BOGUS green energy installations, con investments and romance scams are costing Warwickshire residents thousands, Warwickshire County Council Trading Standards has warned.
Officers are highlighting such hoaxes as part of Scams Awareness Month 2017.
They say owners of solar panels, users of dating websites, and people with large savings are being targeted by con-men.
One Warwickshire resident reported losing over £30,000 to someone who contacted her via a dating website.
Another paid over £4,000 for a ‘magic box’ that was meant to improve the efficiency of his solar panel water heating device – but had the opposite effect.
Residents with large savings and those who have ‘unlocked’ their pensions are also being targeted with bogus investment opportunities. One resident is believed to have sent over £50,000 to fraudsters who convinced him to ‘invest’ in pink diamonds.
Warwickshire County Council community safety spokesman Coun Howard Roberts said: “Reports of scams and frauds have increased by eight per cent this year to an estimated 3.6million cases – and £10.9billion is being lost to fraudsters annually.
“Our goal throughout this month is to raise awareness of scams, how to spot them and how to protect people from falling victim to them.”
Visit www.warwickshire.gov.uk/tradingstandards for more information.
