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Hi everyone, I hope this newsletter reaches you in good health and good spirits.
Hopefully we've put the coldest of the winter weather behind us and can look forward to a beautiful spring ahead of us.
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We missed sharing a newsletter in January and February due to unexpected absences and lots going on at CAPASP HQ (read on to find out more!) but it's great to be writing to you all again. With potential changes afoot this might be my last newsletter so I shall take this opportunity to thank you for reading and sharing our newsletters and alerts and please do continue to spread scams awareness wherever you can! You are making a real positive difference!
Charlotte Homent
Member of Community Protection team offering scams advice in the community
You may recall from our December newsletter that Cambridgeshire County Council's Community Protection team were under review as a proposal had been put to the council's Communities, Social Mobility and Inclusion Committee (COSMIC) to stop the direct provision of scams prevention work and delete the Community Protection team as part of the council's cost savings required for 2023/24.
These proposals, along with other recommendations for budget savings, were formalised into a Think Communities Service restructure proposal which was subject to a 30 day staff consultation. This launched on 25th January and closed on 24th February. The team currently await the final outcome of the consultation.
The team would like to thank anybody who took the time to submit feedback on the proposals and who have supported them throughout this unsettling time. We will let you know of the final outcome once it is announced later this month.
In the event that the team no longer exist to coordinate Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Against Scams Partnership, we expect another partner will take the lead and that newsletters and social media communications will continue, albeit possibly in a different format.
Fraudulent letter used to con student
A student in Cambridge was recently cruelly conned out of £15,000 by an HMRC scam.
Fraudsters telephoned the victim, an overseas student in their final year at university, claiming that they owed £985 in tax arrears. The caller backed up the call with some threatening letters, shared by WhatsApp, which created a real sense of urgency and alarm that the student must respond quickly. The letters mimicked the font style, logo and named officers of HMRC and the Supreme Court and therefore looked very genuine. See example of one page of the letters here.
The student had worked hard in cleaning and caring jobs alongside their studies, for the first two years of their course, so that they could focus solely on their studies in the final year. When the sum the criminals claimed to be due matched one that had previously been paid to HMRC, genuinely, in relation to their employment, the student believed that the new demand was genuine too.
The scammers tricked the student into sending thousands of pounds more than the £985 they claimed was required to meet the tax bill, explaining that much would be reimbursed. This was for alleged 'allegations fees, document charges, case charges and a letter from the court house that all criminal activity will be removed'.
Sadly, this was all lies and the student lost around £15,000 which comprised their hard-earned savings and a loan from a family member.
Being new to employment in the UK, the student was unaware of some of the red flags that might have alerted them that something wasn't right. For example HMRC do not:
- Telephone tax payers to chase arrears
- Use WhatsApp to share letters
- Use WhatsApp for officer communications
- Request overpayment for anything
- Threaten arrest for tax arrears
Unfortunately the student does not bank with one of the parties to the Contingent Reimbursement Model (CRM) Code of Practice for Authorised Push Payment Fraud which means they are unlikely to get their money back through their bank.
If you receive a telephone call purporting to be from HMRC, hang up immediately. Do not press any keys that the caller instructs nor give any payment details.
If you receive a text message claiming to be from HMRC forward to 7726. If it's an e-mail, forward to report@phishing.gov.uk
Report telephone and online scams to Action Fraud on their website or on 0300 123 2040.
The latest stats show 6254 Friends Against Scams in Cambridgeshire, all equipped with the skills and knowledge to 'take a stand against scams'. Brilliant!
Since our last newsletter partners have delivered Friends Against Scams talks to:
- Fulbourn Ladies Group
- Athena care homes in March and Peterborough
- Age UK Friendship Club in Peterborough
and residents at the following Cambridge City housing schemes:
- Talbot House
- Ditton Court
- Brandon Court
- Ditchburn Place
If you would like a talk to be delivered to your community group or if you would like to become a SCAMchampion to deliver Friends Against Scams talks yourself, please contact us before 31st March and we would be happy to assist. Please contact the National Trading Standards (NTS) Scams Team's Friends Against Scams Team thereafter.
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