Sessions to raise awareness of online and offline frauds and scams are being held this month at The Store House in Brierley Hill.

The events are being held on Tuesday 27th February at 10am and 1pm and are being delivered by 'Safe and Sound'; Dudley’s community safety partnership, in conjunction with West Midlands Police and the Illegal Money Lending Team.

They will raise awareness of various frauds and scams and loan sharks among Dudley’s residents, and also provide information of how to report incidents and where support or advice can be accessed from.

Every year the British public loses billions of pounds to scammers who bombard people with online, mail, door to door and telephone scams. Scams are often difficult to investigate; they can be complicated and involve many people. They can take a lot of resources to investigate and courts can find it difficult to convict suspects. Councillor Laura Taylor, cabinet member responsible for community safety, said:

“Prevention through awareness is the best way for us to combat scammers. Anyone can be a victim of fraud – you can be any age and the increased use of technology means new opportunities to scam people are created.

“Through these invaluable sessions, we can raise awareness of the way scammers and loan sharks operate in Dudley and equip residents with the skills to recognise when they may be at risk of fraud.”

Sessions are free but participants need to sign up by clicking here.