Scams Action While our lives were turned upside down by the pandemic, scammers attempted to take advantage. With the outbreak of the pandemic came a sharp rise in the number of people targeted by scams. In the first months of 2021, the number of scams reported to us more than doubled in comparison to the same period in 2020. Our research also showed that anyone could be targeted by scammers—and anyone could be tricked. Our Scams Action service provides people with access to tailored advice about spotting and reporting scams, as well as helping them find a way forward if they’ve been a victim of a scam. We also offer seamless referrals to our local offices for support with related issues, such as debt. This year, we had over 36,000 calls and webchats with clients, our online scams helper tool was used by over 83,000 people and our scams advice pages were viewed over 800,000 times. More than 8 in 10 people said they would use the service again and would recommend the service to others. And more than 6 in 10 who accessed the service said their problem was resolved—with nearly half (49%) saying they could not have resolved their problem without our help. We also work to raise awareness of the service and scams more widely. Our Facebook campaign reached over 14 million people, being seen more than 86 million times and we have broadened our approach through other platforms, such as TikTok. We also built our stakeholder relationships by sitting on the Home Office’s Joint Fraud Taskforce and strengthening links with key counter-fraud bodies, including as Citizens Advocate on the Cifas Advisory Board. Gambling Support Service Our Gambling Support Service provides advice, information and, where necessary, referrals to people at risk of harm from gambling, alongside training and awareness events on gambling harm for frontline staff. Again, during the pandemic we moved rapidly from a community-based service to fully digital delivery. We screened over 19,000 people, with around 5% of those identified as experiencing harm from gambling. Our data shows that over half of those at risk identified themselves as being disabled or having a long-term health condition and 14% were from minority ethnic groups. We used this experience to submit evidence to the government review into the Gambling Act 2005 to advocate for change in government policy and industry practices. 30 How we’re helping people