Stay Safe
Staying Safe in our digital life is becoming ever important. This section of the website offers advice to help protect yourself online, and also offers advice about protecting bank cards and keyless car fobs.
Check Events on the national u3a website - there is a regular Zoom talk by Barry Linton of Thorpe Bay u3a - very much worth booking. Barry works with Essex Police on their Cyber Crime unit and has lots of excellent advice to offer on how to keep safe - whether online, or with the bank cards in our wallets.
He also posts weekly updates on the latest scams on the Thorpe Bay u3a website. Here is the link
Thorpe Bay Fraud Alerts page.
The key messages from his talks are:
- Never "CLICK HERE" on an unsolicited email, text or WhatsApp message
- Never eg Press 1 to find our more from a text received from an unknown source
- Make sure your Email password is unique and secure, and must not used be for any other purpose
- Never allow an unsolicited caller to have access to your device, even if they have given you a fictitious story that you have a fault
- Be wary of any unsolicited email or phone call that plays on your emotions, especially fear and panic; curiosity or invitations to get something for nothing.....Don't fall for it!
The websites below will also make you more aware of current scams - both online and offline.
- Age Concern
- Citizens Advice
- Money Saving Expert
- All banks now give scams information. Here is an example from HSBC
- Stay absolutely up to date with the Latest scams warnings from the Metropolitan Police Force.
Here you can read the latest edition of The Little Book of Big Scams from the Metropolitan Police Force, with an introduction by Gloria Hunniford.
Here is some useful Government advice on action to take if you have received a text that appears to be a scam, or a phishing email, or if you think you have been a victim of a scam etc.
This police website, Action Fraud, is where you can report any scam you have become aware of.
Scam text messages can be forwarded to this number 7726. This will report the message to your mobile phone provider.
Suspicious emails can be forwarded to report@phishing.gov.uk. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) will investigate it.