Latest news with #Julie-Anne
Scottish Sun
11-08-2025
- Scottish Sun
I worked as a scam hunter, I never thought I'd fall for one again, but was swindled out of £16k after a stupid mistake
Read on for our top tips on how to spot a scam CASHED OUT I worked as a scam hunter, I never thought I'd fall for one again, but was swindled out of £16k after a stupid mistake Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A WOMAN who hunts online scam artists has shared how she was duped out of £16,000. Julie-Anne Kearns, 48, had already dealt with a romance scam in 2022 and never thought she would fall for it again. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Julie-Anne Kearns never thought she'd fall for a scam again Credit: 2 But her life turned upside down after receiving a letter from 'HMRC' Credit: She didn't grow up with the internet, but soon became hooked in her early 20s to help her keep in touch with friends. The mum-of-four from Poole, Dorset, built a large following of social media followers and in 2021, as she shared her breast cancer journey online, but sick individuals soon began to take advantage. She received a Facebook message from a man named Andrew who claimed to work in the military for a Peace Corps mission in Afghanistan — an operation ceased in 1979. He told Julie-Anne how his wife had passed away and was touched by her own story. The pair chatted for weeks, and she revealed she soon grew close to him but one day, he told her his internet was being cut off and asked her to send him gift cards with money on them. Julie-Anne immediately grew suspicious and cut off contact with him and she shared her story on social media where she realised it was a common romance scam. She was inundated with messages from people who had gone through the same, and decided to share these stories as a warning to others on her TikTok account, staysafewithmjules. While working full-time as an NHS healthcare worker, she spent her free time helping to track down scammers. "One lady had fallen for a soldier and sent him thousands of pounds, but she had a feeling something wasn't right," she told The Guardian. "I discovered the scammer had stolen the identity of a real US soldier who had died in a car crash. She was absolutely devastated. There were dozens more like her." As Julie-Anne's online community grew, more and more scammers tried to target her. Inside romance scam target lonely singles on dating apps but what they don't know is if we die "I began to enjoy leading them along to the point they'd ask for money and send me their bank details – then I could report their bank or crypto account to the police," she explained. Dealing with scams on a daily basis, Julie-Anne never thought she'd fall for one again, but last year, she was swindled out of £16,000. She received a letter from HMRC about her yearly tax rebate which said they'd added extra security to her account and they needed a copy of her passport and driving license. "It sounds ridiculous now, but because the letter looked identical to ones I'd always received, I sent pictures of my documents to the email provided," she added. A few days later, Julie-Anne decided to call HMRC and they confirmed they had already send her the tax rebate. They investigated the letter and asked her about the bakery she had opened, except Julie-Anne had no idea what they were on about. "I can't bake a cake to save my life, Julie-Anne said. "It slowly unravelled that someone had opened a fake business under my name, likely used for money laundering." How to protect yourself from scams BY keeping these tips in mind, you can avoid getting caught up in a scam: Firstly, remember that if something seems too good to be true, it normally is. Check brands are "verified" on Facebook and Twitter pages - this means the company will have a blue tick on its profile. Look for grammatical and spelling errors; fraudsters are notoriously bad at writing proper English. If you receive a message from a 'friend' informing you of a freebie, consider whether it's written in your friend's normal style. If you're invited to click on a URL, hover over the link to see the address it will take you to – does it look genuine? To be on the really safe side, don't click on unsolicited links in messages, even if they appear to come from a trusted contact. Be careful when opening email attachments too. Fraudsters are increasingly attaching files, usually PDFs or spreadsheets, which contain dangerous malware. If you receive a suspicious message then report it to the company, block the sender and delete it. If you think you've fallen for a scam, report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or use its online fraud reporting tool. The police were able to get the fake business shut down, but further digging revealed her details were for sale on the dark web. She found dozens of loan applications made under her name, and while most were rejected, they had ruined her credit score. Then, she received a letter taking her to court for the non-payment of a £16,000 loan, which left her sick to her stomach. Thankfully, the loan was written off as Julie-Anne could prove it was a scam, but she's had to change all of her personal details to stop scammers using her information. At first, Julie-Anne was worried about sharing her story but has now shared it on social media to help others avoid it. "Despite knowing it will continue to make me a target, I'll keep running my social media pages hunting down scammers – my experience proves how important it is," she said.
