Archive for category: News & Information

Honeybourne Parish Council has signed up to the Great British Spring Clean.
Please come and join members of the PROW Working Party to help keep the Village litter free
Date : Sunday 23rd March 2025
Time : 9:30 am – 12:30 pm.
Meeting place: Honeybourne Village Hall Car Park
This year, the campaign returns from
21st March to 6th April

ARE YOUR CHILDREN SAFE ONLINE?

Whilst the world of the Internet offers great opportunities for young and old alike, it also presents many risks. The use of the Internet by children has increased greatly in the last 2 years for social, entertainment and educational reasons.

So, with extra time being spent online, how can you protect the younger family members from the potential issues they may face, and make them aware?

First of all, make sure all the safety settings are set up and in place including:

• Parental controls on all devices, browsers, and Apps to filter out inappropriate material.
• Set strong privacy settings to make sure personal information is only visible to trusted individuals i.e. “Friends only”.
• Make use of Safe search filters such as Google SafeSearch to block out harmful content
• Set daily usage time limits for Apps and overall daily screen time.
• Explain and encourage safe searching, websites, and apps. Check what they are watching and sharing on streaming sites such as YouTube and TikTok

Always remember that anything you share online, such as images, videos and comments may hang around for much longer than you think.

You could also consider some of the following ideas to protect your children further:

• Know about the online risks such as grooming, bullying and sexting (never share inappropriate images you would not want your family and friends to see)
• Make sure your child understands what personal information they should never share including location, passwords. Phone numbers, schools, date of birth.
• Set up two-factor authentication (2FA) on accounts for a second layer of protection.
• Make them aware that most apps may collect data even when privacy settings are in place.

Not everything online will be true so teach them how to spot misinformation, fake profiles and most important of all – never be rushed into making any decisions.

If there is anything you are not sure about, never cover it up, but do talk to an adult, or a trusted friend or relative.

Please feel free to share these messages with any vulnerable friends, relatives or neighbours

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If you’ve fallen for a scam, report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or via actionfraud.police.uk.

Scam Text messages can be forwarded to 7726 to help phone providers take early action and block numbers that generate spam on their networks. Scam mobile calls can also be forwarded to 7726, followed by the word “CALL”, then the scam phone number

Forward Fake Emails received to report@phishing.gov.uk

For further information visit:

https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/    https://takefive-stopfraud.org.uk/

Romance Fraud

An increasing number of people are falling victim to romance fraud, which do not only cause financial harm, but also can inflict emotional and mental damage to those victims.

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, romance may be high on many people’s agenda as they seek an appropriate way to celebrate the day. However, at the same time criminals are using this as an opportunity to devise new scams to defraud their victims on dating Sites and social media.

At this time of the year there is a rise in Romance Frauds as the fraudsters draw their victims into false relationship, gain their confidence, before the requests for money start to come in. These are accompanied by heart rending pleas about personal, or family problems, and emergencies which need finance.

Are any platforms safe?

Fraudsters continue to target users of popular social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, as well as dating sites such as Tinder and Plenty of Fish, and many others.

Messaging sites such as Google Hangouts and WhatsApp may also be used to find unsuspecting victims.

As well as conventional dating platforms, online Gaming platforms may be used to seek potential victims since there are fewer protective measures in place.

Who are their targets?

Females over 40 years are common victims as well as younger males, but users also need to be aware on age related dating platforms too.

How does it work?

Basically, criminals will go to great lengths to gain the victim’s trust by claiming they are in a genuine relationship which is built up over time

• They will manipulate and exploit the victim to the extent they are persuaded they are in a real and genuine relationship
• They create convincing persona such as military personnel, medical staff, engineers and many others to convince the victim they are genuine
• Then, when they ask for money, the victim is convinced there is no problem with the request
• The requests can be very emotive citing reasons such as medical emergencies, travel costs, payment of fines or taxes, or even claiming their bank account has been frozen

Tell-tale signs a friend or family member is involved in a Romance Scam

• They may be very secretive about their relationship or provide excuses for why their online partner has not video called or met them in person.
• They may be unwilling to discuss their online relationship
• They may express very strong emotions and commitment to someone they have only just met
• They have sent, or are planning to send, money to someone they have not met face-to-face. They may take out loans or withdraw from their pension to send money.

