A team of volunteers aiming to fight against fraud held more than 140 events over the last year and hopes to grow over next year.

The volunteers, who work with Greater Manchester Police’s Economic Crime Unit, held the events aimed at teaching the public about how to avoid fraud all over the city region.

They used their own skills and life experiences to help host a total of 145 fraud prevention events.

Detective Sergeant Stacey Shannon of GMP’s Economic Crime Unit, said: “We have grown our team of volunteers and hope to further increase our numbers over the coming year so we can reach as many people as we possibly can. 

“There are so many different types of fraud out there to protect people from and our work to reach as many people in the community as possible continues to ensure that we equip the public with as much crime prevention advice as possible throughout the year.

The Bolton News: The volunteers hope to grow their numbers next yearThe volunteers hope to grow their numbers next year (Image: GMP)

“We know there is always more to do to prevent fraud from happening in the first place and we want to make it easy for you to make it hard for criminals to take your hard earned money.

“Every fraud situation is different, but we are here to help.

“If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t so please talk to someone and report it to action fraud.”

The team have run these events in their own time and have been trained to advise members of the public on all the latest types of fraud.

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They use this to educate the public on what to do to prevent people from becoming a victim, and to also provide guidance and contact details on how to report a fraud once it has happened.

They say that this will help people spot various kinds of scams to help protect themselves and family members.

Anyone who has been, or suspects they have been, a victim of fraud can report it to Action Fraud online or by calling 0300 123 2040, Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm.

People interested in joining the anti-fraud volunteers have been advised to monitor the careers section of Greater Manchester Police’s website.