Crime: 20 March 2014
We
have not had another incident across the whole Thames Valley, since the
last one in Reading, on Sunday.
I have received a message from the
Nottingham Police Alert system about the Courier Scam.
We are
not suffering alone, this is Nationwide !
Police warning regarding telephone bank scam
A scam where a caller claims to be a police officer dealing with a prisoner has targeted residents in Nottinghamshire.
Victims have received an unsolicited phone call from a man purporting to be a police officer who is investigating a bank fraud, and asking to confirm bank details.
The offender often urges the victim to call their bank, but doesn’t hang up so the victim speaks to them believing it to be the bank, in some cases passing on personal details.
Six incidents have been reported to the police over the last 24 hours, with one victim waiting on the phone for over an hour, while the ‘bank representative’ sent out a courier to collect their bank card. Cash was then taken from the account.......................
Please remain alert and if you get a call that sounds remotely like this, hang up instantly, explaining that you know it is a scam and will be making contact with the police.
A
reminder - we have people from outside the area in Datchet, sheds and
anywhere tools are stored, will need extra security at this time.
I had a very strange email in from a co-ordinator in Ascot on Monday:
Hi Jeff,
We had a bogus caller in Sunninghill Court last Thursday.
The Police attended immediately and the people reported, did not return to the Court, as they saw the police car in attendance.
They even left their window cleaning gear and repair tools onsite, including a triple-extension ladder !
All the best,
Pete
This is all very strange. In the past I have put out warnings about using window cleaners that have not been recommended to you, by a friend or neighbour.
YOU NEVER USE A WINDOW CLEANER THAT SIMPLY COLD CALLS – YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHO THEY ARE.
Window cleaners have a unique access to you home both inside and outside. They can use ladders to look in through your upper windows and if you have your windows cleaned inside and out, access inside your home, entering bedrooms and other private areas, not even friends and visitors, are generally allowed to enter.
NEXT ADVICE FROM OUR CARE TEAMS:
Not sure?
Don't open the door
Have you visited your elderly parents or grandparents recently ?
Did you do your usual knock, before walking in through the unlocked front door ? Or have you developed an agreed secret knock, so that they can then buzz you in without actually identifying, who you are ?
THINK
ABOUT IT NEXT TIME.
We are reminding residents of the fundamental need to lock doors and be on guard against bogus callers.
‘Not sure? Don’t open the door’ is the message that we are promoting want residents to remember.
Don’t
- Let strangers into your home without checking their identity. Really good fake IDs are freely available on the Internet. If you need a meter reader to come into your home – when your next Utility bill arrives, phone your supplier and set a password for yourself – problem solved.
- Be pressured into purchasing anything at the door. Remember our NHW Motto – I do not buy Goods and services at the Door. At the moment I have a new supply of the red and white door stickers ! Email me (email address below) and I will send some to you.
- Employ a tradesperson, without ensuring they are reputable. Recommendation from a friend / neighbour only
- Get quotes from more than one tradesperson. Look out for ‘Buy With Confidence’ and ‘Trusted Traders’ logos, ask local authorities or Age UK for reputable traders.
- Keep your front and back doors locked, even when you are at home.
- If you have one, always put the door chain on or use your spy hole when someone calls, even if you are expecting visitors.
Old
habits are hard to break, but don’t let your loved one learn the hard
way.
Don’t just keep walking into your relatives’ homes, without considering how easy it might be, for a criminal to do the same.
Lock up and if you are not sure, don’t open the door.
If you think you have been targeted by distraction burglars or bogus callers, or would like home security advice from your local Neighbourhood Team use the group email below to make contact with them.
SHEDS AND GARAGES:
Now is the traditional time that our shed breaks start to increase and we have seen a resent spike in this crime. We are beginning to work in our gardens so tools are stolen and offered cheaply at Car Boot sales etc. I have attached various shed / garage leaflets produced by Mrs. Chalmers our Crime Reduction Advisor. From those that have happened so far....many of which were padlocked, the thieves are simply unscrewing the hinges and opening the door against the lock. In one case they simply unscrewed the hasp releasing the lock and opened the door.
