Many fall foul of scam mail

Fife Council trading standards officer Katherine Hart

Published on 21/03/2013 05:50

HALF the residents in Cupar who responded to a Fife Council Trading Standards pilot survey on scam mail revealed they had sent money as a result of receiving marketing mail – but none of them received any prizes or goods.

A questionnaire was sent to households in two streets in the town, with the results revealing 35 per cent of respondents receive 6-10 items of marketing mail every week and 13 per cent felt under pressure to reply when it was addressed to them personally.

An online version of the survey then took place Fife-wide and highlighted that the majority of consumers felt they received excess marketing mail, phone calls and emails.

Katherine Hart (pictured), trading standards officer, said: “In some cases consumers send money, but do not receive any goods. Some end up signing monthly subscriptions for items such as vitamins and cosmetics that are never used, but can cost hundreds of pounds. These companies, many based abroad, target vulnerable consumers conning them out of their cash.”

Scam mail victims can call the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 08454 04 05 06, or visit www.fifedirect.org/scams.

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Many fall foul of scam mail

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