Latest news with #KatherineHart
The Guardian
12 hours ago
- The Guardian
Funeral scams: ‘It's hard to imagine a more callous form of fraud'
A Facebook post shares a link to the live stream of a funeral service, or to a fundraising page set up by the family of the deceased. Clicking on that takes you to a separate page where it asks for your card details, and explains there is a £10 fee to watch the virtual funeral, or requests a donation. You make the payment but nothing happens. That's because it's a scam, with the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) recently sounding the alarm over a disturbing type of fraud that sees victims share personal information, or tricked into transferring money. Katherine Hart, the CTSI's lead officer for doorstep crime, says: 'It's hard to imagine a more callous form of fraud.' She adds: 'What's particularly upsetting is that victims often feel they can't report what's happened for fear of adding further stress to grieving families. That silence is exactly what these criminals are counting on.' Virtual funerals became common during the Covid pandemic and continue to be popular, as they allow friends and relatives who can't attend in person to pay their respects. But they have become a target for online scammers who often home in on deaths that have been in the media, or those of young people, as they know there will be a lot of public interest. The National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) says the scam has been circulating for two years and is happening across the UK and Ireland. As many victims do not report what has happened, it is hard to gauge the number of cases, but the trade body says that anecdotally they continue to rise. Fraudsters are scanning publicly available funeral notices and creating fake Facebook profiles, posing as family members or friends of the deceased, according to the CTSI. The criminals then contact mourners with bogus links to funeral live streams that demand payment, or set up fake donation pages, often on trusted fundraising platforms. Sometimes they send friend requests to people connected to the original site which, if they accept, can give them access to their photographs and details. After clicking on the live stream link, mourners are prompted to pay. The fake link then causes heartbreak as the individual may be missing a genuine live stream, but is also upset by the fact that they have given their card details to a scammer. Don't hand over any money. Andrew Judd, NAFD chief executive, says that, as a rule, funeral directors do not charge for livestreaming. The public should be 'extremely wary of any external links supposedly promoting one and asking for money', he says. 'Similarly, for pages seemingly fundraising, or asking for donations, instead of clicking, always check with the family or the funeral director to see whether it is legitimate.' 'If a funeral is being livestreamed, a funeral director will be able to provide the genuine link and is always happy to be asked if anyone has concerns.' Embarrassed victims often don't tell anyone, but Hart says that 'silence is exactly what these criminals are counting on,' adding: 'We need people to stay vigilant, share warnings and report anything suspicious.' The CTSI reiterates that you should never be charged to attend a funeral, whether in person or via live stream. You should only donate through official, verified channels, and should check with the named funeral director or celebrant if unsure, it adds. On social media, be cautious of friend requests or messages from unfamiliar profiles, even if they appear to be mutual friends. If you think you have given you card details to a fraudster, contact your bank immediately. While trying to raise awareness of the scam, the CTSI says it needs the public to 'speak out, report concerns and protect others from becoming a victim'. If you or someone you know has been affected, and you live in England and Wales, you should contact Action Fraud via its website or by calling 0300 123 2040. Otherwise, call Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 164 6000 or Consumerline in Northern Ireland on 0300 123 6262.
CTV News
5 days ago
- Climate
- CTV News
79 years later, survivor recalls Windsor's deadliest tornado
A 91-year-old Windsor woman reflects on a fatal tornado on June 17, 1948. CTV Windsor's Travis Fortnum has more. 79 years ago, a tornado tore through Windsor — killing 17 people and flattening homes across the city. To this day it remains the strongest tornado to strike the area and one of the deadliest in Canadian history. Katherine Hart was just 12 years old when the storm hit on June 17, 1946. Now 91, she still remembers how quickly the skies changed. 'It was in the afternoon and it started getting dark,' Hart told AM800s Mornings with Mike and Meg. 'And then all of a sudden the winds were blowing and it was dark outside.' Hart lived near the intersection of Walker Road and Tecumseh Road East at the time. 'The tornado winds were very, very strong. It was really bad,' she said. 'A tree had a piece of wood right in the tree. That's how strong that wind was.' The storm crossed into Windsor from Michigan — touching down in Brighton Beach before carving a path through Sandwich West (now LaSalle), South Windsor, and Tecumseh. Hundreds of homes were damaged or destroyed. Entire railcars were thrown off their tracks. Expand Autoplay 1 of 20 061725 - tornado Windsor's deadliest tornado, as seen 79 years ago. (Source: Windsor Star, via Windsor Public Library) 061725 - tornado Windsor's deadliest tornado, as seen 79 years ago. (Source: Windsor Star, via Windsor Public Library) 061725 - tornado Windsor's deadliest tornado, as seen 79 years ago. (Source: Windsor Star, via Windsor Public Library) 061725 - tornado Windsor's deadliest tornado, as seen 79 years ago. (Source: Windsor Star, via Windsor Public Library) 061725 - tornado Windsor's deadliest tornado, as seen 79 years ago. (Source: Windsor Star, via Windsor Public Library) 061725 - tornado Windsor's deadliest tornado, as seen 79 years ago. (Source: Windsor Star, via Windsor Public Library) 061725 - tornado Windsor's deadliest tornado, as seen 79 years ago. (Source: Windsor Star, via Windsor Public Library) 061725 - tornado Windsor's deadliest tornado, as seen 79 years ago. (Source: Windsor Star, via Windsor Public Library) 061725 - tornado Windsor's deadliest tornado, as seen 79 years ago. (Source: Windsor Star, via Windsor Public Library) 061725 - tornado Windsor's deadliest tornado, as seen 79 years ago. (Source: Windsor Star, via Windsor Public Library) 061725 - tornado Windsor's deadliest tornado, as seen 79 years ago. (Source: Windsor Star, via