Guidance Notes

Email scams are a sad reality of life, and all clerks and councillors should be on their guard. The council is at risk but individual councillors and officers are also exposed if they get conned. A council’s insurance policy may or may not provide cover for any loss, subject to the terms and conditions of the policy and the circumstances surrounding the loss.

Parish and town councils are particularly vulnerable because they are public bodies, with public-facing web sites that normally contain visible email addresses and other contact and personal details. Furthermore, councillors are typically public-spirited and trusting people, and so may be more likely to be duped than the general population.