Junk mail targeted at the elderly
Posted by Claire Ward, MP for Watford, at 08:58, Wed 6 May 2009:
Watford MP, Claire Ward, says she is concerned about the amount of junk mail being received on a daily basis by people in the Watford area.
The MP says the present recession may be a contributing factor in any increase - but she says she is particularly worried that a lot of it appears to be aimed at elderly or vulnerable members of the community who are being enticed to part with money on the false claim that they have won prizes in a competition.
Ms Ward said that she had recently been contacted by a lady in her nineties living in the Abbots Langley area who had received dozens of these unsolicited letters from various companies telling her she had won thousands of pounds in prize draws. The only condition was that she should send a cheque to buy products ranging from beauty creams to garden accessories to book and magazines subscriptions.
The constituent -who knew other pensioners in the area who had received similar junk mail- had contacted local trading standards officers but had been advised that nothing could be done other than binning the letters as they came through the door.
Ms Ward said: "This is really not good enough. Some of the companies who send out these mail shots may well regard prize draws as a legitimate way of enticing more people to buy their products. But a lot of the mail that has been sent to this particular constituent appears to be scams originating from foreign based organisations designed to obtain money from vulnerable people.
I am raising this matter with the Office of Fair Trading. The government set up the Office to tackle scams like this and I know they have already done much work to highlight the problem. It is essential that public awareness is raised about the issue of scam mailings. I would call on the friends, relatives and carers of vulnerable and elderly people to remain vigilant in ensuring the vulnerable do not became victims of these unscrupulous companies. It is important for families and carers to look out for warning signs, like increased junk mail or frequent calls from strangers. Anyone with concerns about this matter should consider contacting the Citizens Advice Bureau or Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06 for expert advice."
Ends
Contact Claire on 020 7219 4910
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Posted by Richard Holland, 09:12, Wed 6 May 2009: (Is this post abusive?) #
The constituents should use the Mailing Preference Service, which has been successful at blocking about 90% of junk mail from finding its way through my letter box. http://www.mpsonline.org.uk/mpsr/