Feature - Telephone scams

feature

Telephone scams

In 2016 Ofcom announced that each year UK telephone customers receive approximately 4.8bn nuisance calls, 1.7bn live sales calls, 1.5bn silent calls, 940m recorded sales messages, and 200m abandoned calls. Three years later little has changed as there are plenty of telephone scams operating, which have become a lucrative way for criminals to con people out of their money and to get their personal or financial information. Phishing calls (its modern name), have been received by quite a number of residents in Melbourn and because they have been persistent, they have been unsure if it genuine.

Not to be confused with cold calls*, phishing callers will try to convince you that there’s an issue with your computer and that your privacy is at risk. They may try to get you to download malicious software designed to steal your personal information on your computer.

How it works

You receive a telephone call claiming to be from an official customer support agent, from ‘your broadband provider’ such as BT, the biggest provider.

These calls follow a familiar pattern; they will say that you have inadvertently changed your broadband settings from private to public or simply that there’s something wrong with your computer’s internet/internet speed, or that your computer has Malware (malicious software).

After that, the scam caller will ask you to install some third-party software or that you make changes to your computers setting in order to tackle the problem via remote access. The third-party software is likely to be spyware and will give the caller full access to your computer from anywhere in the world.

In many cases the scam caller will appear to be calling from a UK area code and they often demonstrate knowledge of your personal details (e.g. name, phone number and address). Unfortunately, over the past few years a huge amount of personal information has been stolen and personal details for millions of people made available from public sources – not to mention the many retail and internet companies that have passed on your details.

Automated voice calls are now being used to inform you that your computer or internet has been compromised and to call a number. These calls may follow the pattern as described above, but are just as likely to be an equally sinister scam as the ‘missed call scam’ shown below. It is very unlikely that your service provider will call you direct to inform you of a problem. The best course of action is to put the phone down, wait a few minutes and then call your provider directly on an official number in order to report the incident. Fraudsters call your mobile or house phone, but hang up as soon as it starts ringing. This then shows up on the phone as a missed call. They may even leave a message on your answerphone and ask you to call back as soon as possible. Unfortunately, many people do ring back, in case it’s urgent.

In fact, the number used by the criminals incurs premiumrate charges that can be as high as £15. These payments can be applied just for connecting the call, regardless of how long you stay on the line. But, in some cases, you will also hear a long recorded message intended to keep you on the phone for as long as possible so that the charges mount up. Never call a number back if you don’t recognise the number. If a phone call is genuinely important, the caller should leave you a voicemail message. Bank call

Someone claiming to be from your bank telling you there’s a problem with your card or account. The caller will often sound professional and try to convince you that your card has been cloned or that your money is at risk.

They may ask for your account and card details, including your PIN number, and even offer to send a courier to collect your card. They may also advise transferring your money to a ‘safe account’ to protect it. Your bank would never contact you and ask you to disclose your account number or PIN number over the phone. Compensation calls

This is a call from a company asking about a car accident you’ve supposedly had, claiming you may be entitled to compensation. Some of these could be genuine companies looking for business, but others are scammers. Don’t engage in these calls. If you’ve had an accident, call your own insurance company on the phone number provided on your policy. Pension scams

Nuisance calls from bogus companies proclaiming they can improve your pension are now illegal. If you receive a cold call about your pension, report it to the Information Commissioner’s Office on 0303 123 1113.

*Cold calls

It can be hard to tell the difference between a scam and cold calling. Cold calls are phone calls from companies trying to sell you something, even though they have had no business with you previously. Cold calls aren’t usually illegal and don’t necessarily count as a scam, they are however, annoying, frustrating and for some intimidating.

What should you do if you get a call from a number you don’t recognise?

Older people are often a target for scammers. Fortunately, there are things you can do to protect yourself: • Always be wary of anyone that cold calls you.

Changing attitudes by education www.RoADARC.org.uk

What is Advanced Driving and Riding? It is having the skills and techniques to be safer on the road irrespective of the conditions.

We are a Group covering Cambridgeshire that is dedicated to improving the standard of driving and riding and in so doing help to reduce the number of collisions on our roads.

You can join the Group for a nominal annual subscription and then be coached by volunteer Tutors (male and female) who are all RoSPA Gold Award advanced drivers or riders. We encourage people to take the RoSPA Test but if you just want to improve your standard of driving or riding then that is enough of a reward. Anyone over the age of 18, who has held a full licence for at least a year, can apply for Membership (there is no upper age limit).

We promote the System of Car and Motorcycle Control as taught to Police drivers and riders. The System is a way of approaching and negotiating hazards that is methodical, safe and leaves nothing to chance.

The System of Car Control has five phases: Information, Position, Speed, Gear and Acceleration (IPSGA).

Information is gained from continually observing what is going on around you and using that information to plan your driving and giving information to other road users who may benefit from it.

Position yourself so that you can negotiate the hazard safely and smoothly. • Speed – adjust your speed to suit the conditions and give you the correct speed to complete the manoeuvre smoothly. • Gear – once you have the correct speed for the circumstances, engage the appropriate gear for that speed. • Acceleration – apply the correct degree of acceleration to negotiate and leave the hazard safely. Should you wish to know more about the Group visit www. roadarc.org.uk where you can obtain more information and can download a Membership Application Form. This issues top tip: allow at least a 2 second gap between you and the vehicle in front, in good conditions, and at least double that in wet conditions and much more when snow and/or ice exist.

