Are You Being Scammed?

Lothian residents are getting the opportunity this month to support a nationwide campaign which aims to end mass marketed scam mailings in the UK.

‘Scamnesty’ is a UK wide campaign organised by the Office of Fair Trading which asks the public to fight back against fraudsters by collecting any scam mailings they receive and dropping them into designated ‘Scamnesty’ boxes located at various locations in the area.

Every year 3.2 million adults across the country fall victim to a scam involving deceptive unsolicited mailings, phone calls, or emails.  These are designed to con victims out of their cash and UK consumers lose around a staggering £3.5 billion to scams every year.

The top five mass-marketed scam mailings in the UK are
1) deceptive sweepstakes/lotteries
2) misleading prize draws,
3) fake clairvoyants/psychics,
4) bogus foreign lotteries
5) miracle’ health cures.

Councillor Russell Imrie, of Midlothian, Cabinet member with responsibility for Trading Standards says, “The public are constantly at risk from unscrupulous fraudsters who want to con them out of their cash. By dropping your scam mailing into your local Scamnesty box you will provide valuable information to Midlothian Council’s Trading Standards team and help inform future investigations which will hopefully prevent others in the community from being conned.”

Scamnesty boxes can be found at the following locations in Midlothian:
Bonnyrigg Library EH19 3HB
Newtongrange Library EH22 4LG
Dalkeith Library EH22 1AE
Penicuik Library EH26 9EP
Gorebridge Library EH23 4TT
Danderhall Library EH22 1QD
Loanhead Library EH20 9HD
Mayfield Library EH22 5PB
The Mobile Library
Trading Standards office – Ironmills Road, Dalkeith EH22 1JN
Midlothian House, Dalkeith EH22 1DJ
Fairfield House, Dalkeith EH22 3AA

In Edinburgh Special wheelie bins will be used to collect junk mail across the city, which will then be compiled by Community Safety Officers and reported to the Office of Fair Trading.

Edinburgh Council’s Neighbourhood Offices and libraries were identified as the most suitable venues to position the Scam Mail Collection Bins. These are at:
• North Neighbourhood Office, 8 West Pilton Gardens, Edinburgh, EH4 4DP
• South Neighbourhood Office, 40 Captain’s Road, Edinburgh, EH17 8QF
• South West Neighbourhood Office, 10 Westside Plaza, Edinburgh, EH14 2ET
• East Neighbourhood Office, 86 Niddrie Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH16 4DT
• City Centre Neighbourhood Office, 1 Cockburn Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1BJ
• West Neighbourhood Office, Chesser House, 500 Gorgie Road, Edinburgh, EH11 3YJ
• South Queensferry Local Office53 High Street, South Queensferry, EH30 9HP
• Rannoch Community Education Centre, 6 Rannoch Terrace, Edinburgh, EH4 7ES
• Corstorphine Library, 12 Kirk Loan, Edinburgh EH12 7HD
• Advice Shop, 85 – 87 South Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1HN
• Waverley Court, 4 East Market Street, Edinburgh, EH8 8BG

In East Lothian, covered boxes marked with the Scamnesty logo will be located in all libraries, John Muir House and the Brunton Hall, Musselburgh from 1 February 2010. Scam mail can also be sent by post to Trading Standards, John Muir House, Brewery Park, Haddington EH41 3HA.

If you think 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. Scams can also be reported online to ‘virtual bin’ on the Consumer Direct website.