Latest news with #WillGardner
Irish Independent
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Restaurant review: This unofficial Four Courts canteen serves up tasty toasties with a side of prime people-watching
There's a reason why legal dramas are such a popular genre, why we consume reports of court cases, whether civil or criminal, so assiduously. I blame The Paper Chase for my own decision to go to law school, and I know for a fact that there's a whole generation of lawyers — both men and women — inspired by The Good Wife, hoping to meet their very own Will Gardner in among the dusty stacks. (I'm showing my age, nobody reads law reports in print any more, do they?)
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Yahoo
Almost half of children have been scammed online
Almost half of children have been scammed online, according to a study conducted for safer internet day. A survey of 2,000 young people aged eight to 17 found 46 per cent had been victims of online scams and nearly one in 10 (9 per cent) had lost money in the process. The most common frauds experienced by young people were fake giveaways, phishing and fake websites, followed by online shopping scams, including fake ticket sales, and so-called 'trust trades' in gaming. Almost a fifth of young people (18 per cent) knew someone their age who had lost money to an online scam, according to the poll for the UK Safer Internet Centre (UKSIC). A quarter of those who have fallen victim (26 per cent) say they blamed themselves, increasing to 37 per cent of 17-year-olds. Almost half of young people (47 per cent) said they believed embarrassment was the main barrier to seeking help if they were scammed online. Will Gardner, the UKSIC director, said: 'This Safer Internet Day, we want to put the importance of protecting children from online scams on the agenda. 'For too long, young people have been overlooked, yet our research clearly demonstrates how much of an impact online scams can have on them.' Exposure to scams is a regular part of life online for young people, with 79 per cent coming across them at least once a month, almost half (45 per cent) at least once a week, and 20 per cent seeing scams online every day. Some 81 per cent of parents and carers and 43 per cent of teenagers believed online scams were getting more convincing, and around a third of young people (32 per cent) worried that the use of new technology, such as generative artificial intelligence, will make scams harder to identify. A separate study from Vodafone, also released for Safer Internet Day, suggested that approaching one million British children aged 11 to 16 have been scammed online in the last 12 months, with those aged 13 most likely to be affected. One fifth of these scams (22 per cent) are occurring on gaming platforms, while 78 per cent take place on social media platforms. Focus groups revealed that fraudsters were taking advantage of trusted platforms and the way they were designed to target young people, capitalising on their vulnerabilities, including financial insecurity, reliance on technology and social pressure. Young people said the most common scams were ads or quizzes which appeared to be from well-known brands but were in fact luring them into parting with personal information or buying fake products. The Vodafone study, which analysed the experiences of 2,000 parents and children, as well as more than 4,800 teachers, suggested that over 3,000 attempts are made to scam young people online every day. Helen Westerman, the campaigns manager at the NSPCC, said: 'These findings paint a deeply concerning picture of how online scams are affecting young people's wellbeing, with nearly a million children targeted in the past year alone. 'What's particularly worrying is that 60 per cent of young people don't know where to turn for help, often leaving them to deal with both financial losses and emotional trauma in silence.' Vodafone said it was currently blocking 1.7 million calls a day from known scammers. It is opening a 'Phish 'N' Tips' shop in central London on February 20 to offer families free expert advice to help spot online scams and deal with them. Anyone who has been scammed online should report it to Action Fraud or call 0300 123 2040 (in England, Wales and Northern Ireland) or report it to Police Scotland by calling 101 (in Scotland).
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Yahoo
Almost half of children have been scammed online, UK study finds
Almost half of children aged between eight and 17 have been scammed online – with a quarter blaming themselves, according to a report based on children in the UK. Exposure to scams is a regular part of life online for young people, with 79% coming across them at least once a month, almost half (45%) at least once a week, and 20% seeing scams online every day, according to research released by the UK Safer Internet Centre (UKSIC) to mark Safer Internet Day. A survey found 46% of young people have been scammed online and 9% – including eight-year-olds – have lost money in the process. Some 81% of parents and carers and 43% of teenagers believe that online scams are getting more convincing, and around a third of young people (32%) worry that the use of new technology, such as generative artificial intelligence, will make scams harder to identify. The most common scams experienced by young people are fake giveaways, phishing and fake websites, followed by online shopping scams, including fake ticket sales, and so-called 'trust trades' in gaming. Almost a fifth of young people (18%) know someone their age who has lost money to an online scam, the poll found. A quarter of those who have fallen victim (26%) say they blamed themselves, increasing to 37% of 17-year-olds. Almost half of young people (47%) said they believed that embarrassment was the main barrier to seeking help if they were scammed online. UKSIC director Will Gardner, said: 'This Safer Internet Day, we want to put the importance of protecting children from online scams on the agenda. 