@NAT - Protect yourself from Bogus Electrical Websites

Fraudsters have set up a high specification website template advertising various electrical goods and domestic appliances. These goods are below market value and do not exist. The fraudsters will request your card details via the website; however the purchaser will then receive an email stating the payment failed and they must pay via bank transfer.

The fraudsters entice the purchaser and reassure them it is a legitimate purchase by using the widely recognised Trusted Shop Trustmark. The fraudsters are using the Trustmark fraudulently and have not been certified by Trusted Shops and therefore the purchaser is not covered by the Trusted Shop money-back guarantee.

Protect yourself:

• Check the authenticity of the websites before making any purchases. Conduct a ‘whois’ search on the website which will identify when the website has been created, be wary of newly formed domains. You can conduct this search using the following website - https://who.is/.
• Carry out online research in relation to the website, company name and the business address provided to identify any poor feedback or possible irregularities.
• Check the Trusted Shops Facebook page where warnings about websites using their Trustmark are published. If you are in doubt about the legitimacy of a Trustmark then you can contact Trusted Shops on 0203 364 5906 or by email service@trustedshops.co.uk. They will confirm whether they have certified that website.
• Payments made via bank transfer are not protected should you not received the item. Therefore always try to make the payment via PayPal or a credit card where you have some payment cover should you not receive your product.
• If the item advertised seems too good to be true, then it probably is. 

If you believe that you have been a victim of fraud you can report it online http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/report_fraud or by telephone 0300 123 2040.

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@WAR - Warwickshire Trading Standards email alerts.

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

11/12/2015 Publication scams 11/12/2015 Bogus Warwickshire County Council callers 11/12/2015 Young cyber-criminal campaign 10/12/2015 ‘Free’ mattresses door to door Whitnash and Leamington Spa 10/12/2015 Virgin Media ‘blocked’ and other bogus emails 08/12/2015 Bogus HMRC email 08/12/2015 Facebook ‘confirm ID’ scam

11/12/2015 Publication scams By Simon Cripwell on Dec 11, 2015 12:19 pm Several Warwickshire businesses have recently complained after receiving demands for payment for advertising from people running bogus publications. These 'businesses' attempt to trick local companies in to paying for advertising in 'safety' magazines with little or no circulation, making the publication worthless. When the company refuses to pay, they often threaten them with bailiffs, bankruptcy and other legal action. Don't be tricked. Never engage these callers in conversation. Always put the phone. Read in browser » 11/12/2015 Bogus Warwickshire County Council callers By Simon Cripwell on Dec 11, 2015 12:07 pm Warwickshire residents are again receiving scam phone calls from people falsely claiming to be calling from Warwickshire County Council and asking the householder about a past traffic accident. These calls are being made from foreign call centres. The callers are looking for 'leads', people who have  had an accident in the past. The calls are made at random, but if the caller finds someone who has actually had an accident, they will try to sell on their details to a 'no-win no-fee' claims management business. Read in browser » 11/12/2015 Young cyber-criminal campaign By Simon Cripwell on Dec 11, 2015 09:42 am The National Crime Agency has launched a campaign to discourage young people from becoming involved in cyber crime, after analysis of investigations involving the NCA’s National Cyber Crime Unit over the last year found the average age of suspects to be 17. Read in browser » 10/12/2015 ‘Free’ mattresses door to door Whitnash and Leamington Spa By Simon Cripwell on Dec 10, 2015 10:48 am Warwickshire Trading Standards is alerting consumers to 'sellers' of mattresses door to door in the Whitnash and Leamington Spa areas. The callers are claiming that the mattresses are being given away 'free' because they were used in show homes of new build properties in the area. However, the callers then ask for £250 for  the building site staff 'Christmas bonus' and offer to drive interested residents to local cash points. Warwickshire Trading Standards advises consumers not to buy from the door. You can never tell a good trader from a bad one on the doorstep. Further, mattresses sold in the UK have to meet stringent fire safety tests. Cheap mattresses that do not meet these stringent tests are sometimes imported in to the UK  and sold door to door. Consumers are advised to only buy mattresses and other upholstered furniture from reputable local traders. Read in browser » 10/12/2015 Virgin Media ‘blocked’ and other bogus emails By Simon Cripwell on Dec 10, 2015 10:32 am Warwickshire Trading Standards is reminding consumers to beware of bogus emails that falsely purport to come from Virgin Media and other broadband/television/phone providers. The emails, which are usually sent to 'the customer' or 'the recipient' (as they often don't know your name), may state that your account will be blocked or terminated if you don't click on a link in the email to enter your account details. Always delete these sorts of emails and never  follow a link in an email, even if you think the email is genuine. If you need to visit your on-line account, always type in the account address yourself in to the web browser. Links in bogus emails will take you to bogus websites where your user name, password and account information will be stolen! Read in browser » 08/12/2015 Bogus HMRC email By Simon Cripwell on Dec 08, 2015 02:13 pm Beware of emails sent by fraudsters falsely purporting to come from H.M. Revenue and Customs. The emails claim that the recipient is eligible to receive a tax refund of £348-65. They are asked to complete a form containing their bank details and return it so that the 'refund' can be paid directly in to their account. NEVER reveal your personal or financial information under these circumstances. Stolen bank information is used to commit fraud and identity theft. Read in browser » 08/12/2015 Facebook ‘confirm ID’ scam By Simon Cripwell on Dec 08, 2015 02:06 pm Beware of fraudsters requests for Facebook users to 'confirm their ID' by emailing or posting a picture of their driving licence, passport or similar document, copies of which are then used for identity fraud and theft Read in browser »   Recent Articles: 03/12/2015 The data cycle – how your information shared and sold! 03/12/2015 Trading Standards business news Winter 2015 03/12/2015 Mandate fraud warning to Warwickshire businesses 03/12/2015 Hoverboard safety warning 03/12/2015 Farmers warned of targeted fraud attacks

