Scams are smart. Prove you're smarter. Bin them!
South Gloucestershire Trading Standards is once again supporting the Office of Fair Trading's 'Scamnesty' campaign. The campaign, which runs throughout February, aims to raise awareness of scams by encouraging people to drop their scam mailings into local Scamnesty collection points.
Mass marketed scams are a problem in the UK. They can take the form of bogus and fraudulent offers sent by post, telephone or email. Fake lottery and prize draw wins, bogus psychic predictions, get-rich-quick investment cons and 'miracle' health cures are just some of the tricks used by scammers. Nearly half of the UK adult population has been targeted by a scam, and more than three million adults - one in 15 people - fall victim to scams, losing a total of £3.5 billion every year. The Scamnesty campaign is part of the ongoing work to build awareness of scams.
Scamnesty 2011 is calling on the people of South Gloucestershire to fight back against the fraudsters by collecting any scam mailings they receive and dropping them into designated scamnesty bins which will be located in some South Gloucestershire Council One Stop Shops and most libraries.
The information collected from the bins will provide valuable new intelligence and will help inform future investigations aimed at preventing others being scammed.
If you have been the victim of a scam, or you suspect a scam, call Consumer Direct for clear, practical advice on 08454 04 05 06 or visit www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/scamnesty.
You will find Scamnesty bins (bright yellow with red graphics) at the following locations throughout February 2011:
- Yate One Stop Shop (Access via West Walk), Kennedy Way, Yate BS37 4DQ
- Thornbury One Stop Shop (Main council offices), Castle Street, Thornbury BS35 1HF
- The Library, Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre and Library, Fiddlers Wood Lane, Bradley Stoke, South Gloucestershire, BS32 9BS
- Cadbury Heath Library, School Road, Cadbury Heath, South Gloucestershire, BS30 8EN
- Patchway Library, Rodway Road, Patchway, South Gloucestershire, BS34 5PE
- Downend Library, Buckingham Gardens, Downend, South Gloucestershire, BS16 5TW
- Staple Hill Library, Broad Street, Staple Hill, South Gloucestershire BS16 5LS
- The Library, Emerson Way, Emersons Green, South Gloucestershire, BS16 7AP
- Filton Library, Shield Road Retail Park, Link Road, Filton, South Gloucestershire, BS34 7BR
- Winterbourne Library, Flaxpits Lane, Winterbourne, South Gloucestershire, BS36 1LA
- Hanham Library, High Street, Hanham, South Gloucestershire, BS15 3EJ
- Thornbury Library, St Mary Street, Thornbury, South Gloucestershire, BS35 2AA
- Yate Library, 44 West Walk, Yate, South Gloucestershire BS37 4AX
- Kingswood Library, High Street, Kingswood, South Gloucestershire BS15 4AR