The answer – security screws – they only turn one way. They are really cheap and take minutes to install. For real security and heavier doors we recommend you drill right through and install small coach bots secured with a nut on the inside.
Inside, mowers / strimmers / chainsaws / loppers etc and other valuable tools should be chained together and the alarm padlock used – see the flier. The battery operated infra red alarms are also really useful. They are very loud and in the early hours would deter anyone.
MAIDENHEAD CENTRAL:
maidenheadcentralnhpt@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk
Your Neighbourhood Page on TVP's Website - Click Here
17/3 Monday 6 p.m. / 7.30 p.m. St Ives Road. Car passenger window smashed – nothing taken.
17/3 Monday 3.20 p.m. Queen Street. Van making a delivery – Sat Nav and phone stolen from the cab
RIVERSIDE & BELMONT:
maidenheadcentralnhpt@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk
19/3 Wednesday 6.30 p.m. / 8.30 p.m. Grassy Lane. Offenders accessed a garden through a gate and stole the driver’s side mirror and attempted to steal the passenger side mirror from a Mercedes E280 CDI. They may have been disturbed. I understand wing mirrors are being stolen from BMWs in Bracknell.
19/3 Wednesday 3 p.m. / 5.30 p.m. Ray Park Avenue. Property in a state of disrepair entered – angle grinder, router and toolbox stolen.
MAIDENHEAD WEST
BISHAM, COOKHAM, HURLEY, THE WALTHAMS, LITTLEWICK GREEN & KNOWL HILL:
Your Neighbourhood Page on TVP's Website - Click Here
17/3 Monday 10.45 p.m. Sutton Road, Cookham. Car passenger window smashed, reported by a member of the public. The owner has not yet made contact.
18/3 – 19/3 Tuesday 4 p.m. / Wednesday 9.30 a.m. Farm, Twyford Road, Waltham St. Lawrence. Car entered by UNKNOWN MEANS – iPOD, paperwork and sunglasses X 2 stolen.
PINKNEYS GREEN & FURZE PLATT:
maidenheadwestnhpt@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk
NO CRIME TO REPORT.
MAIDENHEAD SOUTH
BOYN HILL, COX GREEN & WOODLANDS PARK:
maidenheadsouthnhpt@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk
Your Neighbourhood Page on TVP's Website - Click Here
NO CRIME TO REPORT.
OLDFIELD & BRAY:
maidenheadsouthnhpt@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk
17/3 – 18/3 Monday 6 p.m. / Tuesday 9.30 p.m. Harvest Hill Road. Two batteries and diesel stolen from 2 vehicles.
19/3 Wednesday 10.15 p.m. Monkey Island Lane, Bray X 2. 1.. Car rear windscreen smashed Rucksack stolen from the boot. The alarm sounded and the owner ran out to find his rucksack abandoned in the road. 2. Car rear windscreen smashed - Rucksack stolen from the boot. The rucksack contained a laptop, documents and cash.
MEMBERS’ ADVICE:
Unwanted pestering phone calls:
Hi Jeff,
About those unwanted calls, I have saved them in my phone ‘contacts’ and entered their names as ‘NUISANCE’ which is displayed on my screen phone whenever that number calls.
I hope this suggestion will help others.
Danielle
Many thanks Danielle, I think it is an excellent and very neat solution.
Huw sent me a strange ‘suspicious’ email:
Hi Jeff
I certainly seem to be actively targeted by these scammers. Here is a new one that just turned up, and which has given me a good laugh:
‘Sorry to disturb you.
Someone sent me three pictures. They seem to be from you and your boyfriend. I'm really troubled by this, why do you send your private naked photos around??
this is beyond my understanding. It's in attachment "
The email is complete with the usual attachment containing the images, but which is in fact a zip.exe file !
Hmmm ... could have taken some umbrage at the implication of the use of the word 'boyfriend' ... but I guess it's OK, as the missus had a good laugh as well.
