August’s monthly meeting was an opportunity to learn about fraud and fraud prevention from Sharon Hall, the Lincolnshire Fraud Protection Officer. In 2019 a staggering 40% of all crime was fraud. That is likely to be an under reporting as:

• People don’t always recognise it as fraud so don’t then report it
• People are too embarrassed to report it
• Some may not realise they are victims, and it is friends and relatives who report it.  This happens with romance fraud where the fraudster can spend months cultivating the victim before asking for money.

Anyone can be a victim given the ‘right’ circumstances and it costs the country some £7 billion.   The first recorded instance of fraud was in 300BC involving a shipping insurance fraud apparently – sadly we can add postal, telephone, doorstep and online fraud in 2025!

The trouble is we believe in authority so if HMRC, the police, the bank or the DWP calls we assume it must be alright.  IT ISN’T.  You’ll never be asked by your bank for your PIN or other banking information.  You’ll never be asked by your bank to get cash out and stuff it in an envelope for a courier to collect either.  Don’t engage in conversation but hang up and use another phone to contact your bank for reassurance that it was a scam. And no, you haven’t won the Spanish lottery either and can only redeem the millions by paying a fee.

Fraudsters want your data:

• Shred any envelopes or paperwork with your name and address
• Shred receipts as that records the last digits of your credit card
• Paying in cash – but you show a loyalty card – that can identify you as well
• Shred ‘official ‘documents from the NHS, bank, DWP and so on.

Online security starts with strong passwords and different ones for different websites. Your email account is the door to your online life so needs a really strong password.  Using a password manager can be helpful.   Be very careful clicking on links particularly if they then ask for personal data or worse, allow your computer to be taken over remotely. Members were eager to ask questions and share experiences with the rest of us.  Members were able to take away a useful booklet which contained far more information than could be covered in the talk.