Community Forum highlights the need to be Cyber Streetwise

Councillor Tim Douglas who represents the Liberal Democrats in Paddox Ward attended the Rugby Town East Community Forum on Tuesday 14 March 2017 and was informed about the need for residents to stay safe online.

Representatives from Warwickshire County Council told Councillor Douglas that phishing emails are the most common issues that trick people into giving their personal or bank details to online fraudsters.

March's top tip for social media safety was for residents to be aware of fake friend requests on Facebook and posts from individuals or companies inviting you to visit other pages or sites.

Safe in Warwickshire advise residents to not click on links or attachments from email addresses you don't recognise and use strong passwords which include a mixture of letters, numbers and special characters, and include both upper and lower case characters. If you think your bank details have been compromised, you should immediately contact your bank.

Further information can be found via the Safe in Warwickshire website https://safeinwarwickshire.com/cybercrime/ and through Cyber Aware https://www.cyberaware.gov.uk/

If you fall victim to any scam, report to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or http://www.actionfraud.police.uk If you would like support as a result of becoming a victim of any crime, contact Victim Support on 01926 682 693. Make a scam/rogue trader complaint to Trading Standards via Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 03454 040506.

Commenting, Councillor Tim Douglas, said:

"Rugby Town East Community Forum is a great way for residents to find out what is going on in the local area and what services are available to support them in their day to day lives. Unfortunately, fraudsters are scamming people online and this is an issue that is affecting people of all ages. More of what we do these days is on the internet so it's vital that we follow the advice on offer and stay cyber streetwise."

Safe in Warwickshire March 2017 Cyber Scam Update

https://safeinwarwickshire.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/march-scam-newsletter.pdf