Crime: 2 July 2014

Nottingham knockers out and about in Ifield yesterday !  If they come to your door please remember out NHW motto:
 
I do not buy goods and services at the door
 
Then close the door firmly but politely and phone the police on the 101 number.  Please do not enter into conversation with them – you could pass on relevant information about your neighbours' security, without realising, just to be helpful.
 
 
Next a video clip for you – prepared by Canadian Police – It is very clever.  I will leave you to work out the point !
 
https://www.youtube.com/embed/JHixeIr_6BM?rel=0&autoplay=1&iv_load_policy=3
 
I thought it was a really clever way of getting this particular message across !!!!
 
I have received a request from PC Neil Young, to circulate photos of 4 bikes – see attached.  He has a professional interest in them and would like as much intelligence, as we can provide.  Have you lost one of these bikes, or had it stolen ?  Is one of these bikes yours, but it is still in your possession ?  It may not be much longer !!!.
 
Any information – even if you feel it is insignificant - to PC 7472 Neil Young using the 101 number please.
 
NEXT: a piece from Barbara about Fly Tipping of garden waste !
 
Good afternoon Jeff
 
Some garden waste was dumped in the hedge on the Maidenhead Road, between Monday night and Tuesday morning last week.
 
I have removed three wheelbarrow loads, as I know from past experience that litter of any form attracts more.
 
Also If the council has to clear it up, it costs us indirectly.
 
Can everyone be vigilant about fly-tipping, and take registrations if possible if they see anyone dumping anything.
 
Also watch out for theft from sheds and allotments – tools mean a lot to the owners, and some have sentimental value as well as costing a lot to replace. They may or may not be covered by insurance.
 
Barbara.
 
Thanks Barbara – we are in those months when sheds and garages are targets for tools.
 
Messages from other parts of the country:
Just to let you know that we are not alone in the messages we send out.  I am registered to receive messages from all over the country, so that I can see what trends are happening elsewhere.
 
This has come in from the Ringmaster system they still operate in Devon and Cornwall:
Please phone us with any information on the 101 number
Thank you for your continued support of the Devon and Cornwall Police Community Messaging System.
Police would like to remind residents to exercise caution when dealing with any cold callers or doorstep traders.
Works can often cost more than first agreed and be of poor quality.
If you require any home maintenance services please consider recommendations from family and friends.
 
If you feel you are being pressured into agreeing to have work done by any doorstep traders, close your door, call a family member, neighbour or call the Police on the 101 number.
 
We would like to ask recipients of this message to pass it on and inform any elderly or vulnerable neighbours.
 
Thank you.
 
Devon and Cornwall Police
There are now Ringmaster / Alert systems covering most of the country.  If you have relatives friends in other areas it is a simple matter to receive messages from those areas as well as this.  Most of you will be registered with a ‘home address’.  Both messaging systems, allow you to have as many ‘work’ / ‘alternative’ addresses as you wish, in any part of the country.  Sometimes it is useful, to remind ourselves, that we are very fortunate to live here, in a beautiful area with minimum crime levels.
 
SCAM EMAILS:
 
As we have had so many email scams arriving lately, as well as hundreds of the ‘Windows’ scam phone calls, I asked Paul Hay our IT Guru, if having my emails on ‘first line preview’ actually ‘opens’ the email as far as a scammer is concerned and shows it is a real live address.  His response is re-assuring as always – thanks Paul:
 
Hi Jeff,
The short answer is No.
 
By flagging a message as spam, or Junk, it just advises your own email environment that any similar messages should be sent to your junk/spam folder, rather than going to your inbox.
 
The originator of the email will not be notified.
 
The text within such emails, is not a problem.  It is attachments that, when opened, potentially spread viruses.
So the advice would be - do not open any attachments unless you are certain that it is from a genuine source – and - if the email looks suspicious – BIN IT.
 
You can also flag it as junk or spam and it helps the next time a message comes through.
 
Never be afraid of deleting an email. If it is from somebody genuine, they can always try getting in touch with you again.
 
