FIRST: Some Crime prevention Advice
Keyless Car Thefts: We have had another keyless fob entry car stolen last night, with attempts to steal 2 others !. Fortunately, two of the aggrieved’s houses were fitted with video doorbells and caught footage of 2 men, walking onto driveways. One with a signal booster device with wires protruding from the top, to try and track the signal from a keyless fob. The second man, holding a signal receiver. Later, a Mercedes was in fact stolen from a driveway. This may be parked up somewhere quiet nearby for 24 hours, to wait and see if it is fitted with a Tracker.
Car fobs:The signal from normal car fobs cannot be copied. All fobs work on the same principle. A set of random numbers, sent to the computer under your car bonnet. The random numbers are changed every time - so cannot be intercepted and copied. Unfortunately, every car fob works on the same principle with sets of random numbers. They also use the same frequency to transmit those numbers to the car.
This has a consequence. If two people press their fobs at the same time, both cars receive a mixed set of numbers - AND DO NOTHING. Car fobs, can therefore be used to prevent people locking their cars. Up and over garage door fobs, also use the same system and frequency, but the range is much further. Fobs are not directional. We usually point them at our cars, but this is not actually necessary, they are omni-directional. The signal reaches as far behind us, as it does in front. A garage fob, could therefore block a whole car park ! If you use your fob to lock your car and nothing happens, it probably means someone else is trying to lock their car at exactly that moment.
The advice is therefore - every time you use your fob, you must watch for the flashing lights and try a car door handle.
Keyless fobs:The situation re keyless fobs is completely different, because the signal from them, can be copied !
If you have a keyless fob entry car, you must keep the fob safe from signal interception:
Keep the key in a ‘Faraday Cage’. Those small inexpensive metal credit card cases made for contactless credit / debit cards, which prevent a signal being located and copied. As far as we understand, an old biscuit tin, may be metal, but is not sufficient.
Faraday cages are now built into ladies purses and handbags.
Keyless fobs, must be kept more than 30 feet from the pavement and never, kept near front doors.
Some people keep them in their fridges !
I did recommend keeping them in a microwave, until one of our members did that. Unfortunately, they forgot the keys were there and re-heated something, blowing up the keys and the microwave !!!
SEE BELOW IN WRAYSBURY BE AWARE AND ON YOUR GUARD - PROTECT THOSE FOBS !
GOOD NEWS RE BURGLARIES:
I have just had this through from our Burglary Team:
The last week shows a slight increase in Burglary Dwellings in Maidenhead with 6.
Windsor had one and another, in Old Windsor
Once again all quiet on the Burglary front in Ascot - NONE
Just a warning - the Windows / Microsoft / BT Scam phone calls, are still being made in large numbers !!!
‘We are phoning because we can see your computer is running slow - we can help with that’ !!!
THEY CANNOT.
THEY DON’T EVEN KNOW, IF YOU HAVE A COMPUTER - IT IS A SCAM CALL
JUST PUT THE PHONE DOWN.
SOME REALLY GOOD ADVICE:
I have had this in from Martin Westrop, who is the NHW Area Co-ordinator for Littlewick Green, outside Maidenhead:
Hi
Car index supplied - Urn no 1335
At 10.15pm last night (Sunday), a resident noticed 2 young white men in a
black saloon car, driving very slowly along Jubilee Road without headlights.
When they realised they had been spotted, they did a U-turn and drove
right across the grass and out of the village !
I was phoned, and dialled 999 straight away as I couldn’t get hold of 101.
I was told that this was the right thing to do.
Please could you put this on an alert message ?
Many thanks
Martin
I agree with Martin and have copied in his email. This was exactly the right thing to do. This was a crime in progress and therefore, a definite 999 call. I often talk about relying on your instincts. If something feels / looks wrong - it probably is. Let us make the decision about whether or not to send police support. Don’t wait that 20 minutes, while you convince yourself to call us. By then it may be too late. IF IN DOUBT RING US !
Re a couple of Vamoose Burglaries we have had recently - burglaries targeted for high value cars:
A reminder around high value stolen cars – they have generally been found within half a mile, of the address burgled… If you are aware of a burglary in your area – please keep your eyes open looking for the ‘Vamoosed’ car.
The reason for this is Tracker systems. High value / performance cars usually have Trackers fitted either as standard - they are built into the car to make them difficult to locate and remove - or as an insurance requirement. Thieves therefore drive them a short distance - trying to avoid ANPR cameras (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) - and then parking them up in a quiet road, where they won’t stand out, from other cars parked nearby. They then leave them for 24 hours.
