Stay alert to the loan sharks

16 KNIFE AMNESTY Mum’s plea to solve missing son riddle

WHEN Anthony Stammers left home he told his mum her he was going out for a while and was likely to stay overnight at a friend’ s house before attending his grandfather ’ s funeral planned for the next day.

That was 10 years ago. Anthony, 27, didn ’t get to the funeral and hasn ’t been seen at his home in Mile End Road, Colchester, since.

The talented musician sent a text message to his mum, Julie, at 11am asking her to make sure his trousers were ready for his grandfather ’ s funeral the next day.

But when he did not arrive at Colchester Crematorium for the service on May 28, his parents reported him missing. Despite widespread searches of the town and appeals for information,Anthony has not been located.

In the last decade, Essex Police have followed up potential sightings of Anthony in areas such as Colchester, Staffordshire, Birmingham, Doncaster and London. Unfortunately, none have yielded any significant lines of enquiry.

Mum Julie said: “For some reason, I really don ’t know why, on that occasion I clocked him head to toe and took in everything that he was wearing. He texted me asking to make sure his trousers were ready for the funeral – and that was the last contact we had. ”

Enquiries found Anthony had withdrawn money from a nearby petrol station during the morning and that is his last-known bank transaction.

To mark the tenth anniversary of Anthoy ’ s disappearance, the family is completing a series of fundraising events to raise money for the charity, Missing People, from which they have received huge support.

Julie added: “There were, and still are, days when you feel like you don ’t want to get up, but I remember what Rob has said to me before, that today could be the day we find him.That’ s what keeps us going; that and very dear family and friends.

“My heart also aches for our other two children so much because it is their brother who is missing, and they were very close before Anthony went missing.

“His sister, Cathy, was always like a mini-mother to Anthony and his brother James had grown very close to him too.

“For a long time, one of us always had to be in the house because we couldn ’t bear the thought of Anthony coming back and no one being here.

“You do move on from that and you put other things in place to make sure nothing is missed when you are out. ”

You can call us on 101 or contact missing people charity. Please quote reference 12-001452 when providing any information to make sure it gets to the right person as quickly as possible.

Knife amnesty...

A KNIFE amnesty was launched across Essex last month alongside the rollout of new branding on knife bins placed at 14 sites across the county.

Essex Police has now taken over responsibility for the bins, which are funded by the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC), theViolence andVulnerability Unit (VVU) and Essex Police.

As part of that move, a new bin has been installed at Grays police station while each container has now been rebranded using artwork from three secondary school pupils; one from in Essex, Southend andThurrock, who won a competition to design new livery.

InThurrock, the work of Rachida, 12, from the Hathaway Academy,Thurrock, has been printed on the container whilst in Southend, Dexter 11, of Eastwood Academy, will appear. In Essex, the work of Bethany 13, of the CorneliusVermuyden School, can be seen.

Essex Police have also partnered with the Ben KinsellaTrust, an educational charity set up following the tragic murder of 16-year-old Ben Kinsella in 2008.

The organisation campaigns against knife crime and works with more than 4,000 young people each year in order to prevent them from straying into crime.

The competition winners have also won a trip to the Trust' s “Choices and Consequences ” workshop, funded by the EssexViolence andVulnerability Unit, which will highlight the dangers of knife crime and help the children learn about Ben ’ s life.

The amnesty allows for anyone who wants to dispose of bladed weapons to do so safely and without fear of prosecution. continued on page 17

KNIFE AMNESTY 17 ...is rolled out at 14 sites across Essex

Teaching young people that you don’t need to carry a life and telling their friends not to carry a knife is a positive life choice.

ROGER HIRST, Police Commissioner

Bin-it and save someone’s life

from page 16 The priority is for as many knives as possible to be taken off the streets of Essex.

These bins are, of course, just one element of the wider approaches to tackling knife crime.

“We put significant effort into tackling knife crime including ‘hotspot’ policing, intelligence gathering, using knife arches, and utilising additional powers such as dispersal orders and Section 60 powers, which are an extension of the stop-and-search activity which takes place every day, ” said temporary detective Chief Inspector Clayton Ford, of the Prepare, Prevent and ProtectTeam, SeriousViolence Unit.

“Thankfully, knife enabled crime is falling across Essex; in the year 2019/2020 – the best year with which to compare given the impact of covid – there were 1,881 offences recorded. In 2021/2022, 1,629 offences were recoded – a drop of 13%.

“But we aren ’t resting on our laurels. Knife crime and violence is not an issue the police can tackle alone, and we work with partners to address it.

“In Essex, we are incredibly lucky to have so many partners, such as the EssexViolence andVulnerability Unit, who believe the same as we do – that the response to knife crime requires a multi-agency approach by working with education, health, local authorities, local organisations and probation services.

