New action to stop people in Horsham becoming victims of scams

Residents across West Sussex lost more than £3.5million to criminals using different types of scams between January and March this year.

Most victims were aged over 60 and just under half were people living alone.

To stop more people in Horsham becoming victims, a free webinar, and an in-person event, is being held at Horsham Library on August 2.

It is being organised by West Sussex County Council’s digital safety team. Tickets for the online session can be booked via Eventbrite. The library session will run from 10am with experts available afterwards to deal with digital enquiries. It is one of a number of similar events being held across the county.

Duncan Crow, West Sussex County Council cabinet member for community support, said: “Whether it’s online, on the phone or on your doorstep, fraudsters have many ways of scamming people, and unless you know what to look for, it is very easy to get caught out.

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“The top three fraud and blackmail scams between January and March this year are courier and impersonator fraud, sextortion and dating and romance fraud. With most of these taking place online, these scam awareness webinars, and in-person events are a great way for people to find out more on how they can stay safe and ultimately stop themselves, or their friends and family from becoming another victim.”

Anyone can’t attend the webinar or library event can visit www.westsussex.gov.uk/staying-safe-online to find more information to stay safe online.