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Latest news in Yorkshire: March 28, 2019 10:59:35 AM
‘Fraud Roadshow’ aims to make communities and vulnerable people stronger
and smarter than the criminals who target them.
Our Fraud PROTECT Officer, Andy Foster, who is based in the Financial
Crime Investigation Unit, has been speaking to local communities to
raise awareness of fraud and the methods used by criminals.
Andy’s most recent session was with members of the Barnsley Parkinson’s
Society, held at Emmanuel Church on Huddersfield Road in Barnsley, with
over 50 attendees.
Andy said: “Engaging with the public is the best way to raise awareness
of the issues we face and it was clear from the amount of questions
asked at the end of the presentation, that members were grateful to
learn more about staying safe”.
Andy is keen to raise awareness and stop people becoming a victim of
fraud related crime by sharing his top tips to stay safe.
He added: “Criminals use a variety of methods to commit fraud including
‘phishing emails’ -for example, bogus messages letting you know about a
recent inheritance win or phone calls in which callers pretend to be
from a trusted organisation, such as your bank or the police, asking you
to reconfirm your private details.
“Scammers may send letters through the post containing authentic looking
official certificates claiming you have won substantial amounts of
money.
“Other fraudsters target social media and dating sites, amongst the
genuine profiles, fake ones are set up by criminals. They are after
money, not love, are masters of manipulation, playing on vulnerable
people’s good nature and emotions to ultimately steal as much money as
they can.”
Here are Andy’s top tips to stay safe:
Keep your technology up-to-date
Computers are a popular target for fraudsters. Scammers can create
websites containing malicious codes and send emails with viruses
attached in an attempt to steal important details. Some may ask you for
permission to access your computer, tablet or mobile, enabling them to
download remote control software to gain access to your personal
information including banking details.
Never agree to let anyone access your computer, downloading the latest
anti-virus software and using an up-to-date operating system will
prevent most of these attacks.
Don’t trust strangers
Fraudsters often pretend to be someone from a trustworthy profession,
such as a policeman, a charity fundraiser or an employee at your bank.
These people will never ask you for sensitive information such as
passwords and credit card numbers, so if they do, be very suspicious.
Dealing with postal fraud
If you think you or a family member is receiving scam mail, please
complete the Royal Mail Scam Mail Report and send it to FREEPOST SCAM
MAIL, include any items of mail you have received that you believe were
sent by fraudsters. This should include the original envelope it was
sent in. You can also email: scam.mail@royalmail.com, or phone: 0800
0113466.
Romance Scams
If using a dating site or have met someone on social media stay on the
website you met the person, often, criminals will ask you to continue
communicating through a different social media app. Do not be convinced
by a profile picture as this can easily be fake.
Stop unwanted calls
Communications companies including BT, Sky and Talk Talk provide free
call blocking services. If you do not subscribe to any of these then
consider purchasing a call blocking unit such as the Truecall Call
Blocker https://www.truecall.co.uk/ or a replacement telephone with
built in call blocking software
http://bt.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/55409/~/bt-decor-2600-advanced-call-blocker
If you have been a victim of fraud, please report it online via our
website.
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[tags fraud, police, rotherham]