Deafblind Southport woman shortlisted for national charity award

KAROLINA Pakenaite, a deafblind woman from Southport in Lancashire, has been shortlisted for an award by the national disability charity, Sense. The nomination recognises Karolina's efforts to raise awareness about face covering exemptions after she was subjected to verbal abuse earlier this year.

Karolina, 24, who is partially deaf and blind due to Usher Syndrome, has been shortlisted for the:- 'Campaigner of the Year' award at the 17th Annual Sense Awards. In July 2020, Karolina was travelling by train with her 16 year old sister, Saule, and her guide dog, when they were challenged by a member of the public; Saule had temporarily lifted her face covering so Karolina could read her lips.

Karoline bravely chose to share a video of the incident and gave interviews about her experience to highlight face covering exemptions. She wanted to promote greater understanding and patience amongst the wider public at a time of great uncertainty and anxiety. Her story gained widespread national media coverage, including on BBC Breakfast and ITV news.

Karolina Pakenaite said:- "It has been a fragile few months, so I cannot describe how much it means to be nominated. Thinking back, I am so grateful that many others have been encouraged to share their own experiences, not only for lip speakers but also those with different disabilities and conditions. It was overwhelming to see how this has raised awareness and opened up discussions worldwide, with a little reminder to stay kind and patient during this difficult time. I am so thankful for all the support I received from my friends and family, local MP, and the charities and organisations that support me."

Sense Chief Executive, Richard Kramer, said:- "No 1 with a disability should ever have to experience any kind of abuse. Karolina's bravery in sharing her experience and raising awareness to try and help others is truly admirable. We're delighted to nominate Karolina as our 'Campaigner of the Year' and thank her for her work in raising public awareness of face covering exemptions for disabled people."

The Sense Awards recognise the outstanding achievements of people with complex disabilities, as well as the staff, carers, family members, volunteers and fundraisers who support them. Winners will be announced on 1 December 2020. For more information about the Sense Awards visit:- Sense.Org.uk/Sense-Awards.

SELF Assessment customers should be alert to criminals claiming to be from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). As the Department issues thousands of SMS messages and emails as part of its annual Self Assessment Tax Return push, HMRC is warning customers completing their returns to take care to avoid being caught out by scammers. The annual Tax Return deadline is on 31 January 2021.

The Department knows that fraudsters use calls, emails or texts to contact customers. In the last 12 months, HMRC has responded to more than 846,000 referrals of suspicious HMRC contact from the public, and reported over 15,500 malicious web pages to internet service providers to be taken down. Almost 500,000 of the referrals from the public offered bogus tax rebates.

Many scams target customers to inform them of a fake:- 'tax rebate' or 'tax refund' they are due. The imposters use language intended to convince them to hand over personal information, including bank details, in order to claim the:- 'refund.' Criminals will use this information to access customers' bank accounts, trick them into paying fictitious tax bills, or sell on their personal information to other criminals.

HMRC's Interim Director General for Customer Services, Karl Khan, said:- "We know that criminals take advantage of the Self Assessment deadline to panic customers into sharing their personal or financial details and even paying bogus 'tax due.' If someone calls, emails or texts claiming to be from HMRC, offering financial help or asking for money, it might be a scam. Please take a moment to think before parting with any private information or money."

Pauline Smith, Head of Action Fraud, said:- "Criminals are experts at impersonating organisations that we know and trust. We work closely with HMRC to raise awareness of current scams and encourage people to report any suspicious calls or messages they receive, even if they haven't acted on them, to the relevant channels. This information is crucial in disrupting criminal activity and is already helping HMRC take down fraudulent websites being used to facilitate fraud. It's important to remember if you're contacted out the blue by someone purporting to be from HMRC asking for your personal or financial details, or offering you a tax rebate, grant or refund, this could be a scam. Do not respond, hang up the phone, and take care not to click on any links in unexpected emails or text messages. You should contact HMRC directly using a phone number you've used before to check if the communication you have received is genuine. If you've been the victim of fraud, contact your bank immediately and please report it to Action Fraud online at:- ActionFraud.Police.UK or by calling:- 0300 123 2040."

Customers can report suspicious activity to HMRC at:- Phishing@HMRC.Gov.UK and texts to:- 60599. They can also report phone scams online on:- Gov.UK.  HMRC is also warning the public to be aware of websites that charge for Government services; such as call connection sites, that are in fact free or charged at local call rates. Other companies charge people for help getting:- "tax refunds." 1 way to safely claim a tax refund for free is to log into your Personal Tax Account.  HMRC has a dedicated Customer Protection team that identifies and closes down scams, but asks the public to recognise the signs to avoid becoming a victim. HMRC regularly publishes examples of new scams on:- Gov.UK, to help customers recognise phishing emails and bogus contact by email, text or phone.

Ways to spot a tax scam are as follows...

Self Assessment customers can complete their Tax Return online and help and support is available on Gov.UK.  To protect against identity fraud customers must verify their identity when accessing HMRC's online services. They must have 2 sources of information including:-