FIRST: AN ACTION FRAUD - A VERY STANDARD COURIER FRAUD - CASE IN WRAYSBURY:
The elderly aggrieved received a phone call, from someone purporting to be a police officer – DC Roberts – from Hammersmith Police Station.
He said they had someone in custody who had been fraudulently accessing her bank account. He said a large amount of cash had been withdrawn. To protect her account from any further withdrawals. He also told her there was suspicious activity at her bank and they suspected someone there, was passing counterfeited notes and she could help the find out who it was. She was to go to her bank immediately and withdraw any savings she had in cash. When she got home, he would phone her back and she would have to read the serial numbers from the notes to him over the phone. He would then be able to tell if the notes were genuine or fake
The aggrieved immediately hired a taxi, which cost a lot of money, to take her to the bank and withdrew her savings.
When she got home, she picked up the phone and found it was still connected to DC Roberts and she read out the serial numbers. DC Roberts confirmed the notes were fake. He would send a courier to collect them. To prove this was genuine, he gave her a reference number to quote to the courier.
Five minutes later, a scruffy white man arrived in an anorak – quoted the reference number and collected the envelope of cash
Later her sister came to visit, it all came out and the police were called.
WE HAVE BEEN PLAGUED WITH THESE COURIER FRAUD CASES OVER THE LAST 5 YEARS. FORTUNATELY THEY CAN EASILY BE IDENTIFIED AS THE SCAMMERS – THIS FRAUD HAS BEEN FRANCHISED ALL OVER THE UK – ALL USE THE SAME SCRIPT. IT MAY BE A MAN OR WOMAN DI POLICE OFFICER – BUT IT IS ALMOST ALWAYS ‘FROM HAMMERSMITH POLICE STATION’.
We have clearly not got this message circulated widely enough, to protect those people who are elderly and possibly vulnerable. In this case Trading standards feel this victim is extremely vulnerable and provided her with and set up a call blocker phone, so that it should not happen again.
If you are a member of a day / lunch club at a day centre or a carers group, please spread this message as far and wide as you can. If you have friends and relatives across the UK – let them know as well. At the first mention of a DI (Detective Inspector) from Hammersmith Police station / someone in custody for using their card / fake notes – STOP – PAUSE – BREATHE – THINK – PUT THE PHONE DOWN !
NEXT: THE CASE OF A COLD CALLER IN WINDSOR – A BOGUS BUILDER
A man knocked at the door and offered to carry out driveway work. The aggrieved agreed a price and handed over £500 in cash, the man said he needed to go and buy materials. He did not return and no work has been done.
This is such easy money for anyone who could take money in this way from an elderly resident. Please pass onto everyone you know pour NHW motto
I AM SORRY, I DO NOT BUY GOODS AND SERVICES AT THE DOOR – THEN FIRMLY, BUT POLITELY CLOSE AND LOCK THE FRONT DOOR !
NEXT: I have received an update on the function of the RBWM Community Wardens, Andy Aldridge, the RBWM Community Safety Manager.
The Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead’s team of Community Wardens are changing their focus, so they can be more effective, responding to those issues that most blight residents and communities.
This change, which comes into force today – 1st June. It follows a redesign of the service, giving the team greater scope to concentrate on preventing anti-social behaviour and crime, monitor enforcement, support community initiatives, and foster meaningful relationships with residents.
They will continue to patrol weekdays from 8am and 9pm, so will still be on hand during the evenings, to provide reassurance in parks and open spaces to disrupt potential anti-social behaviour. They will also be available weekends for special or critical events.
“Redefining their role means they’ll be able to concentrate more on the priority areas, of the greatest concern to residents.”
The borough’s Community Wardens are equipped with body worn video, radios, mobiles, and basic first aid pouches
Their varied role includes:
Making welfare checks if social services is unable to do so
Delivering medication and food to vulnerable and elderly residents
Reacting to residents’ concerns of youth gatherings and associated anti-social behaviour
Addressing non-compliance of Public Spaces Protection Orders
Promoting advice at community events on personal and community safety, including scams and cyber-crime
Supporting the work of the Community Safety Partnership around violent crime, and tackling youth violence including knife crime
Positive engagement with rough sleepers, and managing behaviours such as aggressive begging and obstructing highways
The Community Wardens are CSAS (Community Safety Accreditation Scheme) trained as part of their authority. This means, when exercising enforcement, they have powers to make it an offence if persons withhold names and addresses when asked.
