Investment Scams, SCAMchampions and lots of Suttons!... Your February CAPASP news.

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scams

Welcome

CH

Hello folks, I hope you're all staying safe and well and can see the light at the end of the tunnel as the COVID vaccination programme forges full steam ahead. 

Unfortunately fraudsters are still preying on the fear and confusion that the pandemic brings so it's no time for rest if we want to keep people aware and safe from these scams. Who do you pass our news and alerts on to? We'd love to hear from you! 

This month we bring news of clone investment firm scams, a new SCAMchampion in our area and info about lots of Suttons working with CAPASP. How many can you spot? Enjoy reading!

Charlotte Homent, Lead for CAPASP.


Clone Investment Firm Scams

Investment image

Image courtesy of Markus Winkler on Unsplash

The coronavirus pandemic has led many people to consider making an investment to boost their savings or income during the pandemic. Whilst this could prove a wise move, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is warning the public to exercise caution as reports of ‘clone firm’ investment scams have increased in the last year.  A whopping £78million was reported lost to these scams in the UK between January and December 2020.

Clone firms are fake firms set up by scammers using the name, address and ‘Firm Reference Number’ (FRN) of real companies authorised by the FCA. Once set up, the fraudsters will then send sales literature linking to websites of legitimate firms to dupe potential investors into thinking they are dealing with the genuine firm when they are not.

The FCA is advising anyone considering an investment opportunity to:

  • first visit the FCA Register https://register.fca.org.uk to ensure the firm is authorised.
  • check the warning list of firms to be avoided (which is updated daily).
  • double-check the specific details of the firm very carefully, the differences between the FCA-authorised firm and a clone firm can be very subtle. 
  • always use the phone number or website address listed on the FCA Register to research and make contact with the firm, not the details provided in the firm’s literature - which could be a very sophisticated and convincing fake.

Checking against the company’s Firm Reference Number (FRN) alone isn’t enough. Scammers will often copy a FRN and encourage victims to check the FCA Register to instill a misplaced confidence in their legitimacy.

For further information on clone firm investment scams, see the FCA’s website or call the FCA’s consumer helpline on 0800 111 6768.


Partners in the Spotlight: Cambridgeshire Constabulary

Cambridgeshire Police might seem an obvious partner in our fight to spot scams and stop scams in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough but we feel especially privileged to have Nigel Sutton, the force's Fraud and Cyber Security Advisor, actively involved as a proud partner of CAPASP.

Nigel Sutton

Nigel Sutton, Fraud and Cyber Security Advisor at Cambridgeshire Police

As Nigel's job title suggests, Nigel has a specialist knowledge of how businesses and individuals can stay safe online. In this day and age when more and more communications, transactions and browsing for leisure takes place online, Nigel's expertise has never been so important.

Nigel offers: 

  • Cyber security training to businesses
  • Fraud and cyber security talks to community groups
  • Support to individuals and businesses who have been the victim of a security breach
  • Support to individuals and businesses who have been the victim of online fraud
  • Support to people who wish to become Cyber Ambassadors in their community - i.e. people who can cascade some basic cyber security training
  • Regular e-mail warnings about the latest cyber enabled crime

If you are interested in any of the above please contact Nigel at CyberProtectCambs@cambs.pnn.police.uk. He looks forward to hearing from you. 

Nigel provides some fantastic advice and tips for all users of the internet in a new document in our CAPASP library of resources. Please take a look here to protect your phone, laptop, tablet etc. to stay safe from cyber criminals. Those few minutes reading time could prove invaluable.

Welcome to New Supporters

This month we are delighted to welcome Sutton Parish Council as a new partnership supporter. 

Sutton Parish Council

Sutton Parish Council has a membership of 15 counciillors serving the parish, which lies six miles west of Ely.

Thank you SPC, we look forward to sharing some of your scams prevention efforts in CAPASP news soon! 


BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

Robin Sutton

Robin Sutton, Cambridgeshire Neighbourhood Watch

This month Robin Sutton, Chairman of Cambridgeshire Neighbourhood Watch, represented CAPASP on the Jeremy Sallis show on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire. 

Robin gave some great advice about Neighbourhood Watch and topical scams and you can listen to the interview here from 2:50.

Do you fancy joining Jeremy on a future show on behalf of CAPASP? We're looking for volunteers from partner or supporter organisations or who are coordinators of No Cold Calling or Good Neighbours schemes. A full briefing will be provided to anyone who participates. Please get in touch if you're interested in taking part.


Super Steve - a New SCAMchampion!

We are thrilled to bring news of a new SCAMchampion in the county - Steve Staniforth, Neighbourhood Response Officer at Clarion Housing Group. Steve recently became a Friend Against Scams by completing the short e-learning course and then undertook an extra bite-sized bit of training to become a SCAMchampion who can deliver Friends Against Scams training to others. Steve has already trained 5 new Friends Against Scams at Clarion and has plans to train more colleagues as well as residents once coronavirus restrictions allow. A huge WELL DONE to Steve!

If you would like to become a SCAMchampion to deliver Friends Against Scams training, please contact us and we'll support you every step of the way. 


trueCall devices for South Cambs

Before the coronavirus outbreak South Cambs Community Safety Partnership (CSP), a CAPASP partner, funded a supply of trueCall call blocking devices for vulnerable residents in South Cambs who were being targeted by scam telephone calls. 

There are still a small number of devices remaining so if you know someone who lives in South Cambridgeshire who receives a lot of nuisance telephone calls and is vulnerable to these - either because of cognitive impairments or other health issues, we would like to hear from you. Cambridgeshire County Council's Community Protection Team are able to supply and install devices free of charge once lockdown restrictions ease. 


Fenland Community Safety survey

CAPASP partner Fenland Community Safety Partnership (CSP) are inviting residents and businesses in Fenland to share their concerns relating to crime and disorder in the district. 

You can complete the survey here which is open until the end of March. 


Contact:

against-scams@cambridgeshire.gov.uk