Crime: 26 October 2012
As the clocks
go back this weekend, please think about additional burglary risk and
buying those timers – if you do not already have them ???
Next a
message from Tamara – the Town Centre Sergeant from Windsor:
Hi Jeff
Can I make
all your readers aware of a worrying crime reported to us this week, at
a bank in Windsor Town Centre ?
Two elderly customers were withdrawing
money from a cash point in the Town Centre. Two thieves must have
been standing close enough to see the PIN number being pumped into the
keypad. Having entered their pin, the elderly visitor reached for
the cash. At that point, the thieves suddenly distracted them by
waving a piece of paper right in their faces and saying that the cash
point was broken.
Disorientated, the customers were taken
aback, but did think it odd. They then tried to get their card back
from the machine, but it did not appear. They believed it had been
withheld, as the ATM was, as they thought, broken and walked away. In
fact the card and cash had already been taken by the thieves, while they
had been waving the paper in the customer’s faces, to obstruct their
view.
The thieves then went to another cash
point and withdrew a large sum of money.
The offenders were described as black
males, aged about 40 of stocky build, with short black hair, wearing
suits.
Please make sure you cover your pin so
that it cannot be seen from above or behind you, even when you are
inside a bank – you don’t know who may be looking.
Finally a
reminder for you. There was a ‘push past’ Distraction Burglary
in Slough recently. We have had no Distraction Burglaries for
possibly a year now in RBWM. Can you remind any elderly or
vulnerable neighbours / friends / work colleagues / relatives - not to
answer the door after dark. During the day they should only open it
to someone they know – or who has made an appointment:
Hi Jeff,
Just to let you know, someone I work with,
had a call the other night to say his nan had been the victim of a
burglary. A young man knocked on her door at about 8.30 p.m.
telling her there was a flood outside and he needed to turn her water
off. He then pushed past her and turned on taps in kitchen. He
then ran out, asking her to tell him when they stopped, as he was going
to turn off the water from the road. When he never came back, she
turned off the water and only then noticed her handbag was missing.
Can you warn everyone ? This might help others to be aware.
Stephen.
CRIME:
BISHAM, COOKHAM, HURLEY, THE WALTHAMS,
LITTLEWICK GREEN & KNOWL HILL:
Neighbourhood Page:
25/10 Thursday 8 p.m. / 8.50
p.m. High Street, Cookham. Car rear passenger window
smashed – Laptop stolen. An eagle-eyed member of the public
witnessed the theft and immediately called the police, as 2 lads ran
off. They were not located.
25/10 Thursday 3 a.m. Pub,
Bath Road. Burglary. Entry via forced rear fire door –
immediately setting off the alarm. The thief immediately made off
– nothing was stolen.
20/10 – 24/10 Farm, Burchetts
Green. Aluminium table stolen from a field.
BOYN HILL, COX GREEN & WOODLANDS
PARK:
Neighbourhood Page:
25/10 – 26/10 Thursday 6 p.m.
/ Friday 7.50 a.m. Company, Grenfell Road. Thieves
have entered a padlocked metal container and stolen valuable tyres.
23/10 – 24/10 Tuesday 7 p.m. /
Wednesday 7.30 a.m. Company, Boyn Valley Industrial Estate. Thieves
have cut the bolts on a gate to a site and entered. They then
attempted to force a window – no entry gained.
25/10 Thursday 3a.m. / 4 a.m. Wessex
Way. Car rear windscreen smashed – nothing stolen.
23/10 – 24/10 Tuesday 4 p.m. /
Wednesday 11 a.m. Somersby Crescent, Cox Green. Garage
break. Copper piping and fittings, armoured cable, drills and
tiling equipment stolen. The owner did hear a noise but thought
nothing of it. During House to House a neighbour did report seeing
a van emptying the garage, but thought it was authorised. The men
loading the van were laughing and joking, so it did not arouse their
suspicions.
RIVERSIDE & BELMONT:
Neighbourhood Page:
23/10
NO CRIME TO
REPORT.
INNER MAIDENHEAD:
Neighbourhood Page:
NO CRIME TO
REPORT.
OLDFIELD & BRAY:
Neighbourhood Page:
NO CRIME TO
REPORT.
PINKNEYS GREEN & FURZE PLATT:
Neighbourhood Page:
23/10 – 24/10 Tuesday 7.30 p.m. /
Wednesday 10.30 a.m. Switchback Road North. Two cars
left INSECURE on the driveway. Messy
search and loose change stolen.
24/10 – 25/10 Wednesday 8 p.m. /
Thursday 8.25 a.m. Lee Lane, Pinkneys Green. Front and
rear index plates stolen.
MEMBERS
COMMENTS:
Re the issue
with the company cold calling by phone to say that your computer is
running slowly – I have had this in:
Hi Jeff,
I would just like report a bogus telephone
call to my 87 year old mother, who is in the early stages of dementia.
