POLICE have launched a campaign to help people in York avoid being scammed.

North Yorkshire Police say they are running the Sling Your Hook campaign throughout July tapping into the psychology that scammers use to hook people in, helping people stay one step ahead and to protect themselves and their loved ones against the increasing variety of scams happening every day.

A police spokesman said: "We know that often victims of scams report that in hindsight they felt something wasn’t quite right at the time.  This campaign aims to raise awareness of the tactics scammers use and encourages people to ‘stop and think’ if something doesn’t feel, seem, look or sound right.  This allows them time to trust your gut instinct and help prevent becoming a scam victim."

John Hayward-Cripps, CEO of Neighbourhood Watch Network, said: “Everyone likes to feel special. But watch out! If a stranger is going out of their way for you, something fishy may be going on instead. Scammers like to offer one-off deals and favours. Don’t be afraid to tell them no.”

The force is delivering a series of scams awareness online talks in partnership with the Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit (DCPCU), the National Trading Standards Scams Team (NTSST) and Avast.

Anyone can attend, but there is now running waiting lists only for all the webinars apart from one! Last week we ran an online talk on ‘Exploring the psychology behind scams and how scammers are so effective at their crimes’. It was so popular it is being re-run on July 27 at 5pm.  Click here to book your place.