We received a petition asking:
“We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to introduce more protection for those suffering from mental health problems and dementia against postal scams.”
Details of Petition:
“thousands of elderly and vunerable people in the U.K are being targeted by scam mail criminals from all over the world. we would like the prime minister to offer greater protection for those who become cronic scam mail victims and loose thousands of pounds due to mental health illness.”
· Read the petition
· Petitions homepage
Read the Government’s response
The Government recognises that the lives of those people with mental health difficulties, or dementia, can be challenging. Although the Government has no plans to stop unsolicited direct marketing mail - as it is a legitimate way for companies to promote products, services and special offers to everyone - this type of marketing can represent a nuisance to some people and in particular to people who are vulnerable perhaps because of their state of health.
Fortunately there are steps everyone can take to limit the amount of unsolicited mail they receive. They can register with a scheme called the Mailing Preference Service (MPS) operated by the Direct Mail Association. The contact address for the MPS is:
Mailing Preference Service
Freepost 22 London
W1E 7EZ
To register on line you can visit: www.mpsonline.org.uk
If you are calling the MPS use telephone number 0207 291 3300 (press 1 to register)
If you are a family member, friend, or carer, of a person experiencing mental health difficulties or dementia you should be able to act on their behalf to register with the MPS and lessen the amount of unsolicited mail they receive.
However some unscrupulous companies do trade names and addresses with other scam promoters. This may mean that the name and address of the person in question continues to circulate on mailing lists that have not been amended.
In addition the Government’s Consumer Direct service offers clear, practical consumer advice on areas including how to avoid being caught out by the most common marketing scams. This advice can be found on their web site - consumerdirect.gov.uk or explained by advisors on their contact number 08454 04 05 06.
Although the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) does not take action in individual cases it does consider mass marketed scams as a priority area. Their web site www.oft.gov.uk also contains a range of information and advice for people to help them recognise common scams and protect themselves and others against them.
If you have general questions about the Government’s response to mental health issues and dementia you can visit the Department of Health web site www.dh.gov.uk for more information.
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