President of NUS Liam Burns to talk to Kent students

Outgoing NUS President Liam Burns will address University of Kent students about student funding in May. 

The talk will see Liam, who has been president of the National Union of Students for two years, explain the findings behind the NUS’ ‘The Pound in Your Pocket’ report and discuss potential policy responces to tackling the financial problems facing students.

The report, which took two years to complete and involved surveying thousands of students from across the UK reveals the true financial concerns facing students at university.

Issues the report addresses include where and how students get their financial support, and the problems with hidden course costs.

In a joint statement with NUS Welfare VP Pete Mercer, Liam said: “Through our research, we have come to the conclusion that many students are struggling to meet ends meet, concentrate on their studies and stay the course.”

“This is because financial support is systematically inadequate across both further and higher education.”

The free talk and presentation by Liam Burns starts at 6pm on Friday, May 10 at the Rutherford Lecture Theatre 1 on the Canterbury Campus.

The talk is part of the Spring 2013: Open Lecture Series run by the University of Kent. To find out more about the talk, click here.

(Written by Kieran Watkins for The Medwire)

A crazy little thing called love!

A new internet scam is wrecking your chance of love online; Kieran Watkins looks more into the problems facing online dating sites (article written for The University of Kent Centre for Journalism)

Depressed, lonely and empty; just some of the feelings many single people will be feeling this Valentines. As we cry into our pillows, devour our way through the chocolate aisle of Asda and contemplate reaching for a kitchen knife, one simple solution to our desolate lifestyles is just a few clicks away.

Yes, internet dating. In the last ten years the virtual Blind Date has become so popular that it is believed to generate up to £2billion to the global economy. With one in five relationships being formed online, sites such as match.com and eharmony.co.uk have proved popular for single Brits as we search for the perfect guy or girl to fall in love with.

But behind your loved-up computer screen lies a growing international problem, one which threatens to ruin any romance you thought you might have, and take your money and possessions with it.

The rise of online scammers on internet dating sites has sparked fresh concerns about the dangers of using internet chat rooms online, as more people become victims to online scammers.

“I’ve lost everything”, says Amy Champion, 33, from Winchester, Hampshire. She lost all her money when she was targeted by a scammer through a dating site.

“He, if it was ever a he, posed as a businessman living in London. His photo was of a dark, handsome man in a suit. I guess you could say it was love at first sight.

“We hit it off instantly, and chatted all the time. We messaged privately and on Facebook, he never gave me his number.

“After a few weeks, we arranged to meet up, but he said he had no money at the moment because he had just invested in a new business.

“Despite only knowing him for a short while, I felt like I could trust him, so sent my bank details over to him so that he could book a train ticket to visit me.”

For Amy, it was the last time she heard from Michael, 42, who described himself as ‘a relaxed, funny guy looking to start a relationship.’ But although Amy failed to hear from Mark, he left a lasting memory that will haunt her life forever.

“He took my bank details and transferred all my money over to his account. Everything was gone. I went from being madly in love to broken-hearted and penniless.”

Amy’s story is not uncommon. Research by Leicester University in 2012 estimated that 230,000 Britons had been targeted by conmen, who target vulnerable adults in to giving them their bank details.

The conmen are usually based overseas, and start by targeting their victim by posing as an innocent single man or woman, usually using an alias formed around a picture of somebody else and taken from a social-networking site.

They then start talking to victims, usually through private messaging services, forming a relationship with the online dater over several weeks before flying over to meet the loved one. At this point, they then make up a story about being denied a visa, requesting that money and the person’s bank details be sent over so they can finally meet.

But you never do meet each other. In fact, whilst you queue up at arrivals in Heathrow, the potential love of your life is splashing your cash at your expense.

And it’s an expensive game. More than £37 billion is estimated to have been stolen by online scammers in the UK alone, and with police unable to prevent or track down the scammers, the problem is one which is deteriorating rapidly.

“Scammers come in droves, and they’re very aggressive”, explains internet consultant Mark Brooks, from Online Personals Watch.

“I would strongly advise talking to someone on the phone before meeting them.”

One woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, lost £50,000 to £60,000 after sending her personal bank details to her lover, whom she had been in contact with for more than a year.

But despite losing the money, she says that she “forgives him” for what he has done.

“I’ve formed a relationship with him, even if it is online. I love him and I can’t wait to finally meet him one day.”

In the majority of cases, police and the dating websites are unable to locate the villains behind the crime, meaning many of the victims are without justice as well as no money.

Despite the concerns, the Office of National Statistics has recently added online dating to its basket of goods and services to calculate UK inflation rates.

But some councils in England remain unconvinced about the benefits of online dating, and have taken it on themselves to warn the public about being misled online.

Medway Council has launched a new campaign to coincide with Valentines’ Day, to help raise awareness about the growing problem with online scammers.

The council’s Trading Standards team have provided a set of guidelines for members of the public to read and follow when setting up their own profiles online, which include warnings to never give out personal details and be suspicious of a request for financial help.

Councillor Mike O’Brien, Medway Council’s Portfolio Holder for Community Safety and Customer Contact said: “Locally we have probably a minimum of a dozen reports a year from people who have been conned via dating agencies.

“These range from bogus dating agencies who promise ‘matches’ and then disappear without any introductions with the memberships fees to the extreme detailed in the press release of people handing over thousands of pounds to bogus people who they believe they are in love with.