@WAR - PCC asks: how much are you prepared to pay to maintain frontline policing?

                                                                                                                                                                 Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner Ron Ball wants to hear your views as he considers setting the police budget for 2016/17.  He is asking members of the public if they are willing to contribute around a penny a day extra in order to maintain frontline policing levels.

READ MORE AND GIVE YOUR VIEW

@WAR - Warwickshire Trading Standards email alerts

Please feel free to cascade this information to whomever you feel appropriate (including using the information in your newsletters/websites etc.). 03/12/2015 The data cycle – how your information shared and sold! 03/12/2015 Trading Standards business news Winter 2015 03/12/2015 Mandate fraud warning to Warwickshire businesses 03/12/2015 Hoverboard safety warning 03/12/2015 Farmers warned of targeted fraud attacks 30/11/2015 Your Christmas shopping rights 30/11/2015 Why do I get unwanted phone calls? This video shows you why 30/11/2015 Dangerous dolls seized 03/12/2015 The data cycle – how your information shared and sold! By Simon Cripwell on Dec 03, 2015 12:18 pm The data cycle -- showing how one person's personal data can be used, passed on and re-used in ways that people may not expect. Gives advice about what to do to reduce nuisance calls. Watch Read in browser » 03/12/2015 Trading Standards business news Winter 2015 By Simon Cripwell on Dec 03, 2015 12:13 pm Trading Standards business news Winter 2015 In this issue: Festive food safety; Top tips for exporters and illicit alcohol Read in browser » 03/12/2015 Mandate fraud warning to Warwickshire businesses By Simon Cripwell on Dec 03, 2015 11:21 am Warwickshire businesses are warned to beware of mandate fraud. Mandate Fraud is also known as Creditor Fraud, Payment Diversion Fraud and Supplier Account Takeover Fraud. This fraud involves the changing of account details for supplier or customer accounts in order to gain control of an account and benefit from unauthorised payments. This could include changing of bank details in a direct debit, manipulation of credit card activity, or changing of an employee’s bank account details for their salary, particularly when a bonus is due. Changing bank accounts is an unusual occurrence and therefore any request to update records should be treated with suspicion. Changes should be authorised at a senior level. Fraudsters rely on the Payee (Company) name not being checked by the Banks. In most cases, only the Sort Code and Account Number are checked by the receiving bank. Additionally, company details, including signatures on published accounts, are copied from the internet. All companies and organisations are urged to ensure that they have robust authorisation and monitoring procedures in place for the creation and changing of bank details and monitoring of payments. This also applies when providing account details in order to set up new payments or amend them. More information Read in browser » 03/12/2015 Hoverboard safety warning By Simon Cripwell on Dec 03, 2015 09:52 am More than 17,000 self-balancing scooters – or ‘hoverboards’– have been examined at national entry points since 15 October due to safety concerns. Of these, over 15,000 (or 88%) have been assessed as unsafe and have been detained at the border. Officers at UK ports and borders have seen a huge spike in the number of these items arriving in recent weeks, destined to end up as gifts under the tree this Christmas. More information Advice to consumers and businesses: Never leave the device charging unattended – especially overnight: a faulty cut-off switch (designed to stop the battery from continuing to charge once fully charged) or a plug without a fuse, as seen in many products detained so far, could lead to the device overheating, exploding or catching fire. Check the device: things to look out for include the shape of the plug – the first unsafe products identified often had a clover-shaped plug. Also check the device for markings or traceable information, such as the name and contact details of the manufacturer and / or importer. If buying online, look closely at