Bin dodgy mail in the great Bury "scamnesty"

Date published: 04 February 2010

Residents are invited to dump all the scam mail they receive into designated “Scamnesty” bins and boxes.

Bury Trading Standards are supporting this national awareness-raising campaign as new figures reveal the scale of the problem and the rise of online scams.
Bins will be placed at the trading standards information stall on Bury Market on February 10, 17 and 24, between 10am and 2.30pm.

They will also be at Bury Library and Ramsbottom Library, from February 8, and at the Age Concern offices at the Jubilee Centre in Bury and in Broad Street, Bury.
Scam mails can also be taken to the GM Police information van which will be in Cecil Street, Bury on February from 10am to noon.

Angela Lomax, unit manager at Bury Trading Standards, said: “It is vital that we remind the public that in among the post can be scam mails sent by not only unscrupulous criminals but people who are prepared to sell your details onto a wide international web of criminal activity.

“What can seem like an innocent announcement that you have won money can turn into a nightmare of unsolicited mail and financial ruin. The best advice is - if it seems too good to be true it usually is, so find a secure bin and dump it in!”
When people receive a letter, email or text they weren’t expecting, trading standards advise you to:

• Stop, think and be sceptical. If something sounds too good to be true it probably is
• Do not be rushed into sending off money to someone you do not know, however plausible they might sound and even where an approach is personalised
• Ask yourself how likely it is that you have been specially chosen for this offer - thousands of other people will probably have received the same offer
• Think about how much money you could lose from replying to a potential scam - it's not a gamble worth taking
• If you are unsure of an offer, speak to family or friends and seek advice from Consumer Direct before sending any money or giving out any banking or credit card details
• Consumers looking for more information on the campaign can visit www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/scamnesty. The site also features an online bin where people can send suspected scam websites and emails.