Ninfield

NINFIELD NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH: The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) is warning people of emails being sent by cyber criminals claiming to be from British Gas, Ministry of Justice and Home Office that contain TorrentLocker ransomware. TorrentLocker belongs to the crypto-ransomware family and is designed to encrypt all the files on a machine and any server it is attached to.

In order to retrieve the files, a ransom demand is made and is usually requested to be paid in Bitcoin. One victim who reported to Action Fraud said after their computer was infected with the ransomware it demanded the equivalent of £330 in Bitcoin.

The NFIB has identified two main methods currently being used by cyber criminals to trick victims to downloading the virus:

1. The British Gas emails contain an attachment or a link for victims to click to view their latest “bill” or “statement”.

2. The Ministry of Justice/Home Office emails also contain a link or an attachment which contains information on an upcoming “court case”.

In a new twist, if you follow the link instead of downloading the attachment you are asked to fill in a CAPTCHA box with the code provided (recently seen by TrendMicro). Once the code is submitted, TorrentLocker will download onto your machine and will immediately encrypt all your files and demand a ransom.

The NFIB have said that these emails are targeting individuals and businesses. Some Anti-Virus vendors like Trend Micro are detecting these scam emails and are stopping pages/documents from being opened. How to protect yourself:

• Do not open attachments from unsolicited emails regardless of who they are from.

• Do not click on the link supplied. Instead, go to the relevant website and log in from there. Remember that fraudsters can “spoof” an email address to make it look like one used by someone you trust. If you are unsure, check the email header to identify the true source of any such attachment or link.

• Update your Anti-Virus software and operating systems regularly.

• Back up all your important files and store them off your network. Please remember that if a device is attached to the infected machine the files on this could also be encrypted with the virus so ensure they are kept on a separate device or cloud storage to ensure they are not lost.

• Where a computer becomes infected it should be disconnected from the network, and professional assistance should be sought to clean the computer.

• Various antivirus companies offer remedial software solutions (although they will not be able to restore encrypted files).

• If you are a victim, report it to us.

To report a fraud and receive a police crime reference number Action Fraud on 0300-123-2040 or use our on line fraud reporting tool http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/report_fraud.

HOOE OPEN GROUP: The Hooe Open Group next meet on August 14, which will not be held at Hooe Village Hall but instead at Tesco, Ravenside, gathering at the Customer Service Counter for a conducted tour of the store, including tea. This event is with the complements of Tesco. If you would like details of future club activities, please contact Edna Wallis on 01424 842591.

HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY: The Horticultural Society are holding their Summer Show on August 15, 2.30 p.m. at Ninfield Memorial Hall. As well as their usual wide variety of classes, they have some new ones which will hopefully attract some new entrants with smaller gardens. They also have a Parish Produce Award for a collection for produce from entrants only in Ninfield and Hooe. Visitors can enjoy tea and homemade cake while they view the exhibits. Schedules are available from the Village Stores.

FLOWER FESTIVAL: The Ninfield Flower Group’s Flower Festival “On the Box”, is August 29 - 31, 10.30 a.m. - 5 p.m. at Ninfield Memorial Hall. All money raised this year is in aid of the Medical Detection Dogs, Bexhill Dementia Alliance and the Dragonflies project Hastings, with a donation to the Memorial Hall. Entry £2.00 per person. Refreshments, Plants, Raffle, Crafts and other stalls. Do go and enjoy the beautiful arrangements.

DEFIBRILLATORS: In the event of an emergency, they are located at the following locations, 24/7:

Hooe: On the front wall of The Red Lion PH

Ninfield: On the wall to the right of the entrance to The Kings Arms.

FINDING OUT MORE: Don’t forget that you can find out more community information from both villages and Wealden District Council on our district councillors (Pam Doodes) website or the Ninfield Parish Council website: www.pamdoodes.com / www.ninfield.webplus.net.

St Mary’s Services (Church of England, Ninfield), all services 9.30 a.m. unless otherwise stated. July 26, Parish Eucharist, August 2, Parish Eucharist, August 9, No Service, August 16, Family Service, August 23, Parish Eucharist, August 30, No Service

St Oswald’s Services (Church of England, Hooe) all services 11.15 a.m. unless otherwise stated. July 26, Parish Eucharist, August 2, Family Service, August 9, Combined Parish Eucharist, August 16, Parish Eucharist, August 23, Parish Eucharist, August 30, Combined Parish Eucharist

NINFIELD METHODIST CHURCH SERVICES/EVENTS: All services at 2.30 p.m. except the first Sunday of the month, where they hold a Family Service at 10.30 a.m.

July 26, Worship and Praise with Revd. Peggy Heim

CONTACT ME: Anything that you would like included in the Village Voice for Ninfield and Hooe, please email the details to me: [email protected].

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