Bogus callers

Calling the East of England

Bogus callers use many different ploys to gain access and then search for money or anything else of value that they can carry off.

Whilst this type of crime doesn't generally involve violence, it does cause deep distress and often permanent trauma amongst the elderly victims.

The main element of the campaign was a radio commercial that asked, "If you know a bogus caller, who do you tell?"

An important part of the campaign strategy was to run the commercial throughout our Eastern Region, covering Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.

Crimestoppers' Deputy Director of Operations Isabel Cross explains why: "It was really important that we got this message across the region simultaneously as the perpetrators may not live where the crimes take place."

To work in conjunction with the campaign, Cambridgeshire Crimestoppers also launched an initiative involving banks and building societies, alerting staff to elderly people withdrawing cash in unusual or pressured circumstances.

Along with calls about distraction burglary, calls concerning rogue trading are also currently being assessed.

Listen to the Bogus Caller radio campaign here!