Old Coulsdon Residents' Association
Latest Crime Messages Page 1 of 2
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Here are the latest crime messages for the Kenley Police Sector:
Please remind elderly relatives or neighbours who collect their pension from the Post Office of the increased risk of theft, there has already been one victim of two teenage white female bogus callers who asked to use her phone and then stole her pension cash.
New Police Web Site (Metropolitan Area Only)
To check up on your local crime figures as reported by the Met. Police go to their web site at www.met.police.uk and input your post code to view your local crime trends and statistics.
SERIES OF HANDBAG THEFTS
In the PURLEY/SOUTH CROYDON area there has been a series of handbag thefts where the unseen suspect has entered properties through unlocked rear doors or open windows so please be aware. Keep rear doors locked and remove the key.
BOGUS CALLERS
A new variation of a bogus caller this week where an elderly couple in South Croydon had a male call saying his name was John and he was from the Council. He said he was working with the police organizing community service type work for young people on ASBO’s and they were looking for elderly people who needed help with gardening. The occupier said they did not need help but the suspect walked her to the top of the garden. As they walked back to the house another male appeared and both men left. Later in the day the victims found that a wallet containing cash was missing and that jewellery had also disappeared. The first male was described as white approx 26 years old, stocky build, 5’09” tall with black wavy hair. He was wearing a blue shirt and black trousers. Second male was approx 30 years, also stocky build, 5’07” tall with cropped ginger hair.
Please be aware that there have recently been thefts of hi Vis jackets and also Royal Mail blue postal jackets and BT uniforms and ID cards which may be used for bogus caller offences.
More BOGUS CALLERS
Information from Surrey Police that just over the border from the Met Police area there have been cases of unknown suspects leaving individual shoes on driveways of houses, if the shoe is not cleared within a day or so this indicates that the house is unoccupied, making it a target for burglary.
There have been several more cases of suspects calling on elderly occupiers claiming that a bird caught on their roof and asking for money to remove it. In Addiscombe a white male who called using this method of distraction was described as about 40 years old, medium build with dark short hair. He was wearing a maroon jumper and navy trousers.
NEW SCAM?
The Croham SNT have reported that a lady in their Ward has received a note pushed through her door saying that there has been a mistake and a parcel would be delivered to her address. The parcel would be addressed to a David Edwards. Could she take the parcel in and then telephone Mr. Edwards on his mobile phone. Shortly afterwards the postman knocked as he had three parcels for Mr. Edwards. The lady refused them as she did not know what they contained, the postman said don’t worry we have a sack full of these parcels that have been refused, they contain mobile phones.
Later that day a big built African male, approx 5’10” tall, with short black hair wearing a purple t-shirt, and approx 35 years old called. He was accompanied by an African female, also well built and about 5’07” tall, approx 40 years old wearing a denim t-shirt with “If your single I am hot” written on the front. The lady explained that she had not taken delivery of the parcels and the post office had taken them back. The SNT advice is not to sign for anything if it is not yours and you do not know what it contains. If the lady had signed for the phones and then handed them over she could have been invoiced for them and as she had signed for the she would have had to pay. They could also possibly be stolen goods obtained by ‘cardholder not present’ fraud.
PROTECT YOUR SATELLITE NAVIGATION SYSTEM
In-car satellite navigation systems are the new "must have" for motorist and for thieves. Croydon police has noticed an increase in these types of thefts and believe they are going to be on increase as more people invest in them. Hiding the system in the glove box or under the seat is simply not enough - this is the first place thieves will look if they break into your vehicle.
Satellite navigation systems are small, hand-held devices that are easily transportable - take them with you when you leave your vehicle, as you would the fascia of your car stereo. Consider placing a prominent notice in your car stating that the system has been removed .Where possible, do not even leave the cradle for the system on display and remember to wipe clean the mark left on the windscreen where the cradle was. If you have to leave the cradle for the system in your car, make sure it is marked overtly with poster or UV paint. Mark your Satellite navigation system with your postcode and house number or your vehicle registration number, using special UV security markers. These pens are readily available from any good hardware store.
