Bogus council calls

A message from Action Fraud:

We have been informed there have been a variety of council related telephone scams circulating. People have received calls stating that their Council Tax banding may have changed, but when challenged the callers hung up.

In these difficult times I want to empower you to be able to challenge callers on their identity. There are a number of genuine council schemes operating at the moment which are genuine, such as the Essex Welfare Service; these callers will have no issue with you verifying who they are.

Before handing over personal details, always remember ABC:

  • Never Assume they are legitimate.
  • Never Believe they are legitimate.
  • Always Confirm using a trusted number or asking friends and family.

RELAUNCH OF CYBER AWARE CAMPAIGN

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has relaunched its Cyber Aware campaign to support people in the current situation. More people than ever are working from home or turning to the internet for entertainment, shopping or keeping in touch and it’s important to know how to keep yourself safe online. The NCSC has also created a new service for the public to be able to report suspicious emails. With your help, the public can fight back against phishing (where criminal use suspicious emails to obtain people's personal details) and can help the NCSC to take down a significant number of malicious websites.
The email should be forwarded to the Suspicious Email Reporting Service at report [at] phishing.gov.uk

The NCSC are also reminding people of the things you can do to protect yourself online.

6 TOP TIPS

1. Create a separate password for your email
2. Create a strong password using three random words
3. Save your passwords in your browser
4. Turn on two-factor authentication
5. Update your devices
6. Turn on backup

More information on how to stay safe online and instructions on how forward to the Suspicious Email Reporting Service can be found on the NCSC website www.cyberaware.gov.uk

Action Fraud

If you or someone you know is vulnerable and has been a victim of fraud, please call Essex Police on 101.
Report fraud or attempted fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040.

Date of notice: 
Wednesday, 29 April 2020