Beware Census fraud

While general crime rates for burglaries etc have come down over the past year, largely as a result of the lockdowns unfortunately, there appears to have been a marked increase in fraudulent scams and most of us know someone who has been caught out at some point. Scams are typically carried out over the phone, via a text message or online so it's important to be extra vigilant and think twice before responding to any call, message or email that doesn't look quite right or is unexpected

One of our members let us know this afternoon that one of the latest scams going around involves someone making phone calls claiming to be working for the Census 2021 office and suggesting that you have not completed your household's Census and asking for personal data over the phone and possibly asking for payment of a fine for late submission!

There are details of this scam along with others and some helpful advice on how to avoid being scammed or how to report an incident if you are scammed on the 'Action Fraud' website : https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/--

It's always safest to be a bit suspicious and check things extra carefully to avoid becoming a victim as it can be extremely stressful and take a great deal of time to resolve.

Best Wishes

Carolyn

Carolyn Arnold

Chair, Norland ward safer neighbourhood panel