To contact the Borough’s Community Wardens either telephone (01628) 685636 or email
wardens@rbwm.gov.ukRegards
Andy
Andy Aldridge
Community Safety Manager
Neighbourhood Services
Place Directorate
Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead
Town Hall, St Ives Road, Maidenhead SL6 1RF
Email:
andy.aldridge@rbwm.gov.ukWebsite:
www.rbwm.gov.ukFollow us on Twitter: @RBWM
Like us on Facebook Facebook
NEXT: The question of bonfires has been raised. This is the official guidance from RBWM Wayne Eveleigh – The Senior RBWM Community Warden:
Hi Jeff,
Bonfires are not illegal, anyone is able to have one within reason.
As long as the materials being burnt are dry (not sending plumes of smoke) and are not treated, which would produce acrid smoke. House hold waste is not permitted to be burned.
Bonfires are a legitimate way of disposing of garden waste. However, each case would need to be assessed, on an individual basis.
Each case is assessed for; frequency, intensity, location and the impact it would have on ‘the normal reasonable person’. This means that someone’s ill health, or medical conditions, would not be a contributing factor.
If a neighbour only burns a bonfire once, or maybe twice a week for a couple of hours, I think we would be hard pushed to prove that it’s a nuisance in law:
“a matter which is an unreasonable and substantial interference, on the use and enjoyment of a person's property.”
The advice, is for anyone adversely affected, to contact the Local Authority where our Environmental Protection department will investigate the matter.
More information and an online report it form is here:
https://www.rbwm.gov.uk/home/environment-and-waste/environmental-health/report-problem-smokeMany thanks
Kind regards
Wayne Eveleigh
Senior Community Warden
Communities, Enforcement and Partnership Service
The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead,
Town Hall St Ives Road, MAIDENHEAD, SL6 1RF
NEXT: THIS HAPPENED IN ASCOT – BUT COULD HAPPEN ANYWHERE !!!
We have received this report of suspicious activity – it is brilliant and exactly what we need. Our thanks to the resident that phoned it through !!!
At 9:33pm a grey older model E-Class Mercedes pulled into a nearby layby. Two men, can be seen on CCTV getting out of the car and walking back to a parked red Ford estate Ford, walking around it and looking inside, with a torch. One man was white, bigger in build - possibly 5ft 11in or taller, wearing a white crew-neck t-shirt, and dark shorts, with a lighter stripe down the side, wearing trainers and holding a pair of gloves. He appeared to have dark short hair, with slightly receding hair at the temples. The other man was white, slightly shorter- possibly 5ft 6in or taller, much thinner and wearing a tracksuit. Because of the night vision on the cameras, it is difficult to say what colour the tracksuit was. He was wearing Nike trainers and dark gloves.
Both men were wearing face masks, covering the lower portion of their faces the entire time. They can be seen walking further up the layby, in the direction of some other cars, parked opposite the old Little Chef building, but this is out of sight of our Camera.
At 9:37 p.m., the two men walked back towards their car and this time crossed the road towards our driveway. The smaller of the two men pulled up his hood as they approached the wooden pedestrian access gate that leads to the rear of the property. The men were checking windows and doors and the man wearing white, can be seen going to the end of the garden - I assume, to see if there is a shed further down.
The men came back through to the front of the property and back to the pavement, but then seemed to change their minds and headed back towards the front door.
The man in white, covers his face with his hand and can be seen looking at the front door, but did not touch anything. The second man was attempting to hide behind the corner of the garage from our camera.
The two men then step over our box hedging into the flower bed and can been seen looking through a large front window and shining a torch inside. The males then walk away, jogging slightly and headed back to their car. They had obviously been disturbed and heard the Security Team from the Main Estate, head over to investigate. The men pulled out of the layby at speed at 9:43pm.
