Archive for category: News

Criminals are using the coronavirus pandemic as an opportunity to trick people into parting with their money or information.

In some scams people are urged to “take advantage of the financial downturn”, using emails and social media platforms to advertise fake investment opportunities in cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin. Others include criminals offering their assistance with Universal Credit applications, while taking some of the payment as a fee for their “services”.

It’s important to remember that criminals are experts at impersonation, using official branding and language used by trusted organisations and government departments to convince that their emails are genuine. These may include offering an individual or business a government grant or a reduction in council tax with links contained leading to fake websites designed to obtain personal and financial information.

Follow the advice of the Take Five to Stop Fraud campaign to:

Stop: Taking a moment to stop and think before parting with money or information could keep you safe.

Challenge: Could it be fake? It’s ok to reject, refuse, or ignore any requests. Only criminals will try to rush or panic you.

Protect: Contact your bank immediately if you think you’ve fallen for a scam and report it to Action Fraud.

You can find more information on the top ten scams and advice on how to protect yourself here.

The parish litter pick has been rearranged for Saturday 7 November, meeting 1000hrs at Butts Way (adjacent to the Lambert Arms).

We’ll aim to pick litter for a couple of hours along the A40 and B4009 close to the hotel. Picking sticks and bags will be provided. Please bring gloves and wear suitable footwear. The event is not suitable for children.

Call Peter Hetherington on 07767 647714 for more information.

The parish litter pick set for Sunday 11 October has been cancelled and will be rearranged. The revised date will be publicised soon.

Anyone with a need to give their exact location, whether that is to friends, family or the emergency services, ought to consider a free to download and use app, What3words.

The app, for iOS or Android as well as desktops, divides the world into a series of 3m x 3m boxes, each identified with a unique combination of three words.

So, giving a location quickly and easily no longer needs exact co-ordinates or map reading skills, just the three words that the app generates.

The app can be downloaded from here. More detail is available by navigating through the website.