'Scamnesty' bins launched to fight 'prize draws' and 'lotteries'

Trading Standards is asking the public to collect any potential scam mailings they may have received recently and drop them in designated "Scamnesty" boxes at local libraries and other public areas across the country.

The scheme is being promoted locally by the government agency, with the theme "Drop in and drop them in it".

Every year, an estimated three million people in the UK fall victim to mass-marketed scams such as bogus lotteries and prize draws, fake psychics, get-rich-quick schemes and miracle health cures. Many of these are sent through the post, as well as by email or over the phone, often targeting the elderly and vulnerable.

However, fewer than 5 per cent of the victims actually report the crime to Trading Standards, the Office of Fair Trading or the police.

Trading Standards officers will examine the contents of the bins to get a better idea of which scams are in circulation.

"Unfortunately, the first we often hear is the horror stories of how people of all ages have received offers of money or prizes and sent off cheques," said Ron Gainsford, chief executive of the Trading Standards Institute. "By asking people to recognise and drop in the mailings, we are helping to give information on how these scams are evolving and exposing scammers' heartless techniques."