As a Friend Against Scams, I wanted to help raise awareness by sharing this presentation.

1. The East Sussex
Against Scams Partnership
Sam Harman
Strategy and Partnership Officer
Safer East Sussex Team

2. ScamsWhat's the problem?

3. Oxford Dictionary Definition
A ‘Scam’ is a trick, a ruse,
a swindle, a racket’
Its nearest synonym is
‘FRAUD’.

4. “Scams make victims part
with their money and
personal details by
intimidating them or
promising cash, prizes,
services and fictitious high
returns on investment.”
National Trading Standards Scams Team (2016)

5. No matter what type of
scam, it is important to
remember that ALL
scams are
CRIMES.

6. To get victims hooked
and responding to
scams, criminals rely
on…

7. Loneliness

8. Vulnerability

9. Social
isolation

10. Shame
and

11. The fact that people don’t
REPORT that they have
been scammed.
ONLY 5% of these CRIMES
are reported.

12. Being conned by
investment fraudsters,
intimidated by doorstep
criminals, ‘clairvoyants’
and misled by fictitious
lotteries and prize draws.

13. The average age of a scam
victim is 75, showing that
criminals tend to prey on
older and often more
vulnerable members of
society.

14. People defrauded in their
own homes are 2.5 times
more likely to either die or
go into residential care
within a year.

15. This problem is growing.
53% of people aged 65
plus have been targeted
by criminals.
And it’s only going to get
worse.

16. Once a victim has
responded to a scam…

17. …their personal details are
perpetually shared and
sold on to other
criminals…

18. …and criminals will use
this information to…

19. …relentlessly target the
victim with either scam
mail, multiple phone calls,
or repeat home visits…

20. …in order to con, mislead,
intimidate and bully the
victim into parting with
their life savings.

21. Scam victims
SUFFER IN SILENCE.

22. Victims are often lonely
and the criminal is the only
‘friend’ they have.

23. Leading to situations like
these…

24. “By the way I never have
enough cash at this time in
the month, I am really now
wondering when I will ever
have any win.”
Letter from a victim to a criminal

25. Scam victim’s house.

26. “So sorry, so if I’m not too late,
PLEASE can we start again?
Will you write to me again and
I’ll send you your £30?”
Letter from a victim to a criminal

27. Leaving the victims to feel
like this….

28. “I get up, I wait for the post, I
sort it, I go to bed. What else
have I got? I might as well be
dead.”
“I hope I win, so I can move to
a home. I want someone to talk
to.”
“I don’t get out, because I'm
frightened. These letters are all
the company I ever get.”

29. One victim was found to have been
receiving 30 pieces of mail and 10
phone calls per day.
It was later discovered
she had lost over £1
Million.

30. Another victim agreed to work on
her driveway, which resulted in
repeat visits over two years; each
time she was persuaded to part
with more money.
She lost over £160k.
The actual value of the
work was only £6k.

31. Doorstep Scams victim being
escorted to the bank.

32. The stress and pain of
victimisation often results
in depression, withdrawal
and isolation from family
and friends and the
deterioration of physical
and mental health.

33. In some cases victims
have considered,
attempted or committed
suicide.

34. These victims are not
going to win the Australian
lottery or receive the
millions of pounds that are
‘waiting’ for them…
(for a small fee)

35. As you can see,
the problem is immense

36. Scams cost the UK
economy between £5-10
Billion a year.

37. So, what can be done to
help give a voice to these
victims?

38. Together we can…

39. Talk about scams to
highlight the scale of
the problem.

40. Prevent people
from becoming a
scam victim.

41. Take away the
shame.

42. Together we can…
TAKE A STAND
AGAINST SCAMS!

43. East Sussex Against Scams
Partnership
 A National Trading Standards Scams Team
initiative, launched initially by East Sussex Trading
Standards Service in March 17, “transferred” to
the Safer East Sussex Team in May 17.
 Since its launch, over 100 organisations have
pledged to help raise awareness about scams
 Over 2,247 people have done the free of charge
Friends Against Scams awareness sessions (just
need a room with a white wall/screen + suggested
min. 15 attendees)

44. East Sussex Against Scams
Partnership
• Friends Against Scams awareness sessions
(another National Trading Standards Scams
Team initiative) are delivered to ESASP Partners.
They:
– Help people identify scams – the different types of
scams and what to look out for
– Raise awareness about why people can and do
become victims
– Warn people about criminals – the methods used
to scam victims out of their savings

45. East Sussex Against Scams
Partnership
Suggested awareness raising pledges for ESASP Charter
Partners:
 Organise Friends Against Scams awareness raising sessions
 Re-tweet scam-related messages; follow Safer East Sussex
Team and Friends Against Scams on Facebook and Twitter
 Display literature / posters or write newsletter / intranet /
website articles & promote the ESASP to other organisations
 Staff / volunteers / members could become SCAMchampions
and run their own Friends Against Scams awareness raising
sessions (68 SCAMchampions in East Sussex)

