An outreach campaign has been launched to help residents across Nottinghamshire tackle the threat of fraud. ‘Tackling Fraud’ has already seen thousands of people across the county receive advice and support about the dangers of fraud.

Age UK Nottingham & Nottinghamshire and Rural Community Action Nottinghamshire (RCAN) have been appointed by Outreach Solutions to deliver the campaign, which is funded by Nottingham’s fraud and ID experts Experian, along with Nottingham City Council, Nottinghamshire Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner and Cifas.

Age UK Notts and RCAN are making contact and working with a range of community groups and individuals to provide advice on how to spot fraudulent activity and stop it happening to them or people they know or care for.

The campaign is aimed primarily at those who are aged 55+ who may be more susceptible to fraudulent approaches. It looks at some of the most common scams, and advises what people can do to protect themselves from becoming a victim.

During a recent session at a local Knit & Natter Group, one woman shared her story about how she had been scammed out of £6,000 shortly after her husband had passed away. By highlighting steps that she took to have her money reimbursed, it will enable others to take away important knowledge on how they can avoid becoming a victim of fraud.

Nick Mothershaw, fraud expert from Experian, commented: “Over the last two years we have seen a relentless rise in ID theft. This rise has been underpinned by current account fraud and, while the biggest targets for fraudster have been young renters, our analysis shows that there has been an increasing focus on older people in retirement.

“People over the age of 65 who typically own their homes and have good savings to supplement their modest pensions, have seen the biggest increase in current account fraud attempts.

Experian’s Victims of Fraud (VOF) team was set up more than ten years ago to provide expert, dedicated support to anyone who discovers their identity has been hijacked. During the course of 2015 the team helped almost 14,500 people reclaim their identity and restore their credit rating, 18% more people than in 2014 and an all-time high.

Top tips to help people protect themselves from fraud:

Anyone who has been affected by fraud should report it to Action Fraud by calling 0300 123 2040, or visiting www.actionfraud.police.uk