Council chiefs have urged people to be on their guard after figures revealed over a third of adults in the UK have been targeted by a scam since the coronavirus lockdown began.
The data from Citizens Advice said it had seen calls from the public about bogus testing kits, vaccinations and Government refunds, resulting in a 19% increase in visitors to their website.
The figures show that 36% of adults have been targeted by scammers.
Cllr Gill Heath, cabinet member for communities at Staffordshire County Council, said:
“Over the last few months we have seen a huge spike in the number of scams and it’s very worrying to think that one in three people may have been affected.
“Popular scams include, fake emails from HMRC, refund emails and doorstep scams. They may seem genuine, but are designed to obtain personal information, infect computers or take your money.
“We appreciate that many scams can appear genuine but If people are in any doubt at all they should ignore the offer, delete the email or hang up the phone if it’s a telephone call.
“As always, people should be very wary about any unsolicited approaches.”
Cllr Gill Heath, Staffordshire County Council
