TrustMark, the Government Endorsed Quality Scheme for tradespeople, has joined the ‘Friends Against Scams’ campaign to protect and prevent vulnerable people falling victim to scams.
The National Trading Standards (NTS) Scams team welcomed TrustMark’s Chief Executive Officer Simon Ayers as a SCAMbassador to help them to protect everyone from scams and the damage they cause.
Together with the organisation, Simon will encourage all TrustMark employees, Scheme Operators and Registered Firms to become ‘friends’ and empower them and their wider communities to ‘Take a Stand Against Scams’.
Simon Ayers commented: “Scams often target the most vulnerable people in society, but the reality is that anyone can become a victim of scams and it can have both a financial, as well as emotional impact on victims.
“We are really proud to join in with the work of the NTS Scams Team to highlight the scale of the problem and prevent people from being victims of scams.
“By pledging our support, together we can drive this initiative forward to achieving a scam-free community.”
Louise Baxter, Team Manager for the National Trading Standards Scams Team, added: “The tactics used by the criminals leave victims socially isolated and ashamed of telling their friends and families what’s really going on behind closed doors.
“It is fantastic to have such a great organisation like TrustMark in the community to help us tackle this problem on a national level and I would encourage all those that are interested in showing their support to join the campaign and be part of our growing ‘friends’ network.”
Scams affect millions of people across the UK and cost consumers an estimated £5-10 billion of detriment each year.
For further information about TrustMark, visit www.trustmark.org.uk
To find out more about becoming a Friend Against Scams, visit their website here: www.friendsagainstscams.org.uk
