One of our coordinators has recently been the target of a convincing postcode lottery scam. (Top tip, you can’t win the postcode lottery, or any lottery, if you haven’t entered; genuine lotteries don’t draw random names.) This letter claimed ‘Participants in this programme were randomly selected by computer’. Please mention this to anyone you feel might need a reminder, these scammers take huge amounts of money from victims. Be very wary if they ask for an admin fee or foreign taxes to be paid, according to the ‘Think Jessica’ campaign ‘No genuine lottery or competition would ask you to send money to claim a prize.
The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) have noticed an increase in Action Fraud reports where fraudsters are offering a discount on television (TV) service provider subscriptions. Fraudsters are cold-calling victims, purporting to be from a TV provider offering a discount on their monthly subscription. Victims have been told the following: their subscription needs to be renewed; that part or all, of the TV equipment has expired and they are due an upgrade on the equipment/subscription. In order to falsely process the discount, the fraudster asks victims to confirm or provide their bank account details. The scammers may also request the victim’s identification documents, such as scanned copies of passports. Watch out for the telephone numbers: “08447111444”, “02035190197” and “08001514141”. The fraudster’s voices are reported to sound feminine and have an Asian accent. This type of fraud is occurring nationwide. Since the beginning of this year (2018), there have been 300 Action Fraud Reports relating to this fraud. From the reports received, victims aged over 66 seem to be the most targeted.
There was an interesting article in the Daily Mail recently, here, warning of a scam that tricked a lady out of four thousand pounds. This was a sophisticated scam, so I’d like to draw attention to it. Fraudsters can falsify phone numbers so that your caller display shows a familiar number such as your bank or the Police or imitates a local number to tempt people to pick up. If possible always go into your bank if someone claims that there is a problem with your account, or – as this is not always possible – call them and wait on the line to speak to a member of staff (avoiding the ‘callback’ scam by using a different line from the one you have been called on or by phoning a friend first to ensure the line is clear). This scam tricks people into opening a new account in which they believe their money will be safe, only to find it has been emptied by the criminals.
Finally, finding a job can be challenging so I thought I’d share an opportunity that might interest someone you know. Cambridgeshire County Council is looking for applicants who could make a real difference to the older people we support. Our energetic and highly committed Reablement Team are expanding. The role of a Reablement Worker is to provide support for a limited time period, to enable someone to regain independence, allowing them to carry out daily tasks like cooking, cleaning and self-care without needing anyone to help. If you know of anyone who might be looking for a job and interested in a role in this team please do contact me for more details or call Harriet Cadman on 01223 703579.
Kind Regards
Elaine Mountfort
Community Protection Officer
People and Communities Directorate
Telephone: 01954 286006 or 07810153604
Email: [email protected]
Please join the fight against scams by registering to become a Friend Against Scams at www.friendsagainstscams.org.uk or follow @AgainstScams on Twitter.
