THE NAMES of more than 700 people in North Yorkshire have been found on “suckers’ lists” – lists of vulnerable people drawn up by scammers to target.

Trading standards and police county have teamed up to try and track down all the residents, after a staggering 767 people from the county were found to be on lists seized from offenders.

People who fall victim to one scam are often added to a “suckers’ list” to be traded with other scammers - often being distributed worldwide.

This can result in people being bombarded with more than 100 scam letters each day, or telephone calls persuading them to part with cash.

North Yorkshire Trading Standards are working with police to ensure all 767 people on the lists receive welfare visits and support. As numbers are so great, police volunteers have been recruited to visit each one, following training by trading standards officers.

They are giving advice on handling scam mail and offering support to victims and their families.

A report before North Yorkshire County Council’s quarterly full council meeting said: “To date, 767 North Yorkshire residents have been identified on “suckers” lists which have been seized from offenders.

“It is recognised that it is not feasible for trading standards staff to visit this number of people and in order to ensure the vulnerable people are safeguarded against future victimisation, police volunteers have been recruited to establish contact with each individual.

“The use of trained volunteers not only aims to ensure vulnerable residents receive assistance to prevent further victimisation, but it also enables a substantial function at a much reduced cost to the service.”

Scam mail is a major issue nationally. It’s estimated that £10bn per year is sent to criminals who target the vulnerable by letter or telephone and persuade them to part with their cash.

Andy Fox, divisional officer at North Yorkshire Trading Standards said: “We are aware of a large number of victims in the North Yorkshire area and we are keen to visit each one."

Richard Baldwin, head of volunteering at North Yorkshire Police said: “This is an excellent initiative which allows police volunteers to work in partnership with trading standards to protect victims in their local communities.”

More information on scam mail can be found at the specialist website; www.thinkjessica.com