Safeguarding Adults Procedures

123 Multi-agency working – combatting scams, rogue traders, bogus lotteries and fraud 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 This Appendix describes how agencies recognise and respond to organisational fraud, postal, telephone or internet scams, rogue trading, bogus lotteries and related crime which is designed to exploit people for monetary gain. 1.2 It explains the crimes referred to, the context in which they occur and how agencies should work together to combat them. It applies to close multi-agency working between Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council and Dorset Council Trading Standards, Adult Social Care and Dorset Police. All scams are crimes and all agencies that are members of the two Safeguarding Adults Boards have responsibilities to help their staff identify where they can be uncovered and responded to. 2. FINANCIAL ABUSE, SCAMS AND THE CARE ACT 2.1 Section 42 of the Care Act states that where a local authority has reasonable cause to suspect that an adult in its area – a) Has needs for care and support (whether or not the authority is meeting any of those needs), b) Is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse or neglect, and c) As a result of those needs is unable to protect him or herself against the abuse or neglect or the risk of it. 2.2 The local authority then must make whatever enquiries it thinks necessary to enable it to decide whether any action should be taken in the adult’s case and, if so, what and by whom. 2.3 Section 42 clearly states that abuse includes financial abuse; and for that purpose, ‘financial abuse’ includes:  Having money, or other property stolen,  Being defrauded,  Being put under pressure in relation to money or other property, and  Having money or other property misused Added to this, the most recent edition of the Statutory Guidance to support local authorities implement the Care Act, recognises that trading standards have a valuable contribution to make in ensuring adults are safeguarded. 2.4 Internet scams, postal scams and doorstep crimes are often targeted at adults at risk and all are forms of financial abuse. These scams are becoming ever more sophisticated and elaborate. For example:  Internet scammers can build very convincing websites  People can be referred to a website to check the caller’s legitimacy, but this may be a copy of a legitimate website.  Postal scams are mass produced letters which are made to look like personal letters or important documents.  Doorstep criminals call unannounced at the adult’s home under the guise of legitimate business offering to fix a non-existent problem with their property. Sometimes they pose as police officers or someone in a position of authority. Appendix 20 – Memorandum of Understanding – Dorset Police and Partners