Welcome to November's newsletter!

Introduction from Natasha Fountain

Covering Charlotte's maternity leave in the role of Community Resilience Partnership Manager.

Dear All,

Sorry this newsletter is late, but I am hoping you will forgive me as I wanted to make it current and relevant and not a knee jerk reaction as it was late.

I have emailed some of you already with a bit of an introduction to myself, but, for those of you who I haven't made contact with yet, I was a PCSO with Northamptonshire Police for 12.5 years, before the job advertisement for this job enticed me away. 

I wish Charlotte all the best with her new arrival and I believe she will resume the role in June - in the meantime, I hope I do the role justice in her absence. 

I look forward to meeting you in the new year.

Natasha

Scams to be aware of in November

Black Friday Deals - in 2021, Black Friday is on Friday 26th November

We all love a bargain, a deal, or a discount and, with our inboxes bombarded with deals from a number of sources, it is very easy to get caught up in the "Deal" and click on the link.  In times like that, we forget to revert to the tried and tested safety measures.

1. Is it a shop you usually use?

2. Have you seen the deal advertised any where else?

It is good practice to not click on any links sent in emails or any other types of media.  Go directly to the parent site and check for the deal there. 

But remember, if you can't find the deal on the site, no matter how tempting because it is "just what I am after", do not be tempted to go back and click on the link in the email as there is a good chance, if it is not on their website, the email originated from a scammer.

BBC Radio Cambridgeshire Jeremy Sallis - Update from the Show on Tuesday 2nd November

Topic – Phishing emails impersonating UK supermarkets and high street stores

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p09yf4k9

from around 12.40 pm

At the beginning of November, Karen from CAPASP joined Jeremy Sallis to highlight the phishing emails doing the rounds that are impersonating UK supermarkets like Morrisons and Asda and also high street stores such as Primark and Currys. These look very convincing with all the branding that you’d expect to see in a genuine email message and ask the recipient to click on a button to, for example, complete a marketing survey in return for a gift card reward. As always, we ask people to check the address of the sender really carefully and to never be rushed into clicking on links like this.

Fenland Youth Radio Rob Windle – Update from the show on Friday 12th November

Topic – “Mum” scam text messages

CAPASP joined Rob and Julie on Fenland Youth Radio’s Breakfast Show last Friday, 12th November. Fenland Youth Radio became a supporter of CAPASP recently and it was great to chat to Rob about some specific scam text and whatsapp messages that are around at the moment. These appear to come from a relative, such as a son or granddaughter, and attempt to lure the recipient into sending money to help with a financial or health issue he or she has. The lady who shared the scam text in this case (see above) was suspicious; she contacted her son by a different method, who confirmed the message hadn’t come from him and, thankfully, she didn’t transfer any money.

The Current Scam - Car Park Scams

Car park scams happen around the pay machine.  Especially if there is a known fault with a machine.  The scammers, often a couple, so as not to alarm the victim, approach someone struggling to work the machine, and offer to help with it.  When they get to the bit that asks for the bank card, the scammer asks the victim  for it.  The victim hands over the card and then the scammer runs off.   Don't give your card to anyone.