We invite you to a W4W talk about keeping yourself safe online, by local Online Security Professional, Don Mascall.
Don’s company is Azuratech - who help both individuals and businesses protect themselves from scams through their services. Their perspective is that cyber security is a people and business issue, not a technical one - this talk is therefore about behaviour and not the tech.
Price : £10 - includes entry to the talk, one drink (a soft drink, a medium wine or a beer) and covers the Eventbrite fee.
Venue : Crown & Anchor (Upstairs function Room), Chiswick High Road. No dogs please.
Time : 7.30pm
Book your place on Eventbrite HERE
Here are the details :
We’ll begin the talk by answering a fundamental question:
What is a scam, and why do people do it?
Scams are designed to manipulate trust — often by creating urgency, fear, or curiosity — with the goal of stealing money, information, or access. Understanding the motivation behind scams helps remove the mystery and makes them easier to recognise.
A common reaction is “why would anyone target someone like me?”
We’ll explain why attackers are interested in everyday people and smaller organisations, and why you don’t need to be wealthy, senior, or technical to be a target. In fact, attackers often look for those who are busy, trusting, and just trying to get on with their work.
The session will then focus on how to spot the warning signs of a scam. We’ll look at common red flags — unexpected emails, messages that create pressure, unusual requests, or things that simply don’t feel quite right — and show how most scams rely on the same small set of tactics.
We’ll also cover the latest scams people are seeing right now, particularly those arriving by email, text message, phone call, or social media. These examples help bring the risks to life and show how scams are evolving to look more convincing and more personal.
From there, we’ll move into prevention. Rather than complex technology, we’ll focus on practical habits and simple controls that significantly reduce risk — things like pausing before clicking, checking requests, protecting passwords, and knowing when to ask for help. This reflects AzuraTech’s belief that small, consistent actions make the biggest difference.
Finally, we’ll address a crucial point that is often overlooked:
if a scam does succeed, what should you do?
We’ll explain why acting quickly, reporting it, and not feeling embarrassed are key to limiting damage. Scams happen to people every day — resilience is about responding calmly and correctly, not about blame.
By the end of the session, the aim is for everyone to:
understand how scams really work,
feel more confident spotting suspicious activity,
know how to reduce their personal risk,
and know exactly what to do if something goes wrong.