Category: Policing

Dear Watch Member,

Scammers can penetrate our everyday lives by using various social media platforms to try to trick people into donating to fake causes.

Following the recent tragic earthquake in Turkey and Syria, scammers from around the world are posting emotive images and language on social media and attempting to channel donations away from real charities and into their own accounts. Some scammers are even claiming to be linked to well known charities to do this. This is not the only cause that has been impacted by scammers, so if you are considering making a donation in response to an online appeal, we recommend that you check first to ensure that your money will be going where it is genuinely needed.

When giving online, there are a number of ways to avoid scams and donate safely:

Ensure a charity is genuine before giving any financial information. The Charity Commission for England and Wales advise you to check the charity name, registration number and official contact details at uk/checkcharity.

Some scammers will impersonate a well-known charity, so you should always type in the charity’s website address yourself, rather than clicking on a link, and look for the registered charity number on the website.

Only donate to online fundraising pages created by a person or organisation you know and trust. If in any doubt, contact the charity directly.
Ignore requests to donate through a money transfer company as this is a popular scam.

After making these checks, if you believe a fundraising appeal is fake, report it to Action Fraud.

For further advice visit https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/a-z-of-fraud/charity-donation-fraud.

The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) launches appeals when large-scale disasters hit countries without the capacity to respond. Visit www.dec.org.uk for more details.

If you need to reply regarding this message, tap on this email address: [email protected]

Regards,
Lee O’Brien
Pinner Safer Neighbourhood Team

Dear Watch Member,

Fraudsters posing as police officers and bank officials are again targeting elderly residents. They ask victims to hand over cash and bank cards or to purchase high value watches and gold bars, all of which are collected by a courier. 

The fraudster phones you and claims to be from the police or bank. They tell you a convincing story. They may say that there is a problem related to your bank account and that you urgently need to withdraw your money from your bank and give it to a courier who will come to your house to collect it. Sometimes, people are asked to give their bank card to a courier; other times they ask you to buy high value items, such as watches or gold.

Please remember the police or your bank would:

• never ask you to withdraw money from your account;
• never ask you to buy high value items;
• never ask you to give your money or goods to a courier or to send money in the post;
• never ask you to give your bank card to a courier or to send it in the post.

If you need to check with your bank, remember that fraudsters can hold the line open, so you should use another phone or call someone you know first to check that the line is clear. Alternatively, visit your local bank branch.

To verify a police officer’s details, call 101 and give the name or shoulder number that the officer gave you.

If you need to reply regarding this message, tap on this email address: [email protected]

Regards,
Lee O’Brien
Pinner Safer Neighbourhood Team
Email: [email protected]

Dear Watch Member,

We have been alerted to a current scam email purporting to be from Companies House. It instructs you to check the information submitted by your company and says that if you ignore this instruction you may be subject of legal action. The Companies House website says they are aware of similar scam emails. It advises recipients not to disclose personal information or open attachments contained in emails claiming to be from them. If you receive a suspicious email claiming to be from Companies House, please report it to: [email protected].

If you’ve recently submitted a tax return, don’t be caught out by bogus HMRC contacts claiming you’re owed a rebate.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) receive many reports of scam emails and text messages at this time of year.  Be aware that fraudsters can falsify the ‘from’ text or email address to make it look like a legitimate HMRC source. Be particularly wary of emails urging urgent action.

If you’re not 100% sure that a message has come from HMRC, don’t respond or click on any links or attachments.

Genuine emails from HMRC will never notify you of a tax rebate or offer you a repayment, nor would they provide a link to a login page or a form asking for information – instead they will ask you to log on to your online account as normal to check for information.

Remember that you should always log into your online account via your browser, never via an emailed link.

Forward suspicious emails to [email protected] or visit www.gov.uk and search “HMRC scams” for more details.

If you need to reply regarding this message, tap on this email address: [email protected]

Regards,
Lee O’Brien
Pinner Safer Neighbourhood Team
Email: [email protected]

Dear Watch Member,

Here is a brief summary of some scams in circulation. Please help to raise awareness of them by alerting friends and family.

Mobile phone offers: You receive a call from someone claiming to be from your mobile phone provider offering a big discount on a new phone. They then use your account details to purchase a new phone. The phone is delivered to you but the fraudster then calls you to say the wrong phone was sent. They arrange to collect it, but they then keep it for themselves.

WhatsApp messages: You receive a WhatsApp message claiming to be from your son or daughter. They say their phone is damaged and they urgently need money transferred to a bank account to arrange a replacement.

PayPal Request Money emails: You receive an email which uses PayPal’s Request Money feature. The wording is designed to look like a payment has already been made – this is to pressure you into clicking on the payment link. If you receive a PayPal email about a payment you were not expecting, treat it as suspicious and do not click on the “Pay Now” link in the email.

Be wary when selling goods online: Criminals target people selling phones or other valuables via online selling platforms. They contact you and arrange to buy the item from you via Bank Transfer. You receive an email claiming to be from a bank confirming that funds have been received but won’t be released until you provide proof of postage. You then post the item but the payment never arrives.
Alternatively, the fraudster offers to collect the item. When they arrive, they pay you using a convincing banking app. The app can mimic apps from several banks and seems to show the funds being transferred to your account.
We urge you not to release an item you are selling until you have independently confirmed that the money is in your account.
If you believe you are a victim of a scam, contact your bank immediately, and then report it online to www.actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040.
If you need to reply regarding this message, tap on this email address: [email protected]

Regards,

Lee O’Brien
Pinner Safer Neighbourhood Team
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 020 8721 2775

Dear Watch Member,

After the recent tragic deaths of four children who fell through ice on a lake in Solihull, it’s important to remind people of the dangers of standing on frozen lakes and rivers.

