October 23rd saw the launch of Be Scam Safe, a collaboration between the BBC, Stop Scams UK and a host of major UK organisations ranging from high-street banks to tech giants like Google and Meta (owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp) and telecom firms like BT and Three.
The purpose of the initiative is simple: to raise awareness of the malicious tactics employed by scammers, help people identify scams before falling victim, and, ultimately, avoid the severe emotional and financial damage caused by these criminals.
The BBC at CEL
As the UK’s largest fraud and scam recovery firm, the BBC chose the CEL Solicitors’ office as the hub to launch their week of fraud and scam coverage.
Monday morning saw television presenter Matt Allwright visit the 6th floor of 20 Chapel Street, Liverpool, for the launch of the campaign on BBC One’s Morning Live. While there, he first interviewed Jessica Hampson – Chairwoman of CEL Solicitors – during a 4-minute segment examining the devastating impact fraud and scam crimes have on the individuals targeted.
Later, staff members Lauren (Legal Advisor), James (Fraud Expert Paralegal) and Chloe (Fraud Expert Manager) were asked about their experiences of helping victims who had suffered emotional manipulation and financial loss at the hands of scammers and fraudsters.
Among the topics addressed were just a handful of the many different types of schemes employed by scammers to steal money, including the particularly abhorrent tactic of trawling through obituaries to find the names of those who have recently suffered a loss in the family and who may be more susceptible to their cons.
The programme addressed some of the key ways in which viewers can be vigilant to potential scams, as well as how to recover their money in the event they have already been targeted by one of these criminal schemes.
We even invited presenter Matt Allwright to ring the ‘CEL Bell’ which is normally only rung by claims handlers to celebrate a successful claim.