Windsor Public Library) 061725 - tornado Windsor's deadliest tornado, as seen 79 years ago. (Source: Windsor Star, via Windsor Public Library) 061725 - tornado Windsor's deadliest tornado, as seen 79 years ago. (Source: Windsor Star, via Windsor Public Library) 061725 - tornado Windsor's deadliest tornado, as seen 79 years ago. (Source: Windsor Star, via Windsor Public Library) 061725 - tornado Windsor's deadliest tornado, as seen 79 years ago. (Source: Windsor Star, via Windsor Public Library) 061725 - tornado Windsor's deadliest tornado, as seen 79 years ago. (Source: Windsor Star, via Windsor Public Library) 061725 - tornado Windsor's deadliest tornado, as seen 79 years ago. (Source: Windsor Star, via Windsor Public Library) 061725 - tornado Windsor's deadliest tornado, as seen 79 years ago. (Source: Windsor Star, via Windsor Public Library) 061725 - tornado Windsor's deadliest tornado, as seen 79 years ago. (Source: Windsor Star, via Windsor Public Library) 061725 - tornado Windsor's deadliest tornado, as seen 79 years ago. (Source: Windsor Star, via Windsor Public Library) Tornado debris found nearly 90 km away David Sills with the Northern Tornadoes Project says the 1946 Windsor tornado was ranked an F4 on the Fujita scale — the highest rating ever recorded in the region. 'With an F4 tornado, even things like pavement can be lifted up,' said Sills. 'It's very powerful winds that are caused with an F4 tornado and not much survives.' Sills said the force of the twister was so great that debris was found far outside city limits. 'All the way to Merlin,' he said. 'There were cancelled cheques. There were a pair of trousers there. All kinds of things that were found really far away from the tornado.' The storm caused more than $9.66 million in damage — an estimated $171 million in today's dollars. Preserving the stories — and strength — of Windsorites At the Windsor Public Library, much of the historical record of the 1946 tornado is preserved — thanks in large part to coverage from the Windsor Star. 'At least 75 were sent to the hospitals where they had to rig up a temporary morgue,' said Mary-Lou Gelissen, local history librarian. 'They had to call in people from the Salvation Army. There were volunteers that helped out to start going through different areas.' She says some of the stories are harrowing. 'There were full-on families that passed away,' Gelissen said. 'There was a family of four. It was a mother who actually went into labour and her and the birth child did not make it. So there's a lot of real intimate, tragic stories.' In one case, she says, a family home was lifted entirely off its foundation. 'Their house actually was ripped off of its foundations, and it did a Wizard of Oz swirl. And people saw this happening — people could see. But they all managed to survive.' 'It was a massive local tragedy,' she added. 'I mean, it brought together a lot of people. Everybody came together as a community.' The photos and articles from the time are now a vital piece of Windsor's collective memory. And, Gelissen says, remembering stories like this does more than just honour the past. 'It's really important because I think sometimes Windsorites tend to begrudge themselves,' she said. 'I think when you have something like this, it brings the memory of your community a lot more forward and it becomes a lot more tangible. So you are looking at something that they survived.' Residents interested in exploring more of Windsor's history — or researching their own family ties — can visit the Local History Branch of the Windsor Public Library in Sandwich Town.
BBC News
20-03-2025
- BBC News
Rise in reports of parking scams duping drivers in Kent
Motorists in a number of areas of Kent are being targeted by suspected parking scams which try to trick people into paying money to bogus have been sticking fake QR codes in car parks and on parking payment machines to direct users to fraudulent pages recent weeks warnings have been issued by Thanet, Ashford, Medway and Dover Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) said there had been an increase in reports across the country. The CTSI's scams lead officer Katherine Hart said they have been aware of more reports of parking fraud, with fraudulent apps, bogus penalty notices and fake QR codes all being used."We know the criminals are exploiting this technology and using their own QR codes to get our personal information, or our bank account information, the aim is to defraud us," she said."It may be you are downloading the QR code and it takes you to a payment platform."But sometimes the criminals will ring you in a couple of days claiming to be from your bank's fraud department, and will say we believe you've been a victim of a parking scam and they'll try to defraud you again." Matt, from Kent, told BBC Radio Kent he was duped last summer when he parked in Sussex."There was an official looking QR code, which took me through to a website, I added my card details and paid for the parking," he said."The next morning I checked my bank account and found I had been stung for just over £700 in south-east London." Action Fraud, the UK's national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime, told BBC South East that last year it received 3,143 reports nationally that mentioned the word "parking" - double its recorded figures from Council said it did not use QR codes for the payment of parking fees, either on machines or for RingGo. Council bosses said if you see one do not scan it and do not click on any Borough Council said its parking team had been routinely checking all machines and removing any QR code stickers that they found when on District Council told the BBC it had also been made aware of stickers being placed on council parking meters and their teams were on the lookout and would remove District Council said it was aware of one case in February and one in October and took action to remove stickers as a matter of October Canterbury City Council also went public with its concerns and said machines across the district were being checked and any QR codes would be removed. What is a QR code? QR stands for "quick response". The black and white squares work like a two dimensional barcode and can be scanned by a phone or often use them to direct people to things such as app downloads, payment platforms, social media accounts, menus and events trade association UK Finance said:If you're not sure if the website a QR code takes you to is genuine, search for it in your browser insteadQR code scams can trick people into downloading malware - so ensure phone security is up to dateIf you think you have fallen for a scam, contact your bank and Action Fraud
