Hero Awards: Scam victim-turned-Mail Marshall receives national hero award

Posted 20/06/18

Leeds-based, Sigrid Hambly, 79, a scam mail target for eight years, receives the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) Hero Award, after becoming a National Trading Standards (NTS) Mail Marshall this year.

Sigrid had previously fallen victim to a prize draw scam after experiencing personal financial difficulties but during a visit from West Yorkshire Trading Standards decided to join the NTS Scams Team’s Mail Marshall Scheme to “share what she had learned about avoiding scams.”

Sigrid has made it her personal mission to ensure the vulnerable in her community don’t become victims, even describing it as ‘her job,’ in spite of her personal suffering from mini-strokes.

Working with West Yorkshire Trading Standards SAFER teams and the local police, Sigrid arranged a number of scams and fraud prevention workshops at various locations in her community to raise awareness.

The CTSI Hero Award celebrates individuals or groups of people whose outstanding contribution towards consumer protection in our communities have made a significant impact. Every year, the Institute is inspired by the stories of nominees throughout the country whose bravery, altruism and hard work often goes unnoticed.

Chief Executive at CTSI, Leon Livermore, said: “Age is just a number. Sigrid refused to be a just another victim, choosing to take a stand for others in her community, and we’re honoured to present her with a Hero Award.”

Sigrid was nominated by Yvette Sheldon, Project Officer for West Yorkshire Trading Standards, who said: “Sigrid’s passion to protect other members of her community is simply inspiring. She is an excellent champion of the work trading standards does and an asset to the community.”

Stuart Andrew, MP for Pudsey, presented Sigrid with her award at a special ceremony, which was held on Wednesday 20 June, at One Great George Street, London. Sigrid was honoured alongside eight other Heroes of consumer protection. 

ENDS

Notes for Editors:

For press queries/accreditation, email CTSI Press Office: [email protected], or call 01268 582240.

Picture l-r: Sigrid Hambly, Stuart Andrew MP 

Sponsored by: 

CTSI College of Fellows

The College of Fellows is a charity that has supported CTSI and the trading standards profession for more than 60 years. It promotes educational and research activities, as well as providing help for the families and dependants of trading standards professionals who die in service, and in other times of crisis.

Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI)

CTSI is a training and membership group that has represented the interests of the Trading Standards profession since 1881 nationally and internationally. We aim to raise the profile of the profession while working towards fairer, better informed and safer consumer and business communities.

CTSI’s members are engaged in delivering frontline trading standards services in local authorities and in businesses. www.tradingstandards.uk.

Scams Awareness Month

Scams Awareness Month is an annual opportunity to raise awareness and take a stand against the crimes and predatory practices which affect millions of people. The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) has teamed up with Citizens Advice and the Consumer Protection Partnership (CPP) to ensure trading standards services can raise awareness of scams across the country.

This year’s campaign, ‘Don’t miss a trick, be scam aware’, will continue to focus on those frequently targeted for scams. Working with trading standards, Citizens Advice have identified four groups most likely to be targeted by scams: young people (18-24), life established (40s-60s), over 70s and the socially isolated. Each week of the campaign will focus on one of these four key groups.

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