resident received a call from their phone provider advising there was an issue with his computer. They then said he was being given a refund but they had refunded a higher amount by mistake. He was asked to buy iTunes vouchers to pay back the difference. Companies will not ask you to pay with iTunes vouchers and retailers are now more aware of looking out for customers purchasing a large amount of vouchers.
Another resident visited her bank to transfer £40000 to an account in Thailand. The scammers had told her that her bank accounts may have been used in money laundering and they had moved money from her savings account to her current account. She was to transfer the money to another account and the caller threatened she would be put in jail if she didn't. Bank staff initiated the Banking Protocol and queried the transaction before contacting the police. The Banking Protocol aims to try to prevent people becoming victims of financial crime and staff are trained to watch out for suspicious activity.
We don't want anyone else to get caught out in these scams - our message is 'stop, think and check'.
Bin the scammers by asking your friends and family for advice before taking any action. We are appealing residents to share this information with their friends and family and help us to bin the scammers."
Get more information about the Think Jessica Campaign (opens new window)
