Wednesday, 27 February 2013

Huge rise in social media 'crimes'

A new level of door chain security

20 February 2013

Mixed advice on domestic door chains, leads to new invention
Unfortunately, but understandably, there is mixed advice as to a door chain's effectiveness. Organisations, such as Age UK recommend their use to combat bogus callers and yet some police services will advise people not to open the door, since a closed and locked door will be considerably more secure than a door held on a chain. Instead they suggest shouting through the door or calling out of an upstairs window. Read more here

In action - watch Video 2 HERE

Monday, 25 February 2013

07 = Mobile? - Not always!

25/02/2013: 070 Telephone Number Warning

Consumers are warned about phoning numbers beginning 070 after a complaint received by Warwickshire County Council’s Trading Standards Service.

Phone numbers starting 070 can easily be mistaken for mobile phone numbers, which also start 07. However, in reality phone numbers that start 070 are charged at a premium rate.

One Warwickshire job seeker reported receiving an unexpected email inviting him to a job interview following his ‘application’. The individual who received the email had sent out many job applications so phoned the number back but was transferred to an answering machine that kept him on hold. The number he phoned was a 070 premium rate number. The consumer now believes that he was tricked in to phoning the number so that number provider could generate profits.

070 numbers are sometimes called virtual or ‘follow me’ numbers set up to divert calls from one number to another so that the person being called can keep their own number private, and remain contactable wherever they go.

The complaints about the 070 premium rate numbers relate largely to consumers receiving missed calls to both landlines and mobiles from 070 prefixed numbers. These calls are terminated after one ring which prompts the consumers to call back the premium rate 070 number, believing it to be a genuine missed call.

Other inducements to phone the number back include work opportunities and advertisements.

Calls to 070 numbers may cost up to 50p per minute from a BT landline and more from a mobile. The price will not necessarily be explained during the call itself.

If consumers believe they have been misled or tricked in to phoning an 070 number so that the provider of the 070 number service can generate money, they can report the number to the premium rate line watchdog PhonepayPlus on 0800 500 212.

The 070 number complained about by the consumer in this case has been reported to PhonepayPlus.

Please feel free to cascade this information to whomever you feel appropriate (including using the information in your newsletters/websites etc.).

If you have any information you wish to provide to Warwickshire Trading Standards Service, either for our information, or to appear in future email alerts, please email me.

For more information on scams, visit: www.warwickshire.gov.uk/scams

Follow us on twitter: www.twitter.com/warkstss

Simon Cripwell

Trading Standards Officer

Warwickshire Trading Standards Service

Communities

Warwickshire County Council

Old Budbrooke Road Warwick CV35 7DP

Tel: 01926 414039

Mob: 07771 975570

Email: simoncripwell@warwickshire.gov.uk

Web: www.warwickshire.gov.uk

My normal working days are Monday to Thursday

Saturday, 23 February 2013

Crime Prevention Newsletter

There is a lot of valuable information in the latest NEWSLETTER.

Kineton Farmers Market - Saturday 9 Mar 2013

On the second Saturday of March, May, July and October, Market Square, Kineton hosts Kineton Farmers Market between 10am and 1 pm. Local farmers produce is sold, including meat, cheese, vegetables, fresh bread and baked produce, edible plants, honey, ice cream, pickles and jams and locally brewed beer. Live folk music creates a relaxed atmosphere for the event which is held in a traditional market setting amongst properties dating back to the 17th Century.

Market Sq, Kineton Warwickshire Warwickshire CV35 0LP

Recent Scam Summary

SCAMS JAN FEB 2013

Friday, 22 February 2013

Fight Back Britain

Fight Back Britain Flyer

Download here

RDF are producing a new commission for BBC1 called Fight Back Britain. They'd be very interested in hearing Neighbourhood and Home Watch members stories.

The programme concentrates on the role that the public plays in helping the police fight crime. How social networks, mobile phone footage, photos, eyewitness accounts etc. can provide crucial evidence in identifying suspects and assisting in successful convictions. The highlight of each episode will be the inspiring stories of public involvement.

SNT Update

WELLESBOURNE

Includes:

Theft from motor vehicle - as near as Northend
Burglary Crime Prevention Advice
Vehicle Crime Advice

Wednesday, 20 February 2013

Ron Ball - Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner

Just to let you all know that Ron Ball, Warwickshire's Police and Crime Commissioner is attending the following two Community Forums in Stratford district in March:

Wellesbourne/Kineton at Wellesbourne Fire Station, Loxley Road, Wellesbourne CV35 9JL on Thursday 7th March from 6.30pm

Alcester/Bidford at the Crawford Memorial Hall, Salford Road, Bidford on Avon B50 4EZ on Tuesday 12th March from 6.30pm

Ron and his team have undertaken to come to all forums in Stratford District over the coming year but you are all very welcome to come to either of the above to hear about the role of the Police and Crime Commissioner and to take part in the Q and A session.

Regards
Ali Mainey
Community Development Worker
Southern Area Team
Communities
Warwickshire County Council
Office Phone External: 01789 260134
Mobile: 07557 565783
Internal: 532134
email: alisonmainey@warwickshire.gov.ukwww.warwickshire.gov.uk

Fur further information on the LAA visit www.warwickshire.gov.uk/laa

For further information on the Stratford-on-Avon Area Office visit www.warwickshire.gov.uk/stratfordarea

Trading Standards Update

20/02/2013 ‘BBC’ Lottery Scam and other Advanced Fee Frauds

The names of bogus lotteries are becoming ever more bizarre! One resident contacted Warwickshire Trading Standards after receiving a congratulatory email from the ‘BBC National Lottery’, run in conjunction with ‘Microsoft’!

