Staying Safe - online

More and more people are going online with more services requiring customers to use the internet as their first point of contact. It is therefore important to be aware of the potential risks. The North Yorkshire Police has produced this page to advise you of the risks of scams and cyber crime.

How do I find out about Scams

You can join the North Yorkshire community messaging service. North Yorkshire Community Messaging (NYCM) is managed by North Yorkshire Police, which will allow you to register to receive the latest alerts about crimes, scams, what’s happening in your local neighbourhood and ways to get involved with North Yorkshire police.

Alternatively you could sign up to the Which Scam alert to be informed about new scams.

You may wish to sign up to both to get both a local and national perspective.

There is also a website called Friends Against Scams which provides a wealth of information as well as an informative 8-minute video that covers:

What is a scam
Types of scams
Signs of a scam
Top tips
What you can do to raise awareness

This very accessible video is available to view by going to the link provided.

Get Safe Online Website provides practical advice on how to protect yourself, your computers and mobile devices and your business against fraud, identity theft, viruses and many other problems encountered online. It contains guidance on many other related subjects too – including performing backups and how to avoid theft or loss of your computer, smartphone or tablet.

Age UK also provide information about avoiding scams.

What do I do if I am a victim of a scam

Action Fraud is the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cyber crime where you should report fraud if you have been scammed, defrauded or experienced cyber crime.

Citizen Advice have an online scam helper to ensure you act to protect yourself.

If you’ve been scammed, you need to: