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I wanted to provide you with an update regarding Fraud (e.g. bogus callers, courier fraud, cyber-crime), which people around your area have highlighted as an issue of concern on the priority survey. What to do if you’ve shared personal information
Fraudsters often use ‘phishing’ scams – fake emails, messages or phone calls – asking you to update your account details or passwords. If you do, they can use those details to pretend to be you, access your other online accounts or make fraudulent payments.
As soon as you suspect you’ve shared sensitive information with a fraudster, you need to let the relevant people know and take steps to secure your accounts.
Shared bank details? Tell your bank
If you’ve given a fraudster your bank details, contact your bank immediately and explain what’s happened – even if no money has been taken from your bank account yet. They will help you to protect your account, for example by cancelling your card or showing you how to change your security details.
Shared a password? Change it immediately
If you think anyone has got hold of a password or PIN, change it immediately. You should be able to do this in the account settings or account security section of your online account.
If you use the same password for any other accounts or sites, you will need to change all of them.
If your passwords are made up of words and numbers that might be easy to guess, consider these top tips for improving password security, including choosing longer, stronger passwords and storing them in a password manager.
Be on your guard for further fraud
If you’ve shared this information because of phishing, there’s a chance you’ll be targeted again. This is because fraudsters add victims’ details to lists that they then sell on to other criminals. In the months after a phishing attack, be extra wary of anyone asking you to share confidential information such as bank details, passwords, one-time passwords (OTPs) and PINs.
No official organisation, from your bank to HM Revenue and Customs, will ever contact you out of the blue asking you to share or update confidential personal or financial details. They will not ask for your full password, OTP or PIN – and you should never share these with anyone.
 People in the UK lost £1.2bn to fraud in 2022, the equivalent of £2,300 every minute, according to bank industry group UK Finance. It said around three million scams took place, with frauds involving payment cards being the most common. Fraud is when trickery is used to gain a dishonest advantage, which is often financial, over another person. Cybercrime is any criminal act dealing with computers and networks. To report an incident of cybercrime or fraud and for further information visit the Action Fraud website at www.actionfraud.police.uk. If you haven’t already listed Action Fraud as an Information Provider who can send you information and alerts, why not click on the settings button at the bottom of this email, log into your account and update your sharing settings. Get Involved Please consider getting involved by registering for these messages, this will enable you to contribute to the local priority survey. We may be unaware of issues that you would like us to focus on. Take a few minutes to securely and privately register and have your say using the button below, this will mean we can focus on things that matter to you. 
Please click here to complete the survey
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