Icon of English football Sir Geoff Hurst has been targeted by online fraudsters - and is now urging others of his age to learn how to spot and avoid scams.
The 1966 World Cup hattrick hero says he has been the target of scams and wants to help his generation embrace, rather than fear, technologyHe may be best known for his performance on the pitch, but now England football hero Sir Geoff Hurst is taking on a new opponent - online scams.
"I’ve been targeted," he explains. "It was a TV licence. They push you into a stage where you think you have to do something, and get you worried and concerned. That’s part of the wording - ‘I must do it, I must do it’. Stop and think"., where members of Bristol City FC’s senior walking football team were learning how to spot and avoid scams.
One of those who put up his hand in the discussion was Colin Knapp. He was targeted by scammers who persuaded him there was something wrong with his computer, and that he needed to allow them to access it remotely. Phil Summerhayes told us how he lost over £300 to a purchasing scam - after seeing an advert that appeared to be publicising a special offer from Marks and Spencer.The Online Safety Bill, passed by parliament in September 2023, has put pressure on social media platforms to block and remove scams.Rob McLean was one of the trainers running the session. He was inspired to get involved when his mum lost thousands to a romance scammer.
Amy Caton is from BT Group - who joined with AbilityNet to run today’s session. She urges restraint when confronting fraudsters. Asked how it feels that members of his age group have emerged as targets for scammers, Sir Geoff says: “It makes you feel sad in a sense that you’ve got people out there trying to do that to - in our age group - very old and very vulnerable people”.controversialSir Geoff’s verdict - delivered with the hint of a smile: “Had VAR been around in our time, it would have shown unequivocally that the ball was over the line”.
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