WE'VE all been plagued with junk mail at some time or another. Promises of cash prizes are more often than not too good to be true, but the more vulnerable members of our society can be enticed to part with their hard-earned cash, and more often than not, can find themselves at the brunt of a scam.

The Think Jessica campaign, launched by Marilyn Baldwin OBE after her mum Jessica was subjected to phone and postal scams, aims to raise awareness of the financial implications caused by postal and telephone scams, educate the professionals and protect those at risk.

One 80-year-old woman from Bradford, who wishes to remain anonymous, was identified by the National Scams Team on a so-called "suckers list" made up of West Yorkshire residents who have responded to or fallen to mass marketing fraud in the past.

Several weeks later she responded to a prize draw offering the chance of winning should she purchase an item from the accompanying catalogue. The mail was seized by the National Scams Team and forwarded on to West Yorkshire Trading Standards along with 84 other pieces of mail and personal details, cheques, postal orders and cash making its way back to the country from where various scams were originated.

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The woman responded to a letter from West Yorkshire Trading standards, informing her that a large amount of scam mail was being sent to residents in her area. Officers contacted the woman and visited her at home to collect samples of the mail and to offer advice and guidance on the mass marketing letters she was becoming involved with.

During their visit, the officers discovered the extent of the scamming the woman had been suffering. Evidently, from the boxes stacked up, several against the dining room wall were full of bric-a-brac and cheap household goods purchased from the hundreds of catalogues littering the home, the scamming had been ongoing for some time.

And it didn't stop there. A large box was also found in the living room where, the officers discovered, every corner, surface and window ledge was piled high with mail.

Officers discussed with the woman other ways of shopping from home, using catalogues which are not linked to scams and criminal activity as well as ways to avoid these types of scams in future.

But sadly she isn't alone. More than 4,500 names and addresses of West Yorkshire residents listed on a so-called "suckers list" have been intercepted by the National Scams Team.

It is suspected the list, detailing residents who may have responded to an initial "phishing" phone call or mass marketing fraud letter, is shared between criminal gangs who go on to attempt to defraud further.

Alongside the list of 4,500 residents, the National Scams Team have seized vast quantities of mail making its way back to the country of the scams origin, including the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Africa and Canada. Almost 100 pieces of mail are being sifted through by officers and the victims are being contacted, their money returned to them and they are being offered support.

In each case, cheques, postal orders and bank notes have been attached to orders for cheap domestic appliances, jewellery, health cures and prize draw application forms.

Workshops are also being delivered by the SAFER project, a community protection and empowerment programme working with older adults (55+) aiming to provide residents with the knowledge, skills and confidence to protect themselves against rogue traders and scams, as well as to provide advice and support to those already in crisis from such activity.

So far 10 individual cases have been dealt with across West Yorkshire. The team are also hoping to work alongside Adult Social Care services to identify vulnerable people who may be at risk of scamming.

"It is not just the odd individual problem, it is a huge problem," says a spokesman for the team.

"It is getting people to recognise the scale of the problem - it doesn't just happen to you but to your Mum. your Grandma or someone you care for."

For more information and also to report any scamming incidents you can call the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 03454 04 0506. For information about the community workshops and to find out about the work of the SAFER project call the team on 0113 393 9910 or email safer@wyjs.org.uk