Never leave anything on view in your car. Thieves are opportunist; make sure to always lock all doors, windows and sunroofs. The effects of having your vehicle broken into is not only time consuming but can also increase the cost of your car insurance.”.
ACTIVE BURGLARS WATCH!!!
POLICE WARNING RE BURGLAR ALARMS
We have been made aware that an alarm company called Sector Alarms is cold-calling in the Woodside area of Croydon. It was suggested that they have a uniformed police officer with them. None of our officers are working in conjunction with this company. Croydon Police does not endorse any alarm companies. If you are considering purchasing an alarm in the near future ensure the alarm company is certified by the National Security Inspectorate and works to the European standard BS EN 50131.When a visit is unsolicited and the goods or services cost more that £35.00 than a cancellation notice with a seven days cooling-off period must be given. Please remember, IF IN DOUBT KEEP THEM OUT.
Also a Neighbourhood Watch member has reported that a company called EEC Securities have cold-called him to arrange to visit his home and give a quote for an alarm system. Trading Standards state that this company has come to their notice for pressure selling to the elderly. Apparently one lady paid thousands of pounds for a system that was for business use rather than domestic.
SAFEGUARDING YOUR MOBILE PHONE
As many as 10,000 mobile phones are stolen every month. Two thirds of the victims are aged between 13 and 16. Many phones are also stolen from unattended cars. Here are some practical measures you can take to keep your mobile phone safe.
Remember to... register your mobile phone at www.immobilise.com
· keep your phone out of sight in your pocket or handbag when not in use
· use your phone's security lock code, if it has one
· record details of your electronic serial number (ESN) and consider separate insurance
· some phones have an IMEI number which is a unique identifier for the phone; you can obtain this number by typing *#06# (star hash 06 hash) into your mobile phone and it will display a 15 digit number
· property mark your phone with your postcode and door number to help police identify stolen ones
· report a lost or stolen phone to the police immediately
· inform your service provider if your phone is stolen or lost
Don't... attract attention to your phone when you are carrying or using it in the street
· park in isolated or dark areas
· leave your phone in an unattended car - if you must, lock it out of sight. It only takes seconds for a thief to smash a window and steal your phone.
By taking these simple precautions, you can protect your phone
NATIONAL IDENTITY FRAUD PREVENTION
Protect yourself!
· Be careful with your personal information. If you receive a telephone call from a credit card company, bank or other retail company asking to confirm certain details about yourself decline them and ask to call them back preferably through a central switchboard.
· When destroying personal correspondence such as bank and credit card statements consider a shredder or even burning them on the garden refuse. If you cannot do either then tear the papers up into very small pieces and place in the refuse bin with other waste products.
· If you move address remember to inform all of the companies that send personal information to you in the post. Always consider re-directing your post with Royal Mail. If you fail to do this people moving in might have free access to your personal details and misappropriate them.
How do you know if are victim to this type of fraud?
· Are you missing your regular monthly statements?
·
Have you noticed
charges to your accounts that are not yours?
Remember to check all statements especially bank and credit card.
· Being contacted by a debt collection agency about outstanding payments for items or services that you have not ordered.
Take Action - Act Quickly
· Firstly do not ignore the problem it might not be you that has ordered some goods or opened an account but the debt falls to your name and address.
· Once blacklisted for credit it may take many years to fully recover the problem you might have difficulties in obtaining a mortgage or other bank credit.
There’s a lot of information out there about securing your e-mail. Much of it is advanced and doesn’t apply to the typical end user. Configuring spam filters such as Spam Assassin, setting up encrypted authentication on mail servers, and e-mail gateway virus scanner management are not basic end-user tasks.
When one can find end-user e-mail security tips, they’re usually specific to a single mail client or mail user agent such as Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla or Thunderbird. This sort of information is of critical importance to many users of these applications, but there are few sources of more general security information for e-mail users that aren’t specific to a given client application.
The following is a short list of some important security tips that apply to all e-mail users — not just users of a specific application. They are listed in the order one should employ them, from the first priority to the last.