the website before you hit the ‘buy’ button: Try searching for reviews of the product or the seller – do these seem genuine? Are there lots of spelling or grammar mistakes on the site? This can be a clue that a business is not professionally run. See if you can find out where the company’s head office is based – and whether that fits with how the website presents itself. Do they have a landline number you can call if there are any problems? Bear in mind that if the company is based abroad, it can be more difficult to get a complaint dealt with or return a faulty product. Read the small print – notice if anything seems odd, repetitive or in incorrect English. Is there an ‘s’ at the end of the ‘http’ part of the web address, or is there a padlock symbol in the task bar? This means the website is using an encrypted system that keeps your details more secure. Don’t be dazzled by a bargain: Are the prices incredibly low? If they look too good to be true, they probably are – particularly if some of your other checks have put doubts in your mind. Be aware that criminals exploit high demand: When items like self-balancing scooters start to sell out at well-known retailers, the void is quickly filled by crooks churning out poor quality imitations that can put people in danger. Don’t ‘panic buy’ from the first website you find – do your usual common-sense checks. Report it: National Trading Standards needs your help to clamp down on unsafe products from abroad. If you believe that any online or face-to-face seller is selling potentially dangerous goods, or something you’ve bought has made you suspicious, report it to Citizens Advice consumer service on 03454 04 05 06. Buying online for onward sale online? If you do this you are assuming the legal responsibilities of a business to ensure that what you’re selling complies with product safety and intellectual property legislation. More information for importers Read in browser » 03/12/2015 Farmers warned of targeted fraud attacks By Simon Cripwell on Dec 03, 2015 09:42 am Farmers are being warned to be extremely wary of any suspicious calls, texts or emails as fraudsters specifically target the agricultural sector when EU grant payments begin to arrive in bank accounts month. More information Read in browser » 30/11/2015 Your Christmas shopping rights By Simon Cripwell on Nov 30, 2015 01:25 pm A useful guide to your Christmas shopping rights launched by Which? Read in browser » 30/11/2015 Why do I get unwanted phone calls? This video shows you why By Simon Cripwell on Nov 30, 2015 12:57 pm The data cycle showing how one person's personal data can be used, passed on and re-used in ways that people may not expect. The video also gives advice about what to do to reduce nuisance calls. Read in browser » 30/11/2015 Dangerous dolls seized By Simon Cripwell on Nov 30, 2015 12:21 pm Warwickshire County Council’s Trading Standards Service was able to seize over 60 fake and dangerous Maleficent dolls before they reached the shop shelves in time for Christmas.   Read in browser »   Recent Articles: 27/11/2015 Local traders warned to beware of cold calls from bogus publishers 27/11/2015 Dyson service bogus engineers 27/11/2015 Loan scam warning 26/11/2015 Indesit and Hotpoint issue fire-risk warnings over tumble dryers 26/11/2015 Trading Standards offer help as Black Friday approaches

Our mailing address is: Warwickshire County Council Shire Hall Warwick, Warwickshire CV34 4RL United Kingdom

@WEL - Wellesbourne Safer Neighbourhood Team Report 44 – 05.12.15

Wellesbourne Safer Neighbourhood Team Report 44 – 05.12.15 

 

This report from the Wellesbourne Safer Neighbourhood Team covers the wards of Snitterfield, Wellesbourne, Kineton and Burton Dassett. 

 

The following incidents, for the period between 28.11.15 and 05.12.15 have been reported and the team are appealing for witnesses:

 

 Wellesbourne area

 

Wellesbourne – Ettington Road (building site)

Theft 01/12/15 – 075

Fencing to compound cut and 2 mobile generators stolen between 1300 Saturday 28/11/15 and 0700 30/11/15.

 

Wellesbourne – Loxley Road - WCC (building site)

Theft 01/12/15 – 182

Unsuccessful attempt to break into site office. A towable compressor has been stolen from outside the building between 1300 28/11/15 and 0700 30/11/15.

