It's All About the Badge
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The newspaper for retired BBC Pension Scheme members • June 2021 • Issue 3 PROSPERO IT’S ALL ABOUT THE BADGE PAGE 12 PENSION SCHEME | BBC PENSION SCHEME BBC PENSIONER WARNS BBC pensioners for NHS Heroes OF TV LICENSING SCAM Back in October we published the story of BBC pensioner Alan Stephens, who painted a group of NHS workers from the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy as a way of saying thank you to frontline workers A BBC pensioner wrote to the Pension Service during the pandemic. The painting was handed into the care of the Fife Line to let us know how close he came Art Group. With a grant from the Fife Health Charity and the assistance of utility company Engie, the to being conned – so that we could warn piece was mounted and placed on display in Victoria Hospital’s main thoroughfare in time to mark the Prospero readers about this particular scam. anniversary of the initial lockdown on 23 March 2021. he scam concerns TV Licensing, where you 4. Check the spelling and grammar receive an email that says your licence is about to Texpire or (in his case) your Direct Debit payment Because scammers can’t use our genuine TV has bounced. When you click on the link, you are asked Licensing web addresses or email addresses, to enter your bank details to renew it. Luckily, our they’ll try to use slightly different spellings – anonymous pensioner realised quickly it may not have look out for things like hyphens and full stops been genuine so he called his bank, who refunded in odd places. the money. Be suspicious too if there are mistakes in the Most scams look real but it’s only on closer inspection email with capital letters or other grammatical that something looks odd. errors, like missing full stops – this could be a scam. Here’s an example of a genuine email from TV Licensing: Due to Covid restrictions in place at the time, there 5. Check the links wasn’t an official unveiling. Be wary of emails promising money/refunds At the height of the first wave last year, Alan offered – for example, phrases such as ‘click below to to make a work of art to show his appreciation access your refund’, followed by a request to for those working tirelessly to care for patients provide your credit card or bank details .(We in his area. would never process a refund in this way.) He said: ‘Like many other people, I was watching the Always check links in an email before clicking news and reading the newspapers, and hearing or tapping them. about the heroic efforts of healthcare workers who were looking after those who had caught Covid-19. Already entered your personal ‘Your instinct is to do whatever you can to show ! details on a suspicious site? your support and gratitude in any small way you Report it to Action Fraud or call them on can for the work they were doing to care for 0300 123 2040. If this included card or local people.’ bank account details, talk to your bank immediately. Report an email scam Send any scam or suspicious emails to [email protected] and the National Cyber Security Centre will investigate. 1. Check the sender If the email links to a scam website, it will Genuine TV Licensing emails are sent from be blocked or taken down. [email protected] or [email protected]. On a computer or laptop, you should be able The ‘Take Five’ campaign from to see the genuine email address between Action Fraud encourages the <> symbols. On a mobile device, you may you to: need to select the sender’s name to see the Stop – Take a few minutes to email address. stop and think before parting ✔ TV Licensing <[email protected]> with any money or information . ✘ TV Licensing <[email protected]> Challenge – Could it be fake? It’s okay to reject, refuse or ignore any requests. BBC pensioner celebrates Only criminals will try and rush or panic you. 100th birthday 2. Partial postcode Protect – Contact your bank immediately if you Looking in fine fettle, Barbara Galvin If you have provided us with your postcode think you have fallen for a scam and report it to (née Charlwood) recently celebrated her details, our emails will include part of your Action Fraud at actionfraud.police.uk or phone 100th birthday. Her local BBC Visitor Jillie postcode and/or the name on the licence. 