Former Sunderland copper now helping the elderly fight online scammers

Former detective sergeant Maria Bartley was born and brought up in Sunderland. She has also been a prison intelligence officer at HMP Frankland, worked in homicide and major enquiry teams and investigated criminals’ digital footprints in the Digital Forensics Unit.

Maria retired in 2022 after 19 years with Northumbria Police, but has now returned to the force in the staff role of Cyber Protect and Prepare officer.

She visits schools, businesses and a variety of groups to help educate the public about cybersecurity and the importance of online safety.

Her tasks include highlighting the dangers of oversharing information on social media, reminding children that “what goes online stays online” and working with small businesses to avoid ransomware attacks.

But perhaps her main role is working with the elderly to protect them from cybercrime. Various phishing scams are in circulation attempting to prey on their vulnerability.

Maria feels that prevention is the best tool. Computers and bots are often a step ahead and look for weaknesses in systems. Scammers look to panic people into snap decisions.

Maria said: “I feel really strongly about making sure that elderly people and those who may be isolated are protected from phishing scams. Even though anyone could fall victim, it’s the elderly who really struggle to recover when their trust in others is shattered.

“One particular trend, which I really despise, is when cybercriminals send victims text messages or emails that claim to be from their bank or building society stating ‘urgent action’ needs to be taken as there’s suspicious activity on the account.

“Victims are told to click on a link and provide their account details, password and PIN. It ultimately means they’ve just given all their details to a scammer who has full access to their account.

“These methods are particularly awful for victims who find themselves losing their hard-earned savings, their pensions and in some cases, all they have to live on.”

To learn more about online safety, visit National Cyber Security Centre www.ncsc.gov.uk.

Anyone who would like Maria to visit a particular organisation, can contact Northumbria Police on the Tell us Something page of their website.