Like all bogus lotteries, the email asked the ‘winner’ to send copies of various personal documents and would then have requested money in advance of the $750,000 non-existent ‘prize’ being released.

James Feng Lui claims to work for the Shenzhen Development Bank and wants you to help him claim $10.5 million, the estate of a deceased person with your surname (so his letter says). He is willing to split the funds 50/50. Sadly those who take Mr Feng Lui up on his offer will only ever be asked for money to help the transfer of the fictitious millions along. And, Mr Lee Hao a bank worker in Hong Kong is writing to Warwickshire residents with the same offer.

Advanced fee frauds come in many shapes and sizes. Never reveal any personal or financial information to people you don’t know or trust and especially cold callers and senders of spam email/letters.

More about advanced fee frauds: http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/Web/corporate/wccweb.nsf/Links/5D0649278E3ED2CB80257886003647F7/$file/20120912_Advanced_Fee_Fraud.pdf

20/02/2013 Are You Really a Winner?

Warwickshire Trading Standards are warning residents about letters which appear to suggest that you may have won prize, often by stating that a prize has been unclaimed or asking you to send in a claim form. The small print is usually the give-away in these cases where consumers are actually required to phone a premium rate number or send an expensive text (often as much as £10), just to find out if they have won and not to collect a prize at all!

You cannot win a lottery you have not entered. Always check the small print and beware of phoning or texting to check on your ‘prize ’. You may not have won anything at all and if you have, it will probably be worth less than the cost of the phone call!

More about scam lotteries: http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/Web/corporate/wccweb.nsf/Links/5D0649278E3ED2CB80257886003647F7/$file/Scambuster+A5+Campaign+English+2.pdf

20/02/2013 Tarmac Gang Warnings

Tarmac gangs are again operating in South Warwickshire villages. Residents are advised not to engage services on the doorstep. Tarmac gangs can be very persuasive/threating. Residents are best advised to keep their doors closed. Warwickshire Councils do not go door to door offering to re-surface residents driveways with left over tarmac. Tarmac gangs will do a poor job and charge a small fortune!

20/02/2013 Facebook ‘Product Testers’

Warwickshire Trading Standards are warning users of Facebook to beware of advertisements etc. from traders offering people the opportunity to ‘product test’ face creams, free for 30 days. One consumer reported taking up the offer for what she thought would only involve paying a small amount for postage and packing. Having provided her debit car details she was then told that if she did not return the goods within 14 day unopened, she would be charged £80!

Never provide your credit or debit cards to traders you don’t know or trust and always check the terms and conditions of any offer – whatever the headline claim may be. Trading Standards know that some traders have taken money from consumers accounts, even after they had cancelled, using a system called continuous payments authority. If you are in this situation the Financial Services Authority state that you can cancel such agreements directly with your bank. See their leaflet: http://www.fsa.gov.uk/static/pubs/consumer_info/know_your_rights_guide.pdf

20/02/2013 Cold Calling Alarm Sales Wellesbourne

Consumers living in the Wellesbourne area have reported cold calls relating to the promotion of monitored security systems. Warwickshire Trading Standards would like to remind consumers that if they are offered ‘free’ alarm systems, they may come with expensive monitoring contracts. Consumers should never buy from cold callers and if they require a security system should seek independent advice from their local Police or NHW organisation.

Further, consumers should be wary of businesses that use spurious/scary crime statistics to sell their systems or claim that the emergency services will respond if their alarm is activated.

13/02/2013 Business ‘Collapse’ Scam

A Warwickshire consumer reported to Trading Standards receiving an unexpected phone call from someone who claimed a business the consumer had a contract with was ‘closing down’ and the consumer was due a ‘refund’.

The caller offered to send the consumer a cheque for £350 and was then asked to send £100 further on to India.

This is a scam. The cheque would initially clear and the money appear in the consumer’s account. The consumer would then send £100 on to India. However, the cheque would almost certainly be stolen or counterfeit and when this was spotted by the bank, they would remove the money from the consumer’s account, leaving the consumer £100 out of pocket.

13/02/2013 Loan Scam

A Warwickshire consumer reported to the Trading Standards Service receiving an offer of a loan after being phoned unexpectedly by someone he had never spoken to before (the consumer has been looking for a loan previously).

The caller (who was phoning from abroad) offered the consumer a £3000 loan over 2 years with a monthly repayment of £94 per month. The caller even sent the consumer a loan agreement, despite the loan repayments covering less than the total cost of the loan!

Consumers looking for loans are warned that they may become targets for fraudsters.

The fraudster will offer the consumer the loan but the consumer will often begin their loan repayments before they receive the loan. The fraudsters never do send the money but keep taking the repayments for as long as they can.

In some cases the fraudsters ask for an admin fee to be paid up front before the loan can be released and again, it never is, leaving people who already have difficult financial circumstances, even worse off.

13/02/2013 Timeshare Owners Targeted

Timeshare owners, often those who have been desperately trying to sell their timeshares, are being targeted by fraudsters warn Warwickshire Trading Standards. One Warwickshire timeshare owner reported receiving an unexpected phone call to tell him that he was owed over £5000 as a victim of a timeshare scam. The caller claimed that the money would be couriered to his door, but that the consumer would have to first pay a £860 transfer fee.

This has all the hallmarks of an advance fee fraud and consumers are advised not to send any money if they are contacted in this way.