This is how it happens – our opportunist offenders are drawn to the area because cars are frequently left unlocked and there are easy pickings inside – if only a few pounds in loose change in the centre console. Whilst there ………. They will take advantage of any opportunity – which would include a burglary. These residents were not fortunately, the victim of a crime and without the video footage – would have been none the wiser. Do not be a crime attractor and check your footage regularly
PROTECT YOURSELF AND YOUR COMMUNITY, BUT LOCKING YOUR CAR – LEAVING NOTHING ON DISPLAY, LIKE GOLF CLUBS– HAVE GOOD EXTERIOR SECURITY LIGHTS AND IF POSSIBLE A BURGLAR ALARM.
VIDEO DOORBELLS, ARE A REALLY GOOD ALTERNATIVE, PERHAPS FRONT AND BACK - AS THEY CAN SEND AN ALARM MESSAGE AND VIDEO FOOTAGE IN REAL TIME – DAY OR NIGHT - TO YOU MOBILE PHONE, IF THEIR SENSOR BEAM IS BROKEN. THEY CONTAIN A MICROPHONE AND SPEAKER, SO THAT YOU CAN TELL THEM – ‘TO GET OFF YOUR PROPERTY’ AND ‘FOOTAGE IS BEING FORWARDED TO THE POLICE IMMEDIATELY’.
CRIME
I have attached reference numbers to each crime report. If you live in the vicinity of any of the crimes mentioned and have CCTV or a video doorbell, can you please check the footage. If you have any that might be of interest to the police, can you please make contact with us, quoting reference number given.
I have added a new email address below. The first email address is directly to your local Neighbourhood Team. The second is to our investigation team. Please use it to send any intelligence / video doorbell / CCTV footage you may have, which is relevant to any of the crimes lists below - quoting the reference number.
Alternatively you can call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or email -
www.crimestoppers-uk.orgMAIDENHEAD CENTRAL:
maidenheadcentralgeographical@thamesvalley.pnn.police.ukSR.windsor&
maidenhead@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk.
5/6 Saturday 2.15 a.m. Shop in the High Street, A witness reported 2 men smashing a shop window and climbing inside. They swept a shelf of aftershaves into a bag, knocking others to the ground. They then exited as they got in running to a waiting car. The police attended immediately and carried out an area search, but no-one was located matching the descriptions given. Ref. No: 43210244165
4/6 Friday 4.30 a.m. Belmont Crescent. Car passenger window smashed – loose change stolen from the centre console. Ref. No: 43210242442
4/6 – 5/6 Friday 8.30 p.m. / Saturday 1 p.m. Stamford Road. Car index plates stolen. Ref. No: 43210244650
4/6 Friday midnight / 4 p.m. Spencers Road. Black Ford Focus, stolen from outside a house. A police car out on patrol followed a car which pulled away from them at speed. When the checked the index, it was the stolen car. The driver pulled over, ran away and hid, but was located and arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle. A brilliant result and a team effort. Ref. No: 43210243528
7/6 Monday 12.10 p.m. King Street. Locked up bike stolen. A black & grey / red mountain bike. Ref. No: 43210247772
RIVERSIDE & BELMONT:
NO CRIME TO REPORT.
MAIDENHEAD WEST
maidenheadwestgeographical@thamesvalley.pnn.police.ukSR.windsor&
maidenhead@thamesvalley.pnn.police.ukBISHAM, COOKHAM, HURLEY, THE WALTHAMS, LITTLEWICK GREEN & KNOWL HILL:
5/6 Saturday 2 a.m. Bath Road, Knowl Hill. Someone has climbed over a fence into a rear garden causing damage. Ref. No: 43210244142
7/6 Monday 10 a.m. Terry’s Lane, Cookham. Security reported a woman had forced entry to a site – caught on CCTV. Ref. No: 43210247461
PINKNEYS GREEN & FURZE PLATT:
6/6 Sunday 9.45 p.m. Camden Road.. A witness reported a transit van pulling up and stealing a small digger. Ref. No: 43210246855
MAIDENHEAD SOUTH
maidenheadsouthgeographical@thamesvalley.pnn.police.ukSR.windsor&
maidenhead@thamesvalley.pnn.police.ukBOYN HILL, COX GREEN & WOODLANDS PARK
30/5 – 5/6 Bracken Road. Burglary. Entry via forced rear patio doors into a conservatory. A microwave and small chair stolen. Ref. No: 43210245015
OLDFIELD, BRAY & HOLYPORT:
NO CRIME TO REPORT.
