Local Outcome 4: Working hard to raise awareness of online and doorstep scams during the pandemic

East Dunbartonshire is a safe place in which to live, work and visit.

Council teams worked with local and national partners to help keep companies, traders and householders safe from heartless criminals targeting them during the pandemic.

With people working from home more than ever before, criminals turned to online and technology-enabled scams to exploit people’s fears about the COVID-19 pandemic.

Impersonation scam cases, in which criminals impersonated trusted organisations to trick victims into handing over their money, almost doubled in 2020. During the pandemic, criminals also sent fraudulent emails claiming to offer government support to those impacted by the pandemic and scam text messages requesting payments to book a COVID-19 vaccine. They also impersonated delivery companies to exploit the rise in online shopping.

Meanwhile, fraudsters and thieves continued to prey on householders - particularly the most vulnerable.

To help tackle this rise in criminality, the Council's Trading Standards team helped residents and firms get the information and support they need to pull the plug - and slam the door - on criminals.

A dedicated webpage was setup which was regularly updated to provide information on scams being perpetrated during the pandemic.

And the Council also backed a new initiative to combat fraud against businesses as firms and employees worked from home during the pandemic.

Businesses Against Scams is a cross-industry campaign, led by National Trading Standards, which provides free tools for companies to upskill and train workers to help identify and prevent illegal activity.

Potential security risks include criminals targeting employees working from home who are isolated from colleagues - impersonating Government officials or a senior member of the business to put pressure on them to give out sensitive information or make payments.

Using equipment necessary for remote working - such as Wi-Fi hubs - also presented cyber security challenges.

Louise Baxter, Head of the National Trading Standards Scams Team, said, "We launched Businesses Against Scams as a free tool for organisations to help safeguard their business, and protect their workforce and customers.

"The free training empowered businesses and employees – who were all adapting to new working environments – to take a stand against scams by equipping them with advice and knowledge."

You can still visit the Friends Against Scams website for information and to access resources.

Depute Chief Executive Ann Davie said, "The new Businesses Against Scams initiative helped local firms and traders to guard against criminal activity - protecting the economy and jobs in the process. It was particularly despicable that these criminals sought to exploit the COVID-19 pandemic.

If you think you have been scammed or need advice - whether you're a business or individual - call Trading Standards on 0300 123 4510 or e-mail trading.standards@eastdunbarton.gov.uk.

You can also visit the Trading Standards section of the website.

Call Police Scotland on 101 (999 if you feel threatened or in danger).