Ofcom reveals 45 million people targeted by scam calls and texts this summer Ofcom has published new consumer research highlighting the prevalence of scam calls and texts over the summer. The research has found that almost 45 million people have been on the receiving end of potential scam texts or calls in the last three months. Text scams are most common, with three quarters of 16 – 34 year-olds targeted, and six in ten over-75s have received a suspicious call to their landline. Ofcom is encouraging people to flag suspicious text messages to the 7726 service, and report calls and
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National Hate Crime Awareness Week 2021 runs from 9–16 October 2021 In June 2021, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service released its latest report ‘Hate Crime in Scotland, 2020-21’ showing that the number of hate crimes relating to disability had increased by 14% to 448.  This is the highest number of charges reported since the legislation creating this aggravation came into force in 2010.  The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service maintain that around 97% of disability hate crime goes unreported. At Disability Equality Scotland, we have been working with Transport Scotland and partners to launch the National Hate Crime Charter. We
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WhatsApp Family Member Message Scam Targets Public The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) has been informed of a newly emerging scam on WhatsApp, where scammers attempt to impersonate family members to steal money. A member of the public named Alison received a message on the popular messaging platform WhatsApp: “Hi mum, I’ve dropped my phone down the loo (sad emoji) this is my new number.” Alison replied to the message and asked if it was her son, Will, to which the scammer replied in the affirmative. The very next day, Alison’s ‘son’ messaged her asking for £2,600 and explained that
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Free Public Webinars and Training for Trainers in Online Security Lead Scotland is offering free training on Zoom this September for people wanting to get to grips with different areas of online safety and security. The charity is hosting 30 minute webinars (with extra time for activities and questions) on a range of topics: Protect yourself with strong passwords Remember your passwords using password managers How to use two-factor authentication How to update your digital devices How to back up your data Recognise email scams and fake emails These topics were chosen in line with the National Cyber Security Centre
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Scammers target over £2 million in pension pots in the last five months The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) are urging anyone saving for their retirement to ‘flip the context’ and protect their savings. The FCA want those saving for their retirement to ‘flip the context’ when approached with pension offers, by imagining the same offer in person, in an everyday, offline setting like a trip to the shops or an afternoon in the pub Consumers are five times more likely to be interested in a free pension review offered online than in their local pub, despite this being a tell-tale
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Stay Safe Online: Advice For Parents and Carers The internet is an amazing place for children to learn, create, have fun, game and communicate with friends, but they may occasionally have to deal with a variety of related challenging issues being online can bring. There are positive things you as a Parent or Carer can do to equip yourself to support your child or young person if they face such issues. The Scottish Buisness Resilience Centre have produce a guide aimed at parents and carers titled ‘Stay Safe Online: Advice for Parents and Carers‘. This guide will you to help you better
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