Welcome to our September newsletter. We hope you’ve been enjoying a nice summer and managed to take a break or at least enjoy participating in a spot of ‘Eat Out to Help Out’. After an intense few months on Covid scams prevention, whilst also being redeployed to the County Coordination Hub, we have recently enjoyed a bit of a break ourselves here at CAPASP HQ. It's good to be back! As for eating out, read on to find out what we’ve been doing to help local restaurants, pubs and cafes at this challenging time. Happy reading!
We were recently contacted by a member of the public concerned about food businesses operating an open ‘visitors book’ that customers were invited to complete for NHS Test and Trace purposes but which allowed anyone to see the name, contact details and date and time of previous visitors to the premises.
The information collected for Test and Trace constitutes personal data under the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and therefore must not be used or shared for any reason other than that for which the person consents - in this case NHS Test and Trace. As such the information recorded should not be accessible to other customers or visitors. Imagine the advantage a fraudster would have if they knew that Bob Zurunkle was at the Queens Arms on 6th September and can be contacted on 01234 567890!
In order address this issue we collaborated with the Director of Public Health for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Councils, Dr Liz Robin, to include advice on scams and GDPR compliance in a letter she was preparing for all registered food businesses in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. We were able to recommend that businesses download a unique QR code for their premises which customers could use to check-in for their visit, satisfying Test and Trace and GDRP requirements whilst allowing them to focus fully on their business at this challenging time.
A Scam Marshal is any resident in the UK who has been targeted by a scam and now wants to fight back and take a stand against scams. Scam Marshals do this in a number of ways including by sending any scam mail that they receive to the National Trading Standards (NTS) Scams Team (FREEPOST) so that it can be used as evidence in investigative and enforcement work. Scam Marshals effectively become part of the team stopping scams.
Many Scam Marshals report an improvement in their wellbeing after becoming involved in the scheme. For example 94% of Scam Marshals believe that being a Scam Marshal has stopped them from being scammed again and 89% of Scam Marshals report that the amount of scam mail that they receive has reduced since they joined the scheme.
Scam Marshals joining the scheme receive:
- A certificate confirming their role as an NTS Scams Team Scam Marshal.
- A monthly newsletter with highlights about what the NTS Scams Team has done with the mail they have sent in.
- Freepost mail bags to send their scam mail to the NTS Scams Team at no cost to them.
- The opportunity to become a NTS Scams Team ‘Pen Pal’, a pen pal project just for Scam Marshals!
If you know anyone who you think might benefit from becoming a Scam Marshal please share the Scam Marshal pack with them or get in touch with us today!
Our friends at England Illegal Money Lending Team are offering free training sessions throughout September and October. The sessions are ‘Can You Spot A Loan Shark?’ and ‘Changing Lives - The Journey of a Loan Shark Victim’.
‘Can You Spot A Loan Shark?’ training provides information and knowledge about illegal money lending, how it relates to you and how the Illegal Money Lending Team can help those who have borrowed from illegal lenders. It includes key signs to look out for that a friend, client or colleague may be involved with a loan shark. The session will show the impact that illegal lenders have on victims and communities and how we can work together to stop people falling into the clutches of criminals.
‘Can You Spot A Loan Shark?’ is offered on the following dates (click on the links to book your place):
‘Changing Lives – The Journey of a Loan Shark Victim’ is an additional learning tool for those that already know the basic facts about loan sharks and have previously attended ‘Can You Spot a Loan Shark?’ (either in person or online). Learn about the implications and facts around reporting or not reporting for your business and staff; learn about victim safety, data protection issues and how to help victims open up about their situation.
Changing Lives – The Journey of a Loan Shark Victim is offered on the following dates:
Do take advantage of this brilliant opportunity - and feel free to let us know how you got on!
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With scams and fraud on the increase at the moment, our CAPASP partners at NatWest are as committed as ever to getting the Friends Against Scams message out to as many people as possible.
Before the coronavirus pandemic NatWest Community Bankers were able to come and visit you in your community groups and deliver this training in person but unfortunately that isn’t possible at the moment. But what they are doing is offering the presentation virtually!
So, if your group is meeting via Zoom and would like a FREE speaker to run a Friends Against Scams session please get in contact with Bernadette (Cambridgeshire) or Mohommad (Peterborough) using the details below (click for e-mail).
Bernadette Merry Tel: 07711 763322
Mohommad Chauhan Tel: 07879 110314
Support Cambridgeshire, funded by Cambridgeshire County Council, brings together three partner organisations who work together to support community groups and organisations across Cambridgeshire: Hunts Forum of Voluntary Organisations, Cambridge Council for Voluntary Service and Cambridgeshire ACRE.
The Support Cambridgeshire website contains a repository of Funding Alerts, organised by theme, which you can view here. It's a great place to start if you want a quick overview of the funds that are relevant to your organisation and project.
SupportCambridgeshire 4 Communities is a free self-service portal which enables voluntary and community organisations to browse, search and apply for grants to support their work. The portal is funded by Cambridgeshire County Council, Huntingdonshire District Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council. Community organisations are encouraged to register, visit and use the site as much as possible. Why not take a look, you never know there could be a nice little pot you can access to bring your community project to life!
If it's not funding but expert advice and guidance you're looking for then drop Support Cambridgeshire an e-mail at info@supportcambridgeshire.org.uk
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