Citizens Advice teams in Stevenage and North Herts are calling on concerned consumers to help them expose scams and thwart clever con crooks who fleece their victims of thousands of pounds.

July is Scams Awareness Month and CAB experts will be highlighting how scams continue to flourish when people stay silent.

Figures show that fewer than five per cent of victims report scams to the authorities, and the CAB wants everyone to report suspicious activities, get advice if they think they’ve been conned, and warn others to help stop scams from spreading.

The month-long awareness campaign is asking people to keep two things in mind when they receive any unsolicited approach or when they are looking for goods or services – don’t be rushed and don’t be hushed.

People should take their time to make a decision and get their facts together before parting with their money or personal information, and speak out when they think they’ve spotted a scam.

Tom Hogan of North Herts Citizens Advice said: “Scams thrive on silence. Fraudsters know that victims are often too ashamed to share what has happened to them, meaning that scams can continue to spread unchecked.

“We’re urging people to lift the lid on scams and start talking about suspicious email, junk mail, online ads or door-to-door sellers operating in their area.

“Scams are run by professional con artists and it can be very hard to know what to look out for. Our advice is that if an offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

“If you think you have been scammed, contact Citizens Advice for help and report it to trading standards.”