Wednesday 25th June 2008
(ref:
185/2008)
Consumer watchdogs in Wigan will soon join forces with an elite new team who have the region’s rogue traders in their sights.
The Scambuster team is a specialist Trading Standards unit which will be created with backing from central government.
From its base in Liverpool, the team will be called in to help councils and police across the North West to crackdown on dodgy door-to-door salespeople, counterfeiters, prize-draw scams, cowboy builders and the rest.
The creation of the new team was officially announced last week by Consumer Affairs Minister Gareth Thomas. Mr Thomas said:
“Rogue traders who con honest people out of their hard-earned money are a disgrace. This new unit will help to shut these conmen down and bring them to justice. It will concentrate on the most serious scams that cause consumers the biggest problems.”
Scam merchants and con artist typically prey on the most vulnerable members of society and it’s a big business.
Research from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) suggests that in 2006 mass market scams alone cost UK consumers up to £3.5billion.
The new team will work alongside local Trading Standards teams to gather intelligence and target the activities of traders causing real problems throughout the region.
Wigan Council’s Trading Standards’ team is already hard at work stopping scam merchants in our borough.
The team has introduced a number of No Cold Calling Zones across the borough and recently took part in a borough-wide rogue trader day of action with the police, HM Customs and other partners.
Wigan’s Chief Trading Standards Officer Julie Middlehurst says:
“I am delighted at the prospect of working alongside this specialist team in tackling major scams, doorstep criminals and high pressure selling.”
Julie adds:
“The team will be able to conduct investigations across local authority borders, which will enable them to more effectively deal with doorstep criminals who seek to avoid detection by operating in this way."
Anyone who feels they have been ripped off by cold callers or who want to report scams or other suspicious behaviour can contact the Consumer Direct helpline on 08454 04 05 06 (calls charged at local rate).
Notes to editors
Key facts about scams:
- The OFT estimates that 6.5 per cent of the population (3.2m people) fall victim to scams each year.
- Victims are often vulnerable people who may be in financial distress or are elderly or socially-isolated.
- A quarter of those targeted are over the age of 65 and just under a quarter (24 per cent) are between 55 and 64 years-old.
For more information about the work of Wigan Council’s Trading Standards’ team contact Phil Green at Wigan Council’s Press Office on 01942 827369.
