Dear Neighbour
Let’s keep safe in 2017. Here are some current concerns.
Fraudsters are emailing residents who are expecting to pay for recent property repairs. The fraudster purports to be the genuine tradesman who has completed the work and asks for payment via bank transfer which, unlike credit card or PayPal, has no financial protection. Once payment is made, victims of the scam soon realise they have been deceived when the genuine tradesman invoices for the work.
Another scam involves spoof emails from “service@amazon.co.uk” claiming recipients have ordered certain expensive items. The email cleverly states that if the recipient hasn’t authorised the transaction they can click on the help-centre link to receive a full refund. The link leads to an authentic-looking website, which asks the victim to confirm their name, address and bank card information. (Obviously, Amazon never asks for personal information to be supplied by email.)
Remember online cybercrime is widespread so protect yourself with anti-virus software and never reveal personal financial details online.
Thieves are using radio jammers to prevent motorists from remotely locking their cars at motorway service stations. Police are warning drivers to manually check that their doors are actually locked as these ‘jammers’ can be bought for as little as £50 on the internet.
Police in Suffolk issued more than 149 tickets to drivers caught using their mobile phone behind the wheel in just one week in January. Mobile phone use, speeding, not wearing a seatbelt and driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs are the major causes of road deaths and serious injuries. From 1st March a £200 fine and six penalty points awaits those who use mobile phones while driving.
Most burglaries are committed by opportunistic criminals who happen to see insecure premises that they can target. The police are urging residents to ensure their homes look occupied even when they are out and that no tools are left out which could help a thief gain entry.
Finally, I’ll leave you with a statistic. 475 plastic card purchases and 101 cash machine transactions are made every second in the UK. This results in the average adult paying £1001 in interest each year, which is 3.8% of their average annual income. I’m thinking, isn’t being in debt like this just like robbing yourself?
Remember ‘crime cannot flourish in a community that cares’, so be on the alert and be watchful in looking after yourself and your neighbours.
Kind regards
Gerry Blake
Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator
Scheme 180: Dukes Meadow, Cockfield
