 Horsham District Older Peoples Forum Newsletter Issue 3 - September 2024 |
Public Meeting held on Tuesday, 3rd September 2024, at Lavinia House
Introduction
Derek Moore welcomed all those present and online through Zoom to the Forum Public Meeting. He introduced Hayley Dower from Age UK, who has agreed to take on the temporary role of Chairman until a new permanent Chairman can be appointed. HDOPF would like to hear from anyone who would like to join the Committee and later may consider taking over as Chairman.
After the meeting, HILS, which now provides ‘Meals on Wheels’ throughout the District, held a taster session for those present. Apologies were given to the Zoom attendees who had to watch us enjoy the delicious free food.
Two guest speakers were welcomed to the Meeting and thanked for finding the time to speak to us and allow attendees to ask questions. Laura Robertson from NHS Sussex was due to update us on the latest from the NHS but, due to ill health, had sent her apologies and sent the latest on NHS Vaccinations (3rd September), which has been circulated and is available to view on our Forum website, www.hdopforum.org.uk.
Gary Williams - Cyber Crime Consultant Volunteer for Sussex Police
Sussex Police, through Gary, aims to make online use as safe as possible for everyone, using language that can be understood without all the technical jargon. Online access opens many user opportunities, but you must know the hazards and keep yourself safe.
To be aware of the various scams that are out there today and the ones you are more likely to come across, there are a few terms which you should know:
Phishing is a random email or phone call which will try to make you do something. It will say something like "Dear sir or madam, will you please click on this link below as you are entitled to a refund. You have 24 hours to make your claim, so please act immediately"
It is trying to make you panic to do something quickly without thinking. You may also receive a text saying, "We tried to deliver a parcel today; please click on the link below and fill in a form to arrange another delivery date”. They are out to get as much information from you as possible to either use on another day or sell your information to other criminals.
Spear Phishing is another random email or phone call, but this time, they will refer to you by name and talk about something familiar to you, such as your mobile phone or internet Contract, or you are due a refund on a recent order. Unfortunately, these have come about due to a data breach, when a company or organisation has been ‘hacked ‘and all the information they hold stolen, i.e., their customer's details. A recent incident was the Ticket Master data breach, which gave access to their customer's names, contact details, email addresses and even the shows they liked. A scam email was sent to all the addresses saying they were 'due a refund as they were overcharged, and to please click on the link and fill in the form'.
The best way to identify if emails are scams is to hover over the FROM with your mouse. If it is from Ticket Master or NHS it will have a proper email address such as Support@NHS.co.uk. If it is a fake email address, it will have something completely random, such as ticketmasterrecipts@gmail.com. Scammers love the @gmail address as it is free, and they set up as many as they want and close them as soon as the scam emails are sent out.
Often, they will not look at the response. All they want you to do is click on the link so that they can get your details and install something onto your computer. Even if the email is from a friend, if it looks suspicious, ring your friend to confirm it is from them. Even friend's emails can be compromised, so it is always best to be sure. If you have any doubts whatsoever, ignore the email and delete it. If you know it is a scam, there is an email address you can forward it to: report@phiishing.gov.uk. This helps the government know what scams exist, tailor the advice, and remove or block the sites.
Phone Scams are another thing to watch out for. Most people will have had a call from Microsoft saying their computer has a virus. The best thing to do is hang up on them, as Microsoft will never call you directly. The caller is trying to get you to give them money to 'remove the virus'. Don't be afraid to hang up.
Please note in your mobile phone contacts the phone numbers for your bank and any credit cards you hold so that if they are lost or being used fraudulently, you do not have to search for their contact details to report an issue. Another good number to hold is 159. If you receive a suspicious call from your bank or notice unauthorised transactions in your account, ring 159, and if your bank is signed up for this facility, they will put you through directly to your bank's fraud department. If they are not signed up, you should already have your bank's fraud line number in your phone's contact numbers.
Malware stands for Malicious Software and refers to any intrusive software developed by cybercriminals to steal data and damage and destroy computers and computer systems. Getting rid of Malware is difficult (HDOPF -you can buy software to prevent it). You may be able to remove it with some antivirus software, but you would typically need to consult an IT Person to look at it to see what they can do about it. Another Malware is RansomWare, which will encrypt the machine, and the fraudster will demand money to remove it.
Updates and Patches should always be downloaded to phones and computers, as they contain software to prevent scammers. Some of these updates change how your computer looks and behaves, but they are worth installing.
Public Wi-Fi is okay to use if you only want to look up things like bus or train timetables, but please DO NOT use it for anything else, like banking or anything that requires a password. The issue with public Wi-Fi is that it is very easy for someone nearby to set up a fake Wi-Fi access point and intercept all those details, giving them access to your accounts.
Strong Passwords are essential to stop scammers from accessing your details. Passwords such as one/two/three, or months with the years are nice and easy to remember, but there is software that can easily find them. The best way to make up a password is to find three things in the room such as rug, cup, picture and some random punctuation and you are much safer already, ie. rugcuppicture$%. Multi-factual identification (also known as 2FA) is when you enter a password and are then sent a text message with a code number. Enter that, and you get entry, which stops the bad guys from getting access. Even if they know your password they cannot get access unless they get that code. NEVER read out that code to anyone.
