BARNSLEY Council is supporting Fraud Awareness Week from Monday in a bid to minimise the impact the crime has on residents.
Fraud remains the most common type of crime experienced by victims in England and Wales, costing the UK billions of pounds every year and increasing year on year.
The campaign will be rolled out across the borough from Monday until Friday, with a number of events taking place.
A ‘Fighting Fraud Information event’ will be held in Barnsley Market from 9am to 3pm next Friday, with professionals on hand to talk about the ways local people can protect themselves.
Coun Robert Frost, cabinet spokesperson for core services, said: ““Fraud is a very serious crime and worryingly, one that is continuing to grow and become more deceitful.
“As technology and the digital age continue to evolve, so too are the acts of fraud with criminals continuing to undermine robust security systems and devising new scams to exploit innocent people.
“This makes weeks like Fraud Awareness Week so important and I’m delighted that we are running this campaign to raise awareness, educate and protect our residents, businesses and of course our colleagues.
“It’s easy to think it’ll never happen to us or to think it only happens to older, more vulnerable people, but reports suggest that scams affect every age group, just in different ways.”
More information can be found on the Barnsley Council website.