Post Office staff combat the scammers.

As part of East Sussex County Councils ‘Scamnesty’ Campaign Trading Standards have been enlisting the help of Post Offices, Banks and Building Societies in the area.

Many of the scams victimising residents in the East Sussex area ask the victim to transfer sums of money via bank transfer or money transfer agents such as MoneyGram or Western Union. In an attempt to combat this Trading Standards have written to all local Post Offices, Banks or Building Societies making them aware of the types of scams out there and asking them to identify potential scam victims making help and advice available where necessary.

There has already been a positive response to this part of the campaign with one Post Office worker in Hailsham querying a gentleman transferring over £2500 via MoneyGram. Initially the gentleman was happy with his transfer so proceeded, however he returned the following day after realising that he had been the target of a scam. Thanks to the quick reactions of the post office worker who had read the information sent out by the County Council the transaction was reversed and the money retrieved.

The gentleman told Hailsham Post Office that he had been contacted by a scammer asking him to transfer a large sum of money to a relative in Spain that required his urgent help. Coincidently the gentleman had a relative in Spain and naturally felt compelled to help, it wasn’t until the Post Office worker raised his suspicions that he began to ask questions and realised that he had been targeted by the scammers.

This comes amidst a recent spate of email scams targeting people in East Sussex, the Hailsham gentleman was fortunate but regrettably this isn’t the case for everyone. At the beginning of this week Trading Standards received information from one victim in Battle who has lost £1000 to such a scam where the fraudster had hacked into his friends email account to send out an email claiming they were stranded abroad and urgently asking for help. East Sussex Trading Standards urge anybody that receives these emails or letters, not to pass on any of their bank details or personal information.

Deceased relative scams.

In recent days there has also been a rise in the number of deceased relative scams, scammers contact victims informing them that someone of the same surname has passed away, leaving behind a large some of money. The scammers are asking for your bank details promising that they will then transfer the money into your account.

One Eastbourne woman told how she was contacted by email by such a scammer who told her she could “inherit” $15 million from someone sharing her surname who had supposedly died in Malaysia leaving behind an unclaimed fortune. Fortunately she realised it was a scam before sending the scammers the $10,000 they were trying to defraud her of.

The East Sussex County Council Trading Standards campaign will continue into March with four free ‘Scambusting’ events with refreshments and a performance from Solomon Theatre Company on March 9 at Horntye Park, Bohemia Road, Hastings from 10am to 1pm and Centre Stage, 97 London Road, Bexhill from 2pm to 5pm and March 15 at Cross Way, Steyne Road, Seaford from 10am to 1pm and Community Wise, Ocklynge Road, Eastbourne from 2pm to 5pm. Trading Standards Officers will be on hand to offer advice and support.