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Charities too Complacent About Cyber-Crime

March 26, 2020by Libby Mahoney in Blog, Safer, Stronger Communities tagged ,

Charities are too complacent about the risk of cyber-crime, a leading insurer has warned.

Research carried out by Ecclesiastical Insurance found the majority of charities (81%) believe they are ‘fully prepared’ to deal with a cyber-attack. Good service from an IT provider (48%) is the main reason for charities feeling secure, while clear protocols and procedures is cited by 17%.

But many charities don’t have adequate systems in place to prevent a cyber breach, the insurer warned. The research found just half (52%) have a cybersecurity plan in place, while fewer have a specific cyber risk management plan (42%) or cyber insurance (42%) in case the worst happens.

Attacks on charities have been steadily rising in recent years and a third of respondents believe the risk of a cyber-attack has increased in the past year, rising to 40% among larger charities.

To read the full Charity Today news story click here.

Source: Charity Today

Sikh Helpline presents: ‘Spotlight on Domestic Abuse’

March 6, 2020by Mazeline Hemmings in Blog, Did you know...?, Health & Wellbeing tagged , ,

Sikh Helpline, in association with Black Country Women’s Aid and West Midlands Police Public Protection Unit, would like to invite you to their first upcoming event on Saturday, 21 March 2020, 10.30 am – 2.30 pm, at ASAN The Workspace, All Saints Road, Wolverhampton, WV2 1EL.  It is a free event.

‘Spotlight on’ Domestic Abuse’ will focus on raising awareness on domestic abuse for volunteers and the wider community, whilst providing a support platform and network teams for victims of abuse.

The event will consist of speakers, workshops and the opportunity to network with local providers. There will be presentations from guest speakers including West Midlands Public Protection Unit, Black Country Women’s Aid and a personal experience of domestic abuse from survivor Sarnjit Flora.

A complimentary lunch will also be included.  Sikh Helpline we look forward to your attendance.

Spaces are limited so register for your free ticket at  https://www.sikhhelpline.com/event

 

 

Victims Summit at Villa Park

February 18, 2020by Mazeline Hemmings in Blog, News and Events tagged , ,

David Jamieson, the Police and Crime Commissioner, would like to invite you to the 2020 Victims Summit on the 27th of February 2020, 9.30 am to 3.30 pm at Aston Villa Football Club, Villa Park, Birmingham B6 6HE.

The Summit will bring together services he has commissioned, regionally and locally, as a result of recommendations made by the Victims Commission. The Commission has played an integral role, assisting him to shape delivery for victims of crime across the region and over the past 5 years he has commissioned some new and innovative projects to support victims in ways which are meaningful to them.

The Summit will address ‘Online Abuse and Technological Victimisation’ which will be the theme of the summit.

The morning will address challenges of online abuse and tech victimisation from the perspective of survivors/victims, an academic from BCU and providers funded to support victims through the PCC’s Office. The Victims’ Commissioner, Vera Baird, will also give an overview of the work being undertaken by her office in 2020.

The afternoon slot will address remedies and support available for victims from the point of view of NSPCC, Refuge’s specialist Tech Abuse Service and a panel made up of all the speakers.

Please book your place via Eventbrite.

 

PCC Victims Fund 2020 Open

December 2, 2019by Mazeline Hemmings in Blog, Funding tagged ,

The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner is urging organisations that help victims of crime, to apply to him for money. The Victims Fund opened on 1st December 2019 and will be taking applications through to 5 pm on 17th January 2020.

David Jamieson is encouraging organisations across the West Midlands to submit applications to his Victims Fund, which helps pay for support services for people to cope and recover from the effects of crime. If you are an organisation directly supporting the needs of victim, the PCC would like to hear from you.

This year the PPC has ring fenced £50k for organisations supporting victims of Hate Crime to come forward with applications.

Online applications only will be accepted.

Click here to apply.

10 Steps to Cyber Security

May 28, 2019by Libby Mahoney in Blog, VCS Feature tagged ,

Guidance on how organisations can protect themselves in cyberspace, including the 10 steps to cyber security guidance is designed to help organisations protect themselves in cyberspace. It breaks down the task of defending your networks, systems and information into its essential components, providing advice on how to achieve the best possible security in each of these areas.