Regards,
Paul
Thanks Paul, it is always so helpful; to have an expert you can ask – who speaks English.  If I raise any of these issues with my son, I immediately glaze over, as he only speaks ‘tecchy’ !
 
MAIDENHEAD CENTRAL:
maidenheadcentralnhpt@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk
Your Neighbourhood Page on TVP's Website - Click Here
30/6  Monday noon – 4 p.m.  Multi Story Car Park,  Broadway.  Car boot accessed BY UNKNOWN MEANS – LAPTOP and Digital Camera Stolen.
1/7  Tuesday 4.30 p.m. / 6.45 p.m.  Market Street.  Two bikes stolen from a bike rack in the town centre.  They were locked to each other and the rack.  1.  A black bike.  2.  A white electric ladies folding bike
 
RIVERSIDE & BELMONT:
maidenheadcentralnhpt@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk
NO CRIME TO REPORT.
 
MAIDENHEAD WEST
BISHAM, COOKHAM, HURLEY, THE WALTHAMS, LITTLEWICK GREEN & KNOWL HILL:
Your Neighbourhood Page on TVP's Website - Click Here
30/6  Monday 1 p.m. – 7.30 p.m.  Shottesbrooke Park, Smewins Road, White Waltham.  The owner found someone in their garden.  When challenged they said they were looking for Tom and immediately left.  When the owner went back inside they found the house had been searched and items missing.  The man is described as white, aged about 22 – 24 years old, medium build, about 5’10’’, short hair, clean shaven, wearing a mid blue short sleeved shirt and light coloured trousers.  Wallet & contents, gold jewellery and jewellery stolen.
21/6 – 1/7  Jobs Lane, Cookham.  Shed break BY UNKNOWN MEANS Hayter 56 lawnmower 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
24/6 – 1/7  Boyn Hill Road.  Mattress dumped outside a residential garage.  See the fly tipping report above.
29/6 – 30/6  Sunday 5 p.m. / Monday 7.30 a.m.  Lowbrooke Drive.  Car entered BY UNKNOWN MEANS – iPOD minis stolen from the central console.
28/6 – 30/6  Saturday 9 p.m. / Monday 10 a.m.  Highfield Lane.  INSECURE car entered and searched – MOBILE and loose change stolen.
29/6 – 30/6  Sunday 6.30 p.m. / Monday 8 a.m.  Gordon Cottages, Lock Lane.  Car entered and searched – nothing stolen.
 
OLDFIELD & BRAY:
maidenheadsouthnhpt@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk
NO CRIME TO REPORT.
 
 
MEMBERS’ COMMENTS:
 
Hi Jeff,
 
I Had a strange telephone call this morning allegedly from TPS (Telephone Preference Service). It was a woman with a very strong accent, speaking very fast, with loud background noise.  She told me that I was on TPS (which I am) and asked if I had had many nuisance calls ?
 
I told her that I had had a few, and asked her if she was calling on behalf of BT, She ignored this question and told me that she was upgrading the TPS system for blocking of calls.  I was immediately suspicious and asked her what this would cost ?  She mumbled that she would be charging me an amount which I could not understand.
 
As TPS is free, I put the phone down. Is this a new 'Con' to get credit card details from gullible people ?
 
Regards Georgina
 
The same old con I am afraid Georgina !  Always the same though – to get you to pay online so that they have all your car details !
 
BT SCAM EMAIL:
I have had this in from David:
 
Jeff,
 
Further to my e-mail of 25 June, I have just received another from apparently the same source – ‘ebilling’ at BT.com.  This one more scarily, tells me I am going to be cut off - if I don’t click on the link.
 
I have sent a copies of both to BT and whilst I have a reference number for each incident, I have heard nothing further from BT since telling them about the first one on 25th June.
 
The latest e-mail says that there has been a recent change in personal information – or – an incorrect payment has been made to the bill payment process – CONFIRM YOUR CORRECT DETAILS ASAP, BY CLICKING ON THE LINK !!!  We all know what to do with these – BIN THEM !
 