0300 123 2040. Sutton presented her with an authentic copy Are you scam-savvy? Take the online quiz at quiz. of a newspaper from the day of her birth – 3. takefive-stopfraud.org.uk 19 March 1921. Barbara married Eric Galvin Look for your name in Singapore in 1942 when he was 29 and If you’ve given us your name, then we’ll always she was 20. Eric joined the BBC in 1958 and address you using your last name and title. worked for the Corporation until retiring on The scammers won’t normally have that his 60th birthday in January 1971. Eric passed information about you. So, watch out for emails away in January 1994 and Barbara now that only address you as ‘Dear client’ or ‘Dear receives a spouse’s pension from the customer’ – or just use your email address BBC Pension Scheme. (or part of it). 2 | BACK AT THE BBC YOUNGEST MASTERMIND PROSPERO Prospero is provided free of charge to retired Scheme WINNER ‘MADE ME members or to their spouses and dependants. Prospero provides a source of news on former colleagues, developments at the BBC and pension FEEL OLD’ issues. It is available online at bbc.com/mypension Please send your editorial contributions, comments or feedback to: Prospero, BBC Pension and Benefits Centre, Legendary broadcaster John Humphrys bows Central Square, Cardiff CF10 1FT out of Mastermind after 18 years as the show Email: [email protected] Please make sure that any digital pictures you send celebrates its youngest ever winner. are scanned at 300dpi. Please also note that the maximum word count for obituaries is 350 words. Contents BBC Pension Scheme 2 BBC pensioner warns of TV Licensing scam BBC pensioners for NHS Heroes BBC pensioner celebrates 100th birthday Back at the BBC 3 Youngest Mastermind winner ‘made me feel old’ Sudoku ohn Humphrys told Ariel that seeing the youngest told Ariel he is as busy as he has ever been. ‘Life is a bit Letters 4-5 ever Mastermind winner lifting the coveted glass too busy,’ he says. ‘I did intend after leaving The Today Jbowl made him feel old. Programme that my life would be a bit quieter than this but that’s not quite how it’s worked out. I am as busy as The legendary broadcaster was making his final I have ever been, which was very much not the plan! appearance as quizmaster of the show, which saw Memories 6-9 24-year-old Glasgow student Jonathan Gibson triumph. ‘I’ve never been in control of my own life and I Walking into war! thought that would start changing but sadly it hasn’t,’ John chuckled that Jonathan’s youthfulness simply A close run thing: how the Yorkshire instinct he laughed. served to remind him of his own age: ‘He was a very saved the day bright lad, wasn’t he?’ said John. ‘The fact he was the Writing a weekly column for The Daily Mail means John Flying high with Local Radio youngest winner ever simply reminded me how old I am has to keep in touch with what is happening in the world Round the houses and you can quote me on that!’ and, he says, makes it impossible for him to escape the Segue into the Summer of ’76 relentless news cycle. ‘But then again, I’m not quite sure The show, recorded several months ago in Belfast, that I’m capable of escaping.’ represented something of a swansong for the Cardiff- born broadcaster, who has been a journalist for 61 years: Journalism and news is in his DNA, stretching right back ‘I enjoyed doing Mastermind immensely. It was really to his earliest days as a teenage news reporter in Wales. Obituaries 10-11 good fun and it goes without saying that I wish Which probably means he will never quite escape. ‘It is Clive Myrie well when he takes over and I’m sure he’ll in my DNA. That’s exactly right!’ enjoy it too.’ Clive Myrie will become the fifth presenter of the show But if John expected things to quieten down after which marks its 50th anniversary next year. Clive will Odds & ends 12 leaving Mastermind, he was very much mistaken and begin filming the new series later this year. Badge memories BBC Yorkshire Region Reunion Lunch Caption competition Sudoku S T D Classifieds Complete the grid so that every row, column and I R N U 3x3 box contains the letters DINORSTUY in some order. One row or column contains a 5 or more letter Y I S word, name or programme title with a BBC R I S D connection. Solve the sudoku to discover what or Prospero June 2021 who it is and send or email your answer to The Editor, The next issue of Prospero will appear Prospero, BBC Pension and Benefits Centre, Central in August 2021. The copy deadline Square, Cardiff CF10 1FT by Monday, 5 July 2021. T O U Y is Monday, 5 July 2021. The winner gets a £10 voucher. Many thanks to Neil Somerville for providing this puzzle.