When dealing with the practicalities of cyber security it’s extremely useful to understand what exactly you’re protecting against. To help orient your security decisions we have produced a white paper entitled, Common Cyber Attacks: Reducing The Impact. This paper sets out what a common cyber attack looks like and how attackers typically undertake them.

Click here to view the white paper called Common Cyber Attacks: Reducing the Imppact.

Source: National Cyber Security Centre

West Midlands Police: Scams Booklets

October 22, 2018by Libby Mahoney in Blog, Training Support and Resources tagged , ,

Online scams are unfortunately on the rise as we turn to the use of technology more and more, with this comes the danger of inadvertently being caught out by some very suffocated scams that at first glance may seem legitimate.

West Midlands Police are pleased to bring you ‘The Little Book of Cyber Scams‘, reproduced by kind permission of The Metropolitan Police Service. This booklet has been specifically designed to offer small and medium Enterprises on staying safe in the cyber world.

The Little Book of Big Scams is an extremely accurate booklet which discusses some of the types of frauds people are experiencing today, whether face-to-face or online and how modern life is being exploited by those fraudsters who wish to steal our valuable information or money.

Source: Sandwell Public Health and West Midlands Police

HBV, FM and FGM Development Day

June 11, 2018by Mazeline Hemmings in Blog, Safer, Stronger Communities tagged , ,

As part of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s continued commitment to tackling hidden crimes and violence against women and girls, David Jamieson is calling on community groups in the West Midlands to come together to form part of an integrated voluntary sector response to forced marriage, honour based violence and female genital mutilation (FGM).

These are priorities in the PCC’s Police and Crime Plan and he is committed to establishing a regional response to these crimes. (Please click here to see the West Midlands Police and Crime Plan 2016-2020).

The PCC seeks to mobilise a community led response to HBV, FM and FGM by developing capacity in leadership and delivery of micro community organisations so that the victims of these crimes can seek a culturally appropriate response. We want to hear from groups with expertise and a cultural understanding which takes into account a victim’s resilience to cope with crime based on their ethnicity, gender, culture, religion, disability and socio-economic status. We are keen to bring together providers who are delivering services and who understand how these crimes impact on victims.

The PCC is holding a start-up meeting on Thursday 5 July at the Loft Lounge, 143 Bromsgrove Street, Birmingham, B5 6RG

If you are a local group in the West Midlands and would like to be involved in this innovative work, please contact Jo Barber or Harjeet Chakira on 0121 626 5534, for further details.

The discussion will include:

• Supporting providers with capacity building
• Working with micro community groups
• Bench marking best practice in supporting victims of HBV FM and FGM
• Representing the voice of the victim by community members
• Developing a network and support service going in 2019/2020

Victims Support Service Workshop

June 11, 2018by Mazeline Hemmings in Blog, News and Events, Safer, Stronger Communities tagged , ,

Community Vision Victim Support Services presents ‘Restoring Our Queens’. This is a personal development group event for African Caribbean Women who are victims/survivors of domestic abuse. The event will be facilitated by Clancy Williams Drama Therapist (Angels Without Wings)

This is the second of three workshops and continues with the theme of understanding the rightful place of African Caribbean Women and building on the given strengths

The workshop is designed to challenge and liberate from the ‘blame mind-set’ that often hinders African Caribbean Women from taking responsibility of their own onward journey, and having the right tools to begin that process is paramount. Using creative drama therapeutic techniques, rites of passage will be explored and how that relates to healing and the restoration of the holistic self

‘Restoring our Queens’ is from 11 am to 4 pm on Saturday, 23 June, at The New Testament Church of God the Rock, George Street West, Birmingham B18 7HF. Please bring loose comfortable clothing for movement based activities.

Refreshments and lunch provided.

This event is commissioned by West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner. The event is FREE but places are limited and is strictly by booking only. A fee of £25 will be charged for cancellations with less than 48 hours reasonable notice.

To book your place please email joan@cvwm.org

New Guide Helps Charities Gain Cyber Security Confidence

April 30, 2018by Libby Mahoney in Blog, Training Support and Resources tagged , ,

A new cyber security guide for charities aims to help them confidently embrace technology with an awareness of the risks and how to mitigate them.