She told me someone had telephoned her, but was very vague about
it. Apparently it was about a 'programme' – or something to do
with her computer. They had then said that they were surprised to
be talking to someone sounding so young, with the date of birth she had
just given them !!
I hoped that was the end of it all, until I checked her bank statement on Friday. I then discovered an unexplained payment of £159.99 to ‘Hipay - Auderghem Bru’. After a lot of investigative work on the internet, and a call to ‘Hipay’, - I established the charge was to a company called ‘OP Tech.com’ for two years unlimited pc support. After more checking I confirmed the Company doesn't actually exist and we have notified her bank.
On further probing about the phone conversation, it transpired it was the ‘Windows call’ and the conversation started with 'do you have Microscoft’ ? and 'is your computer running slowly ?'.
I personally found this is shocking, that people prey on vulnerable elderly people.
I hoped that was the end of it all, until I checked her bank statement on Friday. I then discovered an unexplained payment of £159.99 to ‘Hipay - Auderghem Bru’. After a lot of investigative work on the internet, and a call to ‘Hipay’, - I established the charge was to a company called ‘OP Tech.com’ for two years unlimited pc support. After more checking I confirmed the Company doesn't actually exist and we have notified her bank.
On further probing about the phone conversation, it transpired it was the ‘Windows call’ and the conversation started with 'do you have Microscoft’ ? and 'is your computer running slowly ?'.
I personally found this is shocking, that people prey on vulnerable elderly people.
Rachel
We must warn
everyone – particularly elderly or vulnerable family members, work
colleagues, friends and neighbours. It is not enough that we know,
we must make sure we protect those who may fall prey to these people.
More and more
calls are being made, but happily some of us do know what to do. This
has just come in to me:
Hi Jeff,
Just to let you know that I just received
a call from an 'unavailable' number. Normally I don't answer
unavailable or international calls, but on this occasion I had put a
complaint into a company this week- and I know their call centre is in
India.
I am ex directory, so not sure where he
got my number and name- but I guess most things are possible nowadays.
An Indian man asked for 'Mrs XXXX' and I said Yes - assuming it was going to be from the company I was expecting. Instead, he said he was calling from the world wide web (!!!) and that they had noticed an error on my PC; to which I replied 'No you haven't, I'm sorry but this is a bogus call' and I put the phone down on him.
I know I have read about these sorts of calls in the Neighbourhood Watch emails before, so I was fully aware of them.
An Indian man asked for 'Mrs XXXX' and I said Yes - assuming it was going to be from the company I was expecting. Instead, he said he was calling from the world wide web (!!!) and that they had noticed an error on my PC; to which I replied 'No you haven't, I'm sorry but this is a bogus call' and I put the phone down on him.
I know I have read about these sorts of calls in the Neighbourhood Watch emails before, so I was fully aware of them.
The worst bit was that they know your
name, so it catches you off guard and it is worrying for older people,
who might entertain the call!
Melanie
Melanie
Next a BT
bogus call:
Hi Jeff
My daughter
rang me this morning , she had had a call from someone saying they were
a debt collector. They said she had a debt of £80 something, which
they had taken over from BT, several months ago. My daughter told
them that as she was still with BT. They had not cut her off and
she would ring them. The caller went on to say that BT would not
have any recollection of the amount owing, as they had sold the debt to
them. They went on to ask if she wanted to pay it on the spot, as
it had to be paid before Monday. She didn’t of course. She
rang me. I said, if it had been a debt to BT, they would not be
supplying her now with phone and internet ! They are usually very
quick to cut off if a bill is unpaid.
We have
informed BT who confirm it is nothing to do with them !
Can you warn
others ??
Marion
The next
warning is about more dodgy emails - One I have never seen before:
Hi Jeffrey,
This is the
kind of spam messages I'm getting!! I've advised all my
neighbourhood watch people, not to click on the link !!!
Louise
Subject: Crime
Alert. A new convict has moved in down the street.
Warning. A
convict going by Erik MCINTYRE has moved in within a block of your home.
Click
Here to perform a background check on him to discover where he
resides.
Absolutely
right Louise – it is very tempting – RESIST !
| COMMUNITY MESSAGING IS NOW SPONSORED BY: |
|
 |
If you have any information in relation to this message, please contact Thames Valley Police on 101 To find out more about Thames Valley Police in your area - please go to our website at www.thamesvalley.police.uk. |
|
If you have information about crime but do not want to speak to the police, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. This email has been sent with your approval as part of the Thames Valley Police Community Messaging scheme. If you no longer wish to receive these messages please contact your local Watch Administrator, details can be found at www.tvpcommunitymessaging.org. |
|
Trading Standards
at the Borough: by telephone 01628 683802 by fax 01628 683560 by e-mail trading.standards@rbwm.gov.uk website www.rbwm.gov.uk/web/trading_standards.htm by mail Trading Standards Service, York House, Sheet Street, Windsor SL4 1DD For general advice on all consumer issues contact CONSUMER DIRECT on 08454 040506 |
|
|
“RBWM Community Wardens |
|
home
back