As part of its service to the community, Chiseldon Parish Council publishes information about a wide range of organisations, groups and enterprises. In doing so, we may link to third-party websites. However, this does not imply the Council’s endorsement. Readers should always verify the validity and legitimacy of an organisation, group or enterprise before taking any action.
Action Fraud and Scams
Action Fraud have received reports of #COVID19 related scams. The majority relate to the online sale of protective items such as facemasks and other items in short supply due to the outbreak, that don’t exist..
https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/alert/coronavirus-related-fraud-reports
What scams are we seeing?
The majority of reports are related to online shopping scams where people have ordered protective face masks, hand sanitiser and other products, which have never arrived. Other frauds being reported include ticket fraud, romance fraud, charity fraud and lender loan fraud
Protection advice
Detailed counter fraud advice is available online, including from Scamsmart, ActionFraud, CIFAS, TakeFive, Citizens Advice, Trading Standards and the National Cyber Security Centre.
Reporting to Action Fraud can be done online at https://www.actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040.
To report offers of financial assistance from HMRC contact phishing@hmrc.gov.uk.
Sixty and Me Guide to Scams
We’ve just published a guide detailing the common scams targeting older adults, which includes a video from our founder Margaret Manning – https://sixtyandme.com/seniors-scams/
It’s a deep dive into 10+ common scams including ways to avoid them. Hopefully, it proves useful as it is clear that elder fraud is going vastly under-reported with research suggesting it has become a $27 billion a year problem in the US alone.