Scam Mail Advice

How to recognise scam mail and what to do...

Scams are schemes designed to con you out of your money and can be very distressing for those targeted. Unfortunately, scams by phone, email and post are more prevalent than ever. There are hundreds of scams - fake lotteries and prize draws, get-rich-quick schemes, bogus health cures, investment scams and pyramid selling, to name a few.

Action Fraud is an organisation run by the National Fraud Authority, a government agency, which provides information about various scams and a 24-hour facility where you can get advice and report fraud. If you feel that you have received scam mail you should report it to Action Fraud. The police may then arrange to recover this mail and assess it to see if it is fraudulent, enabling them to take the appropriate action.

It is important to remember that Guernsey Post is bound by the Universal Service Obligation and is required by law to deliver all mail entrusted to it.

How to recognise it

Action Fraud provides an excellent guide to help you recognise potential scam mail; just click on the link below.

Another useful source can be found at ScamAwareness.org. This site was created to raise awareness around common scams that target innocent Americans on a daily basis. ScamAwareness.org helps by providing tips and information in order to educate people to recognise the "red flags" that may indicate potential scams, arming you with information you can use to protect you and your loved ones. Whilst being an American site it contains a wealth of useful information that applies to us all.

What to do

If you think that you or a family member are receiving scam mail you can report it to us by email scammail@guernseypost.com or call 01481 711720.

To help protect yourself against receiving unwanted mail, there is a free service called Mail Preference Service, which lets consumers remove their home addresses from mailing lists of organisations based in the UK. To register for the Mail Preference Service call 020 7291 3310 or go to www.mpsonline.org.uk

Guernsey Post also has an "opt out service" where you can choose to stop all unaddressed items being delivered by Guernsey Post to your address. If you wish to opt out of receiving door2door mail items please email custserv@guernseypost.com or call 01481 711720.

Also if you have received scam mail or would like further help and advice on this matter, please take a look at Action Fraud's step-by-step guide.