Citizens Advice Bucks issue advice to avoid scammers

Wednesday, 22 June 2022 07:00

The charity issued a stark warning this week that scammers are preying on the elderly and vulnerable in the cost-of-living crisis.

Thalia Jervis, Chief Executive for Citizens Advice Bucks says,

“We’ve already seen instances of scammers pretending to be energy companies offering 'too good to be true’ deals and others sending out phishing emails offering fake government rebates. Scammers will often seek to exploit vulnerability - from the coronavirus pandemic to recessions, in times of difficulty often see a corresponding increase in related scams and the cost-of-living crisis seems to be no different.”

The charity is encouraging people to always keep an eye out for scams and want to remind people that they can and do affect anyone. Some of the main warning signs of scams to are:

· It seems too good to be true – like an email saying you’ve won a competition you don’t remember entering

· Someone you don’t know contacts you unexpectedly

· You’re being urged to respond quickly so you don’t get time to think about it or talk to family and friends

· You've been asked to pay for something urgently or in an unusual way – for example by bank transfer or gift vouchers

· You’ve been asked to give away personal information

· Someone asks to log in to your computer remotely for any reason.

If someone thinks they might be being scammed, they should get advice immediately. They can contact the Citizens Advice consumer service for help with what to do next, and report scams or suspected scams to Action Fraud and call Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133’.

More help can be found at www.citizensadvicebucks.org.uk