STV News
30-04-2025
- Health
- STV News
'I watched my mum suffer and die slowly for three days - it was horrific'
A woman says it was 'horrific' to watch her mum suffer for days before dying after being declared brain dead. It comes as MSPs on the Scottish Parliament's Health Committee said the upcoming vote on assisted dying was a 'matter of conscience' and they would not be making a recommendation either for or against the plans to legalise assisted dying for those suffering from a terminal illness. The Committee also highlighted several areas it says will require further consideration at Stage 2, should MSPs vote to approve the Bill at Stage 1. Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur brought forward the legislation at Holyrood, which aims to give terminally ill adults the right to request help to end their life. 'I didn't expect to be sitting there day and night watching her slowly die' Lucinda Kingham Lucinda Kingham watched her mother Julie-Anne die following a brain haemorrhage at 59 years old. She sat with her grandmother for three days as her mum, originally from Scotland but living in London, struggled. She says that her experience highlights the need for legal reform after her mum was declared brain dead. STV News Lucinda Kingham talks about her mum, Julie-Anne who suffered for three days before she died. She told STV News: 'They removed all her life support in the hospital and that was it. 'They gave her sedation and said we essentially need to wait for her to die. I asked the consultant how long it would take… they said it would take days and it did. 'She had nothing wrong with her heart or lungs but she wasn't alive. She was brain-dead. 'We spent three days in the hospital watching my mum suffer. There was a lot of secretions coming up, she was gargling which made it sound like she was drowning. 'It was horrific to witness. The most distressing thing was being there day and night for three days, sleeping there for no reason, because she was not alive. 'But we had to witness the most horrific things happening to her.' STV News STV News She added: 'We got to a point we just wanted it to be over. It needs to end. My mum is dead. Why is she being kept alive? 'I could physically see her suffering.' Lucinda says Julie-Anne wanted to 'die with dignity' and would have supported assisted dying had it been in place at the time of her death. 'I didn't expect to be sitting there day and night watching her slowly die,' she said. The Holyrood committee acknowledged the definition of terminal illness in the Bill does not include a life expectancy timescale and that this would mean widening eligibility for assisted dying to include individuals who, although living with an illness or condition that is progressive and untreatable, may not be approaching death for a considerable period of time. MSPs also concluded that the issue of conscientious objection for healthcare workers will require further attention should the Bill progress to Stage 2, to ensure the relevant provisions of the Bill provide an appropriate level of legal clarity and certainty for all parties involved in the assisted dying process. Clare Haughey, convener of the health, social care and sport committee, said: 'Ultimately, our Committee believes the Stage 1 vote is a matter of conscience for each individual MSP and as a result has made no overall recommendation as to how they should vote on the general principles of the Bill. 'However, should the Bill progress to Stage 2, we have highlighted a number of areas which we feel will require further consideration before the Bill can become law. 'These include issues around human rights, coercion, eligibility criteria, provision of assistance, self-administration and conscientious objection for healthcare workers. 'We also recognise that there are particular complexities associated with those aspects of the Bill which extend beyond the limits of the powers currently devolved to the Scottish Parliament. 'If the Parliament approves the Bill at Stage 1, there will need to be an open and constructive dialogue between the Scottish and UK Governments to resolve these issues and to allow the Bill to take full legal effect.' On the issue of capacity, the committee said this would need to be assessed in a 'fair and non-discriminatory way' for those with a mental disorder, while also seeking to give 'suitable protection for vulnerable individuals'. Additional safeguards could also be considered against 'so-called 'doctor shopping' – where people try to find a doctor who will support them to end their life. The Bill is centred around allowing terminally ill people in Scotland to be assisted in their death. It has restrictions on what conditions it would apply to, the person would have to be 16 or over and resident in Scotland for at least 12 months, as well as have the capacity to take the decision. This is the third time Holyrood has voted on the issue – there was also a proposal in 2004 that didn't get enough support to be introduced. However, the last vote on the issue was in 2015. Since then there's been two Scottish elections, Westminster has started examining the issue following a Bill introduced by Labour MP Kim Leadbetter and, just last month, assisted dying passed its final legislative vote on the Isle of Man. The Bill is centred around allowing terminally ill people in Scotland to be assisted in their death. It has restrictions on what conditions it would apply to, the person would have to be 16 or over and resident in Scotland for at least 12 months, as well as have the capacity to take the decision. This is the third time Holyrood has voted on the issue – there was also a proposal in 2004 that didn't get enough support to be introduced. But the last vote on the issue was in 2015. Since then there's been two Scottish elections, Westminster has started examining the issue following a Bill introduced by Labour MP Kim Leadbetter and, just last month, assisted dying passed its final legislative vote on the Isle of Man. At Holyrood, this will be the first time that 86 of the 129 MSPs will have casted a vote on the issue. And for between ten and 20 of them, it's still a decision they are wrestling with, meaning the Bill's potential to progress is on a knife edge. First Minister John Swinney said last year that he was 'actively and carefully' considering his position, and would make his views known on McArthur's Bill ahead of the vote at the Scottish Parliament. 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