Scorpion warning to avoid getting stung by 'agile crooks'
Agile, sophisticated 'crooks' with no scruples are in the firing sight of the key figures leading the pension reforms, as they try to steer savers away from cold calling scammers.
Michelle Cracknell, chief executive of The Pensions Advisory Service, and Pensions Minister Steve Webb have put out a stern warning to retirees to be vigilant about fraudsters trying to get hold of their cash as the reforms kick in.
TPAS, which is providing the Pension Wise telephone service, has joined forces with The Pensions Regulator as it beefs up its Scorpion campaign to protect savers by urging them to 'scam proof their savings'.
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A swathe of information and advice to detect scammers is being offer by the regulator.
Guidance for pension scheme trustees, including a check list of scam hallmarks, and signposts to a new code of good practice that sets out due diligence processes to combat scams, has also been made available.
Mr Webb said: "You can spend years saving into a pension only to find yourself tricked out of your money in the blink of an eye by these unscrupulous crooks.
"We are taking tough action along with our partners to tackle this scourge, but people must be vigilant."
The Pensions Regulator's chief executive Lesley Titcomb said: "The people behind pension scams are often agile, sophisticated and organised. Whatever the law is, they will seek to exploit it – so we expect the scams we see to continue to evolve in light of the new flexibilities available.
"Scammers will try to flatter, tempt and pressure people into transferring pension funds into an investment with guaranteed returns, most of which will be bogus."
Ms Cracknell said: "A good pension could change people's lives; it's a valuable asset that many forget about until later life. Unfortunately, like anything valuable, pensions are at serious risk of scams.
"We have calls from many people who have been approached by cold callers offering pensions reviews or propositions of unrealistic or false opportunities.
"We believe that it is really important that we raise consumer awareness of how people can properly protect their pension savings and make the most of them. By taking certain precautions, pension savers can feel confident that they are safeguarding their financial future."