Dudley scams unit helps to save estimated £4.5 million
A scams unit to protect Dudley's most vulnerable residents has stopped an estimated £4.5 million being lost.
Since Dudley Council's scams unit launched in 2018 it has helped more than 550 people in the borough who have been targeted by financial scammers.
It includes visiting nearly 400 residents and installing 141 call blockers in people's homes to prevent nuisance calls.
Based on the number of the people the team has helped so far and its prevention work, it is estimated the unit has saved nearly £4.5million.
The figure is based on the money the unit has potentially stopped being lost to scammers and the long term associated costs of someone falling victim as statistics show elderly victims are more than twice as likely to die or need extra care and support in the two year period after falling prey to scammers.
The aim of the council's scams unit was to prevent people on "sucker lists" from being conned out of cash by financial criminals. People on these lists are often older, lonely and vulnerable – and criminals know they are more likely to be susceptible to financial scams.
To put a stop to the activity in the Dudley borough, the scams unit has been working closely with residents to investigate claims of potential scams and raise awareness of the warning signs.
Councillor Nicolas Barlow, Dudley Council's cabinet member for health and social care, said: "In 2018 we invested £300,000 of improved better care funding to create the scams unit and help the most vulnerable people in our communities from being preyed upon by financial criminals.
"The fact that it has already helped prevent nearly four and a half million pounds being lost to scams, demonstrates that this has been money well spent."
Anyone concerned they may have fallen victim to financial scams, can contact Dudley Council's trading standards' scams team on 01384 818871 or email trading.standards@dudley.gov.uk.
