Lincolnshire deputy PCC leads fight against scams and fraudsters in county

Lincolnshire's deputy Police and Crime Commssioner has taken on a role in a national campaign fighting to prevent vulnerable people falling prey to scams.

Deputy PCC Stuart Tweedale has taken on a role in the Friends Against Scams campaign as one of only 45 SCAMbassadors across the UK.

Friends Against Scams aims to inspire action, highlight the scale of the problem, change the perceptions of why people fall victim to scams and make scams a local, regional and national topic.

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The role of SCAMbassadors, is to use their influence to raise the profile of this problem amongst agencies and the local residents in a drive to prevent people falling victim.

Each year cons cause cost UK residents between £5bn and £10bn. In addition to the financial impact, scams can have a severe emotional and psychological impact on victims.

Mr Tweedale will be touring the East Linsdsey area with PCSO Nigel Wass and Principle Trading Standards Officer Emma Milligan on Tuesday August 22 to warn local communities about the dangers and methods of these tricksters.

“I am honoured to have been selected to take on this role. I have been passionate about tackling the dangers of scams for years and delighted I can now play a role in this campaign,” said Mr Tweedale.

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“The people who are behind these cons are despicable. They deliberately prey on the most vulnerable in society and those that become victims are less able to cope with both the financial and emotional damage caused.

“It is a problem that we must stamp out and I will be doing everything in my power to inform people, influence agencies and support those tackling the issue to eradicate it from society.”

Louise Baxter, Team Manager, National Trading Standards Scams Team said: “The tactics used by scammers leave victims socially isolated and ashamed of telling their friends and families what’s really going on behind closed doors.

“It is fantastic to have such an influential figure in the community to help us tackle this problem on a local, regional and national level and I would encourage all those that are interested in showing their support to join the campaign and be part of our growing SCAMbassador network.”