A small handful were against - ‘At 18, I’ll be more independent minded and not so likely to take the same views as my parents’. (And impressive to see that no one was too shy to express themselves.)

Where do they get their news, I asked? BBC Radio at breakfast time or in the car, BBC and Guardian app (they’re free), listening to their parents. No social media for news. Do you trust social media? NO!

It turned out these students were only 11-12 years old; I’d had them pegged as closer to 16, judging from their discussions about what drives people to criminality, should 97-year-old Dukes who don’t use seatbelts be allowed to drive, key dangers of No-Deal Brexit (hard border in Ireland), Trump and the Wall.

Most comments on local issues were around enthusiasm for the A10 cycle network and the need to extend it – this wasn’t me asking, but them putting it out there. Spurs from Shepreth to Barrington and Melbourn to Fowlmere would, they explained, fill in gaps and make them more independent.

I’m looking forward to my next visit, but will have some homework to do beforehand.

Amazing Young Carers

The definition of a young carer is ‘any young person who cares, unpaid, for a friend or family member who, due to illness, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction, cannot cope without their support’.

At Melbourn Village College nearly 40 amazing students are identified in some way as a young carer. That means they are aged 11-16, carrying out a key role supporting someone very close to them.

The college provides mentoring support, plus a group activity on the second Monday of each month, including various art and craft and cooking activities. Unfortunately, budgets in all schools and colleges are under severe pressure, and Centre 33 who help to run the MVC group also now have no budget.

MVC’s Young Carers’ Champion Caroline Deadman says, ‘I have for several years wished to be able to take the students on a trip, just to the cinema, climbing, or to the trampoline park but have no funds to do this or time to actively fundraise. We are running on empty’.

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to a Young Carers’ activities day in January, and am looking to help with fundraising ideas to expand the range of fun things on offer. In the meantime, if you’d like to help out in any small way, please contact Caroline Deadman, Young Carers Champion at Melbourn Village College: cdeadman@melbournvc.org.

You can learn more about Young Carers here (bearing in mind budget reductions): http://centre33. org.uk/help/young-carer-project/ Susan van de Ven, County Councillor

•Broadband and search engine provider scams. If you receive one of these calls, put the phone down and call your service provider and check with them. Never allow anyone remote access to your computer, unless you a certain who they are. • Never reveal personal details. Be especially suspicious of anyone who asks for personal details, money, banking or credit card information over the telephone. • Hang up. If you feel harassed or intimidated, or if the caller talks over you without giving you a chance to speak, end the call. It may feel rude to hang up on someone, but never be pressured into a transaction over the phone. After all you didn’t ask them to call you • Ring the organisation. If you’re unsure whether the caller is genuine, you can always ring the company or bank they claim to be from. Make sure you find the number yourself and don’t use the one provided by the caller. • Don’t be rushed. Scammers will try to rush you into providing your personal details. They may say they have time-limited offer or claim your bank account is at risk if you don’t give them the information they need right away. How can I avoid phone scams and cold calls? You can block or prevent some cold calls. • Register with the Telephone Preference Service. This service is not perfect, as it may not block scammers, but it’s free and it allows you to opt out of any unsolicited live telesales calls and should reduce the number of cold calls you receive. • Talk to your telephone provider to see what other privacy services and call-blocking services are available. • If you have a mobile/smartphone, you can use the settings on the phone to block unwanted numbers. If you’re not sure how to do this, you could visit your local mobile phone shop for assistance. • BT offer a completely free service known as Call Protect that stops you receiving nuisance calls. This service has a built-in blacklist of known nuisance callers and you can add your own numbers you wish to block. Contact BT for more information. Virgin customers have a limited call blocking service, which is not free and not very effective. These include Anonymous Caller Rejection and Caller Display. • There are a number of telephones available offering a similar service to BTs Call Protect and are often called Call Blockers, these are available from most shops that sell telephones, including John Lewis and Amazon. Report any scam to the police and also contact Action Fraud. The information you give to Action Fraud can help track down the scammer.

Telephone Preference Service Telephone: 0345 070 0707

Email: tps@dma.org.uk Website: www.tpsonline.org.uk Action Fraud Telephone: 0300 123 2040

Website: www.actionfraud.police.uk The police on the non-emergency Telephone: 101 Peter Simmonett

Chauffeur driven Wedding Cars

tel:01763 261250 mob:07530770432 info@drivesofyesteryear.co.uk www.drivesofyesteryear.co.uk

Established 23 years, The Letting Centre is a local, dedicated letting agency based in Melbourn. With long-standing clients some of whom have been with us for 20 years or more, we aim to provide a personal, tailored service covering Cambridge, Royston, Buntingford, Saffron Walden and surrounding villages. We offer discounted fees for multiple properties, as well as those located in any of the villages around Melbourn. Call us for a free market appraisal and comprehensive landlord pack.