Spoiler
The cleaner has been seen investing her beingness savings and pension with a acold calling operation
EASTENDERS’ Jean Slater is acceptable for a miserable Christmas aft realising she’s mislaid everything to scammers.
The cleaner - who is played by histrion Gillian Wright successful the BBC soap - has been seen investing her beingness savings and pension with a acold calling operation.
But she volition soon observe that they are scammers who person taken everything from her.
EastEnders has worked with experts successful the tract including autarkic scams adept Nick Stapleton, The Pensions Regulator and Stop Scams UK connected the storyline successful which Jean is tricked into giving the money she’s accrued successful a long-forgotten pension money to scammers.
The communicative - which is portion of BBC’s Scam Safe inaugural - volition proceed arsenic Jean discovers much astir the scammers and deals with the applicable and affectional fallout of the crime.
EastEnders Executive Producer Chris Clenshaw explained: “Jean’s communicative volition item the utmost strategies scammers usage to summation a victim’s spot to person them into parting with superior sums of money.
“Not lone volition Jean person to header with losing her pension money, but she’ll besides person to woody with a scope of hard emotions arsenic she tells her household and friends what’s happened.”
Nick Stapleton, scams adept and BBC Scam Safe spokesperson, added: “I americium incredibly blessed to spot the contented of scams and fraud getting the attraction it deserves with a storyline connected 1 of the nation's favourite soaps.
“Scams are 1 of the top challenges of modern times; not conscionable the wealth we suffer to scammers arsenic a country, but the affectional and intelligence interaction for those who spell done one.
“It's precocious clip we brought that afloat into the mainstream and EastEnders is starring the way.”
Gaucho Rasmussen, Director of Regulatory Compliance astatine The Pensions Regulator, said: “Jean’s communicative highlights however ruthlessly scammers exploit the vulnerable.
“Sadly, this storyline is not conscionable fiction. Action Fraud probe shows that much than £17 cardinal was reported mislaid to pension fraud successful 2023, with the mean unfortunate losing much than £47,000.
EastEnders fans near open-mouthed arsenic Jean Slater's existent property is revealed
“We are urging radical to beryllium connected their defender against scammers by knowing the informing signs.
“Be alert of high-pressure tactics, offers of escaped pension reviews oregon promises that look excessively bully to beryllium true.
“If you fishy a scam, study it to Action Fraud – it’s a captious measurement successful stopping these criminals.”
James Masters, Head of Communications astatine Stop Scams UK, added: "At Stop Scams UK, we’re arrogant to person worked with EastEnders to item the devastating interaction scams tin person connected people’s lives.
How to support yourself from an concern scam
TO debar falling unfortunate to concern scams, you request to stay vigilant erstwhile making concern decisions.
- Reject unsolicited concern offers, whether made online, connected societal media, oregon implicit the phone.
- Before investing, cheque the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Register to spot if the steadfast oregon idiosyncratic you are dealing with is authorised. Also cheque the FCA Warning List of firms to avoid.
- If successful doubt, steer good clear.
- Get impartial proposal earlier investing.
Signs that should acceptable the alarm bells ringing include:
- Unexpected interaction – portion you whitethorn beryllium connected your defender for acold callers, you present request to beryllium alert to interaction retired of the bluish from each sorts of online sources, specified arsenic email oregon societal media. The aforesaid applies to interaction you whitethorn get done the post, via connection of mouth, oregon adjacent successful idiosyncratic astatine a seminar oregon exhibition.
- Time unit – beware if idiosyncratic offers you a bonus oregon discount if you put earlier a acceptable day oregon says the accidental is lone disposable for a abbreviated period.
- Social impervious – support an oculus retired for fake reviews and claims that different clients person invested, oregon privation successful connected the deal.
- Unrealistic returns – ticker retired for fraudsters promising tempting returns that dependable excessively bully to beryllium true, specified arsenic overmuch amended involvement rates than elsewhere.
- False authorization – don’t get tricked by convincing lit and websites, oregon investments which assertion to beryllium regulated. Also beryllium wary of idiosyncratic speaking with authorization connected concern products.
- Flattery – beryllium connected your defender if idiosyncratic tries to physique a relationship with you. They whitethorn beryllium trying to lull you into a mendacious consciousness of security.
“Storylines similar Jean’s are almighty tools for raising consciousness and empowering the nationalist to spot and debar scams.
“By bringing these issues to beingness during BBC Scam Safe Week, EastEnders is playing a important relation successful helping to amended viewers and highlighting the value of staying vigilant against scams."