A LOT of older, wealthy people live in the borough.
They are a prime target for scammers, but no-one is immune.
“We’re all potential victims of scams,” says Professor Keith Brown, chair of the West Berkshire Safeguarding Adults Board.
“Most people have experience of somebody trying to scam them, but victims of this sort of crime are usually older, often lonely people, whose cognitive facilities are in decline.
“Criminals like them because they are less likely to be able to ask someone for advice, may be confused, and can be preyed upon time and time again.
“Scammers seek them out and sell their names and addresses to other criminals in what they call suckers lists.”
“If you have a vulnerable relative or friend, expect that they will be the victim of fraud and take measures to protect them now.”
“And as a rule of thumb, consider that anyone who asks you for your bank details is a criminal.”
How do scams work?
Fraudsters are adept at manipulating language.
They distort reality, and isolate their victims.
Like perpetrators of domestic violence, and groomers, they make their behaviour and requests appear reasonable.
The victim may be made to feel unkind or unreasonable.
What are the different types of scam?
In romance fraud, a criminal enters into a relationship in order to manipulate their victim into repeatedly sending money, can last over many months.
Others are instant or one-off scams, perhaps as a single letter, email, phone call or house visit.
They target the vulnerabilities or expectations of their victim, offering to improve their situation financially, physically or mentally.
A scam will appear to be genuine and reasonable.
A scam will look like the real thing.
It will often copy trusted images and words used by banks, companies and charities.
And if it arrives at a useful or expected time, such as when a parcel is awaited, it will seem normal and reasonable to respond with bank details.
Criminals seek a quick response.
They want their victim to respond immediately, giving them no time to think, research or ask for advice.
They may say it’s vital to act quickly, either for a special offer or to avoid some kind of health or financial disaster.
Scammers thrive on secrecy.
This is extremely important to them, because their biggest challenge is intervention by family and friends, so they make secrecy seem normal.
Friends and family can help to protect vulnerable people.
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Ask them who they have had contact with this week, and keep communication open.
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Warn them NEVER to make any decisions on the same day they receive information, but to ask a trusted person first.
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Talk to them about scams, how they work, how manipulative criminals can be, and that it isn’t their fault if they are or have been a victim.
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Tell them that any communication asking them to act quickly should ring alarm bells.
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Explain that any communication asking them to transfer money should be treated with great caution.
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Look out for the signs that a person is being scammed.
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Print out information to put on the fridge to remind loved ones of the dangers.
“The most important thing you can do to protect your loved ones is to talk with them,” continues Prof Brown.
“People may be embarrassed if they have been scammed, but victims are not silly or stupid, it’s criminals who are exceptionally clever.
“As more of us work at home and employ CCTV, and as cars improve their locks and trackers, criminals are turning more and more to online fraud.
“It’s the crime of the century,” says Prof Brown.
“Their risk of being caught is very low, and the risk of being prosecuted if they are caught is even lower, and yet the rewards are very large.”
“We estimate now that the scale of this sort of crime is something in the order of 10 billion pounds a year.
“It’s so large that criminal organisations are spending money on training themselves.
“They even hire psychologists to teach them how to befriend their victims.
“It’s major criminal activity with major investment and it’s not going to go away.”
What signs of scamming should I look out for?
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Piles of letters from abroad, junk mail and catalogues.
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A ‘workstation’ for replying to letters in bulk.
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Lots of purchases of items like vitamins and herbal medications, or unopened boxes.
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The phone ringing frequently, or calls that appear to cause anxiety.
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Unwillingness to talk about unexplained expenses.
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Extremes of behaviour.
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A very clean driveway, guttering, or roof.
“My own mother had her driveway cleaned,” says Prof Brown.
“She was delighted that somebody came round and washed the drive.
“They were there for half an hour and they charged her £750.
“The problem was that she had started to lose an understanding of the value of money.
“Or someone will knock on the door, say, ‘I’m a local builder, and I see you’ve got a few tiles missing.’
“They take a look, and £20,000 later you’ve got a new roof you didn’t need.”
“Doorstep crime is something that we can try to stop, but with online crime the person on the computer at the other end is in a foreign country where we don’t have legal jurisdiction, so we can’t prosecute them even if we find them.”
Five important things to remember.
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Never disclose security details.
A genuine bank will NEVER ask you for your PIN or card number over the phone – stop and think.
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Don’t assume an email or call is authentic.
Knowing your basic details (name, address, mother’s maiden name) does NOT mean someone is genuine.
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Don’t be rushed.
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Listen to your instincts.
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Stay in control, and be confident to refuse unusual requests for personal or financial information.
It’s ok to stop the conversation, to check with a trusted friend, and to phone your bank.
IMPORTANT: If you do contact your bank after receiving a suspicious call, do so on a different phone.
The scammer will be waiting on the line to impersonate your bank if you try to call them on the same phone.
And they can clone phone numbers so that they appear to be calling on the number you recognise on your caller ID.
“Generally speaking, the older generation are more accepting and more believing that people tell the truth, “ adds Prof Brown.
“They are far less suspicious than the younger generation, and criminals prey on them because of this.
“Assume that your loved one is going to be scammed, and make sure they don’t have all of their savings in one bank account.
“If that is hacked or if they are conned into giving access to a scammer they lose everything in one go.
“Try to minimise the potential loss, by having an account they use for day to day spending, and everything else safely in another place.
“But not under the bed.”
For help and advice visit Take Five’s website: www.takefive-stopfraud.org.uk
Prof Keith Brown and Dr Elisabeth Carter’s explanation of how scams work is called Scams: The Power Of Persuasive Language.
It can be downloaded free from Bournmouth University website: www.bournemouth.ac.uk
For a free online course on how to recognise and respond to scams, visit Friends Against Scams: www.friendsagainstscams.org.uk
For advice, call Citizens Advice National Consumer Helpline on: 0808 223 1133.
To report a suspected scam, call Action Fraud on: 0300 1232 2040.
