On Thursday 3 November 2022, Emma Swietochowski-Hay, Fraud Prevention
Co-ordinator at Kent Police, joined representatives from HSBC at The Herne
Centre in St Martin’s View. Together they offered crime prevention advice
to the local community and handed out information to remind them of the
ways in which they can protect themselves from fraudsters.

Bank staff are trained to spot the warning signs and many of the businesses
work very closely with Kent Police across the county to protect as many
people as possible. The Banking Protocol is a UK-wide scheme that enables
bank branch staff to alert their local police force when they suspect a
customer is being scammed. Police may then visit the branch to investigate
and in some instances arrest suspects still on the scene.

On 6 October 2022, a Gillingham pensioner was targeted by fraudsters and it
was the bank staff that were concerned and alerted police after he had
attempted to withdraw a large sum of money. This collaborative work led to
four men being arrested by officers. In Broadstairs on 9 August 2022, a
bank raised similar concerns to police, which led to officers being able to
protect a vulnerable person and arrest three men.

Emma said: ‘Our partnership approach with banks has led to many scams being
intercepted, particularly after rogue traders have tried to convince
vulnerable people to withdraw large amounts of cash for work on their homes
that they don’t need doing.

‘Not everyone has access to the internet and events like these help to
reach more people who may not know what risks are out there. We also
appreciate that some of the most vulnerable in the county may rarely get to
mix with others or leave their homes. It’s important to be aware and to
spread the advice as much as possible. We urge people to look out for
neighbours and make sure they know to challenge anyone who calls them or
knocks on their door and not to feel pressured into saying yes to any work
they didn’t ask for.’

Lola Durodola, a Local Director at HSBC, added: ‘It was a pleasure to have
Emma from Kent Police with us for another one of our very important
community events. We are proud to work collaboratively with the force to
provide financial education, safety tips and bring general awareness that
will help people keep their money safe and protect themselves from harm.’