Update from the Community Liaison Officer - Mental Health awareness and more information on Scams

An update from Laura Vince, the Community Liaison Officer

Good morning,

I hope that you are all staying safe and well,

Please see below some information on Mental Health and an update on Scams:

Mental Health Awareness Week 2020 (MHAW) runs from 18 to 24 May.

We are adjusting to a different way of life, with children off school, many people not working or working from home, as well as not seeing family, friends and colleagues.

This anxiety is natural, and we are all feeling it. Fortunately, there are things that we can do to protect our mental health and to support the wellbeing of our friends and family. Please visit Kent County Council Website for Information and further links,

https://www.kent.gov.uk/social-care-and-health/health/coronavirus/looking-after-your-mental-health-and-wellbeing

• 10 tips to help if you're worried about coronavirus
• Looking after children and young people
• 7 simple ideas to tackle working from home
• Mental wellbeing while staying at home
• A free Mind Plan with top tips and advice for you.

Scams

Courier fraudsters are still active in the county.

Calls where the fraudster impersonated Police claiming to be either a DC or PC Matthews from the Met Police. On each call he asked about the victims bank cards and on one of the calls stated that someone had been arrested. On both calls they were asked to ring 999.

Fraudsters will keep the call/Line open and not disconnect the call, so that when you then ring 999, you are actually still speaking to them. If you ever get a call and decide to check if an officer is genuine, always ring 101 using an alternative telephone or if you need to use the same phone, then wait 10 minutes and call a friend or family member to ensure that the line has been cleared.

However, it is suggest that if you get a call like this simply disconnect the call immediately and then contact the Police via calling 101 to report the incident.

Remember:

    Your bank will never send a courier to your home

    Your bank and the police will never collect your bank card

    Your bank and the police will never ask for your PIN

    If you receive one of these calls, end it immediately

Please Take Five -

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 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.

And use our own A, B, C of scam awareness:

A-  Never Assume a caller, email or text is genuine.

B-   Never Believe a caller, email or text is genuine.

C-   Always Confirm by contacting a trusted number, family member, friend, your bank’s fraud department or the police to check if it’s genuine.

Report scams at www.actionfraud.police.uk

More information regarding Scams can be found at  https://www.kent.gov.uk/leisure-and-community/consumer-protection/scams

Stay safe,

Kind regards

Laura

Laura Vince

Community Liaison Officer

Sevenoaks District

Office (: 01322 422531

Internal (: 02 4431

Mobile : 07772 226027

laura.vince@kent.police.uk

Police, Council and Partners

working together for a safer

Sevenoaks District

www.twitter.com/Kentpolice7oaks