Month: November 2020

Dear Watch Member,

Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights, begins on Saturday 14th November.

Celebrations will understandably be very different this year, due to COVID-19 restrictions. However, despite being in a lockdown and most people staying at home, criminals intent on committing burglaries may use the sound of fireworks to break into homes, especially those that appear to be unoccupied.

Whether you celebrate Diwali or not, please protect your home and jewellery by following the attached advice, remaining vigilant and reporting suspicious or criminal activity to either the non-emergency 101 or emergency 999 numbers.

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.

• Safe Diwali (524 KB)
• Asian Jewellery Leaflet (147 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,

Between January to September 2020, Action Fraud have received 21.349 reports regarding fake PayPal phishing emails, resulting in a total reported loss to victims of £7,891,077.

Online marketplace sellers have received a fake email that appears to be from PayPal, stating that the fraudster has made a payment for an item. A follow up email requests the shipping tracking order reference, prompting the seller to dispatch the item. The fraudster relies on the seller not verifying that the payment has been received in their PayPal account, before shipping the item leaving the seller at a loss.

The reporting to Action Fraud does not suggest that PayPal are implicated or complicit in any fraud, either directly or indirectly. The use of a popular, trusted brand may be exploited by fraudsters to commit fraud.

What you need to do:

Verify the payment: If you’re selling goods on an online marketplace, such as eBay, don’t post the item to the buyer until you have verified, using the official app or website, that the payment is in your account.

Report suspicious emails: If you’ve received an email you’re not quite sure about, you can report it by forwarding it to: [email protected].

For more information about how to protect yourself online, visit: www.cyberaware.gov.uk and www.takefive-stopfraud.org.uk.

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

Regards,
Lee O’Brien