- Never allow an e-mail client to fully render HTML or XHTML e-mails without careful thought. At the absolute most, if you have a mail client such as Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird that can render HTML e-mails, you should configure it to render only simplified HTML rather than rich HTML — or “Original HTML” as some clients label the option. Even better is to configure it to render only plain text. When rendering HTML, you run the risk of identifying yourself as a valid recipient of spam or getting successfully phished by some malicious security cracker or identity thief. If the privacy of your data is important to you, use a local POP3 or IMAP client to retrieve e-mail. This means avoiding the use of Web-based e-mail services such as Gmail, Hotmail, and Yahoo! Mail for e-mail you wish to keep private for any reason. Even if your Webmail service provider’s policies seem sufficiently privacy-oriented to you, that doesn’t mean that employees won’t occasionally break the rules. Some providers are accused of selling e-mail addresses to spamming “partners.”
- If, for some reason, you absolutely positively must access an e-mail account that does not authorize over an encrypted connection, never access that account from a public or otherwise unsecured network.
Be aware of both your virtual and physical surroundings when communicating via e-mail. Be careful. Trust no one that you do not absolutely have to trust, and remember that email addresses can be forged as can links to other sites included in messages.
Your e-mail security does not just affect you; it affects others, as well, if your e-mail account is compromised. Even if the e-mail account itself is not compromised, your computer may be if you do not take reasonable care with how you deal with e-mails — take a moment to check each email before you open it.
Don’t be a victim.
WARNING OF A NEW 'VISHING' SCAM
Fraudsters have started to a new scam to get people to hand over their personal information.
In the US there have been many reports about an identity theft scam known as ‘vishing’.
Vishing operates along the same lines as ‘phishing’ emails, which have increased dramatically in recent years.
With phishing, fake emails appear to have been sent by a site such as eBay or PayPal or your bank, but links embedded within the emails direct you to a fake website which looks similar to the real thing.
These sites will then ask for personal information in order to steal your identity.
With ‘vishing’, you're contacted by email or text message and told there has been a security problem and you need to call your bank to reactivate a credit or debit card.
When you call the telephone number, you get a recorded message such as ‘Welcome to the bank etc’. You're then asked to enter your card number and personal details.
Please beware of emails, telephone calls, or text messages requesting you hand over your personal information, the banks already have this information on record and will never contact you for it.
If you're emailed or phoned by your bank, use its normal contact numbers from a telephone directory or a printed letter to confirm whether the message is genuine.
A phishing email this week from Nat West Bank referring to ‘Online Form Released’ which requires you to complete a Nat West Online Form to keep your banking details up to date. The link goes to a website in Carlsbad, California and has an advertisement for an ‘Internet Marketing System’ if you give your personal details. Also a Halifax Legal Solutions email claiming that a new system called i38-BankSecure will establish a secure link to your bank. It also claims ‘sequel to our new security measures, our records indicate that you account was withered and has upshot an internal error in our processor’! The link led to a site owned by Fiet Assistance in the Russian Federation.
TIPS FROM THE MET POLICE TO SECURE YOUR HOME
Good home security is the best way to reduce your chances of being burgled. The following tips may assist you in avoiding becoming a victim.
- Fit security lighting, either dusk to dawn energy efficient lighting that will
come on automatically as dusk sets in, or a passive infra-red (PIR)
light that will draw attention to movement.
- Use an automatic time switch on an indoor light, either in a room that
cannot be peered into from the road, or upstairs. Consider drawing the curtains if you are in a room with the lights switched on. Regularly change the timing on the switch.
- Put a time switch on a radio that has been tuned to a chat station, this will
give the impression that the house is occupied. Again, regularly change the
timing on the switch.
· Property mark your valuables. Some articles are unsuitable for marking so photograph them – on a dark surface with a ruler in view to show scale.
- Secure windows, paying particular attention to those on the ground floor
and above flat roof areas. Always use locks and bolts and keep all your keys,
including car keys, out of sight and out of reach.
- Ensure that gates or access to the rear of the house are locked and
secure. Don’t forget to lock your shed; your tools can be used to break in.
Trim overgrown plants - don’t give burglars a hiding place.
· Intruder alarms are an effective deterrent against burglars. Before choosing a system ensure it is the one most suitable for your needs. Trust your instincts. If you think a crime is about to happen or is in progress dial 999.