If the thieves go back and the car is still there, the car does not have an activated Tracker and it can be driven away.
We have that golden 24 hour period, to locate them.
NEXT:
The Thames Valley Association of NHW has just launched its new website.
There is information about NHW for you there:
https://www.tvnhwa.org.uk/ CRIME
MAIDENHEAD CENTRAL:
maidenheadcentralnhpt@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk RIVERSIDE & BELMONT:
14/4 - 15/4 Sunday 5.30 p.m. / Monday 11 a.m. Lower Cookham Road. Outboard motor stolen from a boat.
15/4 Monday 3.30 a.m. Raymond Road. CCTV shows 2 men walking along trying car door handles. One tried the aggrieved’s car, WHICH HAD BEEN LEFT UNLOCKED - one man searched it, the other shone a torch into the back. Loyalty car and Rayban sunglasses stolen.
16/4 Tuesday 1.20 p.m. / 5 p.m. Sports Centre Car Park. Locked up bike stolen. A dark grey & blue, Trek Excalibur bike stolen. WITH FRAME NUMBER.
MAIDENHEAD WEST
maidenheadwestnhpt@thamesvalley.pnn.police.ukBISHAM,
COOKHAM, HURLEY, THE WALTHAMS, LITTLEWICK GREEN & KNOWL HILL:
An unexploded artillery shell has been uncovered in the Bisham Road. There will be travel disruption. A field has been located nearby to carry out a controlled explosion.
15/4 - 16/4 Monday 7 p.m. / Tuesday 11.30 a.m. Car Park, Mill Lane, Hurley. VAN ENTERED BY UNKNOWN MEANS - tools stolen.
PINKNEYS GREEN & FURZE PLATT:
NO CRIME TO REPORT.
MAIDENHEAD SOUTH
maidenheadsouthnhpt@thamesvalley.pnn.police.ukBOYN HILL, COX GREEN & WOODLANDS PARK:
NO CRIME TO REPORT.
OLDFIELD & BRAY:
We have an unauthorised encampment off the Green in Holyport. The police and the Borough are monitoring the situation.
15/4 - 16/4 Monday 8.30 a.m. / Tuesday 8.30 a.m. Bucklebury close. Building wall sprayed with offensive graffiti.
16/4 Tuesday 1.05 a.m. Hotel Car Park, manor Lane. Car rear and side windows smashed - LAPTOPS and bags stolen.
16/4 Tuesday 9.40 p.m. Restaurant Car Park, Windsor Road X 2. 1. Car rear windscreen smashed - LAPTOP, bag & external hard drive stolen. 2. Car rear passenger window smashed - old laptops ready for destruction stolen.
MEMBERS’ COMMENTS:
Shania sent me this one - from Poweball
You have won the Powerball lottery - send us your full details to claim the money !
DON’T DO IT ! BIN IT
NEXT: from Neil:
He has received an email addressed to Hi criminal !
It then goes on to threaten exposing criminal activity. If you don’t want that email back and the sender will tell him how much - Apparently he is not greedy !!!
DON’T DO IT ! BIN IT
NEXT: from Ray:
Hi
I live in Bray. I have just had a visit from a young man who came in a large white van marked “Fulham Gardeners”. He told me that he had just finished an exhibition in Maidenhead and was able to sell teak garden furniture at a 70 to 80 per cent discount. I told him I did not buy at the door and he immediately went away!
.
I just though you should know.
Ray
Thanks Ray - as everyone knows, if anyone calls to say they have anything left over from an exhibition - it is usually carpets, furnishings, paintings, tarmac etc., it is a scam. PLEASE REMEMBER OUR NHW MOTTO:
I AM SORRY, I DO NOT BUY GOODS AND SERVICES AT THE DOOR.
More than that, some of these people need to come into your home to see the items in your setting - particularly carpets and paintings.
AGAIN OUR SECOND NHW MOTTO
NO-ONE COMES INTO YOUR HOME, UNLESS YOU KNOW THEM, OR THEY HAVE MADE AN APPOINTMENT !
NEXT: From Bill
Hi
I believe this to be a “scam”. Perhaps you might circulate this in the next “Alerts”
Needless to say I have not responded.
Regards,
Bill
This involved an email from the Vehicle Licensing Agency. It was clever, it said that the last payment he made had failed and he was therefore in breach. He must therefore update his bank account details with their billing department….. or face a £1,000 fine !!
Underneath is a link, If you run your curser over it, it looks like the genuine Government site, but in fact shows where you really are going to a site called - ‘samurmihalj…….’
DON’T DO IT