“It really is pernicious and as usual exploits people at their weakest point, in this case emotionally.”

So as you mop up your tears and watch yet another Richard Curtis film this Valentines, think to yourself; maybe it is better to be single, because signing yourself up to an online dating site could ruin your life forever.

Medway Council’s Trading Standards teams’ six steps to staying safe:

1. Only use well-known, reputable online dating agencies
2. Always be sceptical and if you are asked for any type of financial help be extremely suspicious
3. Be careful when going on a date and always try and meet someone who lives locally
4. Never give out any personal details
5. Be extra careful of anyone using PO Box addresses or telephone numbers that are never answered
6. If your online date only ever talks about themselves and never actually answers your questions it could be because they are only sending a standard email to hundreds of other people

Fashion: how to shop the sales

This week, rather than showing you the latest collections, I’ve decided to reveal all my knowledge of the sales and help you invest your time and money wisely when shopping the sales.

The High Street seems to be full of sales at the moment, with many shops hoping to make up for falling profits during the year. The traditional sales have usually been the big Boxing Day and Summer Sales, but generally now most stores will have a sale at least four times a year (one after Easter, before the start of the summer, and another usually one in October, before Christmas). But don’t presume the sales only happen at regular times in the year; they can run whenever. Unless your DFS (where you’re guaranteed to find a sale every day of the year), stores will pick and choose depending on the retail climate and how much profit they have already made in the year. If a store is losing money, then it’s guaranteed they’ll start their sales early or have them at varying times in the year.

So what does this mean for the consumer? Well, it means you’re guaranteed a bargain. But what constitutes a bargain, and how do I know if you’re saving money? Follow these tips to save as much money as possible:

1) Check the season - generally, most stores will put last season’s unsold clothes in the sale, and these are the ones that are cheaper. Yet increasingly stores are putting current collections in the sale too. When you look in the sales, make sure you’re clothes match the season. Generally, this seasons clothes will be reduced towards the end of the sale

2) Be patient - like I mentioned above, it’s best to wait to the end of the sale to bag yourself a bargain, particularly if it’s a current season item. Most sales will only start with modest discounts of 25-50%, but towards the end, you can get discounts nearing 75% or more

3) Shop around - when shopping the sales, always make sure you visit different shops to compare prices. Sales can be competitive, with stores marketing their discounts so that more customers visit. In the Boxing Day sales for example, a price war between shops can result in some fantastic bargains

4) Check all items vigorously - make sure the clothes aren’t damaged or broken. It’s really important that the quality is still perfect and you should check your clothes before you pay for them. Also, make sure they fit you…there’s been many a time where I’ve gone to buy an item which was on a ‘small’ hanger and taken it home to find it’s a ‘large’

5) Find out about exchanges - a nasty marketing tactic by stores is usually to close their fitting rooms during a sale period, meaning you can’t try before you buy. Many stores don’t offer refunds for sale items either, meaning many of us have to presume it will fit us if we buy it. Check the returns/ exchanges policy. Some stores may offer refunds/ exchanges or even a gift receipt if you’re unhappy with your purchase

6) Check online - bargains are not just confined to the High Street. Many stores offer discounts online too, with a much wider selection of clothes available, all from the comfort of your own home. Be careful though, delivery charges can often be expensive on sale items, and you’re guaranteed to find a cheaper bargain in-store

7) Keep on looking - you’ll find most stores nowadays have a continuous ‘sale rail’ which is full of bargain buys. New Look, H&M and Primark are just some of the stores I’ve noticed that have a continuous sale. Keep your eye out for any one-day promotions too

Picture courtesy of cardsave. net

Come fly with Manchester Airport...just don't expect any change!

I almost feel my blog should become a specialist in Travel, for it seems I spend an increasing amount of my time writing more and more articles criticising the Travel Industry - from airports to customer service.

But the latest news to come from the aviation industry really takes the biscuit. I was shocked to read that Manchester Airport, one of the biggest airports in the UK, is going to start charging customers to use their new luggage trolleys.

Not content with already asking travellers to pay a pound to use the contraptions - which is refunded once the contraption is returned - it seems bosses at the northern-based airport want to punish holidaymakers even further.

They claim the £1 trolley fee is to help replace the currently dated trolley collection with a brand-spanking new one. The new design comes with a range of glitzy features, which presumably put any car you have just hired through Hertz to shame. A lightweight, easy-to-manoeuvre, GPS enabled trolley which reflects the 21st century traveller. Because it is these tiny and patented details you really care about, as you rush to get to the Easyjet check-in before Stelios closes the desk.

A spokesman for Manchester Airport claims the £1.3 Million overhaul will benefit all customers, despite the airport admitting that only 5% of passengers currently use the luggage trolleys.

But don't despair! If you have only Euro's in your pocket, or just a credit card, you can still pay to use the fad-ulous vehicle. So you can still take it out for a test drive, only after you have forked out on car parking, coffee, administration fee's and everything else.

The new system comes into force in early April. In my view, I would keep a close eye on any local Manchester refuse sites. Because a whole load of trolleys are going to be dumped their soon, and it may just be a cost-effective investment if you can get your hands on one, before Manchester Airport gets their hands on your wallet!

Picture Courtesy of Yahoo!