Spam awareness and Fraud Prevention
Andrea Blude
Spam Awareness and Fraud Prevention was the title of Home Instead’s Andrea Blude’s presentation on 3rd November.
She encouraged us to share experiences of any scams and frauds – there is no need to feel ashamed at being taken in – even the most cautious can be victims as criminals become ever more resourceful and convincing.
She encouraged us to “Take Five” before responding to any unexpected or suspicious contact on the doorstep, phone, letter, email or message. The over 55s are the most likely target for scammers and fraudsters, though the 18-35 year olds are most likely to fall for a scam or fraud.
Andrea passed on some tips, such as never answering a suspicious caller with a “Yes” as that can be manipulated into agreement for their own criminal ends, checking that a back door is locked before answering an unexpected knock on the front door (thieves can work in pairs and distract), checking unsolicited emails, using strong passwords etc.
www.getsafeonline.org/checkawebsite and 0300 123 2040 for Action Fraud are useful resources. Suspicious text messages can be forwarded to 7726.
