Police forces across the UK have issued warnings to those with Amazon Prime memberships following a rise in reports of targeted scams.
A number of constabularies throughout the country have confirmed that there has been a recent sharp increase in the number of scam reports where victims are cold-called at home by people claiming to be from online retailer Amazon.
Reports have been made to and statistics collated from the National Fraud & Cyber Crime Reporting Centre Action Fraud.
It’s said that the scam caller will claim to be contacting the victim because there is either an issue with their Amazon Prime membership, or there has been “unauthorised activity” on their Amazon account.
Officers are urging members of the public to “not engage with the caller” as it is highly likely that they will be attempting to get you to disclose your personal information or financial details in order to scam you.
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Just because someone knows a few basic details about you, it doesn't mean they are genuine. Fraudsters regularly use personal information to build trust and believability.
Criminals can spoof numbers to impersonate well-known organisations. If you’re suspicious, hang up. pic.twitter.com/kuZQpn8KUJ
In a statement addressing the recent scam reports, police said: “We have even been made aware of scammers directing the victim to go and purchase Amazon vouchers from a shop (to then be later collected in person by the scammer or an accomplice) in order to ‘demonstrate that their Prime account is working properly’.”
“Again, on no account should you do this.”
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“Discuss your concerns with a trusted family member or friend who can refer the incident to Action Fraud on your behalf if you cannot do this yourself.”
These reports appear to be the latest in a string of scams that have been taking place over the past few months of lockdown amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and come after police warned of scammers pretending to be from Visa or Mastercard targeting landlines asking for an international transaction of £600, a rise in reports of a Council Tax refund scam email that claims to refund more than £300, and also Thames Valley Police confirming they had responded to at least 80 calls about a con known as ‘courier fraud’ in the last seven months, where criminals prey on isolated people by posing as police officers or bank officials.
The public has been asked to remain vigilant and report any incidents which they have reason to believe may be a scam, phishing or fraudulent activity to Action Fraud.
For more information, visit the Action Fraud website here.
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Home Bargains has announced a special two-day closure of all UK stores
Emily Sergeant
Home Bargains has, once again, announced it’ll be closing all its UK stores on both Boxing Day and New Year’s Day this year.
And it’s to make sure staff get a ‘well deserved break’.
After what has been yet another busy year for the retail industry, many workers have been left feeling like they could do with a little extra time off, which is why Home Bargains is following on with what has become a now-annual tradition by shutting up shop on two bank holidays.
All of our stores will be closing for Boxing Day & New Years Day.
Announcing the move in a post on social media, the discount retailer confirmed: “All of our stores will be closing for Boxing Day and New Years Day. We would like to thank all our colleagues for how hard you have worked this past year, and want you to relax and enjoy the Christmas break with your loved ones.”
Of course, this isn’t the first time the retailer has kept its doors shut on bank holidays.
Many shoppers will recall it has made the same decision to give hardworking staff a break every year since 2019.
Explaining a little more about the decision taken to close all its stores, Home Bargains said: “As a family-run business, we know the importance of being together at Christmas with those we care about most, now more than ever.
“This is our way of saying thank you to our colleagues for their continued hard work and dedication.”
Featured Image – Geograph
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Two Greggs in Manchester will be serving their breakfast menu in the evening next week
Emily Sergeant
Who says breakfast has to end at 11am?
In news that’s set to be music to the ears of breakfast lovers in Manchester, Greggs is giving them exactly what they want.
We all know that brunch is a ‘thing’ by now, so now it’s time for brinner to make a name for itself instead, as Greggs has teamed up with Heinz to bring its much-loved breakfast menu back for tea time, kicking off from 4pm onwards.
The move comes as a new survey has found that the majority of Mancs (69%) admit to enjoying eating breakfast food in the evening, saying it’s ‘convenient and comforting’ – even ranking breakfast as a ‘more important’ meal than tea, as well (38% vs 36%).
Two Greggs in Manchester will be serving their breakfast menu in the evening next week / Credit: Greggs (Supplied)
Greggs says it has ‘lost count’ of the amount of customers that have tried to order breakfast items after the usual cut-off time, especially in Greater Manchester.
But luckily for those breakfast-loving Mancs, they can finally get their favourite breakfast and sauce pairing long after the morning rush is over next… but only at two Greggs branches, and only for a very limited time.
On Wednesday 14 and Thursday 15 October, the Heinz x Greggs Brinner collab will be available at Greggs St Mary’s Gate and Greggs Oxford Road, from 4-7pm only.
“We’ve lost count of the number of customers who have tried their luck ordering breakfast after 11am, so when Heinz came to us with the idea of making Brinner a reality, it felt like the perfect excuse to give the people what they want,” explained Zoe Harris, who is the Customer Director at Greggs.
“And let’s be honest, a Greggs Bacon Roll just wouldn’t be the same without a squeeze of Heinz Tomato Ketchup.”
Emily Sergeant -
10th August 2020 
