You Protect
yourself against bogus callers! Protect
yourself against bogus callers! Home
office launches new campaign for help older people Angela
Rippon is heading up a list of celebrities who have
joined forces with the Home Office to educate and remind
older people that they should always follow the simple
LOCK, STOP, CHAIN & CHECK rules when someone calls to
their door. Most
people who call at your home will be genuine. But
sometimes, people turn up unannounced, with the intention
of tricking their way into people's homes. They are known
as 'distraction burglars' or 'bogus callers', whose only
aim is to get into homes to distract people and steal
their money or valuables. Angela
Rippon says: “Bogus callers are very convincing
tricksters, often posing as someone from a utility
company or local authority. They can be men or
women, and even sometimes use children as a cover story.
They should always be reported to the police. “Awareness
and good security advice mean that people are able to
take control of their lives, and hopefully avoid the
bogus callers. That's why I'm very happy to be
supporting this campaign.” Follow
these simple steps from the Home Office to avoid bogus
callers 1.
LOCK - Always keep your back and front door locked even
when you are at home or just popping out briefly. 2.
STOP - If there is someone at your door, stop and think
whether you are expecting anyone. Ensure the back door is
locked before answering the front door so that nobody can
access your house while you are distracted. 3.
CHAIN - If you decide to open the door, put the door bar
or chain on first. Keep the chain on while you talk to
the person on the doorstep. When the door is closed,
remove the chain in case you need to get out quickly. 4.
CHECK - If a stranger wants to come in and claims that
they are from a utility company, the local authority or
any other organisation, always ask for their ID, even if
you were expecting them - genuine callers will happily
show you ID. Close the door and check the ID carefully.
Call the head office if you are still unsure, but use the
number from the telephone directory or a recent utility
bill, not the one on the card. If in
doubt, keep them out! Debt
is an ever-increasing problem in this country... so why
not... Make
sense of your finances: have a budget! Whether
you are struggling with money or not, every one of us as
Christians needs to be budgeting. Otherwise we will be
wasting some of God's precious resources. It doesn't
matter if we think we have no need to because we can
“afford” something. John Wesley said that the
word “afford” was the word he hated most in the
English language because we use it to “justify the
unjustifiable”. A
budget is a first step towards being in control of your
finances. It will also help you to see exactly where your
money goes. Why do
you need to budget? Making a budget helps you to: How to
create a budget Budgeting
is not difficult, although it may take a bit of work. You
do not need to be a maths genius to do it! Be
honest. Don't try to skip certain items or underestimate
your spending. Be
consistent and accurate. Making a budget involves keeping
regular records of what you are spending. Follow
the steps below: Work
out your income (including benefits). Make sure you are
taking your net income that is, your income after tax and
National Insurance have been taken off. List
your regular spending. This includes things like Council
Tax, mortgage, rent, heating and insurance. Add up
what you are spending on normal day-to-day living
expenses – this includes things like shopping for
food, clothes and entertainment. Record
what you spend on occasional items – such as
birthday and Christmas presents, holidays and so on. You
don't buy these items regularly but it is helpful to put
an amount on one side for them every month. Make
sure that you work out your income and spending for the
same period – usually a month. Add up
your income and then add up your spending. If the
spending is more than the income, it may mean that you
need help with your finances. It is important to adjust
your budget as your income and expenses change. For
further help please visit www.creditaction.org.uk for
details of the new guide “Thinking about money”. By
Keith Tondeur of Credit Action Suppose
you can't work? Almost
a third of people have not taken steps to safeguard
themselves and loved ones against a loss of income
resulting from injury, illness or even death. According
to recent research from How
do you plan your holiday? When
it comes to holidays, we are turning our backs on
traditional package holidays in favour of breaks that we
plan ourselves. But men (31 per cent) are still more
likely than women (24 per cent) to use a travel agent. In
2003 the number of people in the The
reason for such a turnaround? The internet and budget
airlines make it easy to find good deals. Buying
a second-hand car this Spring? Are
you thinking of buying a second-hand car? If so, there
are some important points to consider, including the
car's documents, bodywork, electrical condition, engine,
interior, and tyres. Always do a test drive, and keep to
your budget. The RAC website has some excellent advice
which could save you thousands of pounds. (Visit www.rac.co.uk). Silly
diets are a fat lot of good Children
who go on unsupervised diets often GAIN weight, according
to recent research undertaken by A
new use for mobile phones? Mobile
phones could, in theory, replace credit cards after the
launch of a new range of handsets. Instead
of handing over credit or debit cards for swiping, users
type their pass-code on the phone keypad, point the
device at a special receiver on a checkout counter and
press a key. The phone sends the card data via an
infrared beam or radio wave. No signature is necessary.
Transmissions are secure, and subscribers who lose their
phones can get them disabled within seconds by informing
the credit card company concerned. What
happens when Rover feels ruff? Do you
have a cat or a dog? Have you insured them for vet's
bills? 72 per cent of us have not, according to recent
research. If you are among the uninsured, beware: if your
dog so much as tears a ligament, it can cost you over £1,000
in vet's bills to repair! How
often do you brush your teeth? 40 per
cent of us brush our teeth just once a day – or less!
Colgate has been looking into the nation's mouths, and
has discovered that one out of every three of us does not
even brush our teeth before we go to bed at night. (Yet
before-bed brushing is critical, as bacteria will attack
our teeth throughout the night.) Also bad: one in ten
people change their toothbrush only once a year – or
even more infrequently! It's all enough to make a dentist
bristle in disgust... or get rich! When
you shop, do your children send you off your trolley? Children
are no fun to go shopping with: they get bored and can
even throw tantrums. Here are some tips with how to shop
with children: Play I-spy
to improve their knowledge of the alphabet, using the
shopping list for clues. If
your children are under three years old, shop for short
amount of time often rather than a long time less
frequently. |