ASA supports Trading Standards Scotland scam awareness campaign

We’re supporting Trading Standards Scotland’s cost of living scams campaign which launched this week. The campaign focuses on scams linked to the current cost-of-living crisis which hoodwink unsuspecting or vulnerable consumers at a time when many are already experiencing financial worries. By raising awareness, we can help better equip people to avoid falling for them.

The cost-of-living crisis provides scammers with opportunities to exploit anxieties people may be feeling or experiencing about their financial circumstances. And they can adopt numerous tactics to target and swindle people, including via cold calls, emails, text messages, on the doorstep, bogus websites and online scam ads. Ultimately, scammers will attempt to obtain personal details and bank account information.

While the amount that people lose can range from a few pounds to a thousand, scammers don’t care about someone’s personal circumstances and anyone losing money to a scam is a victim. Scams can be complex or simple, big or small, but all can lead to financial and emotional harm, with people who can often least afford it losing money.

Trading Standards Scotland are warning people to be particularly vigilant to scams connected to energy bill rebates or cost-of-living payments, fake supermarket vouchers and fuel card giveaways. They’re also seeing trends in scams around energy efficiency measures such as boilers and insulation. And there have been increased reports from concerned consumers about bogus electric devices being sold online which claim to save money on energy bills.

Trading Standards Scotland’s month-long campaign focuses on:

  • Impersonation scams
  • Misleading information about energy efficiency measures
  • Financial scams
  • Counterfeit goods
  • Online shopping

We’re closely monitoring complaints about ads that link to the cost-of-living crisis. We will not hesitate to take action against misleading or irresponsible claims that treat consumers unfairly and leave them out of pocket. And, although we’re not a law enforcement body and don’t regulate ads by fraudsters, we have a Scam Ad Alert System in place which we launched in partnership with the major digital advertising and social media platforms, including Facebook and Google, to help tackle scam ads online.

Consumers can report scam ads appearing in paid-for spaces online to us. We assess reports within 24 hours, enabling us to quickly and effectively alert platforms to scam ads so that they can promptly remove them, suspend the advertisers’ accounts and stop similar ads appearing in future.

We encourage anyone with concerns about an ad they have seen, in any media, to contact us. We will look into it for you. And we recommend seeking free, expert and impartial advice on any financial issues or information about your consumer rights from trusted bodies like Citizens Advice Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Being aware of scams and erring on the side of caution can play an important part in helping avoid them. Before parting with your money, take some time to do some research on the company offering you a product or service, seek advice from a trusted independent consumer body, speak to family members or friends. As a recent Trading Standards Scotland Big Scottish Scam Survey revealed, 79% of survey respondents had avoided a scam after seeing or reading about it, with 41% going on to report the scam.

 

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