A new guide aimed at helping charities be more confident against digital risk has been launched by charity insurer Ecclesiastical in partnership with the Charites Security Forum.

The free cyber security guide for charities aims to help the third sector confidently embrace technology, by educating them on the wide range of cyber threats they could face, from ransomware, malware and denial of service to phishing, password attacks and human error.

It provides a wealth of practical advice for charities on mitigating these risks, including guidance on protecting themselves against data breaches.

The insurer’s own recent research with charities showed that 17% have already experienced a cyber-attack, with ransomware top of the list of cyber threats organisations have faced, while 63% said that they are concerned about cyber and internet crime.

Martyn Croft, cyber expert and co-founder of the Charities Security Forum with Brian Shorten, said: “Representing information security people working in charities and not-for-profits, the Charities Security Forum is committed to continuing to raise awareness of cyber risk in the third sector and to helping support these organisations with building up their digital defences.”

“This new guide by Ecclesiastical provides accessible information about the ways in which charities could find themselves exposed to the cyber security threat, but also gives simple, practical advice to help third sector organisations to protect themselves, and the people they help, against cyber crime.”

Download the guide, “Charity Cyber Guide: your defence against digital risk” here.

The NCSC (National Cyber Security Centre), part of GCHQ, has also recently released a cyber security guide for chairities, aiming particularly at smaller charities.

All charities are at risk from cyber attacks on their funds and data, but security experts from NCSC are concerned that charities – particularly small charities, do not see themselves as potential targets. The new guide includes advice on low cost solutions for backing up data, malware, passwords and phishing attacks – download it here.

Source: Charity Digital News

The Top 8 Frauds to Watch Out For in 2018

April 16, 2018by Libby Mahoney in Blog, Did you know...?, News and Events, Safer, Stronger Communities tagged , ,

A new report from NatWest has identified the top ways they expect fraudsters will try and get their hands on people’s cash in 2018.

NatWest has worked with research agency The Future Laboratory to analyse data from the last 18 months to predict eight frauds expected to emerge in 2018.

Eight scams to watch out for in 2018
1.Social media spying. People might not realise how much information they are giving away, but to a fraudster the posts can be very helpful in setting up a scam.

2.Malicious software on smartphones. It is expected that malware or malicious software threats will grow among mobile devices.

3.Bogus Brexit investments. Consumers should be wary of fake investment opportunities. For example, fraudsters may email customers, warning Brexit will affect their savings, and that they urgently need to move them into a seemingly plausible, but actually fake, investment product.

4.Fraudsters preying on World Cup excitement. Some fraudsters will sell football tickets that are either fake or will never arrive. It is also expected that “package trips” will be offered by fake travel companies. Always buy tickets from a reputable source.

5.Money mules. Mule recruiters may trawl social media for potential targets, particularly cash-strapped students in university towns, and use them to inadvertently launder money. Money mules receive the stolen funds into their account, they are then asked to withdraw it and send the money to a different account, often one overseas, keeping some of the money for themselves.

6.Wedding excitement. Experts fear couples could be easy prey for fraudsters who tempt victims with extravagant offers at bargain prices. Fraudsters can set up fake websites for elements of the big day like venue hire, catering, or wedding dresses that appear very realistic. Fake wedding planners will take people’s money and then disappear.

7.Romance scams. Criminals create fake profiles to form a relationship with their victims. They use messaging to mine victims’ personal details to use for identity fraud. Or, just when the victim thinks they have met the perfect partner the fraudsters asks them for money.

8.Scams aimed at first-time buyers. Computer hackers monitor emails sent by a solicitor to a first-time buyer and then they pounce, pretending to be the solicitor and telling them the solicitors’ bank account details have changed in order to steal cash.

Julie McArdle, NatWest security manager said: “Scammers are dogged in their attempts to get their hands on people’s money and are always looking for new ways to get ahead. This means banks and customers need to evolve alongside scammers too.

“By being aware and staying ahead of scammers, we can stop them winning and keep the country’s money safe and secure.”

If you think you have been a victim of fraud you should report it to Action Fraud by calling 0300 123 20 40 or by using the online reporting tool.

Source: Action Fraud

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