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January 2024 January 2024

DORSET TRADING STANDARDS

Dorset County Council Trading Standards Service check and
approve businesses so you don’t have to.
For more information visit www.buywithconfidence.gov.uk or
call 08454 040506.
To report or seek advice about problems you have
experienced when dealing with a trader call 08454 040506.

Join Dorset’s 4000 Friends Against Scams
Today, just over 1 in every 100 people living in Dorset are a Friend Against Scams.
Friends learn how to spot the signs of a scam, so can stop themselves from falling
for one. Also, because Friends know the signs of a scam, they can also use that
learning to help to spot other people who are potentially affected by this type of
fraud. By having simple everyday conversations Friends can help to keep others
safe, whether family, friends, work colleagues; anyone a Friend might meet.
Friends often encourage other people to become a Friend too, helping to grow
the scheme in Dorset. Friends also know where to report a scam and where to go
to get help.
It’s very easy to become a Friend. Anyone can. Just visit
www.friendsagainstscams.org.uk and take the 20-minute online training at a time
to suit you. If you don’t have a computer, then ask at your local library how to
access the training from a public access computer.
If you are part of a group and would like face to face training for a larger number
of people, then please contact Trading Standards on the email below.
Some people ask us about opportunities to volunteer with Trading Standards as a
Dorset Council Trading Standards Community Volunteer. Volunteers become
SCAMchampions who encourage others to become Friends in a more structured
way. Examples include attending partnership events with Trading Standards staff,
having face to face conversations with people in libraries, getting involved with
informal group discussions, and for some who are confident in doing it, then
presentations.

We are always happy to hear from people who would like to talk about what
they can offer. We are led by you in terms of how much you’d like to be involved.
To find out more about our Trading Standards volunteering opportunities, then
please get in touch with us at tradingstandards@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk

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