'For too long, young people have been overlooked, yet our research clearly demonstrates how much of an impact online scams can have on them.' A separate study from Vodafone, also released for Safer Internet Day, suggests that approaching one million British children aged 11 to 16 have been scammed online in the last 12 months, with those aged 13 most likely to be affected. One fifth of these scams (22%) are occurring on gaming platforms, while 78% take place on social media platforms. Focus groups revealed that fraudsters were taking advantage of trusted platforms and the way they were designed to target young people, capitalising on their vulnerabilities, including financial insecurity, reliance on technology and and social pressure. Young people said the most common scams were ads or quizzes which appeared to be from well-known brands but were in fact luring them into parting with personal information or buying fake products. The study, which analysed the experiences of 2,000 parents and children, as well as more than 4,800 teachers, suggests that over 3,000 attempts are made to scam young people online every day. Helen Westerman, campaigns manager at the NSPCC, said: 'These findings paint a deeply concerning picture of how online scams are affecting young people's wellbeing, with nearly a million children targeted in the past year alone. 'What's particularly worrying is that 60% of young people don't know where to turn for help, often leaving them to deal with both financial losses and emotional trauma in silence. 'The impact of these scams goes far beyond the immediate financial loss. We're seeing children experience anxiety, depression, and withdrawal from activities they once enjoyed. 'This is why it's crucial that parents and carers create an open dialogue about online safety with their children, ensuring young people feel they can come forward without fear of judgment if they've been targeted by scammers.' Nicki Lyons, chief corporate affairs and sustainability officer at Vodafone UK, said: 'The online world is part of everyday life, but young people can only make the most of this if they feel safe to do so. 'As our latest study shows, scams targeting young people on the platforms they use regularly are on the rise and becoming ever-more sophisticated, so it's important that calls to make the internet safer are heard.' Vodafone said it was currently blocking 1.7 million calls a day from known scammers.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Yahoo
Almost half of children aged between eight and 17 ‘have been scammed online'
Almost half of children aged between eight and 17 have been scammed online – with a quarter blaming themselves, according to a report. Exposure to scams is a regular part of life online for young people, with 79% coming across them at least once a month, almost half (45%) at least once a week, and 20% seeing scams online every day, according to research released by the UK Safer Internet Centre (UKSIC) to mark Safer Internet Day. A survey found 46% of young people have been scammed online and 9% – including eight-year-olds – have lost money in the process. Some 81% of parents and carers and 43% of teenagers believe that online scams are getting more convincing, and around a third of young people (32%) worry that the use of new technology, such as generative artificial intelligence, will make scams harder to identify. The most common scams experienced by young people are fake giveaways, phishing and fake websites, followed by online shopping scams, including fake ticket sales, and so-called 'trust trades' in gaming. Want to know more about #SaferInternetDay and how you can get involved? Interested in hearing about the free resources available to help you teach about online scams? Join the free Safer Internet Day 2025 Webinars for Teachers and Educators this January! Learn more from our… — UK Safer Internet Centre (@UK_SIC) January 6, 2025 Almost a fifth of young people (18%) know someone their age who has lost money to an online scam, the poll found. A quarter of those who have fallen victim (26%) say they blamed themselves, increasing to 37% of 17-year-olds. Almost half of young people (47%) said they believed that embarrassment was the main barrier to seeking help if they were scammed online. UKSIC director Will Gardner, said: 'This Safer Internet Day, we want to put the importance of protecting children from online scams on the agenda. 'For too long, young people have been overlooked, yet our research clearly demonstrates how much of an impact online scams can have on them.' A separate study from Vodafone, also released for Safer Internet Day, suggests that approaching one million British children aged 11 to 16 have been scammed online in the last 12 months, with those aged 13 most likely to be affected. One fifth of these scams (22%) are occurring on gaming platforms, while 78% take place on social media platforms. Focus groups revealed that fraudsters were taking advantage of trusted platforms and the way they were designed to target young people, capitalising on their vulnerabilities, including financial insecurity, reliance on technology and and social pressure. Young people said the most common scams were ads or quizzes which appeared to be from well-known brands but were in fact luring them into parting with personal information or buying fake products. The study, which analysed the experiences of 2,000 parents and children, as well as more than 4,800 teachers, suggests that over 3,000 attempts are made to scam young people online every day. Helen Westerman, campaigns manager at the NSPCC, said: 'These findings paint a deeply concerning picture of how online scams are affecting young people's wellbeing, with nearly a million children targeted in the past year alone. 'What's particularly worrying is that 60% of young people don't know where to turn for help, often leaving them to deal with both financial losses and emotional trauma in silence. 'The impact of these scams goes far beyond the immediate financial loss. We're seeing children experience anxiety, depression, and withdrawal from activities they once enjoyed. 'This is why it's crucial that parents and carers create an open dialogue about online safety with their children, ensuring young people feel they can come forward without fear of judgment if they've been targeted by scammers.' Nicki Lyons, chief corporate affairs and sustainability officer at Vodafone UK, said: 'The online world is part of everyday life, but young people can only make the most of this if they feel safe to do so. 'As our latest study shows, scams targeting young people on the platforms they use regularly are on the rise and becoming ever-more sophisticated, so it's important that calls to make the internet safer are heard.' Vodafone said it was currently blocking 1.7 million calls a day from known scammers. It is opening a 'Phish 'N' Tips' shop in central London on February 20 to offer families free, expert advice to help spot online scams and deal with them. Anyone who has been scammed online should report it to Action Fraud or call 0300 123 2040 (in England, Wales and Northern Ireland) or report it to Police Scotland by calling 101 (in Scotland).
