Beware of bank fraud! A neighbour recently received an automated message today saying a large payment had been made to Amazon and she should give her bank details to get the money credited back. Luckily she hung up. I contacted the bank to check and they said these people can access your phone line for up to TEN MINUTES after you've answered a call to them, so if you are going to ring your bank, do it from another phone or wait at least ten minutes to make sure they're not still accessing your phone line.

Sadly, these scams are still continuing, please do not respond to any correspondence you receive.

Sadly there are some reports of people visiting homes claiming to be collecting money on behalf of Deafblind UK. Please be aware that they do not do any door to door collections and anyone who is a true representative of Deafblind UK will have an ID badge. If anyone knocks on your door suggesting they are from our charity please do not hesitate to call the police.

Please be aware of this scam, a number of people received a letter like this in the surrounding area

As we return to work following lockdown, Kent Police are concerned there will be a spike in burglaries. Follow the link to read advice on prevention

https://www.kent.police.uk/news/kent/news2/policing-news/2009/crime-prevention-reminder-after-rise-in-residential-burglaries/#

Scammers on the prowl are ringing local telephone numbers saying that you can get faster speed if you follow their instructions. They try to take control of your computer and harvest your data. Don’t get caught out, please warn your vulnerable family members and friends

And so it begins! This is a transcript of someone's recent phone call

‘Good morning, I'm calling from the NHS track and trace service. According to our system, you are likely to have been in close proximity to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. This means that you now need to self-isolate for 7 days and take a COVID-19 test.'
'OK. Can you tell me who that person was?'
'I'm not able to tell you that. That is confidential information.'
'Right. Um... so ....'
'But you do need to be tested within the next 72 hours. So can I just get the best mailing address so that we can send a kit to you?'
'Ok (gives address)'
'Thank you - and I just need to take a payment card so that we can finalize this and send the kit to you.'
'Sorry - a payment card? I thought this was all free?'
'No - I'm afraid not. There is a one-off fee of £50 for the kit and test results. Could you read off the long card number for me, please, when you're ready.'
'No - that's not right. This is part of the NHS so there's no charge.'
'I'm afraid there is. Can you give me the card number please - this is very important, and there are penalties for not complying.'

Puts the phone down.

This is how scammers work. And vulnerable people will fall for it.”