Keep your money safe from crime
An event which unravelled the mysteries of electronic banking for older people took place at Leamington Spa Town Hall recently.
The event was hosted by the Warwickshire Distraction Burglary Group, comprising representatives of the County Council, the Police, Age Concern, Victim Support and Neighbourhood Watch.
The itinerary saw specialists from Warwickshire Police and Warwickshire County Council guiding the audience through ways of protecting themselves against crimes such as distraction burglary, cash machine crime and identity theft. They were joined by Coventry Building Society who outlined the measures they take to fight against financial crime, as well as giving expert advice on some of the safeguards individuals can take to protect themselves.
The group was keen to stress that the safest place for large sums of money is in a building society or bank, rather than in the house where many older people are burgled each year, often losing large sums of money.
Councillor Richard Hobbs, portfolio holder for community safety with Warwickshire County Council, said: “By far and away the safest option for keeping large sums of money is in a bank or building society and we are anxious that new types of financial crime do not deter people, particularly older people, from keeping their money there.
It is far better than keeping it at home which makes them more vulnerable to distraction burglaries. We would also encourage older people to take advantage of the benefits of internet banking and will hopefully enable them to steer clear of any potential pitfalls.”
Steve Thomson of Age Concern Warwickshire, said: “This event looked at a serious subject and we hope people were educated and informed.”
Tony Clark of Lillington attended the event and brushed up on his knowledge of some of the new forms of banking and the potential pitfalls. He said:
“Using the computer has changed the way I bank but you can never have too much knowledge. I’m expecting to learn a few new things and I’m sure they’ll help my own experience of electronic banking.”