Hard Calls Save Lives

It can be daunting to pass on information about knife crime. You might be unsure what information is useful or what happens to it. 

Crimestoppers are not the police. They are an independent charity who provide a safe place for people to speak up about a crime. 

Anything you report about knife crime to Crimestoppers is 100% anonymous. Crimestoppers has an anonymity guarantee, which has never been broken. 

When you make a call, a specially trained call agent will support you, without judgement. They won’t ask how you’ve obtained the information. 

It may feel like a hard call, but your call could stop someone else’s son or daughter being killed. 

Call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or report online. Visit the Crimestoppers for ‘Hard Calls Save Lives’ campaign information.

Twice weekly rapid testing available to everyone in England

 

Twice-weekly free Covid lateral flow tests are now available to everyone in England without Covid symptoms, as recommended by the government and public health experts.    

There are a range of options for getting a free lateral flow test in Bexley – 

• In person at the rapid test centre at the Civic Offices, Bexleyheath 
• By collecting rapid test kits from the new Community Collect centre at the Central Library in Townley Road, Bexleyheath from 11am to 7pm Monday to Friday. You do not need an appointment.  
• At your school or college if you are a pupil or member of staff  
• At your workplace  

If you are unable to go to a test site or collect a test kit, you can order a test kit online and have it delivered to your home.  

About the home test kits - 

• Each test kit includes two packs of rapid lateral flow self-test kits.  
• Each of these two packs contains seven tests, for every member of your family or household.  
• They include a set of instructions which are simple to follow.  

Bexley’s no symptoms rapid testing site at the Civic Offices, Bexleyheath is open to anyone who does not have virus symptoms.  

Find out more about our local testing centres

[Source: Bexley Together]

New advice on the AstraZeneca vaccine

Based on the current evidence on the extremely rare occurrence of blood clots, the benefits of the Astra Zeneca vaccine continue to outweigh the risks for the large majority of people. 

As a precaution, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisations have suggested that those age 18-29 be offered an alternative vaccine, when eligible. 

People who are age 18-29 and have already received their first dose of AstraZeneca should still attend for their second dose appointment. 

People age 30 and over remain unaffected by the change in policy for under 30s.

People of any age with a higher risk of blood clots should discuss the benefits and risks with their GP to identify the right vaccine for them. 

Everyone should continue to get their vaccination when asked to do so unless specifically advised otherwise. The benefits of vaccination continue to outweigh the risks. 

[Source: Bexley Together]

Vaccination take-up increasing

The following graph shows the number of residents who have been vaccinated by age group in Bexley as at 6 April 2021.

Bexley continues to be one of the highest performing borough in the region, with the highest percentage take-up in people aged 70+.

We have made progress with our vaccine confidence work, and seen significant improvement in take-up among ethnic minority groups.

More than 93% of our housebound have now been vaccinated, and we are continuing with our second dose vaccinations for cohorts 1-4, including care home residents and staff.

Booking a vaccination in April

if you, or someone you know is in one of the priority groups below and have been contacted, please make an appointment soon.

• Eligible south east London residents in cohorts 1-9 can book their vaccines online or by calling 119.

• Unpaid carers can get the vaccine through their GP.

• Social care workers can book their vaccines through their employer or GP.

Visit the online booking service for further details

[Source: Bexley Together]

Further easing of lockdown restrictions

The latest planned easing of lockdown restrictions takes effect today 12 April 2021.

It includes the reopening of outdoor hospitality, gyms, non-essential retail, hairdressers and salons and outdoor attractions. The number of care home visitors will also increase to two per resident, all children are able to attend any indoor children’s activity, parent and child groups of up to 15 people can restart indoors and weddings can take place with up to 15 attendees. 

Outdoor gatherings must still be limited to six people or two households, and people must not socialise indoors with anyone they do not live with or have not formed a support bubble with.

People should continue to work from home and minimise domestic travel where they can.

Read the full guidance on what you can now do. 

[Source: Bexley Together]

WARNING: National Insurance scam leads to surge in calls to Action Fraud

 

UPDATE (22/03/2021): Action Fraud continues to warn the public about a National Insurance scam, after it received over 34,000 more calls last month when compared to February 2020.

Victims have reported receiving an automated telephone call telling them their “National Insurance number has been compromised” and in order to fix this and get a new number, the victim needs to “press 1 on their handset to be connected to the caller”.

Once connected to the “caller”, victims are pressured into giving over their personal details in order to receive a new National Insurance number. In reality, they’ve been connected to a criminal who can now use their personal details to commit fraud.

Pauline Smith, Head of Action Fraud, said:

“We are asking the public to remain vigilant and be cautious of any automated calls they receive mentioning their National Insurance number becoming compromised.

“It’s important to remember if you’re contacted out the blue by someone asking for your personal or financial details, this could be a scam.

“Even confirming personal details, such as your email address, date of birth or mother’s maiden name, can be used by criminals to commit fraud. If you have any doubts about what is being asked of you, hang up the phone. No legitimate organisation will rush or pressure you.”

How to protect yourself

If you receive an unexpected phone call, text message or email that asks for your personal or financial details, remember to:

STOP

Taking a moment to stop and think before parting with your money or information could keep you safe.

CHALLENGE

Could it be fake? It’s ok to reject, refuse or ignore any requests. Only criminals will try to rush or panic you.

PROTECT

If you have provided personal details to someone over the phone and you now believe this to be a scam, contact your bank, building society and credit card company immediately and report it to Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040.

You can also contact CIFAS to apply for protective registration. This means extra checks will be carried out when a financial service, such as a loan, is applied for using your address and personal details, to verify its you and not a fraudster.

Scam alert: Dyson V10 ‘loyalty program’ email

An email purporting to be from Dyson is promising ‘prizes’ as part of a fake loyalty program. Dyson has confirmed it has nothing to do with the communication.

A member of the public became suspicious when they received an email supposedly from ‘Dyson V10’ congratulating on them on their selection to ‘participate in our loyalty program!’, despite not owning any Dyson products.

Despite the email showing as having been sent from ‘contact@dyson.com’, the recipient reported it to Which?’s scam alert service. Here’s what it looks like:

We felt it was highly likely that Dyson’s official email address was being spoofed for unscrupulous purposes, with the text of the email attempting to rush the recipient into making a quick decision with phrases such as ‘But hurry! This giveaway end soon!’.

Guide: how to spot a scam

Dyson confirms it’s a fraudulent email

We showed the email to Dyson directly to confirm the suspicions and allow it to take action against the unauthorised used of its domain. Dyson confirmed that it is a fraudulent email that it had not sent. A spokesperson said:

“At Dyson privacy is engineered into everything that we do and we take security and our owners’ data extremely seriously. We are investigating this fraudulent email and are implementing various measures to mitigate this happening in the future”

Dyson does not currently operate a loyalty program in the UK – it would not send emails regarding one and would never send an email that contains links to claim prizes or receive a voucher.

It pointed out that its systems had not been breached or compromised in any way, and that anyone receiving a phishing email like this should report it to Action Fraud and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) on report@phishing.gov.uk

Stay ahead of phishing emails

If you think you may have passed sensitive information, such as bank details, to scammers, let your bank know what’s happened as soon as possible.

You can read our guide to getting your money back after a scam here.

Source: Scam alert: Dyson V10 ‘loyalty program’ email