Member News
Measures should be implemented to protect people from postal scams, the Commons has heard.
Conservative MP Caroline Nokes proposed a bill to change the law to make it easier for authorities to intercept scam letters that offer fake promises of business opportunities and lottery wins.
Introducing her Consumer Protection (Postal Marketing) Bill to the Commons yesterday, the Romsey and Southampton North MP said individuals targeted by gangs operating one of the scams could receive hundreds of letters a day.
Nokes said although the criminals could also use email or telephones, postal scams were a major problem.
"Although I appreciate that many such contacts might arrive by e-mail or telephone, I wish to focus today on those that use Royal Mail to deliver their message to potential victims," she said.
"Consumers losing money in that way is a significant problem in the UK. Those activities are often targeted specifically at vulnerable or disadvantaged consumers, such as the elderly and those already in debt, and those individuals can suffer disproportionate levels of harm as a result.
"Although anyone can fall for a scam, the elderly and vulnerable are more likely to be targeted and to become repeat victims."
People in the UK lost £3.5bn a year as a result of the scams, she added.
She highlighted the popular technique involved in the "Nigerian 419 scam", which included a letter asking the recipients to help in removing a substantial sum of money from Africa.
"Inevitably, the money never arrives and the recipient will find that their bank account has been used fraudulently and, in some cases, that their identity has been stolen and cloned," she said.
"That is one of the most popular and recognisable scams, but others involve fake lotteries, even clairvoyants and fictitious prize draws. After replying to the first 'taster' letter, the victim's details will be sold to other criminal networks and the deluge of mailings will begin.
"Across the UK, postal workers deliver more than 100 pieces of mail every day to some victims, but there is no comprehensive system in place to report such activity."
Nokes told MPs her Bill would help tackle the problem.
Police were "well aware of how and where scam mail enters this country but they are currently not able to stop it", she said.
"Those who know best how to identify the victims are postal workers. Many know their rounds and their residents extremely well and can quickly identify when patterns of mass-marketed mail change and increase."
Nokes said Hampshire Trading Standards are calling for measures be introduced in order to enable the police, customs officers or National Fraud Authority to identify and intercept scam mail when it enters the country.
And they want to give Royal Mail the right to disclose the details of potential victims to their local trading standards service so that support can be offered to these financially abused and vulnerable people.
She acknowledged the measures could clash with data protection and human rights legislation.
Nokes added: "I do not suggest for one moment that there should be a blanket power to intercept mail without a warrant, but such mail is easy to identify, the same victims are being targeted hundreds and hundreds of times over and it ought not to be impossible to introduce appropriate safeguards against breaches of human rights."
The Bill will have its second reading in the Commons on Friday June 17 but stands little chance of becoming law due to a lack of parliamentary time.
Have your say...
Please enter your comments below.