One in 10 adults in the UK has been the victim of mass marketing fraud, it was revealed yesterday. More than 3.2 million people have handed over cash after being approached by fraudsters by email, letter or telephone.

 

The total cost of such cons is more than £3.5bn every year, according to the Office of Fair Trading.

 

The figures were revealed as the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) announced it has set its sights on the organised criminal gangs behind these frauds in the UK and abroad. Officials said they have seized fake cheques, postal orders and bank drafts exceeding £8m.

 

Paul Evans, at Soca, said the UK has become a staging post for the illegal trade. He said: "In some of the emails we have intercepted there are appalling examples of vicious exploitation ... and threats of violence."

 

Mr Evans said many of the bank accounts are also used to defraud the tax credit system, adding that one high street bank returned £750,000 to the Government after acting on information from Soca.

 

Mass marketing fraud uses mass communication tools to reach large numbers of people cheaply and easily. The most notorious scams centre on an advanced fee, where prizes or money are offered but to access them the victim must pay up front. A large proportion of mass marketing fraud originates in west Africa.

 

The Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, said: "This type of fraud is ... costing UK victims huge sums of money every year ... It will not be tolerated."

 

 

source: Independant on Sunday

 

surely you must be a bit niave to fall for these scams?

 

I regularly get e-mails telling me I have won millions or asking for my bank details ..... and as my bank NEVER ask for details online I would have to be pretty stupid to give my details or money away!

It seems that many of the victims of this type of fraud are the elderly. I know one old gentlemen who sent money as he had been told he had won a prize. He later wrote to the local newspaper to try and highlight this type of crime and received many letters from other pensioners who had been victims of similar cons.

Have never fallen for any scam but get lots of such emails. One was an African Princess who had inherited a billion dollars but had no bank account, so wanted all my details to pay it in to mine, giving me 60%!!! Yeah right. Princess Bindi. Watch out for her. ;) :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Edited October 7, 200717 yr by Crazy Chris

I don't believe the topic subject for one minute.

Had loads in my time online :lol: and I'm not stupid enough to fall for any.

 

To be honest, you have to be fairly foolish tobe scammed by one, and when you do you get blacklisted by the con artists who then flood you with money making scams etc.

 

If you haven't entered anything then you can't win :o and if it sounds to good to be true, it is! :o

I don't believe the topic subject for one minute.

 

I would include the BBC, ITV and C4 in this as well as they conned thousands of people in phone in scams for years till they got caught.

I would include the BBC, ITV and C4 in this as well as they conned thousands of people in phone in scams for years till they got caught.

Good point. ^_^

"A fool and his money are soon parted"

 

No sympathy with gullible idiots