Burnham-On-Sea residents have this week been warned by Police to be vigiliant against scams during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Sgt Ash Jones from Burnham Police, who is Avon and Somerset Police’s Older Person’s Champion for safeguarding, has issued the warning.
A series of special Covid-19 Scams Update videos have been produced here featuring safety information from the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau that is relevant for people of all ages, but especially isolated elder citizens.
Sgt Jones told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “Many people, particularly the elderly and those more vulnerable due to complex medical conditions, are presently at an enhanced risk from the dangers on on-line, or telephone related fraud, as many criminals are taking advantage of the fact that many citizens are isolated from their families and loved-ones and are increasingly reliant upon unfamiliar technology to purchase their shopping, order repeat prescriptions from their Doctor, or simply just to communicate with others.”
“We are seeing increasing reports of frauds using the Covid-19 situation as a hook to initiate contact with potential victims and are often offering products and services, which offer support or protection from the virus, such as the sale of home testing kits and other preventative measures that simply do not exist, or are useless to the victim of the scam.”
“To assist with overcoming the slew of new scams and frauds associated with Covid-19, the Senior Citizen Liaison Team has curated a collection of specially filmed senior safety videos, which are updated each week, to help residents stay ahead of the trend of frauds and be more able to spot a scam if one enters their communications chain (phone, email, door-to-door).”
He adds: “If there is one tip I would offer to members of the community to help them stay safe, it would be to never assume that any communication that they receive is genuine or official, regardless of how well-written or important sounding it appears.”
“Always check on the credibility of any offer or opportunity that you are offered by personally contacting the organisation yourself to confirm the details and always be on your guard for the unscrupulous criminal, who will take advantage of this terrible emergency situation to steal your money or financial details.”
