An essential pairing:Trading Standards and SafeguardingSean Olivier and Trish Burls

Why us?• Two articles recently produced, co-authored by

Professor Brown and Dr Fenge. • First records perspectives of various professionals

involved in the investigation of MMF.• Second article records the involvement of a

number of Croydon based victims. • This presentation shows the development of the

relationship between our two departments which led to the joint research.

What happened previously…• Ad hoc relationship between TS and Safeguarding

team existed.• Neither team fully grasped what the other did nor

where their work dovetailed• Some instances would result in referral, some

wouldn’t• Relied heavily on individual working relationships

and powers of persuasion• Best described as ‘piecemeal’

• What was missing was the acknowledgement from both teams of the need to co-work

• What was needed was the impetus to ensure co-working was not an option but a necessity

• What happened was the case of Mr J

Mr J and the advance fee fraud

• 83 year old male, recently lost partner in tragic circumstances

• Trading Standards were alerted by bank regarding suspicious transactions on Mr J’s account

• Repeated refusal by Mr J to explain or engage• Unclear as to nature of crime, clear crime was

taking place

• Bank called Trading Standards on at least 5 occasions before Mr J permitted entry to officers

• Found to be living in squalid conditions:• No heating, lighting, only cold running

water• Existing on bread, carrots and garlic

The story begins to emerge:

• Freezing house stacked full of boxes, parcels, piles of mail

• Complete mayhem apart from an ordered dining room table – precise filing system of letters containing fraudulent attempts at extracting money from a vulnerable man

• Mr J was very protective of his letters and guarded them fiercely

• Mr J eventually admitted he was sending money abroad in order to release lottery winnings

• Over a number of years he had sent more money than he could recall to fraudsters purporting to be the administrators of a large lottery win.

• By now he had spent everything – his credit card was at its limit, overdrawn and penniless.

• Was preparing to sign over his home.

The evidence:

The planSpurred into action - • Within 24 hours Social Services and Trading

Standards had put a safeguarding plan in place:• Emergency heating, meals on wheels, electricity

restored• Mr J held not to have mental capacity and decision

was taken for his own protection to redirect his mail to covert TS mailbox and install ‘trueCall’ system to block ‘unwanted’ telephone calls

The successes:• Fraudsters continued to try to make contact with

Mr J – their sustained attack was shown through the truecall records – over 300 calls day and night that he didn’t receive.

• Mail poured into our covert mailbox – that he didn’t receive

• Mr J was warm, fed, living conditions improved…

• A realisation was born of the fact that we could no longer leave this to chance for future cases.

• Formal joint working protocol in place• Regular training sessions in place for care

professionals to attend • Currently embedding into the L&D annual plan • Funding for research granted.

RESEARCH PROJECTSThemes relevant for practice relating to

Mass Marketing Fraud

Themes: Becoming involved

Emotional Vulnerability• Escape from nursing a dying partner: “They play on your

emotions, it wasn’t until sometime after my partner died that I really began to get involved with it because they gave me, I know this sounds silly, something to take my mind off my grief”

Exploiting an Emotional Connection• Example of a psychic scam reminding a victim of her

mother: “Yes my mother would have an instinct that things were going to happen”

Themes (2): Staying Involved

Scams appear Genuine• Use of Royal Mail reinforces legitimacy, comes

with gifts, official looking and glossy: “Genuine, absolutely plausible, you know, genuine in every way”

• One respondent still believes that the scam was genuine: “I firmly believe that (the win) was 100% genuine, but criminals somehow got involved”

Findings• Initial involvement reasons are varied and highly

personal• OFT (2009) states no single risk factor • Bereavement and social isolation appear a common

theme• Professional involvement does not equate to ending the

behaviour• Prepared to pay an advanced fee, Long Odds Gambles

(Lea et al: 2009)• Nothing to note around addiction or greed• Utility is a perpetuating factor• Chose to engage and then change engagement when

victimhood was mapped out by authorities• The loss of small sums may be worth it

Current Model• Establish length and breadth of the issue, key

psychosocial factors affecting the individual, loss & social connections. How else can we adequately replace the social activity with meaningful day to day interactions.

• “Slow Burn” social work, not dissimilar to Self Neglect practices

• Recognise that these forms of financial abuse will require multi agency resolution and that this may equate to a reduction (frequency and degree) as opposed to cessation.