46. • 3VA
• Action in Rural Sussex (AIRS)
• Active in Recovery (AiR)
• Age Concern Eastbourne
• Age UK East Sussex
• Association of Carers
• Care for the Carers
• Chanctonbury Healthcare
• Chiddingly Parish Council
• ChoicES Recruitment
• Citizens Advice East Sussex (incorporating
Eastbourne, Hastings, Lewes District, Rother District and Wealden)
• Columbus Point Residents Association
• Cranstoun – East Sussex FACT (Family & Carers Team)
• Crowborough Town Council
• Designer Travel
• Ditzy Media Limited
• Dominica Court Residents Association
• East Dean and Friston Community Watch
• East Dean and Friston Parish Council
• East Sussex Association of Blind & Partially Sighted People (ESAB)
• East Sussex Community Voice delivering Healthwatch East Sussex
• East Sussex County Council
• East Sussex Federation of Women’s Institutes
• East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service
• East Sussex Hearing Resource Centre (ESHRC)
• East Sussex Seniors’ Association (ESSA)
• Eastbourne Blind Society
• Eastbourne Borough Council
• Eastbourne Dementia Action Alliance
• Eastbourne Downlands Computer Club
• Eastbourne Seniors Forum
• Eastbourne Volunteers
• ECK Bookkeeping and Accounts Ltd
• ESPAN (East Sussex Personal Assistants’ Network)
• Fairwarp Echo
• Fat Promotions Limited
• Firwood House, Eastbourne
• Fletching Parish Council
• Gaby Hardwicke
• Get a Room Online Limited
• Hastings Advice and Representation Centre (HARC)
• Hastings and Bexhill Mencap Society
• Hastings and Rother U3A
• Hastings & St Leonard’s Dementia Action Alliance
• Hastings & St Leonards Seniors’ Forum
• Hastings Borough Council
The East Sussex Against Scams Partnership
is a group of local organisations (ie businesses, charities, clubs, community enterprises, councils,
societies, voluntary groups and others) who are helping to raise awareness about scams / fraud.
They are “signed up” to the ESASP Charter, pledging activities to help support each other’s efforts
in an aim to make East Sussex a scam-free county
Please note: East Sussex
County Council neither endorses
nor guarantees in any way the
organisations listed. They are
listed on the basis of their
pledged support of the ESASP.

47. • Hastings Lions Club
• Heringtons LLP
• High Weald Lewes Havens Clinical Commissioning Group
• Home Instead Senior Care (Bexhill & Hastings)
• Home Instead Senior Care
(Crowborough & High Weald)
• Home Instead Senior Care
(Eastbourne & Hailsham)
• Home Instead Senior Care (Lewes
District & Uckfield)
• Home Works
• Know Dementia
• Lewes District Council
• Lewes Town Council
• Maritime Volunteer Service East Sussex
• Mayfield & Five Ashes Parish Council
• Meridian Mature Citizens Forum
• Metro Bank (Eastbourne branch)
• Mothers’ Union, Hellingly & Upper Dicker Churches
• National Westminster Bank plc (branches within East Sussex)
• Office of the Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner
• Parish of St Mary Magdalene’s (comprising St Mary Magdalene’s, Our Lady
of the Rosary, and St Martha’s churches)
• Pevensey Villages Partnership (PVP)
• Polegate Town Council
• Possability People
• Promedica24 live-in care, West central Kent & North Wealden
• Radfield Home Care Hastings and Rother
• Rainbow Alliance (Hastings and Rother)
• Right at Home (Eastbourne, Bexhill and Seaford)
• Rother District Council
• Rother Seniors Forum
• Rother Voluntary Action (RVA)
• Rotherfield St Martin
• RSE Group
• South East Water
• Seaford Seniors’ Forum (SSF)
• Southdown Housing Association Ltd
• Spectrum IFA (Battle & Eastbourne)
• STEPS
• Sussex & Surrey Associations of Local Councils (SSALC)
• Sussex Armed Forces Network
• Sussex Community Development Association (SCDA)
• Sussex Elder Abuse Recovery Service
• Sussex Neighbourhood Watch Federation
• Sussex Oakleaf
• Sussex Support Service Ltd
• Thebestofeastbourne
• The ICE Project (Improving Carers’ Experience)
• The Ivy House
• The Luxford Centre
The East Sussex Against Scams Partnership
is a group of local organisations (ie businesses, charities, clubs, community enterprises, councils,
societies, voluntary groups and others) who are helping to raise awareness about scams / fraud.
They are “signed up” to the ESASP Charter, pledging activities to help support each other’s efforts
in an aim to make East Sussex a scam-free county
Please note: East Sussex
County Council neither endorses
nor guarantees in any way the
organisations listed. They are
listed on the basis of their
pledged support of the ESASP.

48. • Uckfield Town Council
• Uckfield Volunteer Centre
• Victim Support (Sussex)
• Wealden Dementia Action Alliance (WDAA)
• Wealden District Council
• Wealden Senior Citizens’ Partnership
• Welbeing
• Withyham Parish Council
• Wow Telemarketing
• Yew Tree Stone Limited
The East Sussex Against Scams Partnership
is a group of local organisations (ie businesses, charities, clubs, community enterprises, councils,
societies, voluntary groups and others) who are helping to raise awareness about scams / fraud.
They are “signed up” to the ESASP Charter, pledging activities to help support each other’s efforts
in an aim to make East Sussex a scam-free county
Please note: East Sussex
County Council neither endorses
nor guarantees in any way the
organisations listed. They are
listed on the basis of their
pledged support of the ESASP.

49. What could your organisation
do to help?

50. Where to go for scams help
and support in East Sussex