Wokingham

Wokingham Borough residents have been dropping potential fraudsters in it as part of national the Scamnesty campaign.

The Wokingham borough council’s trading standards team have been leading the fight against scam mailings during an amnesty of get-rich-quick leaflets, fake psychic letters and unbelievable offers – otherwise known as Scamnesty.

Wokingham Residents still have time to bin the scam mail at one of the special Scamnesty bins located throughout the Wokingham Borough as the campaign runs until Sunday February 15. Any junk mail that residents suspect could be a scam can be dropped in the bin anonymously.

All leaflets, letters and flyers will be passed on to the Office for Fair Trading for further investigation. It is estimated that only around five per cent of scam mailing is reported to trading standards and so this added push could help catch conmen who target vulnerable and elderly people in the borough.

Claire Taylor, Wokingham trading standards officer who has coordinated the Scamnesty campaign in the Wokingham Borough, said: “Scamnesty is a vital campaign in helping us catch potential fraudsters who are trying to rip-off the borough’s most vulnerable people. If you have junk mail you suspect could be a scam mailing please drop it in one of the Scamnesty bins so it can be investigated.”

Cllr Norman Jorgensen, executive member for corporate services, added: “There are still a few days left for residents to drop potential scam-artists in it! If you, or somebody you know, has received a piece of junk mail that you suspect may be disingenuous then please put it in the Scamnesty bin – just by doing so you may save someone from being conned out of thousands of pounds.”

Wokingham Borough Council