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Scams and Friends Against Scams Organisation

Friends Against Scams

Scams are where someone fraudulently attempts to steal money, or information, from their victim. Fraudsters will frequently change the nature of their scams, therefore falling victim to one is increasingly common - reports suggest three quarters of the population have been targeted.

People are more susceptible to scams when they’re at their most vulnerable and scammers use this to their advantage. Scams take many forms, such as fake investments, sham health products to romance fraud and bogus dog breeders.

The most common types of scams are detailed below:

Advance fee fraud

The fraudster attempts to get the victim to make upfront payments for goods, services, or financial gains, that don’t exist. Examples of these are lottery, clairvoyant or psychic, inheritance scams etc.

Authorised push payment fraud

The fraudster pretends to be someone official such as from a bank, the police or HMRC, and convinces the victim that suspicious activity on their bank account has been detected. They will then get the victim to transfer money into a 'safe' bank account.

Computer software service fraud

The victim will receive a cold call from the scammer who will claim there is a problem with their computer. The scammers claim to be from we known companies such as Sky, Virgin and BT to gain the victims trust and attempt to gain remote access to the their computer, this gives them access to everything on the computer. Scammers have been known to take control of victims bank accounts, steal personal information and even charge for the privilege.

Doorstep fraud

Advice is available on our doorstep callers page.

Romance and dating fraud

Fraudsters use fake profiles on dating websites and convince their victims that they are in a relationship. Once they have established the victims trust the scammer will begin asking for money for sick relatives or business opportunities that can’t go ahead due to cashflow problems. The scammers are always keen to meet but have a range of excuses why that they can’t, such as working away in a foreign country.

Salford Trading Standards works in partnership with the National Trading Standards Scams Team to protect residents from scams and mass marketing frauds. Together, we provide guidance and support to help Salford residents identify and avoid scams, as well as raise awareness about the wide variety of scams that are in circulation.

Salford Trading Standards has been visiting residents who have been targeted by scammers to offer advice, support and wellbeing checks. Residents in Salford are identified by the National Trading Standards Scams Team through their enforcement activities, which include seizing responses to scam mail at PO Box addresses and accessing databases found on scammers' computers at business premises.

These databases are used by scammers to send scam mail to individuals they believe are vulnerable to such schemes. The visits are well received by residents, who appreciate the efforts of Salford City Council to protect them from scams and keep them safe. One Salford resident, identified through the initiative and visited by Salford Trading Standards, shared their story with the Manchester Evening News after it was revealed that they had lost £10,000 by responding to scam letters. They spoke out to raise awareness and help prevent others from falling victim to similar scams.

During the visit, the officer will ask if the resident receives any suspicious mail and will discuss various types of scams. Sometimes, residents may not initially recognise certain letters as scams, so they will go through the main types of fraudulent communications. We’ve had residents initially claim they don't receive scam mail, only to later reveal they receive letters from clairvoyants and send money in response. These discussions help ensure residents are fully informed about the risks of scams and how to protect themselves.

If you are a Salford resident and would like a scam awareness visit from Salford Trading Standards, please send an email to trading.standards@salford.gov.uk and include the following information:

  • Name
  • Address
  • Would you like a no cold caller sign?: Yes or No
  • Would you like a scam awareness visit? Yes or No 
  • Contact email address
  • Contact telephone number 

If you are requesting a scam awareness visit, a member of the team will reach out to you to confirm a convenient time and date.

Please note that the provision of signs and visits will be provided subject to availability/service capacity and only one sign can be provided per household.

Friends Against Scams Organisation

Salford City Council are committed to raising awareness about scams at every opportunity and as such became a Friends Against Scams Organisation in June 2018.

Scams affect the lives of millions of people across the UK. People who are scammed often experience loneliness, shame and social isolation. Friends Against Scams aims to inspire action, highlight the scale of the problem, change the perceptions of why people fall victim to scams and make scams a local, regional and national topic.

The scheme is run by National Trading Standards, and provides members with information and training on scams and help in assisting victims.

Scams come in many forms, including junk mail, nuisance calls, doorstep callers and many online methods, this means it is important that as many people as possible need to be aware of the warning signs.

Research shows that 53% of people over 65 have been targeted by scammers, so it is important for everyone to have an understanding of scams to prevent them becoming victims, and also to help others who may have fallen victim.

If you think you have been a victim of a scam you can report it to Citizens Advice consumer service on 0808 223 1133.

You too can become a Friend Against Scams and take a stand against scams by taking free online training.

To find out more go to the Friends Against Scams website.

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This page was last updated on 3 February 2025

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