Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish, is raising awareness of the danger of phone scams, and encouraging residents to utilise specialist advice from Age UK.
Phone scams are a common way for criminals to con people of their money. Last year, it was estimated that around £485.2 million was lost through so-called ‘Authorised push payment’ fraud, wherein a customer is tricked into authorising a payment to an account controlled by a criminal.
APP is driven through the abuse of online platforms, as well as scam phone calls, text messages and emails. Ofcom estimates that 61% of people aged 75 and over have reported receiving a potential scam call to their landline. Labour has pledged to crackdown on global scammers by implementing a ban on “spoofing” UK numbers from overseas, plus a block on mobile calls from abroad using UK numbers unless the network provider confirms the user is roaming.
Gwynne has backed new guidance, published by the charity Age UK, which aims to empower people with more information on how to avoid phone scams.
Commenting, Andrew Gwynne said:
“Phone scams aren’t just a nuisance; they have the potential to ruin lives and obliterate financial security.
The next Labour Government has a plan to clamp down on the criminals taking advantage of hardworking people, but until then I’m grateful Age UK is providing this specialist guidance on how to spot a scam.
I’d encourage my constituents of all ages to read over this guidance so that they understand the way these scams work, and avoid falling victim to them.”
To access Age UK’s scam advice click here.