Andy Goodall said recorded rates of scams have been going down in recent years but that it is important to remain vigilant as the practise is “big business” for criminals.
A new UK wide campaign to urge older internet and telephone users to be wary of scams has been launched by Barclays, with backing from Age Concern Guernsey, however Mr Goodall said numbers of reported scams are actually going down overall.
The Barclays’ campaign features the “UK’s oldest grime artists” rapping about how to avoid potential financial scams (watch below). David Inglis, Chairman of Age Concern Guernsey, said:
“Scamming is definitely an issue in Guernsey, especially with those over 65. We hold training sessions and invite experts to speak to our members to educate them on what to look out for. I encourage our members and anyone in Guernsey who has dealt with or been a victim to a scam to speak to their family, friends or bank. There’s no shame speaking to someone about what’s happened, and it can lead to a solution.”
“If we’ve had a victim we’ll be recorded, the majority are attempts, there are some that we see floating around time and time again, such as the “Spanish lottery” scam and the recent story of a woman who was defrauded out of her life savings [through a “Facebook lottery” scam].
“Recorded victim losses over the last few years in Guernsey are somewhere in the region of £200,000. The actual victims are getting fewer and fewer there’s every likelihood [the “facebook lottery” victim] will get her money back. From what we’ve seen Guernsey residents are more on the ball than the UK.
“We don’t always record the scams because they can take place anywhere in the world. If it’s not committed here we have to point it over to Action Fraud, they must be getting thousands.
“Around the world the scammers made £800 billion in a year, that’s just the ones that were reported, it’s big business,” he said.