Cllr Roy Gerstner – Community Activist

Criminals are impersonating Amazon and contacting customers out of the blue claiming suspicious activity has occurred on their account, new data shows. 

Over a nine day period, between 5-14 October 2026, criminals stole £86,837 from victims, a daily average of over £9,600 while purporting to be representatives from Amazon.

We are urging the public about an emerging trend of Amazon impersonation after it was identified in reports made to the service. Within the nine day period, Report Fraud received 110 reports where Amazon impersonation had been identified, with people aged between 50 to 79 most impacted, accounting for 60 per cent of reports. 

Analysis of Report Fraud data identified an emerging trend in reporting which involves a victim being contacted by the criminal claiming to be from Amazon who informs them of alleged suspicious activity on their Amazon account. 

The criminals then claim that unauthorised items have been added to the victim’s Amazon basket. To make the fraud appear genuine, they provide delivery addresses that do not belong to the victim and claim that someone is attempting to purchase the items using the victim’s bank details.

The criminal then tells the victim that the transactions can be stopped and their account secured, but only if they follow specific instructions including:

• Victims asked to share their screen through messaging platforms as part of a resolution process and download money transfer apps. Criminals then use these apps to move money into accounts they control.
• Victims told to provide legitimate documents, such as a passport or driving licence, for “verification” purposes. Criminals use this information to facilitate the fraud and transfer money.
• Victims persuaded to download remote access software, allowing criminals to take control of the device and carry out transactions on the victim’s behalf to steal funds without their knowledge.
• Victims are told that gift cards have been added to their Amazon basket without permission. Criminals then claim urgent action is needed to stop the purchases and trick victims into authorising payments, which are instead sent to accounts under the criminals’ control.

How to protect yourself? 

Remember that genuine service providers, banks and the police will never call asking you to transfer money, share personal financial details or hand over remote control of your computer, phone or other device.

If you’ve received a call that doesn’t feel right, STOP!

• Hang up.
• Check if it’s genuine: contact the organisation directly using contact details you know are correct, such as those on an official website or app, or by calling 159 if you need to contact your bank.
• Don’t trust the Caller ID display on your phone – it’s not proof of ID.
• Report it by sending a text to 7726 with the word ‘Call’ followed by the scam caller’s number.

If you believe you are a victim of fraud, you should tell Report Fraud online or by calling 0300 123 2040. If you live in Scotland, contact Police Scotland on 101.

Amazon’s resources & tips.

Please see our latest Trustworthy Shopping Experience Blog post, which we also emailed to our customers earlier this year, in addition to 6 tips to help you spot and avoid scams impersonating Amazon.

Within, Student suffers seizure – Lots to read.

I am a full member of the CAB in my own right – not as a council representative.
The CAB provides a fantastic resource and help to our residents.
WTC make a contribution annually and at present have 4 timed slots on a Tuesday.
Next weeks slots have all been taken.

Peterborough & Cambridgeshire (Fenland) still hanging in the balance.
Promises it will be decided by ‘early’ next year.

Last week, one of the wards we inspected/audited – failed.
The other three passed.

For a number of years, I join a very small team – who carry out an assessment
(none- clinical) of our hospital(s) (Peterborough & Stamford).
This year I will be doing 3 x 1 day sessions.

No we do not get paid for this – it is purely volunteer based

Good environments matter. Every NHS patient should be cared for with compassion and dignity in a clean, safe environment.
Where standards fall short, they should be able to draw it to the attention of managers and hold the service to account.
PLACE assessments will provide motivation for improvement by providing a clear message, directly from patients, about how the environment or services might be enhanced.

The assessments involve local people (known as patient assessors) going into hospitals as part of teams to assess how the environment supports the provision of clinical care, assessing such things as privacy and dignity, food, cleanliness and general building maintenance and, more recently, the extent to which the environment is able to support the care of those with dementia or with a disability.

Recruitment and training of patient assessors is the responsibility of those organisations undertaking assessments.

The assessments take place every year, and results are published to help drive improvements in the care environment. The results show how hospitals are performing both nationally and in relation to other hospitals providing similar services.

Note that PLACE assessments focus exclusively on the environment in which care is delivered and do not cover clinical care provision or how well staff are doing their job.

Again, I am very proud and privileged to be of help and member of this group.

Our annual “Postathon” is set to return today (29 October) as part of International Control Room Week.
The event will offer you an insight into the pressures faced by control room staff who deal, on average, with 1164 calls, 78 web chats and 436 incidents every day.

We will use the event to shine a spotlight on the often-hidden work of call handlers, dispatchers, and IMU operators who work from the force control room – described as “the beating heart” of policing operations.
In previous years, social media users have shared their thoughts on the Postathon, with one saying, “these updates are an amazing insight into life in the control room”, and another describing the Postathon as “absolutely incredible”.

Another user said: “I don’t think it’s recognised how many emergency calls just one police force gets in half an hour! Thank you to all emergency call handlers”.
Superintendent Nick Church, head of demand, said: “When someone contacts us for help, it is a member of our control room team who is there at the other end of the phone.
“They deal with an incredible variety of situations, often supporting people at some of the most difficult moments of their lives, while ensuring our officers have all the information they need to respond.

“The Postathon gives people a rare glimpse into this vital work, and Control Room Week is a great opportunity to say a huge thank you to the dedicated team of control room staff working around the clock to help keep Cambridgeshire safe.
“I want to thank everyone working behind the scenes for the professionalism, resilience and dedication they show, day in, day out. The role they play in keeping our communities safe should not be underestimated.”

To follow the Postathon, visit @CambsCops on Facebook and Instagram, where updates will be shared every 30 minutes between 2pm and 8pm on 29 October.

If you think you could be the calm voice on the end of the 999 phone line, the force is currently recruiting for control room staff, with opportunities for both call handlers and dispatchers. To find out more or to apply, visit the force’s website.

Tonight two meetings…
Whittlesey Business Community @ The Falcon 18:00 for start @18:30
Whittlesey Street Pride @ The Manor Centre for 19:30

The following are planned suspensions to navigation in 2026 and 2027.

Once date windows are confirmed a suspension notice will be published and distributed.

• Ashline Lock – Closure likely during Autumn/Winter 2026/27 to de-water the lock and inspect the structure to inform future gas replacement and associated works. This would suspend the Nene – Great Ouse link route.There will be a closure in place on the Kings Dyke navigation between Stanground Lock and Ashline Lock from Monday 2^nd November 2026 to Monday 22^nd January 2027.

  This is to allow for the dewatering and inspection for Ashline and the replacement of the Bower footbridge.