Question reference: S6W-01753
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 22 July 2021
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Current status: Answered by Shona Robison on 3 September 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans are in place to reduce the risk of scammers and rogue traders targeting vulnerable and older people in relation to the installation of new interlinked fire alarms, in light of its recent legislation requiring this, and what assessment it has made of the merits of a public awareness campaign on this issue.
Answer
The Scottish Government will undertake a comprehensive awareness raising campaign which will run across a range of channels including TV, Radio and digital to ensure people are aware of the new legislation and encourage compliance. This will include material to support third sector stakeholders and messaging on the importance of using reputable tradespeople including signposting to local government Trading Standards.
The Strategic Framework within Scotland’s Scams Prevention, Awareness and Enforcement Strategy, published in 19 March 2021, focusses on prevention, disruption, awareness, education and enforcement. This is intended to help all consumers with practical steps they can take to recognise common scam tactics and avoid the risk posed by this criminal activity.
Further advice can be obtained from consumeradvice.scot which is a free consumer helpline funded by the Scottish Government.