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Episode 16

Episode 16 of 20

Julia Somerville, Angela Rippon and Gloria Hunniford investigate cases of elderly or vulnerable people who have felt pressured into parting with their money.

Julia Somerville, Angela Rippon and Gloria Hunniford investigate cases of elderly or vulnerable people who have felt pressured into parting with their money, either by legitimate companies or by out-and-out scammers. A man reveals how he confronted the double-glazing salesman he believes took advantage of his mother's dementia, and the team is on the trail of a father-and-son duo who have run a string of companies that have all attracted the same complaints about their tactics.

A new scheme to help people targeted by scammers is revealed, and more problems are solved at the Rip Off Britain pop-up shop.

45 minutes

How to spot if someone is being scammed

Friends Against Scams who featured in today鈥檚 episode, have put together some useful information that you can use to ensure you, or indeed any of your relatives or friends, do not fall victim to a scam. Criminals behind mass marketing scams continually redesign their products to try to avoid raising suspicions, however consumers should look out for signs such as:

  • A foreign return address
  • An offer of a big pay out in return for a small purchase or administration fee
  • Requests for personal details in order to claim a prize
  • A letter claiming you鈥檝e won a lottery that you didn鈥檛 enter
  • Letters from a psychic or clairvoyant offering their services for a fee
  • An offer that seems too good to be true.

Anyone who receives potentially fraudulent mail or who knows someone who might be receiving it should report it to the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 03454 04 05 06.

Those wanting to find out more about scams can visit the or follow the National Trading Standards Scams Team on Twitter @NTSscamsteam.

How to deal with pushy salespeople

Sarah Pennells offers her top tips for dealing with pushy salespeople

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Gloria Hunniford
Presenter Angela Rippon
Presenter Julia Somerville
Executive Producer Rob Unsworth
Series Producer Sherry Knight

Broadcasts