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 Scam Warning and Passwords Guidance |
| Council Officer Impersonation Scam We’ve had a report that some residents in Fenland have recently been visited by rogue traders purporting to be Council officers offering loft insulation. Please be aware that Fenland District Council are not carrying out such work, nor do they endorse any companies offering loft insulation, or supply details of residents to such companies. It is likely that these traders are using the Council’s name to access properties in order to steal or to try to get customers to agree to work, whether it is needed or not. Whilst this matter has been brought to our attention in Fenland, don’t forget that criminals know no boundaries and will try their luck over a wide area. Please share this warning far and wide. If you are visited by a cold caller on the doorstep please remember you do not have to answer the door, it is not impolite to not answer to people you are not expecting. However if you do decide to answer the door remember to: Ensure back doors and windows are locked Use your door chain to answer the door Ask for proof of ID Check the ID has not been tampered with e.g. new photo stuck over Contact the organisation to check the visitor is genuine – using a number you know to be correct such as from their official website, social media page or a bill (i.e. not a number on the ID card) Refuse to engage with anyone who does not offer reliable proof of ID A genuine caller will not mind waiting for you to make these checks. Report rogue traders to the police on 999 (if still present) or 101 after the event. For a free ‘Please leave and do not return’ door sticker please email against-scams@cambridgeshire.gov.uk. Protect Your Passwords Neighbourhood Watch are currently running a campaign to help you to protect your passwords find out more at https://www.ourwatch.org.uk/passwords.  The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) also advises people to use three random words to create a strong and memorable password e.g. kneepastahopscotch. By adding numbers and punctuation characters to your password this makes it stronger still e.g. kn33p@st@h0p5c0tch! NCSC also advise the following to keep your online accounts secure: Use a unique and separate password for your email. Store your passwords somewhere safe: save to your browser or use a password manager. Add extra security to important online accounts: turn on two-factor authentication. If your account has been hacked please see NCSC’s useful guide to recovering a hacked account and this handy infographic . |