A TASK force has been set up to help tackle financial scams, frauds and doorstep crime across West Yorkshire in a bid to prevent vulnerable older people falling victim to rogue traders and conmen.

The West Yorkshire Financial Exploitation and Abuse Team is made up of specialists from West Yorkshire Police, West Yorkshire Trading Standards and adult social care. They are focussing on investigating financial exploitation and the abuse of vulnerable and older victims.

The team aims to tackle scams and frauds from third party offenders such as doorstep criminals, mass marketing frauds by phone, post and electronic channels, and wider financial abuse of vulnerable people including that committed by family members or carers.

Nationally there are an estimated 170,000 doorstep crime incidents, with only 5 per cent being reported, and 2.5 million people fall victim to scams each year.

Since being set up in October, the task force has already helped to secure convictions against Robert Morrison and Paul Towers who were targeting elderly and vulnerable residents into paying for sub-standards driveways.

At one point their Brighouse-based firm Resinways was the most complained about to Trading Standards in the county for asphalting and paving.

The pair, from Lightcliffe and Wibsey respectively, were jailed last week for four years and three months after a judge at Leeds Crown Court branded them "completely callous".

RELATED STORIES

Offences committed by the pair included entering into a contract with a 94-year-old man who had a significant visual impairment and was unable to read his contract, entering into a contract with an 84 year old lady with Alzheimer’s and failing to refund deposits.

The task force is also working on a number of cases including an investigation into a crime group operating across the North of England selling shoddy double glazing services and also targeting older members of the community and charging exorbitant prices.

The team is being part funded by West Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner with £109,000 from money set aside for partnership working.

Mark Burns-Williamson said: "The awful consequences of targeting people for financial exploitation and crime is all too clear and it's particularly important that we protect and support those that are most vulnerable, which is a key priority in my new Police and Crime Plan.

“Crimes such as these can have a really detrimental effect on the victim and their quality of life going forward. This team will protect people from these heartless criminals, help to bring the perpetrators to justice, fully support victims and reduce repeat victimisation.

“I was pleased to be able to contribute to task force’s creation and we can see that they are already making a real difference in our communities.”

David Lodge, head of West Yorkshire Trading Standards, said “Having a co-located task force is already making a difference to victims in West Yorkshire. We are able to better support those most at risk and are tackling criminals who exploit the vulnerable."

He urged anyone who believes they may be a victim of rogue traders or scams to report the issue to the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 03454 04 05 06.