Scammers profit from Turkey-Syria earthquake
- Scammers are using the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria to try and trick people into donating their money.
- Security experts have warned about the main methods used by scammers and have highlighted some useful ways you can check whether a cause is legitimate.
- TikTok accounts are posting photos, looped videos and recordings of TV footage of the events whilst asking for donations which would come in the form of TikTok gifts.
- Captions being used include phrases such as “Donate for earthquake victims” and “Let’s help Turkey”.
- A spokesperson for TikTok has said they are “actively working to prevent people from scamming and misleading community members who want to help”.
- On Twitter some users are using AI generated images, alongside links to cryptocurrency wallets asking for donations, fake fundraising accounts and links to PayPal.
- In order to avoid scams and donate safely, remember to look up charities on your national charity register, report it to Action Fraud or the social media platform.
- For more on this story, please visit the BBC News website.
Brianna Ghey – Latest on teen killed in Cheshire park
- Brianna Ghey was found stabbed to death by members of the public at Linear Park in Warrington on Saturday.
- Five days before her death, the 16-year-old uploaded a TikTok video with the caption; “Got excluded from school.”
- She had a large following on the app with many supporters paying tribute to her.
- Two teenagers aged 15 have been arrested on suspicion of murder, but the murder is not currently being treated as a hate crime by police.
- For more on this story, please visit the Independent’s website.
Star Hobson: Inquest into murdered toddler’s death concludes
- Star Hobson was a toddler when she died in 2020, as a result of months of abuse from her mother and her partner.
- Both were convicted following a seven-week trial.
- Jurors heard how the toddler experienced months of “neglect, cruelty and injury” despite five referrals made by concerned family and friends to the police and social workers.
- The assessment visits were described as “superficial,” only giving a fraction of understanding into what Star experienced on a daily basis.
- Recommendations were made including greater liaising and combined information from agencies, friends and members of children’s wider families.
- For more on this story, please visit the BBC News website.
Majority of victims of sexual crimes in Northern Ireland are children under 18
- According to PSNI statistics, more than half of victims of sexual crimes in NI are aged under 18.
- The number of child victims has more than doubled in the past 15 years.
- Of the 2274 victims who were children, half (1,133) were aged under 13.
- Campaigners have said numbers were “profoundly shocking”, with others saying it reflects a greater willingness and confidence to speak out.
- The PSNI believe some of the recent increases in sexual offences against children may have been influenced by the rise in social media activities, including “sexting”.
- To find out more, please visit the Belfast Telegraph’s website.
