Friends Against Scams
Friends Against Scams
  • St Marys House
    Eastbourne
    BN21 3UU
A National Trading Standards Scams Team initiative, Friends Against Scams was launched in October 2016 to raise awareness of scams and encourage people to take a stand against scams.

Scams often target people in vulnerable situations - Friends Against Scams aims to protect and prevent these people from becoming victims of scams by empowering communities to ‘Take a Stand Against Scams’. The initiative is designed to inspire action, highlight the scale of the problem, change the perceptions of why people fall for scams, and make scams a community, regional and national topic. 

Each year scams cause between £5bn and £10bn worth of detriment to UK consumers.  In addition to the financial impact, scams can have a severe emotional and psychological impact upon victims.

Friends Against Scams is open to anyone who wants to protect themselves, their neighbours or their loved ones against scams.  Free awareness sessions – available online and in person– are being rolled out, which will provide people with the confidence and skills they need to identify and prevent scams.  Those who participate in the sessions will become a Friend Against Scams and will be encouraged to put their knowledge to use in their local communities.

The Friends Against Scams initiative aims to:

  • Highlight the scale of the problem by encouraging communities and the nation to talk about scams;
  • Change the perceptions of why people respond to scams;
  • Prevent people from becoming or continuing to be a scam victim by providing better support; and
  • Recruit individuals and communities to join the fight against scams to make the UK a scam-free nation.

In addition to empowering members of the public the Friends Against Scams initiative also partners with a range of organisations who will help promote awareness of scams and take steps to help tackle scams.  Founding partners of the campaign include NatWest, Bournemouth University and the Chartered Trading Standards Institute.

Please visit the Friends Against Scams website to find out more information and do the 20 minute online awareness session which will give you the tools to help protect yourselves, and others you care from, from being targeted by criminal scammers.

To learn more about Friends Against Scams Click Here

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