A care provider has launched a campaign to prevent elderly people from falling victim to scammers.

One element of the initiative by the team at Home Instead Senior Care Ruislip and Harrow – based in Field End Road, Eastcote – is workshops, which will be open to the general public.

People attending the workshops will get information about the most common scams used to target elderly people and what to do if someone has been scammed.

Home Instead has also put together a Senior Fraud Protection Kit, which also contains information on the most common scams, tools to help assess the risk of a loved one, and checklists to help elderly people take action themselves to lower the risk of becoming victim to a scam.

Ginette Meade, owner of Home Instead, said: “The faceless criminals who use email, telephone and post to lure their victims into parting with their life savings, personal banking information and other assets, can prey in particular on the elderly, who they see as easy targets for their crimes.

“These types of scams defraud people in the UK of an estimated £3.5billion each year and have very serious consequences for the elderly, who can suffer devastating emotional distress, loss of confidence, trust and independence.

“Much of this could be avoided with better awareness and education, so that’s exactly what we’re aiming to provide.”

For more information about workshops or the Senior Fraud Protection Kit, call Home Instead Senior Care Ruislip and Harrow on 020 3226 0930 or go to www.homeinstead.co.uk/ruislipandharrow .