Children and pets are particularly at risk when tempted to play on ice formed on open water, and adults can find themselves at risk in attempting to save them.
Taking a nice walk in cold weather with your family, friends or dogs in tow can be really refreshing, just make sure you know some simple tips on how to stay safe in winter.

Areas with frozen lakes, ponds, canals and reservoirs can be beautiful places to visit during the winter months but all too often many people risk their lives by venturing onto frozen water.

Here are some useful tips to help you know what to do in an emergency.
• Teach children not to go onto the ice under any circumstances.
• Don’t go onto ice or into the water to rescue a dog, move to somewhere that the dog will be able to climb out and call them towards you.
• Keep dogs on their leads when near ice and don’t throw sticks or toys onto the ice.
• Time your walks to make the most of the daylight; if you need to walk in the evening only use well-lit areas or take a route not alongside water.
• When walking alongside water keep back from the edge.

Please visit the RLSS website on this link, to see useful tools on how to get your children talking about winter water safety: Winter Water Safety | Royal Life Saving Society UK ( RLSS UK )

If you need to reply regarding this message, tap on this email address: [email protected]
Regards,
Lee O’Brien
Pinner Safer Neighbourhood Team
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 020 8721 2775
________________________________________

Dear Watch Member,

On Wednesday 14^th December at 2pm we will be holding a Walk & Talk in Pinner Village Gardens, Pinner. The meeting point will be at the Marsh Road entrance.

Walk & Talks are open to women aged 18 and above, living or working in London, who would like to go for a walk with an officer in their local area and discuss their views on women’s safety.

Those who take part in a Walk & Talk can share their views and experiences with officers as they walk through any areas they may feel vulnerable in.

The aim of Walk & Talks is to start a conversation between members of the public and officers so we can listen and respond to concerns.

We look forward to seeing you if you can attend.

Download Associated Documents
Documents accompanying this message are linked below. Click to download and open a file which use the popular PDF format. If you experience problems downloading or viewing a file please visit this help page.

• Walk & Talk – Pinner Village Gardens (241 KB)

If you need to reply regarding this message, tap on this email address: [email protected]

Regards,
Lee O’Brien
Pinner Safer Neighbourhood Team
Email: [email protected]

Dear Watch Member,

People with dementia can sometimes start to wander. This might only be into the garden or street for a short time, but sometimes people get lost and go missing.

Carers, family or friends of a vulnerable person, or the person themselves, can fill in the Herbert Protocol form (PDF 529 KB) in advance, containing information to help the police if the person goes missing.

Keeping a completed form means you don’t have to try to remember the information when you are under stress if someone goes missing. And it saves time, so we can start the search sooner; the quicker a person can be located the less likely they will come to harm.

For more information about the Herbert Protocol and advice on what to do when someone goes missing, please click here.

If you need to reply regarding this message, tap on this email address: [email protected]

Regards,
Lee O’Brien
Pinner Safer Neighbourhood Team
Email: [email protected]

Dear Watch Member,

The Metropolitan Police Service have launched their annual Christmas Tree Appeal, aiming to donate Christmas presents to 19,000 disadvantaged children across London.

Met ‘elves’ will deliver presents to children who might otherwise go without on Christmas Day.

To find out more about the appeal, donate a gift or make a donation, please click on the below link:
Met Christmas Tree Appeal (metchristmastreeappeal2022.org)

If you need to reply regarding this message, tap on this email address: [email protected]

Regards,
Lee O’Brien
Pinner Safer Neighbourhood Team
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 020 8721 2775

Dear Watch Member,

Action Fraud and the National Cyber Security Centre are urging everyone to protect their accounts, check before they buy, and use secure payment methods this shopping season. Here are their top tips to help you shop securely:
• Where to shop: Buying online from a store you haven’t used before? Do some research to check they are legitimate. Read feedback from people or organisations that you trust, such as consumer websites.
• Protect your accounts: Set up 2-step verification and use strong passwords to prevent criminals from gaining access to your shopping, bank and email accounts.
• Pay securely: Use a credit card when shopping online, as most credit card providers protect online purchases and are obliged to refund you in certain circumstances. Using a credit card (rather than debit card) also means that if your payment details are stolen, your main bank account won’t be directly affected. Also consider using a payment platform, such as PayPal, Google or Apple Pay. When paying, look for the closed padlock in the web address bar to check your connection is secure.
• Phishing: Messages about great offers may contain links to phoney websites. If you’ve received an email you’re unsure about, forward it to the Suspicious Email Reporting Service at [email protected]. If you receive a suspicious text, forward it to 7726 (free of charge).
• Advice: More information about shopping online can be found on the NCSC website: Shopping online securely – NCSC.GOV.UK

If you think you’ve been a victim of fraud, contact your bank or card provider immediately and then report it to Action Fraud at Contact us | Action Fraud or by calling 0300 123 2040.

If you need to reply regarding this message, tap on this email address: [email protected]

Regards,
Lee O’Brien
Pinner Safer Neighbourhood Team
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 020 8721 2775

 

Dear Watch Member,

Join us at The California Kitchen, High Street, Pinner this Friday between 2pm – 3pm.

It is your opportunity to speak with local officers about any concerns you have regarding anti social behaviour and crime in Pinner.

We will also be giving out crime prevention advice, and maybe even some free goodies!

As well as chatting to us, you will also be supporting a local independent business.

We look forward to seeing you!

Download Associated Documents
Documents accompanying this message are linked below. Click to download and open a file which use the popular PDF format. If you experience problems downloading or viewing a file please visit this help page.

• Cuppa with a Copper (662 KB)

If you need to reply regarding this message, tap on this email address: [email protected]

Regards,
Lee O’Brien
Pinner Safer Neighbourhood Team
Email: [email protected]