Residents in Chichester District will be able to learn how to spot the signs of fraud at a special event being held on Saturday 28 September in Chichester city centre.

The event is being held in The Council House, North Street, Chichester, and has been organised by one of Chichester District Council’s Community Wardens, Rich Moorey, who covers the Selsey area.

Following a similar event that he ran in Selsey this August, Rich will be conducting presentations throughout the day, each one lasting approximately one hour. These will take place at 9.30am; 11am; 12.30pm; 2pm; 3.30pm; 5pm; and 6pm. The sessions are free for anyone to attend.

The presentations will cover several different, but prominent types of scams. These include courier fraud (fraudulent communications that look like they are from delivery companies); financial and investment scams; romance fraud on dating apps and social media; and websites.

Rich will also talk about rogue traders, and detail ways in which residents can spot when they might be at risk of falling victim to a scam. Rich will use examples from his experience as a Community Warden to demonstrate how people can protect themselves.

Scams and fraudulent activity remain a major concern as they can affect anyone. In the first quarter of 2024, there were 200 reports of scams in the Chichester area alone.

Rich joined the Community Wardens in the summer of 2022, after 14 years serving in the area as a Police Community Support Officer (PCSO). During this time, he regularly came across cases of people who had fallen victim to scams which prompted him to find ways of helping residents.

He says: “The event in Selsey was very well received and those that attended left feeling much more empowered about what to look out for and what to do in case of a scam taking place.

“I must stress, these scams can happen to absolutely anyone, and the aim of these presentations is to give people a few tools to help protect themselves, and their loved ones, from what is an awful crime. Scams can leave people feeling ashamed and vulnerable, as well as out of pocket.”

Rich’s main tips to protect themselves are to keep computer software up-to-date and use strong passwords on mobile devices, computers, and laptops; keep in mind whether a suspicious email or letter was solicited or expected; and delete suspicious emails before deleting them from the ‘deleted’ inbox.

There is also support online for those who are concerned they are being targeted. The free Get Safe Online website has lots of information and advice that residents can use to protect themselves, as well as a website checker that can check if a website potentially harmful: www.getsafeonline.org/checkawebsite.

Citizens Advice offer an online scam checker tool which people can use to check if they feel suspicious about websites they see links to or messages they receive: www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/scams/check-if-something-might-be-a-scam/.

“Scams are a prevalent crime across the nation, not just in the district, but they are a major concern here,” says Councillor Tracie Bangert, Cabinet Member for Communities and Wellbeing at Chichester District Council. “Although figures have improved, the latest studies show our district remains one of the areas with the highest amounts of money lost through scams, so Rich’s work on this area is really important in helping people to protect themselves. I encourage as many as possible to come along to the event, either for themselves or on behalf of a loved one.”

If there is a community group in the district that would like Rich to give a talk or presentation on scam awareness, or ask for advice, they are welcome to email the Community Wardens at: CommunityWardens@chichester.gov.uk