Carers come together for BBC Scams Awareness Week coffee morning

Published 27 November 2025

Our Cheshire East All Ages Carers Hub hosted a special Scams Awareness Day at this week’s Poynton Carer Coffee and Chat, aligning with BBC Scams Awareness Week. The session saw ten carers join us for practical, down-to-earth advice on spotting, avoiding, and reporting scams that continue to affect people across the UK.

The interactive session was led by Gil Martin, Making Space Carer Support Worker, who has been running scams awareness training for Making Space Carers for over five years, starting when he was originally a volunteer. This session focused on Courier Fraud - a scam currently impacting many areas of the country, particularly in the North West. Talking about the session, Gil said:

The session was very interactive, and it was interesting to hear about the recent experiences of the carers with scam calls and how they managed those situations.

Carers shared how valuable they found the discussion:

“I saw this in the news; it's good that we stay updated on the latest scams,” said Shelia.

“It's great to have these short and concise scams sessions. This information will help protect us,” said Barry.

“I love how we all get a chance to participate and share our own experiences. The presentation was well-designed and on point,” added Annette.

During the session, carers were reminded to contact the Hub if they experience any scams or fraudulent activity. The team can provide immediate support, help secure personal information, and assist with contacting the police where needed. Home visits can also be arranged for one-to-one guidance.

The event followed our recent Carers Rights Day event, where cybercrime experts from Cheshire Police joined us to offer additional insight on staying safe online.

Gil ended the session with a simple but powerful piece of advice:

Never feel pressured into making a decision or responding quickly to emails, texts, voice calls, or links. Take a moment to think and ask yourself, ‘Does that sound too good to be true?’ That simple reflection might help you avoid being scammed.

Throughout BBC Scams Awareness Week, all scam-related content can be found – what to do to stay scam safe, what to do if you have been scammed and much more - on the BBC Scam Safe website at bbc.co.uk/scamsafe, with updates shared across social media using #BBCScamSafe.