Dave Thompson MSP

Dave Thompson, SNP MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch is supporting the Scam Awareness Campaign, which is being run by Citizens Advice Scotland and Trading Standards Services.

Scammers can strike through a wide range of methods and can adapt to all situations and as technology changes. The same channels that make our lives easier - the internet, smart phones, doorstep deliveries - also provide short cuts for scammers and further ways for them to target people.

Telephone scams are being highlighted this week (w/c 19 May) and Doorstep scams a particular concern of Dave’s are being highlighted next week (w/c 26 May)

Other scams being covered are online and mail scams.

As Vice-President of the Trading Standards Institute, protecting innocent people from those who perpetrate scams is of particular interest to Dave, especially since he himself was targeted by telephone scammers in November 2012.

Commenting on this, Dave said: “I would urge everyone to be vigilant, as scammers are on the rise and they do like to target the elderly and vulnerable.  Scams are exceptionally cruel crimes that blight lives and yet so many people suffer them in silence and Scams Awareness Month is a chance to empower consumers and their representatives so that more people know how to Spot and Stop Scams.

“As well as reporting scams and concerns to Citizens Advice Bureaux and Trading Standards, people in Scotland can protect themselves by keeping key facts in their heads.  The main ones are, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is; if you haven’t bought a ticket, you can’t win; you shouldn’t have to pay to obtain a prize or start a job; and if in doubt about someone contacting you, bin it, hang up or delete it.

“Scammers are cruel people who care nothing for the consequences of their actions on the innocent people they have duped.  We all need to be vigilant and look out, not just for ourselves, but for the more vulnerable members of our society and our elderly folk, who are seen as easy targets by these cowardly folk.”

Note:

More information on Scam Awareness Month 2014 can be found on the Citizens Advice Scotland website at http://www.cas.org.uk/stopscams