Preventing fraud in our communities

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Friday, 05 August 2022 08:15

Avon Fire & Rescue Service (AF&RS) is supporting the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) for Avon and Somerset in helping to prevent local people falling victim to scammers.

Fraud continues to grow significantly and now represents more than a third of all estimated crime, with 4.4million incidents reported in the Crime Survey for England and Wales year ending September 2020. Fraud causes severe harm to both victims’ finances and mental health, with 74% of fraud victims reporting being emotionally impacted.

The OPCC have distributed postcards with key safety advice to over 160,000 households in the local area.

The postcard includes advice and simple tips that individuals can follow to help protect themselves from fraudulent activity and break the chain of communication between fraudster and potential victim.

The postcard is also available to local people to download and print from the OPCC website: https://www.avonandsomerset-pcc.gov.uk/working-for-you/economic-and-cyber-crime/

Remember, take five and follow these top tips to help protect yourself from fraud:

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

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

Protect: If you think you’ve been a victim of fraud, contact your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud online at police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040.