Trading Standards Service Performance Report 2023 to 2024

Protecting the Vulnerable

the service has signed a partnership agreement with the National Scams Team (NST) to help in identifying, advising and educating those vulnerable local consumers who are being targeted by scam mail and other mass marketing scams. As a result, officers have contacted 50 individual victims following priority referrals from the NST
no cold calling zones have been introduced around the Borough to reduce the number of bogus callers and rogue traders operating in particular areas and to help educate and empower residents in dealing effectively with cold callers. During the year, 4 new zones were established, bringing the total number within the Borough to over 150
work around scams awareness and fraud prevention has continued. As part of this, almost 90 notifications on current and trending scams were sent to the Media Team for public circulation via social media and press releases. Articles on scams awareness have also been published in Stockton News and officers have attended two awareness raising events at local community centres
a Stockton trader was sentenced to 8 months imprisonment suspended for 12 months and ordered to undertake 240 hours of unpaid community work, after failing to complete landscaping work for a vulnerable local resident, despite receiving payment up-front. He was also ordered to pay the victim £2,000 in compensation