I should mention that I do not use Microsoft, so I am unaffected by any malware associated with a ‘.exe’ file extension.
Regards
Huw
I presume Huw has an Apple product. My IT literate son, has a Mac, but on standard computers, will only use ‘UBUNTU’ instead of ‘Windows’ – and even wears the T shirt to prove it ! He doesn’t think I am up to that IT level though !!
Another scam email:
Hi Jeff,
I'm assuming this one is a fraud based on the email addresses?
‘Your E-Mail account has exceeded Its storage limit as set by our Administrator, and you will not be able to receive new emails until you re-validate it’
To re-validate your account click on this link...................
NOTE: That failure to re-validate your email account will result to loss of your account and you will not be able to receive or send mails.
As always an email setting out an issue, together with an attachment and a threat - loss of your account - always adds up to a scam !
Bin it !
Michelle received the blood sample email and has this advice:
Jeff
I have received the Blood sample scam email.
Can you remind everyone that it is always worth checking ‘Hoax Slayer’ online, if you are not sure of anything on Facebook/Social web sites or emails.
If you are not sure, as you say, bin it.
Kind regards
Michelle
Excellent advice, many thanks Michelle. This scam email has caused enormous concern amongst those that received it and the doctors’ surgeries that have been inundated with enquiries.
FINALLY A DATE FOR YOUR DIARY – ‘THE ASCOT RETIREMENT FAIR’:
Hello Jeff,
Can you publicise the date of the next Ascot Retirement Fair to your members ?
I do hope that as many people as possible will be with us on Wednesday 20th August in Ascot Racecourse.
Already 60 stands have been booked.
If anyone wants further information can they please go to:
www.ascotretirementfair.com
This year so far we have
- A Fashion Show from a company new to us.
- John ,our ever popular Chef
- Our Jazz Quartet will be back to welcome visitors and entertain us
- Local Clubs and Societies, advisors covering legal and care ,companies selling clothes, jewellery, creams and lotions as well as holidays
- A pool table and ping pong for visitors to enjoy throughout the day
Last year was our biggest event so far, with almost 150 exhibitors and around 1400 visitors.
I look forward to everyone delivering another wonderful day for all our visitors.
Kind Regards
Christine Horsfield
On behalf of Ascot Project
With Pleasure Christine. For those that have never visited the event, it is definitely a date for your diary. It is a huge event and the amount of information available for anyone over the age of 50 re finance, medical, health, housing, security, IT, daycentres, fitness – you name it, you will be able to find out about it there. Tell your friends.
I asked Christine what her catchment was:
Hi Jeff,
We usually attract people from Camberley, Sandhurst ,Bagshot, Wokingham, Lightwater, Egham, Virginia Water, Windsor, Maidenhead and Slough. We leave our posters probably in about a 12 mile circle around Ascot, so anyone in that catchment area, would be our target.
Exhibitors now up to 70 today!
Thanks again
Christine
it is hugely popular and the most informative event of its kind !
FROM THE BOROUGH:
Your council tax – you decide
Once again the Royal Borough is giving you the chance to vote for how part of your Council Tax will be spent, in the annual ‘Your Local Budget’ consultation, which is now under way.
You may already have received the eye-catching bright pink voting leaflet through the post with your council tax information. You just fill it in and return it to the Freepost address supplied. Alternatively you can vote online for free at:
www.rbwm.gov.uk
(follow the Your Local Budget link from the home page).
This consultation means that as well as the good news about a 2% cut in Council Tax and increased investment in making local services even better, you can have a direct say in how £225,000 will be spent on the local projects, you believe deserve the cash.
Your votes will decide the destination of:
- £100,000 to priorities that would benefit people wherever they live in the borough, and
- £125,000 to schemes that would benefit people living in a particular area – £50,000 each for the Maidenhead and Windsor areas and £25,000 for Ascot & the Sunnings.
The closing date is Friday 5 May 2014.
Please do take the opportunity to join in the voting.
RBWM
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