Police in Edinburgh have relaunched Operation Arable in a continuing drive to reduce thefts and attacks by criminals who target personal belongings. As part of the operation three men aged 26, 49 and 55 and a 27-year-old woman were arrested on warrant on Tuesday (20 November). Continue reading Operation Arable re-launched to reduce violent crime
EVOC will be marking Carers Rights Day on Friday 30th November from 11am – 3.30pm by hosting a drop-in wellbeing event for paid and unpaid carers across Edinburgh. There will be a small spa space, a chance to try Reiki, Indian Head Massage and yoga and a free lucky dip with prizes donated by businesses across Edinburgh. Continue reading EVOC to host wellbeing drop-in on Carers Rights Day
Miles Briggs MSP has pledged his support to Pancreatic Cancer UK’s campaign demanding faster treatment for people with pancreatic cancer – three in four patients with the disease die within a year of diagnosis making it the quickest killing cancer. Continue reading 119 people in Lothian diagnosed with pancreatic cancer each year
Monday 26 November, 11am – 12 noon
PEP Centre, West Pilton Park
Artwork from some of Scotland’s most talented amateur photographers has gone on display as part of a new exhibition at the Scottish Parliament. Continue reading Holyrood exhibition explores Scotland through the lens of photography students
A new project, funded by NHS Lothian’s Health Improvement Fund, aimed at mums on lower incomes to incorporate physical activity into their lives and ensure that their children enjoy active childhoods, is helping a group of young Leith mums to stay active. Continue reading Leith mums overcoming barriers to staying active
A permanent memorial to Scottish World War One poets will be unveiled by the Lord Provost in Edinburgh’s Makars’ Court today (Friday 23 November), in recognition of their bravery and sacrifice in service as well as the rich body of work which they have left behind for future generations. Continue reading Unveiling of memorial to Scotland’s war poets
The Scottish Government will invest a further £1 billion in rebuilding and refurbishing schools, Deputy First Minister John Swinney has announced. Continue reading £1 Billion for Scotland’s schools
Continue reading Minor Injuries Unit to open at Royal Infirmary
A fifth (18%) of shoppers in Scotland say they have been victims of Internet fraud amid continued high levels of online crime and low levels of cyber security.
As Black Friday and Cyber Monday are expected to kick off an explosion in online shopping ahead of Christmas, with consumers expected to spend £8bn on deals, too many shoppers are still not protecting themselves online.
As a result, online shoppers are losing money due to a combination of internet scams, weak passwords and misplaced trust in websites.
New research from Sophos by Atomik Research shows Scottish consumers remain at risk of online cyber-attacks as they make some basic security mistakes:
· Over half (56%) of survey respondents don’t choose a different password for each online account, which makes them easier to attack one step ahead of cyber criminals.
· 15% admit to using family members’ birthdays and pet names as passwords despite warnings that such information is readily accessible online – giving hackers vital clues to access data.
Half (50%) of those surveyed who had been victims of fraud in Scotland say they have had money taken from their bank accounts without permission and 13% have had their credit and debit cards cloned.
Two in five (39%) online shoppers in Scotland say they have clicked on an apparently genuine email link that turned out to be fake and a third (32%) say they have fallen victim to a phishing scam – where cyber criminals trick their victims into handing over user names, passwords and credit card details.
Adam Bradley, UK&I Country Manager at Sophos said: “The proliferation of online shopping over the past few years means it has become increasingly easy for cyber criminals to harvest data and personal information about consumers. Everyone loves a bargain, especially in the run up to Christmas, but Brits online need to make it harder for fraudsters by taking a few, simple online security steps.”
Sophos recommends taking the following online precautions before hunting for bargains over Black Friday and Cyber Monday:
· Use a web filter. Web filters, like the one included in Sophos Home, stop you from browsing to websites that are known to be used for scams, phishing or spreading malware.
· Use a password manager. Password managers create, remember and enter passwords for you, and they won’t enter your password into a phishing site, no matter how convincing it looks.
· If it looks too good to be true, it is. Scams make wild claims and use familiar brands or friends and family to make them seem trustworthy. Stay alert – if something seems off, it probably is.
· Check your bank statements regularly. You can reduce the chance that you’ll become the victim of a scam but you can’t eliminate it, so make a habit of checking how your money’s spent.
