Rochford: Helping residents stay safe from fraud and scams

Our Rochford Neighbourhood Policing Team has been working with local residents to help them stay safe from fraud and scams.

Police community support officers visited The Giggle Patrol in Rochford, joining members for a dedicated fraud awareness session.

Fraud prevention co‑ordinator Caroline Plakhtienko led the talk, offering practical advice on a range of topics including email security, creating strong passwords, safe use of public Wi-Fi, and how to protect yourself when withdrawing money from ATMs or using contactless bank cards.

The session on 29 May also covered common scam types such as identity theft, courier fraud, romance scams, cold callers and rogue traders.

One subject that prompted a lot of debate was ‘call spoofing’, where a phone’s Caller ID display can disguise the identity of the person calling.

Caroline says:

“If you are suspicious of any call, hang up immediately. You can call an organisation back using a verified number on its official website or, if it’s a bank, on the back of your bank card.”

She provided contactless bank card ‘defenders’, purse bells and purse cables to those who needed them, alongside a range of information to help people spot the signs of fraud.

The team enjoyed meeting The Giggle Patrol. They’re a social group who meet at Ashingdon and East Hawkwell Memorial Hall to chat over coffee and a cake, play games and listen to speakers on a variety of topics.

If you would like Essex Police to deliver a free fraud prevention talk to your community group, or if you work in a bank, library or other public venue where our officers could provide advice to customers, email [email protected]

And, for more personal fraud prevention advice, visit our Fraud pages.

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