(HDOPF - Consider paying for Password Manager, anti-virus and Malware software. For more info, you can look at YouTube and type in, for example, 'password manager' for the latest video reviews.)
(HDOPF -' Which' has the latest Scam Alert email service; it is free, and you can sign up here.)
(HDOPF - You can also keep updated on what is happening crime-wise where you live through your local neighbourhood watch scheme. Details through Ourwatch.org )
Ben Applin from Fire and Rescue Services West Sussex
Fire Services are divided into three sections: Prevention, where they come to your home and ensure your smoke alarms and evacuation plans are in place. Next is Protection, which goes out to communal buildings to ensure they are legally safe, all the electric wiring and signage are in place, and emergency lighting is working.
Lastly, Fire and Rescue who come out in big red fire engines.
Last year, there were 142,00 fires in the UK, which resulted in 269 fatalities. West Sussex gets 70 callouts a day. The UK handles 90,000 calls a day not only for fires but for rescue as well. Faulty or overloaded electrics caused 8,000 fires. In the past 10 years, there have been 50 incidents where everyday skin creams, either brought over the counter or on prescription, have rubbed off onto clothing and have become flammable, causing 49 deaths. These creams are not flammable in their containers or wet on the skin but are when they come into contact with fabrics. These can be E45 Creams. Vaseline, hand or face creams. There is a small yellow exclamation mark on the product, which means they are flammable, and you should take care near open flames.
You are now 10 times more likely to perish in a house without smoke alarms, and these make up 84% of West Sussex Fire and Rescue callouts. You may find that your house insurance is void without them fitted.
West Sussex Fire and Rescue hold electric blanket testing events every year. Last year, they tested 209 blankets, and 79 of those failed. The next free testing sessions are in October; details are here. Electric blankets have a life span of 10 years and should be tested or, better yet, thrown away.
A few general fire safety rules which can keep you safe.
· Shut doors at night time. A standard door will hold back fire for 20 minutes. Three lungfuls of smoke will render you unconscious. Standard doors will hold back the smoke.
· Don't run washing machines or dishwashers at night as you are most vulnerable. West Sussex Fire and Rescue put out 30 of these fires each year.
· Take your phone to bed with you at night so that you can call for help.
· Extinguish any live flames and turn off all unwanted electrical before bed.
· Keep escape routes free from clutter and flammable items such as mobility scooters, electric bikes and scooters. These types of equipment have lithium batteries, which, when used with the wrong charger, can catch fire and be very difficult to extinguish even under water.
· Always charge phones on a hard surface and away from your exit route.
West Sussex Fire and Rescue supplies smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms free of charge as part of the Home Safe and Wellbeing visit. They last 10 years, and when they die and start bleeping, they will come out and replace them again free of charge. Ideally, it would help to have a smoke detector on each level of your home, top and bottom. If someone spends a lot of time in a particular room, this room should have a smoke alarm fitted. Alarms should be tested every month.
IF YOU HAVE A FIRE, GET OUT, STAY OUT AND CALL 999
West Sussex Fire and Rescue offer a FREE Safe and Wellbeing visit service to your home. It is a professional service run by the fire service. Someone from Fire and Rescue will visit you at home and take a holistic view of safety in your home. The visit will cover planning the escape routes, addressing faulty electrical equipment, reducing slip trips and falls, safe smoking and cooking practises, testing and installing smoke and carbon detectors and your general health and well-being.
HDOPF – Last Meeting date for your 2024 diary
If any of your family or friends living in the Horsham District are aged 60+ or care for someone who is and would like to be on our email mailing list, please email hdopforum@gmail.com or through ‘Contact’ on our website.
Horsham District Older Peoples Forum is growing stronger as the 'ears and voice of local older people' thanks to your and Age UK's WSBH support.
Who can attend?
Anyone aged 60+ who lives in the Horsham district or cares for someone who is. Anyone involved with, knowledgeable about, or interested in issues affecting local older people.
Our local MP's, HDC, WSCC, Neighbourhood and Parish Councillors are valued supporters and always welcomed.
When, where and how much?
Our last public meeting in 2024 will start at 10 a.m. on Friday, December 6th, 2024, and will include questions and answers from John Milne, our new MP for Horsham. Due to the number of people who will want to attend, the venue will be Brighton Road Baptist Church, Brighton Road, Horsham RH13 5BD
You can also participate via Zoom (please request the joining information before the meeting).
Directions on how to get to the church. Limited parking is available in the church car park which is accessed from New Street. There is also a pay and display car park virtually opposite the church car park. Payment via machine is required every day including Sundays.
Community Transport West Sussex may be able to assist you in attending.
A handy downloadable Horsham Bus Map and timetables can be found here.
What will you gain by attending?
Meeting others in a warm, safe, older person-friendly environment with complimentary tea, coffee, and even biscuits.
As always, we will discuss and listen to the issues you want to address and get answers to. If action is necessary, we will, if possible, take it. An example is when we set up, and still run, our free Mobility Scooter safety training course.
We always have topical and knowledgeable guest speakers who know or need to know the concerns of older people and have the answers to your questions. Are others worried about the same things you are? Certainly! Would you like to hear about something you didn't know, e.g., NHS updates, what and where help is available, access to GP services, the NHS, community transport, and more?
Come and find out for yourself. You will be welcomed, and we guarantee you will learn something new.
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