Don’t swim with the sharks

In England today, the Centre fior Social Justice estimates that as many as 1.08 million people could be borrowing from an illegal money lender, very often violent predators or criminal groups

MANY people will be waking up to 2023 wondering how they are going to pay for Christmas borrowing.

Thousands will have borrowed on credit cards or taken out loans to pay for the festive season.

But a shock report by the Centre for Social Justice - SwimmingWith Sharks has revealed that as many as 1.08 million families may have borroswed oney from an illegal money lender.

Two in five of us confessed in a recent survey to concealing a financial product from a loved one, such as a credit card or loan.

But despite how common it is to disguise our financial situation, some hidden debts are worse than others.

Money borrowed from an illegal lender is arguably the most dangerous category of hidden debt.

And yet there remain large gaps in our collective understanding of this notoriously elusive crime.

The CSJ report attempts to put this right – and is the culmination of the first major study of illegal money lending in a decade.

CSJ teams travelled the breadth of the country to understand where and how illegal lending takes place; commissioned polling of over 8,000 UK adults; compiled and analysed the largest sample of known victims to date,

They heard first-hand the powerful stories of those exploited, often by ‘friends ’ who turn out to not be friends at all. In England today, we estimate that as many as 1.08 million people could be borrowing from an illegal money lender.

Illegal lending exists in many forms, from small-scale lenders who pester their victims into repayment to violent predators and organised crime groups.

Some lenders even attempt to add a thin veil of legitimacy to their illegal lending by advertising themselves as a company, drawing up fake contracts, and independently lending to vulnerable clients while working for a separate, legitimate company.

Yet the practices used by illegal lenders are changing. New evidence presented in this report shows illegal lenders to be increasingly operating online, using the rapidly evolving social media landscape to entice and exploit new victims.

Using an unpublished dataset of over 1,200 victims, we have carried out the first analysis of its kind to understand the picture of loan shark victims today.

What emerges in the data of known victims is that anyone can be exploited by an illegal money lender, but most victims face a range of interwoven disadvantages – low incomes, long-term health problems and pre-existing indebtedness.

These are the people at the sharpest edge of today ’ s cost-of-living crisis.And the combination of pressures on household budgets, low financial resilience and increasingly limited credit options is liable to create a perfect storm in which people are driven towards exploitation.

Given this context, the continued scale of the problem and its ruinous impact on the lives of the most disadvantaged people in society, the CSJ believes that we must urgently renew the fight against illegal money lending.

In Swimming with Sharks, the CSJ advance 24 recommendations to tackle illegal lending in England today and put people on a path to financial resilience.

Read the full report on YouTube by clicking on the link below https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=1R4wOcEW5uc&feature=yout u.be

CRIME A AND COMMUNITY NEWS Sextortion warning by police

DETECTIVES are warning social media users to be vigilant and not share private intimate images online with strangers.

‘Sextortion ’ refers to a specific type of cyber-enabled crime in which victims are lured into recording themselves performing sexual acts or providing intimate images.

Unbeknown to victims, their actions are recorded by criminals who then use the video footage or the images they have shared to blackmail them.

Generally, criminals request money and if demands are not met the offenders threaten to upload the recordings or images to the internet and send them to the victims ’ friends and family. Sometimes there are even escalating requests for further payment. Increase in incidents Just recently officers have seen an increase in these types of incidents but the images have been shared with the victim ’ s contacts. No money has been sent.

On one occasion the victim reported that he was speaking to a woman online and pictures were exchanged.The blackmailers then threatened to expose intimate pictures of him to his friends and family if he did not pay £1,000.

No money was handed over, but the blackmailers set up a group chat of the victims ’ followers and distributed the images.

On another occasion the victim was messaged by the suspect, who asked to see intimate images.The suspect screen recorded the image and demanded money or she would send the images on. No money was sent but the images were posted in a chat group.

Detective Sergeant AndrewWest from the East Kent CID said: “Our advice remains not to pay. However the blackmailers are increasingly sharing images if you don ’t pay. “If you do pay they will likely continue to target you for further payments until you can no longer afford to and the images are shared anyway.

“We would still encourage people not to pay the blackmailers but also to think before they share intimate images or videos online with someone. Especially if the request for such images escalates soon after initial contact, even the same day.

“We are investigating these incidents with a view to bringing offenders to justice and want to take this opportunity to remind people of the ways they can prevent themselves falling victim.

“Any victims of unreported offences should contact police. Officers take reports of this kind seriously and each case will be dealt with in confidence with no judgement made. ' How to avoid becoming a victim: Be very careful about who you befriend online, especially if you ' re considering sharing anything intimate with them. The attractive person in the video chat may have been coerced themselves.

A profile photo may be of someone completely different, or not represent a true location for the person.

You could perform a reverse image search for the profile image and see if it appears elsewhere on the web but in a different context, for instance it might be a stock photo of a model or of a background.

It is still best not to share intimate images or sexual acts online even with people you know.

Videos can be recorded, images can be saved or have screenshots made from them, and easily published online where they can be shared and copied further. Once images are out there, they are very difficult to get rid of.

