Highland Residents Urged To re-gift Scam Mail For scamnesty 2020 Campaign

2nd December 2020

Throughout December, Highland Council Trading Standards are supporting a national scam mail amnesty ‘Scamnesty' 2020 campaign, being run by Friends Against Scams to rid consumers' homes of scam mail.

Scamnesty is designed to encourage everyone in the UK to have a chat with their loved ones about scams and to send in any scam or unwanted mail to the Friends Against Scams team, free of charge.

Each week during December, Scamnesty will concentrate on a different scam type which Highland Council will highlight in a series of social media posts in a bid to encourage local consumers to play their part in taking a stand against scams.

Mark McGinty, Trading Standards Team Leader, said: "Scams are an international problem, they are everywhere, and the impact on the person scammed can have a serious detrimental effect on their life, and on that of those close to them.

'Scamnesty’ is a great opportunity for us all to learn about the different types of scams and encourages us to have a chat with our loved ones about scams. With increased knowledge and awareness, we can make dealing with scams part of everyday conversation and help those we love to protect themselves."

If you have received scam mail through your letterbox, please send it on to the Friends Against Scams team for investigation. The freepost address can be found on the FAS website www.friendsagainstscams.org.uk/scamnesty which will include steps to send mail which follows government guidelines on COVID-19.

Louise Baxter MBE, Head of the National Trading Standards Scams Team, said: "We are delighted to have the support of Highland Council for our upcoming Scamnesty campaign. The work of Highland Council and other Local Authorities in the UK is fundamental in helping to combat scams through their excellent awareness campaigns and victim interventions. It’s not just vulnerable people who fall prey to scam mail. The criminals take great care to ensure their mailings look genuine. Many of us have felt anxious and lonely during the pandemic, and fraudsters will not hesitate to prey on our emotions by sending us fake stories of hope. Consumers need to be extra vigilant. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is. Send us the scam mail and help us prevent more people being conned."

Highland Council Trading Standards would like to remind Highland residents requiring advice on scams to contact Advice Direct Scotland (ADS) on freephone 0808 164 6000 or email through their website address at: www.consumeradvice.scot. If you have been a victim of a scam, please call Police Scotland on 101.

Friends Against Scams is run by the National Trading Standards Scams Team to protect and prevent people from becoming victims of scams by empowering people to take a stand against scams. Anyone can join the Friends Against Scams campaign by attending a Friends Against Scams awareness session or completing the online learning. With increased knowledge and awareness, people can make scams part of everyday conversation with their family, friends and neighbours which will enable them to protect themselves and others. To date, over 500,000 people have signed up to take part in the initiative. To complete the online modules, visit

www.friendsagainstscams.org.uk