David also did exactly the right thing by forwarding them to BT for further investigation.  We – those of us on the Alert system know all about these scam emails, letters and phone calls, but when I go out and about and do public presentations, the vast majority of people out there are completely unaware of them.  They know scams exist, but only on a low awareness level.  Can everyone sign up at least another 10 people !  We have to protect as many local residents, friends, relatives and work colleagues as possible. 
 
The reason why ?  Please remember the Courier Fraud I reported last week – not here thankfully – an elderly resident who handed over £90,000 to the scammers.  That could be someone you know parting with their life savings – and we can all do something really simple to protect them and prevent this happening – sign them up !
www.thamesvalleyalert.co.uk – it could not be simpler !
 
ANOTHER REASON TO GET EVERYONE YOU KNOW TO SIGN UP – THE ‘WINDOWS SCAM’ TELEPHONE CALL:
 
Hi Jeff,
I have just had a call from someone pretending to be from Microsoft.  They advised me my PC had been downloading files that I wasn’t aware of and that they were impacting, upon the performance of the PC.
 
They did sound very genuine and came up with a plausible scenario that would fool anyone who was not aware of this scam.
 
He asked me to turn on my PC.  He was then going to take control to fix it !!
 
At this point I hung up.
 
I know this is an old scam, but thought I would advise anyway that they are still doing the rounds.
 
Kind regards,
 
Julian
 
Many thanks Julian, if the story wasn’t plausible, we would all just put the receiver down.
 
Just to really nail this one – some excellent advice from Dave:
 
Hi Jeff,
 
My in-laws (in their 70s), recently fell for the 'Microsoft' scam.
 
A caller said they were from Microsoft and had spotted problems with their computer, which they could sort out.
 
To cut a long story short, my in-laws let the caller control their computer remotely.  The caller then demanded money to sort it out and my in-laws wisely eventually put the phone down.
 
The call had lasted over an hour.  When I spoke to them, I got their laptop (it is about 5 months old) and took it to a local computer shop, they found it was riddled with spyware, viruses etc.
 
Luckily, the laptop is not used for online banking, or shopping, but needs to be reset to factory settings.
 
Despite the family telling them not to open attachments, or respond to this sort of call, they allowed this unknown cold caller to access their laptop - "The man seemed so knowledgeable and helpful".
 
I received a similar call this morning and played along for a while to see exactly what was being said.  They are indeed very plausible.  They direct you to a legitimate website which lets people control your machine remotely… which is where the crime begins, once they control your machine.  I had had enough at this stage, so I said I couldn't access the website as I was working at 'Police Headquarters' and we had limited internet access and, furthermore, all our internet activity and telephone conversations were logged and traced for security and fraud reasons.  The lady caller then, for some reason, terminated the call.
 
The moral here, is that if you warn vulnerable people once, don't stop warning them.  It has to be a constant reminder of these scams, so it is uppermost in people's minds – your repeated warnings on your newsletter do this so well.
 
Best wishes
 
Dave
 
Thanks Julian and Dave excellent lessons for us all.
When Julian says that by typing in a line of text, they take control of your computer – we call that proxying’.  A message box appears on the screen, which you have to accept.  By doing that, the stranger, you have never met, but who has just phoned you out of the blue, is given total control of everything in your computer.  While running a diagnostic programme, on the screen you are watching, he can copy your entire hard drive – everything !
 
He can also install anything he wants into your computer.  You will see nothing and know nothing.  To add insult to injury, he will then charge you for the privilege – this way, he also gets all your credit card details.  If you have online banking, paypal whatever, he can also access those.  IF YOU GET A CALL FROM ‘MICROSOFT’ OR ANY OTHER COMPANY OFFERING TO CLEAN UP YOUR COMPUTER BECAUSE - IT IS RUNNING SLOW – DO NOT SPEAK – JUST PUT DOWN THE RECEIVER !
 
Would you hand control of your computer to someone sitting at a nearby table, in a restaurant / coffee shop – a complete stranger ?  Why would you then,  hand it over to a complete stranger on the phone – that you can’t even see !!!  However nice and reasonable they sound.  CON MEN ALWAYS SOUND GOOD !