“A key focus is to help divert people who are involved in, or at risk of being involved in, knife and violent crime away from this lifestyle and into areas as sports, education, volunteering, rehabilitation.

“This is a battle that we as a community must fight together. That includes educating our children about the reality of being involved in gangs and the reality that carrying a knife will not protect them but put them at more risk of being hurt or hurting someone else. ”

Police and Crime Commissioner, Roger Hirst, added: “We know that knife bins do a great job in taking thousands of knives off our Essex streets each year, but what is equally important is the role of education and information.

“Teaching our young people why you don ’t need to carry a knife, why they should tell their friends not to carry a knife and why being knife free is the positive life choice to take.

“That’ s why I’ m delighted to be unveiling the new knife bins in Essex, the bins that young people themselves have designed. Young people who, like me, want their County to be a safe place to play, study, work and grow up in. ”Police carry out regular patrols in the County

Fraudsters are clever and manipulative. If anyone claims to be from your bank, HMRC or any trusted organisation, even the police, and calls to tell you to move your money, stop.

Be alert to the online fraudsters

SANTANDER is writing to all its customers to make sure they do not fall for scams and frauds at a time when fraudsters are looking for vulnerable and gullible victim.

The bank is asking:If you received a call from someone you 'd never spoken to before,telling you to transfer the entire contents of your account to them straightaway,you probably wouldn 't do it. And you 'd almost certainly hang up.

But what if you receive a text message about a current event,for example, COVID-19? It warns you that you ’ ve been in close contact with someone who has been isolating and includes a link to order a free test kit.What if you click on the link,put in your details to order one and add your card details to pay a small delivery fee?

In a couple of almost unnoticeable steps,you would have become a victim of fraud.Criminals would have your card details and personal information to use again or sell.

Other examples could be text messages supposedly from Royal Mail,a parcel delivery company or any trusted organisation,encouraging you to click a link.

Once they ' ve got your details,fraudsters can go a step further and sometime later you might receive a call from someone claiming to be your bank. 1. They tell you,you ' ve been a victim of fraud,and you need to move your money out of your account quickly before it' s stolen. 2. They seem convincing because they already know some of your information. That' s the information you shared when you clicked the link in the text message. 3. You ’ re scared,stressed,and confused about the situation but pressured to act quickly. 4. What if,acting in fear,you transferred your money to new account details?The account wasn 't in your name,but the fraudsters,posing as your bank,gave you convincing reasons to do so. You would now have become a victim of impersonation fraud.

Fraudsters are clever and manipulative. If anyone claims to be from your bank,HMRC or any trusted organisation, even the police,and calls to tell you to move your money,stop.

End the call straight away and call your bank using the number on the back of your card.

While fraud and scams are not new, advances in technology give criminals more ways to attempt to access your money.Knowing the techniques they use can help you protect yourself and your money. Tips for spotting fraud and scams Always think carefully before making a payment,especially if it’ s a lot of money for you.Speak to someone you trust first,like a friend or family member,before making payments. Pay extra attention to the warnings we provide when making a payment. They ’ re in place to help you bank safely and avoid being scammed. Anyone can be easily impersonated, and criminals can make the caller ID, email address or name look exactly like the genuine caller.So,if you receive an email,text or call,verify it’ s genuine by phoning them back on a known and trusted number. When making a payment,always take the time to complete extra checks to make sure the payee and the payment is genuine.This includes reading reviews, researching companies or websites,and verifying the person or company are who they say they are. Don ’t allow anyone to access your computer or devices remotely.This is because criminals can ask you to click on a link or download an app.

Remember,your bank,the police or any trusted organisation will never ask you to withdraw,transfer or send back money from your account.If you ’ re asked to do this,it’ s a scam.

If you ' re concerned or think you ' ve responded to a scam email or text or given your details out to the wrong people, you should contact your bank first on 0800 9 123 123 and report it toAction Fraud on 0300 123 2040

We see fakes booming when the economy does badly. The cheap lira has made exporting counterfeits even more profitable. ZEYNEP SEDA ALHAS Gun & Partners

Turkey’s fake empire booms

THE value ofTurkey ’ s fake goods tripled from 2019 to 2020 as it became main source of counterfeit designer clothes stopped at EU borders

Photos of fake Gucci bags, LouisVuitton sweatpants and Nike sneakers are flaunted on the social media accounts of aTurkish store with more than 155,000 followers onTikTok.

Turkey is the third biggest exporter of counterfeit products to the EU after China and Hong Kong, according to data on the value of goods seized.

Falls in the value of theTurkish lira and the deterioration of theTurkish economy are further fuelling demand as such items become cheaper to traders buying in euros.

A December 2021 report published by the EU’ s intellectual property office (EUIPO) also points to the trend.