If it’ s happened to you, don ’t panic.You may naturally feel ashamed or embarrassed, but remember, you are the victim of organised criminals, you are not alone, and confidential support is available.

Be wary if you are asked to move from an initial platform to another one and are then asked for such images.

Check your social media security settings to restrict viewing access by strangers to your contacts.

Check your devices camera settings and only activate the camera when you need it.

Be wary of poor quality or pre recorded video contact. If what you see on screen doesn ’t feel right or seems wrong, don ’t engage further. Report it. Don 't pay up.

The criminal may publish the compromising images anyway, or they may come back to you for more money.

Screenshot any usernames, email, contact details or other information that relate to the suspect. End all communication with the blackmailers.

CRIME E AND COMMUNITY NEWS

Keep warm, but keep safe

FOLLOWING an electric blanket incident which left a man fighting for breath, Kent Fire and Rescue Service is urging everyone to test their smoke alarms weekly, and take extra care if opting for alternative or more cost effective ways to stay warm.

Adrian Bevan from AlbionWay, Edenbridge, had a lucky escape when his electric blanket overheated as he slept – filling his bedroom, and his lungs, with acrid smoke.

Adrian put the blanket on the floor and went to bed – but forgot to manually switch it off, and it didn ’t have a timer or automatic shut off function like more modern products. Electric blanket safety tips Check your electric blanket for wear and tear – if it’ s damaged don ’t use it If buying a new one, get it from a reputable supplier and make sure it has safety functions like a timer and automatic switch off If borrowing or buying second hand from a friend or online marketplace, examine it first – if there ’ s wear and tear don ’t use it Be sure not to use an electric blanket and a hot water bottle at the same time – liquid and electricity don ’t mix Don ’t ever allow someone with incontinence to use an electric blanket –liquid and electricity don ’t mix Remember, test your smoke alarm once a week to help protect you, your home and your loved ones - It' s best to have at least one installed on each floor of your property.

Tea-towel campaign

AS part of a new campaign, Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) is also calling on residents across the county to store their tea towels at least 50cm away from the hob, to help reduce the risk of a fire and keep their families safe.

One in three people living in Kent and Medway have accidentally started a fire after leaving a tea towel or other items too close to the hob, a survey has revealed.

Since January this year, Kent firefighters have responded to more than 200 accidental kitchen fires.

But, new research indicates the true number of fires happening in kitchens across the county, where residents don ’t call 999 for the fire service, could be even higher.

KFRS Area Manager Charlie Smith said: “We know from experience that fires in the home are most likely to start in the kitchen.

“Through our new campaign, we want to reduce that risk by advising people to hook tea towels well away from the cooking area – whether that’ s with a hook on the wall, on the kitchen door, on a cupboard, or inside a cupboard if you have limited space.

“To help people take action, we ’ re giving away free tea towels hooks while stocks last.

“Anyone without a hook can hang their tea towel on a door knob, put it in a drawer, or on the work top – as long as it’ s well away the cooking area. ”

You can request a free tea towel hook by emailing your full name and home address to info@kent.fire-uk.org, or by calling 01622 692121.

KENT CRIME AND COMMUNITY NEWS Crime team signs three new recruits

KENT Police’s dog section has added three new recruits to their team. Police Dogs Belle and Gigi, both cocker spaniels, and Dixon, a springer spaniel, with their handlers PC Lisa Riddle, PC CraigWhorlow and PC Ian Atkins are now trained forensic recovery dogs after completing the eight-week course.

They join the team of three other forensic recovery dogs and will work closely with Crime Scene Investigators to help search and locate forensic evidence such as blood.

Chief Inspector Craig West, of Kent Police’s Dog Section, said: “Police dogs play a vital role in modern policing and work side-by-side with officers and staff to keep people safe and help bring offenders to justice. Dogs like these use their extraordinary sense of smell to track down evidence at scenes of crime, or to help locate people who may be injured and in need of our assistance.We just could not carry out this type of work without them, which is one of the reasons why our police dogs are held in such high regard. ”

Four sentenced for goldfinger fraud

FOUR men who worked together to scam 343 victims out of £5.4 million in bogus goldmine investments have been sentenced.

The scammers worked for a company called IPR Capital Ltd, which employed broker companies as sales agents to sell shares in relation to a gold mine in Ecuador.

StephenTodd, 40, Royal Quay, Liverpool, was sentenced to two years imprisonment, suspended for two years, along with a 12 month curfew for conspiracy to defraud.

He was a disqualified director and acted as the brainchild of the scam by employing and training sales agents.

Steven Mayne, 41, Coleherne Road, West Brompton, was sentenced to two years imprisonment, suspended for two years, along with a 12 month curfew for conspiracy to defraud.

He worked as the director and was the signatory to company accounts, as well as conducting compliance calls.

DavidWilliams, 40, Brambles Close, Minster, was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, along with a 12 month curfew order for money laundering.

He worked in IT at the company, alongside being a director of one of the sales agents and a signatory on the account.

John Andrews, 53, Peel Road, Orpington was sentenced to 12 months in prison for money laundering. He worked as the office manager and authorised payments.