Welcome to Think Jessica
Like many of us, you no doubt get one or two pieces of junk mail through your door in a morning. What emotion does this evoke? Annoyance? Anger? Mild stress? All are entirely understandable. However, imagine if instead of a couple of takeaway menus, you received one hundred scam (criminal) letters every day; each bombarding you with promises of money or threats.
For many vulnerable people, the bombardment of scam mail results in fear, severe financial difficulties and ultimately a decline in both physical and mental health. Chronic victims of scam mail end up being hounded by numerous criminal organisations and 3.5 billion pounds is 'scammed' from UK citizens each year.
Think Jessica aims to raise awareness of the dangers of scam mail, provide support to those who need help and push the government to create new legislation to protect those chronic victims who are over trusting, suffer from social isolation or declining mental health.
Take a look through the website for more information about chronic victims of scam mail, the work Think Jessica has done so far and find out how you can help.
If you think people who fall for scam letters are stupid
Think Again!
Criminals worldwide are sending millions of scam letters into the UK.
After replying to the first 'tempter' letter, victim's names are put on a 'suckers' list; these lists are then sold to other criminals all over the world.
A chronic scam victim is someone who is repeatedly taken in by scams. This may be because they are over trusting, socially isolated, suffering from declining mental health or dementia.
Royal Mail postal delivery workers are delivering 30/40/50 over 100 criminal letters a day to some victims; yet there is no system in place that allows them to sound the alarm!
22,000 victims replied to one scam mail shot in one day and sent £500,000.
20 pensioners in Cornwall collectively sent £350,000 to another!
Scam mail is designed to shut down the normal thought process and dazzle the mind. Chronic victims can only focus on the fictitious prize, not the money they are sending to claim it. They do not understand modern technology, or how it allows criminals to mass-produce mail and make it look like important and personally written correspondence.
Criminals claiming to be Lottery officials, Solicitors, Bankers and clairvoyants send out mail that knits together to form a delusional world that becomes a victims reality.
Criminals also use the voice of authority, swear vulnerable victims to secrecy and make threats to snare those from a generation that was built on trust and obedience.
FACT; Registering with the Mail Preference Service (MPS) will stop JUNK mail. It will NOT stop SCAM mail because it is addressed to the individual by name and The Royal Mail have a legal obligation to deliver all addressed mail!
This add is placed in magazines including "Chat" & "Yours" it does not ask for cash. Anyone responding will get spin off letters from a so called world famous physic "Karina Natalia" who claims she is going to Lourdes to prey.Victims are then asked for all their personal details including names of grandchildren and pets.These details go on "suckers" lists and are sold to criminals worldwide. This scam has been reported to the ASA as far back as 2003. It continues to thrive and still uses the same mailing address on the Kings Road. The mail is forwarded to the scammers who are based abroad.
Lieselotte Gerrard (84) commited suicide after ending up almost penniless chasing an international lottery scam. She was found dead at her flat in Bedford on January 15th 2010 after taking an overdose of pills. Mrs Gerrards stepson, Barry, tried to persuade her to give up the scams, but the pair fell out in June last year and did not speak again after that.
Det Sgt Baron said "Lieselotte wasted a huge amount of money chasing the lottery wins, that were never going to happen"
