Citylife in Rugeley and Cannock Chase July August 2021

Cyber Awareness at C&D
Ladies Probus
By Alison Cardy
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The saying ‘You can’t keep a good woman down’ remains true
for Ladies in Cannock and District Probus Club who
currently meet on Zoom until pandemic restrictions are
behind us. We enjoyed a most interesting, enlightening talk from
speaker Kate Dempsey, Cyber Protect Officer, from Staffordshire
Police Cyber Crime Team to raise Cyber Awareness.
We were warned it could be a ‘dry’ subject but Kate’s Presentation
answered many everyday questions of internet use. She opened by
reminding us of the quote in Skyfall, when James Bond was told by Q: "I
can do more damage on my laptop sitting in my pyjamas before my first
cup of Earl Grey than you can do in a year in the field.” Bond may not
have liked being told this but today this is true and whatever age,
background or experience we have, we can all be affected by Cyber
Crime. We were advised that, like fire needs combustibles, oxygen and
fuel, similarly it takes three areas for the criminals to be successful.
WHO (a victim can be anyone); LOCATION (laptop or any device);
OFFENDER (anywhere in the world from a bedroom to organised
groups). Motivation can be money; fame and kudos for status of crime;
control; hacktivism; a business for competitive gain or political, at state
and military level, but the biggest asset gained is data.
Kate brought our attention to the three ways to obtain our sensitive
Information:
PHISHING (emails) - Usually an attempt to take credit card details or
upload malware which could close you out of computer. Often emails
look like they come from the bank or Home Office and if you respond,
they harvest your financial information. We were taught to Pause and
Take Five. Don’t panic and never respond to emails if they look
suspicious. Do not ‘unsubscribe’ either as that tells the criminals, who
are calling randomly, that it is a ‘live’ line.
TEXT MESSAGES - When distracted in our busy lives we may not feel
they offer a threat if sent from a bank, Post Office or delivery company
but in asking you to log in to the criminals ‘unsecured’ link, they have
access to your data.
VISHING (voice contact - phone calls) - Automatic phone calls may
be from what seems like a genuine ‘trusted’ organisation often
purporting to be the Police or HMRC asking for National Insurance
numbers; Amazon or Post Office; Health Provider or Police personnel.
To convince you, they often suggest you use a spoof phone number for
you to check. However, if there has been a data breech from a major
company, your Information can be circulated years later, to other
criminal groups and using your personal information, such as your name,
they are very convincing. Don’t be afraid to simply put the phone
down!
Alongside raising our awareness of Cyber Crime we were given tips
to help protect us, such as: creating a strong password using three
random words; saving passwords in your browser; using 2-factor
authentication; updating devices; and backup data.
Anyone who thinks they’ve been victim of fraud or cybercrime can
report it to Action Fraud 0300 123 2040,
And if money is at risk, it is important to inform your bank. A
suspicious or fraudulent text message can be reported by forwarding to
7726.
Members wished they had known these details earlier to enable them
to protect themselves. The vote of thanks was given before Chairman
Anne Bumford dealt with Club business, finishing with a ‘thought for
today.’
Should anyone wish to join Cannock and District Ladies Probus, to
share friendship, if you are recently retired or simply looking for a new
group of friends, you may join on Zoom as a guest initially until the ‘new’
normal arrives. We normally meet on the first Thursday of each month
at The Chase Golf Club at 12 noon, where a meal and fellowship is
shared, with speakers on interesting topics. New members are always
welcome: annual membership is £16 and a two-course lunch is £17. For
more information contact Barbara on 01889 882 166 or Anne on 01922
418 037.
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