Victims of violence remembered in Liverpool

FAMILIES and friends of people who have died as a result of violence will come together at a special event at:- Liverpool Cathedral, later this month.

The Serious Violence Remembrance Evening, which is taking place on:- Saturday, 23 September 2023, from:- 6:30pm to 8.30pm, will bring together those affected by all types of violence.

The theme this year is:- 'What is strong, not what is wrong', and there will be a series of live music performances, poetry readings and speeches.

The event is free and there is no requirement to register or book a place; many victims' families will be in attendance to show support for 1 another.

Those attending will be encouraged to light a candle at the venue and contribute to a book of condolence to share memories of their loved one. The book will be open across the weekend.

The City's main Civic Buildings:- St George's Hall, Cunard Building and Liverpool Town Hall, will be lit up purple to mark the event.

It is the third year that this service has taken place. It was inspired by Mandy Jamieson whose son Danny was stabbed to death in Gateacre in July 2018, aged just 16.

Since the tragedy, Mandy has set up Danny's Place; a charity which facilitates talks to Schools, youth organisations and the probation sector about the ripple effect knife crime can have.

The event is being organised by Liverpool City Council's Culture Liverpool and Community Safety teams, in partnership with Liverpool Cathedral and Danny's Place.

Mandy Jamieson, Founder of Danny's Place, said:- "This event is valued by bereaved families as it gives them a chance to celebrate their loved ones. Together, we can share memories and pay tribute to those we have lost far too soon, which is hugely important. It is also important we showcase the work that is going on to educate our children about choosing the right path, as they are our future."

Liverpool City Council Leader, Cllr Liam Robinson, said:- "The evening is an opportunity for those who have experienced unimaginable pain to come together with others who have lost loved ones and be part of a supportive and empathetic environment. Some cases dominate the news more than others, but this is about remembering that every single life lost is an avoidable tragedy that impacts many other people for their rest of their lives. We want to shine a spotlight on this difficult subject, educate others on the pain it causes and hopefully prevent further tragedies from happening in our City."

Merseyside's Police Commissioner Emily Spurrell said:- "My heart goes out to all those who have lost a loved 1 to serious violence. Nobody should have to endure that avoidable heartbreak and devastation and this annual service is an important opportunity for us to come together to remember the victims and support those who have been bereaved. It's also an opportunity to renew our commitment and determination to tackling violence in our communities. We have seen positive decreases in the use of gun and knives in our communities, but we can never rest until those figures are down to zero. We owe it to those innocent people who have lost their lives in the cruellest way. Through our Merseyside Violence Reduction Partnership, we want to create a lasting legacy, by addressing the root causes of violence, to help youngsters choose a brighter path in life, to break the cycle and stop our young people being drawn into a life of crime and violence so we can all live in safer and stronger communities."

Get the message - smishing reminder for students as the academic year begins

THE Student Loans Company (SLC) has issued a smishing reminder to students as the academic year gets underway. In September, SLC will pay approximately £2.3billion to more than 1 million students in maintenance payments as they start and return to University. However, at this time of year, students can be targeted by criminals with fraud involving text messages (SMS) currently the most popular form of scam.

Alan Balanowski, Risk Director at SLC, said:- "At SLC, our mission is to support students to invest in their future. Unfortunately, we know fraud is becoming more sophisticated with different methods and technologies being used to target students, especially around the start of the academic year when the 1st maintenance payment is made. Over the last 2 years, popular scams included impersonating SLC or students via phone calls (vishing) or through emails (phishing), but this year we are seeing more fraud involving SMS. For example, students being asked to click on a link to change their bank details. We have a range of prevention methods that we use to identify and stop scammers, and we are constantly evolving our approach and techniques to prevent fraud. Working together with students is an important part of our approach as they need to know what to look for in suspicious communication and where to go for help."

SLC is sharing advice on how to spot and stop a scam.

SLC's top tips:-

• Check the quality of the communication; misspelling, poor punctuation and bad grammar are often tell tale signs of phishing.
   

• Keep an eye out for any emails, phone calls or SMS messages you think are suspicious, especially around the time you're expecting a payment.
   

• Scam emails and text messages are often sent in bulk to many people at the same time and are unlikely to contain both your 1st and last name. These commonly start:- 'Dear Student,' so be on guard if you see 1 like this.
   

• Messages that convey a sense of urgency are also unlikely to be genuine; for example:- 'failure to respond in 24 hours will result in your account being closed.'
   

• Think before you click. If you receive an email or SMS that contains a link that you're not sure of, then hover over it to check that it goes where it's supposed to. If you're still in any doubt don't risk it, always go direct to the source rather than clicking on a potentially dangerous link.
   

• Scammers can use a variety of methods to try and get you to pay money or share personal details, including the use of fraudulent phone calls, social posts and direct messaging on digital platforms. If you are suspicious of being contacted, always use official phone numbers, your online account and official communication channels to verify the contact you received is genuine.
   

• Students should also be mindful of the information that they share about themselves on social media, and elsewhere online, to help guard against identity theft. Identity theft happens when fraudsters access information about a person's identity, such as:- their name, date of birth, customer reference number, course information or their current or previous addresses to impersonate them online and over the phone.
   

• Check out the UK Government's online guide to identifying a scam at:- Gov.UK.

SLC also has a range of methods to protect students, including:- sending an SMS to customers in England if a change has been made to their banks details and asking them to confirm the change. If a customer hasn't changed their details but receives a message, they should log into their online account to review their information.

SLC will also never ask students to provide their personal or financial information via email or text message. If a student receives a suspicious message, they should report it to SLC's Financial Crime Prevention Unit immediately by emailing:- FCPU_Alerts@SLC.Co.UK or calling the dedicated hotline on:- 03001000059.

Neither SLC or Student Finance England (SFE) provide any services through WhatsApp and will never initiate contact with a student through social media channels to discuss their application or student finance entitlement. If a customer receives a communication from SFE that they are unsure of, they should log into their online account to verify if it's genuine.

There is also a range of additional advice and information on recognising and avoiding scams from Action Fraud, the UK's national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime.