Post by Taxigirl on Dec 3, 2003 10:43:26 GMT
UK consumers are falling prey to international fraudsters in a telemarketing scam.
Fraudsters persuade their victims that they have won a large prize in an overseas lottery and all they have to do is pay a fee to get the money.
The fraudsters - often hailing from Canada or Spain - target the elderly and strip them of their life savings.
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) said that consumers have been duped out of £3m in the first half of 2003 alone.
The scam - which has been active in the UK for some eight years - starts when people respond to mailings or telephone calls telling them they are being entered in a draw.
Victims then receive a phone call congratulating them on winning a big prize.
The prize is invariably bogus but unwitting consumers are persuaded to hand over thousands in fees.
Those targeted are often chosen because they have fallen victim to past deceptions or because they entered postal competitions.
'Suckers'
Their names are circulated among gangs of fraudsters on what are charmingly known as 'sucker lists'.
Four out of five of those falling victim to the fraud are over 65, many lose their life savings.
Those who are conned are often too embarrassed to report the crime the OFT said.
As a result, the total losses suffered by UK consumers could be far higher than the official OFT figure.
Persuasive
There are at least 15 call centres in Canada solely targeting the UK. One centre is already known to have defrauded UK consumers of around £450,000 the OFT said.
In an awareness campaign launched on Wednesday the OFT are urging consumers to hang up on the fraudsters when they call.
"This is a professionally organised operation and the people involved are very persuasive."
"Hang up, put the phone down, don't get involved in something like this. Secondly, never send money and never give your financial details," Penny Boys, OFT Executive Director, said.