The Campaign

The Think Jessica campaign team has been contacted by numerous individuals and organisations to help with severe cases of scam mail. Those who have been in touch include:

Relatives of “chronic” victims,
Postmen/woman,
Trading Standards,
Citizens Advice,
Age Concern,
Help the Aged,
MenCap,
Memory Clinics,
Banks/Building Societies.

All the parties above have reported cases of chronic victims who are emptying bank accounts and selling homes to keep up with the demands of criminals who befriend /trick & threaten them daily.

The campaign has a number of common sense objectives. Watch Marilyn’s interview on BBC Breakfast here to find out more.

We believe the Postal Services act needs urgent revision to protect millions of vulnerable people from criminals who are having an easy and assisted passage into their homes, minds and bank accounts.

Our main aims are as follows:

Firstly:
To raise the public's awareness to the extent of the criminal mail problem in the U.K £30 billion is estimated as being lost to scams each year; however, only one in five cases are reported.

Secondly:
“Jessica’s Syndrome” to be recognised as a condition (Currently there is no help available from any agency or organisation other than “lip service”). As the law stands any intervention like redirection of mail or handing over power of attorney is not possible without the victim's consent.

Thirdly:
Research tells us that R.M delivery personnel easily recognise when someone is being targeted. Think Jessica would like to see a system in place where postal delivery workers could sound an alarm: thus allowing help to be sent out.

The Royal Mail would still get to make their delivery and the “silent” victim could be provided with early professional help.
“Think Jessica” warning posters & recorded warning message phone number (Martin Lewis) in Banks/Building Societies and other public places to raise awareness and deter scammers.

In the long term to bring about the introduction of legalisation to stop scammers hiding behind P.O Boxes. In the UK it is easier to rent a P.O Box than it is to rent a DVD!

FACT!
Criminals have to open accounts to put scam mail into the system in bulk. Note all scam mail with a printed Royal Mail Stamp has a PPI number on the stamp.

The situation with scam mail now is so endemic. We believe that clients should be vetted before they can open accounts. This would immediately prove to be an effective deterrent.

We also campaign for all mail from overseas to carry the postmark of the country it came from.

This is why some criminal mail from abroad has a Royal Mail printed stamp.

Royal Mail & T.N.T own Spring Global Mail.

From Spring Global Mails website

"Spring Global Mail is a world leader in the provision of international mail services to businesses.

We are a joint venture company, formed in 2001 by three of the world’s most dynamic and respected postal organisations: TNT of the Netherlands, Royal Mail of the United Kingdom and Singapore Post.

We employ 1,100 people in 25 countries and our headquarters are located in Amsterdam, the Netherlands."

(Note; In 2009 Singapore post sold their share in Spring. SGM is now a joint venture between TNT & Royal Mail).

Below is a service advertised by Spring.

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Local Look
When you use the Royal Mail services we can offer, you do not need to set up shop in the UK to be able to access the UK market. It can simply be done from the comfort of your own office. Because your mail will carry a UK stamp or “postage paid” symbol, it will give your customer the impression that your mail was posted in the United Kingdom, making it easier for you to compete with local suppliers.

Whether you send business correspondence, direct mail, catalogues, magazines, newspapers or other printed matter, there is a Royal Mail UK postal service that suits your mailing needs.

Response Services
To maintain the local look and feel you have created by using one of the Royal Mail services described above, you could insert a response card or envelope in your mail pack enabling potential customers to respond to a UK address.

Mail like this is designed to give the recipient the impression that the “company” is UK based, traceable and legitimate, but the pre-addressed envelope inside sends the victims cash to another country, keeping the criminal clear of UK laws. Millions of letters like these can be in our postal system at any one time. This kind of deception encourages vulnerable people to respond to scam mail.

Spring have cancelled 13 criminal contracts. However scammers can change the bogus company name, get another P.O. Box address and open a new account with Spring.

The Royal Mail say they have a legal obligation to deliver all mail as addressed. There is no doubt that currently they do, but they say nothing about their association with Spring and how large amounts of criminal mail get into the UK postal system further down the chain.

The Royal Mail has no literature available, warnings about scam (criminal) mail on their website or any facility to report scam mail. This is something that could be easily rectified.

The Fraud Act 2006 3 May 2007 – Malcolm Woolgar – Lloyd’s
The UK Fraud Act 2006 (”the Act”) came into force on 15 January 2007. The Act is a clearly written piece of legislation that should facilitate the investigation and prosecution of fraud in the UK. The following provides a brief summary of the key aspects of this legislation.

According to the Act, the offence of fraud can be committed in three ways:

False representation (section 2)
Failing to disclose information (section 3)
Abuse of position (section 4)

It is no longer necessary to prove that the victim was deceived: all that is required is to prove that the fraudster was dishonest in their behavior.

Click here to see how Australian Post deals with scam mail.

Would you like to sponsor Think Jessica and have your banner on our supporter's column? If so please contact us via our contact page.