Hoax Email from Parcel Delivery Service

Dear Watch Member,

As we are approaching the festive period an old scam has re-emerged, relating to a hoax email about parcel deliveries. The scam is being circulated on social media accounts like Facebook.

Please do not share or pass on the email, just delete it.

The following action fraud link, provides more detail of the hoax scam:

https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/news/hoax-email-from-pds-parcel-delivery-service.

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]

Fraud Prevention

Dear Watch Member,

The summary details the amount of reports made by residents of Harrow to Action Fraud, how much money has been reported lost and the top fraud categories by both volume of reports and amount of money lost.

The data is taken from Action Fraud victim reports, which in itself comes with a couple of caveats;

Firstly, the reports includes those made by companies based in the Borough and they will generally lose more money than individual residents.

Secondly, victims self-report to Action Fraud and the reports aren’t screened for accuracy, so the exact figures reported should be taken with a pinch of salt.

It gives you an indication of what residents in your Borough are reporting and shows what type of frauds & scams are prevalent.

After the figures, the Summary details some of the top scams; describing what they are and how best to defend yourself against them.I have also attached the latest version of our Little book of big scams

(all our leaflets and videos can be found here www.met.police.uk/littlemedia )

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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.

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

Regards,
David Jones
Watch Liaison Officer
Email: [email protected]

Burglaries in Pinner

Dear Watch Member,

Over the last seven days, a daytime burglary has occurred in each of the below roads;

Antoneys Close; Barrow Point Avenue; Bridge Street; Paines Lane; and Potter Street Hill.

Entry to the properties have either been gained by forcing open a front door or rear window.

Jewellery has primarily been stolen.

A burglary also occurred in Cuckoo Hill during the early hours of the morning, when the suspects accessed a garage and stole a vehicle.

This vehicle was recovered hours later, a short distance from where it was stolen. Two suspects have been arrested and charged for burglary and related offences. They are not believed to be responsible for any of the other burglaries in the area.

A house alarm can deter or mitigate a burglary, as can other home security measures which you can find here.

As always, your vigilance is greatly appreciated and if you witness any suspicious activity please call the non-emergency 101 number or in an emergency call 999.

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]

Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Awareness

Dear Watch Member,

In a national drive to raise public awareness of Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking I kindly invite you to view the attached Can You See Me? document.

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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.

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

Keyless Car Theft Prevention Advice

Dear Watch Member,

If you own a high-value vehicle, it may attract the attention of criminals who take advantage of a vulnerability in keyless entry / start systems using a digital technique called the Relay Attack, which is explained in the attached document.

To deny criminals please follow the below crime prevention advice:

– Car keys should always be kept in a safe and secure location, out of sight and away from windows or letterboxes, as vehicles are sometimes stolen after thieves manage to steal keys placed close to letterboxes or insecure windows and doors, thus enabling them to drive the vehicles away without having to physically break into them.

If your vehicle has a keyless entry system, ensure you place the key in a metal box or a Faraday pouch.

– Don’t leave keys visible in public places, e.g. on tables or in bags. Don’t leave them in pockets in cloakrooms or changing rooms, as they could be taken and used to identify and steal your car from a nearby car park.

– Never hand vehicle keys over to a third party or leave the vehicle unattended at a valet parking or car wash business, or other parking places, where criminals can gain access to the vehicle and code a key electronically.

– Affix a steering wheel lock or other immobiliser to your vehicle.

– Also consider, where possible, fixing a dropdown bollard to your driveway.

If you have any information regarding criminal activity please contact the non-emergency 101 number, complete an online submission form via www.met.police.uk or anonymously contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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.

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]

Teenagers Charged with Pinner Stabbing

Dear Watch Member,

Please see the attached PDF for the latest developments regarding the stabbing incident that recently occurred in Montesole Park, Pinner.

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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.

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

Scam Phone Numbers

Dear Watch Member,

Another OWL member has informed me of two scam phone calls she received from the following numbers:

0122 852 0265 which was purportedly from the Government.

020 3350 1332 which was purportedly from HMRC who asked the OWL member to ring another number and issued various threats of what may happen if they didn’t!

Please see the attached screenshots, taken from the www.who-called.co.uk website, that contains information about the above two numbers. I use this website (others are available) to gauge whether a phone number that has called me is one I should best avoid answering.

Genuine callers will usually leave you a voicemail that includes their contact details.

Please click on this link for fraud-related advice www.met.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/fa/fraud.

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.

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]

OWL CCTV Watch

Dear Watch Member,

Please take a few minutes to read the message in the attached document.

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.

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

Police Courier Scams


Dear Watch Member,

We have received information that fraudsters posing as police officers are phoning residents, claiming they are investigating fraudulent activity on your bank account.

I can assure you that police do not operate in this way.

To verify the identity of someone purportedly calling from the police, obtain the ‘officer’s’ rank, full name, warrant number and shoulder number before contacting the non-emergency 101 number from a different phone to the one you received the call on.

Telling the caller you will be verifying their ID should result in the fraudster terminating the call.

For more fraud / scam prevention advice please click on the below link: www.met.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/fa/fraud/.

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]

How To Spot A Remote Access Scam

Message from our local Police

 

Dear Watch Member,

A Remote Access scam is when criminals contact you out of the blue, pretending to be the representative of a reputable organisation. This may be a telephone or internet provider or sometimes a bank or other service provider.

Once the criminals have your attention, you’ll usually be offered services such as;

  • fixing, upgrading or protecting your computer or device, internet service or the websites you use
  • help getting you a refund for an overpayment
  • help stopping a payment from leaving your account

In order to provide you with their ‘help’ criminals will typically ask you to assist by allowing them access to your computer or mobile device. To do this, they may ask you to download software to your computer, or download an app to your mobile device, and accept their request for access. After successfully gaining access to your computer or mobile device, criminals may ask you to log onto your Online Banking.

They may have told you a story about why you need to make a payment or they’ll set up the payment themselves if they have access to your Online Banking; to complete their scam they’ll need you to take some action. Usually, they’ll ask you to share codes sent to your phone (OTPs) or authorise activity yourself through a Mobile Banking app.

If you ever get a call like this, hang up immediately and follow the below tips to help protect yourself.

– Never share a One Time Passcode (OTP) with another person, not even an employee of your bank.

– Never authorise a transaction using the Mobile Banking app that you haven’t requested yourself. Check the details match the transaction you intend to make.

– Never download software or let anyone remotely log on to your computer or other devices, either during or after a cold call.

– Never enter your Online Banking details after clicking on a link in an email or text message.

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