Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Against Scams Partnership (CAPASP)

We are working in partnership with more than 20 other organisations* to strengthen the fight against scams across the county.  The partnership is led by Cambridgeshire County Council and Police  and we will work together to raise awareness of scams and to support victims of scams.

According to Action Fraud, 53 per cent of people aged 65 or over have been targeted by scams and criminals. Being a victim of this crime can have devastating impact. Scams take a variety of forms such as: rogue traders, romance scams, scam mail, telephone calls, text messages and emails, pension scams, investment scams.

These crimes are often targeted at people in our communities that are vulnerable for a variety of reasons, including poverty, isolation, frailty, disability and cognitive impairment. However ANYONE can be a victim of a scam, regardless of age, gender, education or economic background;

Partners are committed to act on the Against Scams Partnership four key aims:

•Improve awareness of scams

•Increase protection for everyone, and especially vulnerable people, against scams

•Implement consistent recording of scams and improve referral processes

•Improve support for potential victims of scams

 Cllr Steve Criswell, chair of Cambridgeshire County Council’s Communities and Partnership committee said: “The impact of scams on a victim can be devastating, in some cases people lose their hard earned life savings and are left emotionally and financially unable to continue to live independently. We need to increase the awareness of how to spot a scam and share that knowledge with friends and neighbours.”

Jason Ablewhite, Police and Crime Commissioner said: “Each year fraud costs the UK economy between £5 and 10bn and it’s believed that only five per cent of victims actually report the crime. It’s vital that we stand together to tackle this issue head on. We all need to work together to achieve the same goal, which is a scam-free county.”

Andy Morris, Chief Operating Officer Age UK CAP, said “I have seen first-hand the devastation and impact Fraud and Scams has had on our service users. I am proud our organisation is an active member of the Scams Partnership. We support thousands of older people every year and it is important that all our staff are trained to recognise the warning signs of someone who may be a target of Fraud and Scams, as we continue to help Safeguard our service users."

You can learn more about scams and how we can help you to spot and avoid the latest scams targeting your money, on the national Age UK website in this link:

https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/money-legal/scams-fraud/

If you are worried that you may be a victim of a scam or fraud, please don’t hesitate to contact us and talk it through. We can help guide and support you, telephone our Helpline on 0300 666 9860 or call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.

In addition to Age UK Cambridgeshire and Peterborough the other organisations* so far in the Against Scams Partnership are:

• Cambridgeshire County Council
• Peterborough City Council
• Cambridgeshire Police
• Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner
• Trading Standards
• Neighbourhood Watch
• Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue
• The Bobby Scheme
• ERSOU
• East Cambridgeshire Community Safety Partnership
• South Cambridgeshire Community Safety Partnership
• Fenland Community Safety Partnership
• Huntingdonshire Community Safety Partnership
• Cambridge City Council and Community Safety Partnership
• Wisbech Town Council
• Scam Victim
• Safe Local Trades
• Huntingdonshire Society for the Blind
• Citizens Advice Peterborough
• Citizens Advice Cambridge
• NatWest Bank
• Care Network