Stay safe

• Never send money to someone you have never met in person
• Never part with your bank or personal details to strangers online however genuine they claim to be
• The fact that they may request payment to another named bank account, not their own, can be another tell-tale sign of a fraudster
• Always seek advice from somebody trusted before parting with any money in any format, whether it is bank transfers, PayPal, Gift Cards or bitcoin currencies.
• Profile photos are very often fake, you can research any image by doing a “Reverse Image” search to find photos that have been copied from elsewhere.
• Never share images of yourself that you would not want your own family and friends to see

 

SAFER INTERNET DAY 2025

SAFER INTERNET DAY 2025 takes place 0n 11^th February 2025 based on the theme of

“Too good to be True? Protecting yourself and others online”

Each year the event covers an online issue/theme relevant to the things younger people see and experience online. Topics covered include:

• The impact of AI and its use by fraudsters
• What role can government and the Internet industry take to tackle this?
• What changes do young people, want to see to help protect them?

A full set of resources are available online for schools and other organisations covering all young age groups – https://saferinternet.org.uk/safer-internet-day/safer-internet-day-2025

Please feel free to share these messages with any vulnerable friends, relatives or neighbours

NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS

At the start of another New Year, what better time to make a new resolution to examine how we can protect ourselves from Fraudsters, strengthen our protection and do all we can to avoid being a victim of the scammers in the coming months.

There is no doubt the criminals will be planning their next moves to defraud any unsuspecting members of the public, and their methods are becoming more sophisticated and harder to spot. The use of AI to generate messages, images and clone voices increases the need for greater vigilance in all we do online.

What can we do?

3 SIMPLE STEPS TO PROTECT

1. Use strong and separate passwords for each of your online accounts. 3 Random Words with at least 8 characters and a combination of upper and lower case, numbers and symbols.
2. 2 Step Verification (2SV) – Also known as 2 Factor Authentication (2FA) for your online accounts adds an extra layer of security by requiring a code or PIN to confirm your identity when you log in.
3. Take time to stop and think before continuing a phone call, or clicking on a link from an unknown source. Never be pressurised into making a quick decision. Always check the email address before opening emails claiming to be from bona fide organisations such as your Bank, Government organisations or other businesses.

 

OTHER SIMPLE WAYS TO PROTECT YOURSELF

1. Install the latest Software and App updates on your devices as these often contain security patches to protect you from hackers
2. Back up your data regularly, by storing your important files in a separate location such as an external hard drive or on the Cloud. This way all is not lost if you experience a ransomware attack, device loss or damage.
3. Be careful when using public Wi-Fi networks as they are often unsecured and can expose your activities to others. Using a Virtual Private Network – VPN – can protect your privacy.
4. Protect your personal information online, and do not share too much information about yourself on social media, online forums and other similar platforms. This is how you could become a target for scammers and identity thieves. Check your privacy settings on Social Media to make sure only your real friends see your posts.
5. Beware of your Digital Footprint – every time you go online you leave a digital “footprint” which can show where you are and what you are doing. Once you post a file or photo online it may stay there forever and be used by others, so do not share anything that may cause you problems or embarrassment in the future.
6. Educate yourself and your family about online safety by learning how to spot common online scams, and how to avoid them, and use the internet responsibly and respectfully to protect you and your family.

If you’ve fallen for a scam, report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or via actionfraud.police.uk.

Scam Text messages can be forwarded to 7726 to help phone providers take early action and block numbers that generate spam on their networks. Scam mobile calls can also be forwarded to 7726, followed by the word “CALL”, then the scam phone number

Forward Fake Emails received to report@phishing.gov.uk

For further information visit:

https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/    https://takefive-stopfraud.org.uk/