4 DEMENTIA VICTIMS Rise in drug arrests ESSEX saw the third-highest increase in drug arrests in the country during the Covid-19 pandemic, a report has revealed. The number of drug-related arrests made by Essex Police officers jumped from 4,111 pre-pandemic to 7,261 in 2020/21, according to government statistics. In percentage terms, the drug arrests in Essex rose by 76.6% during the coronavirus pandemic, leaving the county only behind Cleveland (83.4%) and Leicestershire (83.6%) across the whole of the UK.
Buying vaccine online A SURVEY by Scamadvisor.com has found that 28 per cent of consumers could consider sourcing a COVID-19 vaccine online, particularly if they were able to buy it from an official source. The poll of more than 1,100 consumers indicated that the respondents would only buy a shot online if they believed it was genuine. However that could still leave them vulnerable to fraudsters who might try to sell fake vaccines through sites mocked up to look like legitimate sources, according to Scamadvisor.com, which compiled the study.
Misled into buying fakes ON average. nearly one in 10 Europeans (9 per cent) have said that they were misled into buying counterfeits, in a new report from the EU Intellectual Property Office. The report found that a third of Europeans (33 per cent) wondered whether a product they had bought was original, amid estimates that €121bn ($144bn) of fake goods are making their way into the EU every year – accounting for 6.8 per cent of total imports into the bloc. The counterfeits impacted every sector – from cosmetics and toys, wine and beverages, electronics, to clothing, and even pesticides– and can pose serious health and safety risks to consumers.
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Dementia could...
ANYONE can fall for a scam.You don't have to be old or vulnerable to become a victim of scammers and fraudsters. Even well educated, titled people have lost their life savings to smooth talking crooks. But there are some members of our community who can be more at risk – those living with dementia. They can be more at risk because they can find managing money and assessing risk harder.This can make them more vulnerable to scammers. What do we mean by scams? Scams are when criminals trick you into giving them access to your money. As well as losing you money, this can also leave you feeling scared and ashamed. Knowing the techniques scammers use can help you protect yourself and your money. Scams take many forms. Scammers can convince you to buy something that doesn’t exist or spend money when you don’t need to. They can pretend to be your bank, the police, or another trusted organisation to try to get your personal information, bank details or move your money.This can be by phone, email, letter, text or social media. Scammers can also pretend to be someone they’re not, such as pretending they’re there to do building work on your house, in order to be let into your home to steal from you. It may seem scary but there are ways to keep yourself safe. Four ways to avoid scams 1. Stay safe when buying online
It is increasingly common to purchase items online.This can be an efficient way of doing your shopping but we have heard of reports where people have purchased items that have then not arrived. There are some fraudulent sellers who set up fake online companies to steal money. It’s important to make sure you’re staying safe and avoiding these scams when shopping online. Tip: Check you’re buying from a real company. You can search for a company's details on GOV.UK.This will tell you if they're a registered company or not. If you’re buying something on a site you haven't used before, spend a few minutes checking it – start by finding its terms and conditions. The company’s address should have a street name, not just a post office box. Check to see what people have said about the company. It’s worth looking for reviews on different websites such as Which? – don’t rely on reviews the company has put on its own website. Sign up to Which?’s free scam alert email service that gives anyone who signs up the information to know how to spot, avoid and report a scam as well as information about the latest scams. If you decide to go ahead with the purchase and the item costs more than £100, use a credit card if you have one, as you might have a legal claim for credit card purchases above that amount if things go wrong. continued page 5
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