 

Kineton area

 

Kineton – Banbury Street

Vehicle damage – 28/11/15 – 117

 

Further to the damage reported in last week’s newsletter, there have been multiple and similar incidents of scratches and wiper blades being broken on at least 5 different vehicles. Police have made house to house calls and made a leaflet drop. We are appealing for anyone who may have information to call us on 101. Alternatively, you may prefer to report anonymously via Crimestoppers and full details are given below:

 

Crimestoppers:

 

Do you know you can report a crime anonymously by contacting Crimestoppers?

 

As an independent charity, they are not part of the police. When you contact Crimestoppers you won't be identified. The only person who knows you contacted Crimestoppers with information is you.

It can be difficult to come forward with information. You might have seen or heard something about a crime but don't know what to do, or are scared to come forward. It's easy to think there is nothing you can do, but Crimestoppers offer you a safe way to do this.

Talking things through helps you provide the full picture and makes the best use of your information. Call 0800 555 111 any time to talk to one of Crimestoppers’ experienced call agents.

• They will ask questions about the crime you have information on but will never ask questions about you.
• Ring when you've got time to talk and won't be disturbed.
• If you are concerned your call could be traced, dial 141 before 0800 555 111, which blocks your phone number.
• You can use a phone box and it's free.
• Calls are free from a landline and don't show up on a BT or cable phone bill.
• Calls by mobile phone may show up on an itemised bill.
• You may also report a crime to Crimestoppers online:

 

https://crimestoppers-uk.org/

 

The team would like to express their appreciation for your reports of suspicious activities in the neighbourhood. If you wish to report anything, such as rogue traders, please telephone 101 to ensure that the incident is logged.

 

The SNT telephone or email box is not monitored 24/7 and therefore there may be a delay in the response or alert.

 

If you have any general concerns, questions or suggestions for the Wellesbourne Safer Neighbourhood Team please call this number: 01789 444600, or email:

wellesbourne.snt@warwickshire.pnn.police.uk

 

Distribution

 

You are welcome to distribute the information in this newsletter.

 

Please reply directly to this email for any amendments or additions to this mailing list.

 

Wellesbourne SNT Website

 

Have you visited our website? This is kept up to date and shows the activities of the SNT team, advice on crime prevention and safety information as well as edited contents of this newsletter. There is also other news from the police and links to our neighbouring SNTs. 

 

https://www.warwickshire.police.uk/article/2273/Wellesbourne

 

 

C7678 Barry Saunders

Police Support Volunteer

Stratford Police Station

Warwickshire Police

@NAT - New Scam Targets Farmers

Farmers are being warned to be extremely wary of any suspicious calls, texts or emails as fraudsters specifically target the agricultural sector when EU grant payments begin to arrive in bank accounts this month.

From December, farmers start to receive large funds through the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS), the European Union’s main rural payments scheme.
Information about the payments, including the recipients’ names and the amount paid, is publicly available, meaning criminals are able to target directly victims and make their approaches appear more convincing.
The scam communications will typically claim that fraud has been detected on the farmer’s bank account and that urgent action is required to safeguard funds. The victim is then persuaded to divulge personal or financial information, or even to transfer money directly into a so-called ‘safe account’.
With some grants worth hundreds of thousands of pounds, in past years fraudsters have stolen significant amounts of money from their victims. As well as farmers, other organisations which use farm land also receive BPS funds.
Advice on how to avoid this type of scam:
Be wary of:
• Any calls, texts or emails purporting to be from your bank, the police, a Government body or other organisation asking for personal or financial details, or for you to transfer money.
• Cold callers who suggest you hang up the phone and call them back. Fraudsters can keep your phone line open by not putting down the receiver at their end.
• Any request to check that the number showing on your telephone display matches an organisation’s registered telephone number. The display cannot be trusted, as the number showing can be altered by the caller.
Remember:
• You will never be asked for your 4 digit PIN or your online banking password, or for you to transfer money to a new account for “fraud reasons”.
• If you receive a suspicious call, hang up, wait five minutes to clear the line, or where possible use a different phone line, then call your bank or card issuer on their advertised number to report the fraud.
Never disclose your:
• Four digit card PIN to anyone, including the bank or police.
• Your password or online banking codes.

• Personal details unless you are certain you know who you are talking to. People are not always who they say they are.

 

Regards

Carol Cotterill

Rural Crime Coordinator

North Warwickshire

We will reduce the number of road traffic collisions resulting in someone being killed or seriously injured in Warwickshire.

Please visit http://www.warwickshire.police.uk/ for more force news and information.

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