CRAVEN residents are being urged to take steps to to protect themselves against fraudsters during July - and in the future.

Recent reports of people being verbally abused by cold callers have prompted Craven District Council to back the 'Scam Awareness Week' initiated by Trading Standards.

Council chiefs are offering residents ‘no cold calling’ stickers and inviting them to join the ‘No Cold Calling Zone’ scheme run by Trading Standards.

Some residents in the area have been reportedly abused by doorstep sellers who claim to be in a prison rehabilitation scheme.

Ward councillor for Hellifield and Long Preston, Chris Moorby, was contacted recently by two residents of Long Preston complaining that they had been ‘cold called’.

He said: "Both residents told the sellers or seller that they did not require anything from them - following this the seller became quite abusive.

“The introduction by these sellers is that they have been in prison and are being rehabilitated; they usually show some form of identity.

“I contacted the police who informed me this is not the case and they are working on their own initiative. The advice from the police is if the vehicle that is being used can be seen then make a note of the registration and report any incidents to the police and perhaps in the first instance put a 'no cold callers' notice on the door."

During Scam Awareness Week, Citizens Advice and Trading Standards are urging people to spread the word about scams and expose the tactics of fraudsters to protect others. They are advising people to follow a three-step rule – get advice, report it, and tell others about it.

National research by Citizens Advice finds scammers are using a variety of tactics to get people to part with their cash, with people losing an average of £2,500 across all types of scam.

Methods include 'vishing',where scammers cold-call people in a bid to get their bank details, and offers of fake services, such as telling people their computer has a virus which they can fix remotely.

Citizens' Advice is warning people to be on guard and watch out for the different methods used by fraudsters, from doorstep selling of counterfeit goods to demands for upfront payments for services that never materialise.

To obtain a ‘no cold calling’ sticker or to find out more about the No Cold Calling Zones, please contact Stacey Reffin of the Community Safety Hub on 01756 706291.