National Trading Standards Scams Team (UK)

The National Trading Standards (NTS) Scams Team is a specialist unit funded by central government and housed within the National Trading Standards organisation, which oversees trading standards enforcement across England and Wales. Its primary focus is mass-marketing fraud: the large-scale postal, telephone, and online schemes that disproportionately target older and vulnerable consumers, such as prize draws, psychic letters, bogus lotteries, and high-fee loan advance fraud.

The Scams Team coordinates intelligence from local trading standards offices, the Royal Mail, financial services firms, and consumer groups to identify and act against the operators of mass-marketing fraud campaigns. It can use civil and criminal powers including Trading Standards enforcement notices, asset-freezing orders, and prosecutions. It also runs the Friends Against Scams programme in partnership with Citizens Advice and funds the Citizens Advice Scams Action helpline.

Consumers who receive suspicious postal mailings (letters claiming they have won a prize, requests for advance fees to release winnings, psychic prediction letters) are encouraged to report them to the NTS Scams Team by calling the Citizens Advice consumer helpline at 0808 223 1133 or by sending the physical mailing to the Scams Team freepost address: FREEPOST SCAM MAIL. Do not respond to the original mailing and do not pay any fee requested.