Vulnerable Hayling Islanders wise up to scammers after victims are conned out of thousands of pounds

In a bid to combat those figures Hayling Island residents united for a free crash-course geared at equipping them with knowledge on how to spot online cons yesterday.

Dozens packed into the Bridge Centre in Beach Road for an hour-and-a-half session laid on by members of Havant and Waterlooville’s Independent Advisory Group – a collective which acts as an interface between the public and Hampshire Constabulary. 

It was the group’s chairwoman, Wendy Coates, who got the wheels for the meeting into motion after she was ‘angered’ by a revelation after Christmas. 

‘Sergeant Mark Lamper rang me and said within four weeks there had been six people on Hayling targeted by scammers – two of them for £8,000 each,' she said. 

‘These frauds know the right buttons to press and they know full well the kinds of people they are targeting, so we organised this meeting to make people ready for it – so they can avoid being scammed.' 

In a demonstration led by IT professional and former Hayling councillor John Perry, visitors were challenged to question the legitimacy of a series of emails on a screen before them. 

Some were blatant fakes made to imitate correspondence from giants like Amazon and PayPal, but some were more challenging – highlighting the techniques employed by con artists to catch out unsuspecting web browsers or those less tech-savvy. 

One resident, who asked to remain anonymous, branded the session ‘vital’ – having recently lost a sizeable chunk of cash after being targeted by a fake BT-themed ploy. 

‘These scammers are so manipulative,' he said. ‘My wife took a phone call and we got sucked into giving our bank account details over – we lost several thousands of pounds.

‘Meetings like this are very important because it’s a reminder to stay sharp.’ 

Echoing advice dished out by Mr Perry, he said: ‘If you get a call from someone you don’t know, don't simply accept what you’re hearing. 

‘Always, when you’ve had the call, phone up the company or person who the scammer said they are to check.’ 

Another resident in her 80s, who also wishes to remain anonymous, coughed up £100 to over-the-phone fraudsters who convinced her there was a fault with her new computer. 

It was vulnerable people of this disposition Mr Perry hoped to educate yesterday, in a series of sessions which bosses say could stem further across the Havant area. 

He said: ‘If you look at the age profile of people on Hayling Island they tend to be older than people on the mainland, therefore potentially more vulnerable and less familiar with the computer age. 

‘I’m aware of individuals on Hayling who have been taken in by scams and I felt in this role as an IAG we had to help the residents to avoid being caught.’ 

He added: ‘The residents were a little concerned and potentially frightened in a way that it’s so easy to commit internet fraud, but hopefully this session has given them some guidance on how they can avoid being caught out.’ 

To learn more about scams and how to avoid being caught out, visit tinyurl.com/yyfghv3e – for advice from Hampshire Constabulary.