One third of consumers here, – 32% have been targeted by a scam in the past three years, according to figures.
And with the number of scams on the rise, a new initiative was launched yesterday (Monday) by ScamwiseNI in association with the Post Office.
‘Scam? Ask Us’ will encourage Post Office customers to ask counter staff if they are concerned they are falling victim to a scam.
The initiative is the first of its kind in the UK.
Post Office counter staff can advise customers if they think their request is unusual or if it is a scam they have come across before.
The Consumer Council has just released figures from its Consumer Insight Survey’ which has revealed that almost seven in ten (69%) of consumers in Northern Ireland would use this new initiative.
One third of consumers here (32%) have been targeted by a scam in the past three years and the most common form of scam 74% is an email.
Discussing the initiative, Chief Superintendent Simon Walls said police have seen an increase in the number of scams that are being reported to them.
“Scams are not simply an issue for older or vulnerable within our society, they can happen to anyone regardless of age and unfortunately there is a scam out there with each of our names on it. The ScamwiseNI Partnership is doing all it can to highlight these so that the general public become scam aware,” he said.
And he said he is encouraging victims of scams to report them.
“We know that the scammers’ sophistication and ability to exploit complex technology has developed over the years and they continue to groom vulnerable victims through sometimes the threat of arrest or prosecution. Anything that we can do to help prevent people from becoming a victim of crime,” he added.
“Remember, if you can spot a scam, you can stop a scam and if it seems too good to be true, it probably is!” he added.
As part of the ‘Scam? Ask Us’ initiative, the Post Office has also developed four short videos which can be accessed here.
A Post Office spokesperson said millions of customers visit Post Offices across the UK every day, and the branches are often right at the heart of the communities they serve.
“That means they often know their local customers well, and can spot anything out of the ordinary, as well as picking up on patterns that might suggest a scam.
“Working with the ScamwiseNI Partnership makes absolute sense, and means we can help to play an important part in protecting our customers and communities.”
The ScamwiseNI Partnership includes the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Policing Board, Department of Justice, Commissioner for Older persons, the Consumer Council, Trading Standards, Age Sector Platform, Royal Mail and a number of faith and youth groups. The Partnership exists to make the community scamwise.