Holly Hornsby and Sean Simpson replaced the speaker we had been expecting and gave a very informative talk on cyber safety and fraud, including several scams aimed at the older person. We were told never to grant remote access to our laptops by anyone claiming to be helping us, and never to believe that a parcel has been returned until we pay a fee for delivery. Hackers often prey on the fact that we can feel embarrassed asking for help if we have fallen for something.

We were told about calling 159, something we had not heard of. It works in a similar way to 101 or 111, in that it is a number we can ring in an emergency. If you get a call from someone claiming to be from your bank you should hang up immediately and call 159. This will enable you to get straight through to your bank in safety. Details here: https://stopscamsuk.org.uk/159 

We were told to be aware that when we receive a phone call from what appears to be a local number, it may well be coming from the other side of the world. The fact that scammers can hit from anywhere in the world makes the chance of catching them remote, but the police still want it to be reported. 

You can get help from North Yorkshire Police on 101, from Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040, or from Citizens Advice at www.citizensadvice.org.uk

It was stressed heavily that we should have a very strong password for our email.