Amanda McSorley

By Amanda McSorley amandamcsorley

Prevention is definitely the way forward with scams as there is little or no cure for these cruel crimes. That is why every year May is Scam Awareness Month for Citizens Advice and their partners, Trading Standards.

This year the theme is Spot Scams – Stop Scams, and the main message for the public is “if something seems to be too good to be true, it probably is”.

There have been an increased number of scams reported in the county according to Lincolnshire Police. The good news is that this could mean more people are reporting this type of crime, as victims have previously been too embarrassed that they have fallen for a con trick to come forward. However, police warn that these criminals continue to come up with increasingly sophisticated schemes to dupe people out of their cash or property.

There have been 13 reported incidents of courier scams all over the county in recent weeks, including nearby Saxilby and North Hykeham, when people have received phone calls from bogus bank officials or police officers claiming there has been fraudulent activity on their bank accounts. Account details are requested, and if these are given couriers turn up to the victim’s home to collect the bank cards. Not all of these attempts have been successful, but several have been including the conning of an elderly man who had £900 taken out of his account.

Neither police officers nor bank employees would ask for this kind of information over the phone and would not send couriers to pick up cards or documents.

Ploys to swindle people out of their money reported to Trading Standards include copycat websites for documents such as driving licences and passports; a Spanish Lottery scam claiming people had won huge amounts but demanding a fee to release the cash and ruse involving diet pill advertising in which people thought they signing up for a free trial but had a £100 monthly fee taken from their account.

The campaign aims to raise awareness of how scams work and how to spot the signs that con artists are work.

All these are signs of a scam:

• A call, letter, e-mail or text has come out of the blue
• You’ve never heard of the lottery or competition they are talking about
• You didn’t buy a ticket – so can’t win it!
• You are asked to send money in advance
• You are told to respond quickly, so you don’t get time to think or talk to family and friends for advice.
• You are told to keep it a secret
• The offer seems too good to be true.

For more information see CAB’s award-winning website or call our Consumer Service on 08454 040506. Action Fraud is the national reporting agency for fraud and internet crime, which carries alerts of common scams on the website, or call 0300 123 2046.

Amanda McSorley joined the Research and Campaigns Team at Lincoln and District Citizens Advice Bureau in February 2013. She is a former journalist and newspaper editor, with 30 years’ experience of covering the issues that impact people’s lives.

By Amanda McSorley amandamcsorley

Losing your job is a major blow, and one that can take some time coming to terms with. However, it has an immediate impact on your income, so it is important to act quickly to ensure you and your family can survive.

Getting another job is the best solution but this is not always possible, especially in the current economic climate, so one of the first things to do is contact your local JobCentre Plus to find out what benefits and other types of support you might be entitled to. This will depend on your personal circumstances, such as whether you are single, have a partner and/or children and what National Insurance contributions you have made.

Benefit problems represent one of the largest areas of enquiries for Lincoln and District Citizens Advice Bureau – applying for welfare support can be quite daunting, especially for those seeking help for the first time.

If you are out of work, over 18 and under State Pension Age, you may be entitled to Jobseekers’ Allowance (JSA), which will either be contribution based depending on the National Insurance payment made while in employment, or income based, which is means tested.

The amounts received while you look for work are usually the same; £57.35 per week for people under 24 and £72.40 for over 25s. However, your savings, capital and other income could affect the amounts received for income-based JSA.

You must attend a JobCentre Plus interview to get JSA, where you will have to agree to take steps to find work by, for example, improving your skills, CV or interview preparation. This is called a Jobseekers’ Agreement and your payments may be stopped if you do not follow it without a good reason.

Claimants must visit the JobCentre every two weeks (or when asked) to show how they have been looking for work – this is known as signing on.
JSA penalties, known as sanctions, may be imposed and payments stopped if you don’t visit the JobCentre when asked; turn down a job or training; do not attend training booked for you; leave a job or training or do not apply for work. The maximum sanction is three years.

Other payments such as Housing Benefit and Council Tax Relief are available to help cover living costs, and it is important to have as much information as possible to receive all the benefits you and your family are entitled to.

The Benefits section of CAB’s website can help. It covers all aspects of social security and includes useful frequently asked questions and fact sheets – the latter in several languages.

The Department of Work and Pensions has guides to benefits and links to Benefit Calculators, so you can input all your information to check your entitlements before making your claim.

Amanda McSorley joined the Research and Campaigns Team at Lincoln and District Citizens Advice Bureau in February 2013. She is a former journalist and newspaper editor, with 30 years’ experience of covering the issues that impact people’s lives.