MEMBERS’ COMMENTS:
FIRST: FROM SALVATORE - THE OLD BANK SCAMS:
Hi Jeff,
I hope you are keeping well.
Just a quick email, to say that bank scam messages are being sent out on a regular basis.
This one came as a Text, supposedly from the Halifax, stating that someone had tried to access my account from another device. If this was not me – of course it wasn’t – click on the Link !
As I don’t bank with Halifax, I haven’t clicked on the Link.
I urge anyone who receives these kind of SMS messages, to block and delete them immediately.
I believe the banks also have a link to send them to, so that they can get them totally blocked
Salvatore
Many thanks Salvatore. If in doubt – find an independent phone number for your bank and ring them. Never click on the link or use a phone number from within the text.
STOP – PAUSE – BREATHE – THINK – DELETE IT
NEXT: A REALLY STRANGE ONE FROM JOHN:
Hi Jeff,
I have just received this email and assume it is some sort of scam.
It is marked ‘Official’ in red and simply addressed ‘Sir’, not to me personally - though it does have my correct email address – which has my name in it !
It is from a Sgt Mark Hutcheon who works for Scottish Police. It refers to a telephone conversation we are supposed to have had, re revocation (spelt incorrectly) of my firearms licences. He will send officers to deal with the disposal of my weapons !!! Please email back, if I have any concerns !!!
I have no weapons, nor certificates. I have not telephoned, nor received a telephone call, from anyone in Scotland since my niece last Christmas.
I am not aware that I have a 'file' with the police in Scotland (nor anywhere else.
I have no intention of replying to this email. I was just going to bin it but, given the content, but thought you might like to see it.
I suppose it is just possible that it has been sent to me in error - perhaps Sgt Hutcheon (if he exists) has misspelt the email address. I do get emails for others with the same name very occasionally.
Apologies if I am wasting your time.
Kind regards,
John
Many thanks John – Never a waste of my time. If it is a scam – as opposed to a mistake – the scammers will not have sent a single email. They will have a list of hundreds of emails and sent it out by the thousand. It is odd enough and not the usual sort of scam, that someone may well just press reply. Best to circulate a warning, particularly if it is not one we have seen before.
NEXT ANOTHER DELIVERY SCAM FROM RUEBEN
Hi Jeff,
I also had the email supposedly from the post office, saying that Hermes had tried to deliver a parcel and would I send money - for the re delivery. As I was waiting for a parcel, I thought about it, but then checked. The company I was purchasing from, said ‘free delivery’, so I just deleted the request. The call was in the time frame of my expected delivery, but my parcel came and there was no money to pay, so I was happy I did the right thing.
Reuben
Thanks Reuben – always advisable to check. Every time I circulate a warning, it lets people know how common these scams are and how easy it would be, to get caught.
That is where the STOP – PAUSE – BREATHE – THINK, comes in !
NEXT: POSSIBLY SOME BAD NEWS !
Hi Jeff
I think I've just fallen for a scam !
I was expecting a parcel to be delivered and hadn't been told who the carrier would be.
I then received a message from DHL, saying I could track my parcel. I clicked on to the link, but didn't get very far.
I now understand that it is possible that something could have been put into my computer to harvest information.
How can I tell if this is the case and can my computer be "cleaned"?
Regards
Ann
Hi Ann – if you are concerned, the first thing to do is go in and change all your passwords ! That should stop anyone being able to get back into your accounts. Not good news, but it must be done.