The value of counterfeits fromTurkey more than tripled from 2019 to 2020, reaching nearly €134m (£111m), and Turkey became the main source of fake designer clothing and medicine stopped at EU borders, surpassing China in these categories.

“We see fakes booming when the economy does badly, ” said Zeynep Seda Alhas, who specialises in intellectual property rights at Gün + Partners, a law firm in Istanbul representing some of the world’ s most famous brands. “The cheap lira has made exporting counterfeits even more profitable. ”

She said the number of court-approved raids by the firm on counterfeit producers doubled in 2021 and the number of items it seized almost tripled.

In January, it conducted what Alhas called “the biggest raid inTurkey ’ s history ” , confiscating more than 350,000 pairs of fake designer trainers in three Istanbul workshops, some half-finished and all destined to be eventually sent abroad.

“Profits are much higher in counterfeit goods, ” Alhas said, explaining that even factories that produce legally for big brands could “turn bad” during times of economic trouble, working extra shifts to produce fakes.

Turkey ’ s legal exports have also surged during the currency crisis, increasing 33% over the year and reaching $225bn (£171bn), according to the government-runTurkish Statistical Institute.

Lost sales cost the EU €83bn a year, according to EUIPO and zmen says working conditions at underground production facilities are less likely to comply with laws on wages, child labour and health and safety.

Law firms such as Alhas ’ s usually hear about big shipments caught by customs officers – mostly in Germany,Austria and the Netherlands – and then try to find the production site inTurkey.

The website of neighbouring Bulgaria ’ s customs authority is packed with reports of vehicles fromTurkey caught with counterfeit goods. In February 2021, hundreds of bottles of counterfeit perfume were found tucked under a passenger seat in a bus, apparently hidden by the driver.

But much gets through.A producer of fake Dsquared2 jeans said there were freight companies in Istanbul that focused on counterfeit exports, filling trucks with fakes surrounded by originals.

“They charge extra to transport fakes, they know people at customs, ” he said.

“They have built a spider web of networks all over the border. ”

A 2020 report by Europol said a criminal group regularly transported large quantities of fake designer clothes from Istanbul to Greece with the help of three customs officers recruited to “facilitate ” their activity for years before getting caught.

Banks, companies and Government institutions should work with the central bank to fight scams. People who commit ranson attacks usually ask to be paid in crypto. ANDREW BAILEY Bank of England governor

Cryptocurrency now first choice for criminals

BANK of England GovernorAndrew Bailey says cryptocurrencies are the top of the list for criminal scams regulators are fighting back against.

Bailey was speaking at a “Stop Scams ” conference organized by the central bank,and he said the technology making up crypto is contributing to innovation for finances,but also has become a new gateway for criminal activity.

One of Bailey ’ s complaints is that some users of crypto act like national rules don ’t apply to them.

“Some crypto enthusiasts say they shouldn ’t be covered by Russian sanctions because that’ s not their world, ” he said.

“I’ m sorry,it is your world.We ’ re all in the same world.

“You only have to ask the question: What do people committing ransom attacks usually demand payment in?The answer is crypto. ”

In addition,he called for banks,companies and government institutions to work with the central bank to fight scams.

London ’ s Financial ConductAuthority lextended a deadline for its approval of crypto operations,which gave around 12 companies more time to apply.

The FCA’ s rules require crypto companies have to meet stringent antimoney-laundering rules.

Thirty-three companies have now been approved for FCA permanent registration, letting them keep providing crypto services from within the United Kingdom.

But the crypto industry has been warning of companies possibly moving their operations if they can ’t get FCA approval.

PYMNTS wrote that the U.K. ’ s FCA had a busy year last year,with crypto scams rising.The report notes that around 3,000 of the almost 16,400 possible scam reports betweenApril and September last year had to do with crypto.

The most-reported type of scam involved bad actors trying to push their targeted consumers to buy overpriced or fake shares or bonds over the phone.

But crypto scams were the secondmost-popular type reported,hitting the peak in June.Reports of crypto scams were up 14% from the six months before March 2021.

Digital currencies like bitcoin,ether and even dogecoin have been on a tear this year,reminding some investors of the 2017 crypto bubble in which bitcoin blasted toward $20,000,only to sink as low as $3,122 a year later.

Bailey ’ s comments echoed a similar warning from the U.K. ’ s Financial ConductAuthority.

“Investing in cryptoassets,or investments and lending linked to them,generally involves taking very high risks with investors ’ money, ” the financial services watchdog said in January.

“If consumers invest in these types of product,they should be prepared to lose all their money. ”

Action Fraud said it received 9,458 reports referring to cryptocurrency in 2021, with total losses of £204.5 million, or £21,620 per report.

Many scams originate online via phishing emails or rogue adverts on search engines and social media, directing you to fake investment comparison websites or websites cloning regulated firms.