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Latest Suffolk Neighbourhood Watch Association Newsletter 12th March 2010 - see menu on right

Spring into action

With the clocks going forward next Sunday (28th March), Suffolk Police is urging residents to keep their property safe.

As the evenings get lighter and the weather improves (hopefully!), criminals can take advantage of people spending more time outdoors and of people leaving windows and doors open.

It may be tempting to leave windows and doors open as it gets lighter, but this is an invitation for a burglar to take advantage of easy access to your home. Whether you are inside or outside in the garden, keep doors and windows secure so only you can get in and out.

“The same applies to your garage or shed – once you’ve removed the lawnmower or tools you are using, lock it behind you. Never leave items of value unattended in your garden, and don’t leave them on display through a window either. Mesh or bars can be fixed on shed and garage windows to conceal your property and deter criminals from breaking in.

“Keep vehicles in secure garages where available, or parked in an open, well lit area. Keep hedges and shrubs cut back and fences, gates and walls in good repair. Make sure items such as bicycles, ladders and motorised vehicles that can be locked, are locked. Lock smaller items in cabinets and always keep keys safe and out of sight. Houses, sheds and garages can also be alarmed.

“I would also urge you to security mark items - Suffolk Police hold regular property marking events around the county, or equipment can be purchased to do this yourself. Take photos of any valuable items, these pictures could help trace them in the event that they are stolen.

Property can also be registered with a free database called Immobilise. This national system is used by most police forces, including Suffolk – all you need to do is enter the serial number of your phone, computer, MP3 player, bike or anything else with such a code, and update the system if it is lost or stolen. If the police seize stolen property, or an item is found, officers can search the database to find out who the item belongs to, and your property will be returned. You can also use the system to find out if a second-hand item you want to buy is stolen.”
To register go to the web site, www.immobilise.com and follow the instructions.

Any suspicious activity should be reported to police on 01473 613500 or 999 if a crime is in progress, or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Further information on home security can be found on our website www.suffolk.police.uk .

Some district and borough councils offer home security checks and upgrades, which are free or discounted to certain members of the community. Shed alarms are available from police stations, and free advice on home security is available from your local Crime Reduction Officer on 01473 613500.
 

Helping Suffolk stay safe in bad weather

Distraction Burglaries

A number of Distraction type offences have occurred in Norfolk & Suffolk recently whereby a male knocks on the door of elderly persons purporting to be an electrical engineer checking switches in the house. He asks the occupant to remain in the kitchen and switch on the sockets and count. The male is described as 40 to 50 years of age, large or chubby build with a round face.

Police advise never to let anyone into your home unless requested by yourself. Please be extra vigilant and operate a simple doorstep procedure of Locking front and back doors, Stopping to think if you are expecting anyone, using a door Chain or Bar and carefully Checking any identification offered. Be extremely cautious with any callers who are insistent that they must have immediate access to your home, dial 999 if you are at all concerned.

Anyone with information regarding the offender should contact Suffolk Police on 01473 613500
OR
Please click HERE to pass any useful information to Suffolk Police about this incident.

DO NOT USE THIS LINK IN AN EMERGENCY OR IN A SITUATION THAT REQUIRES AN IMMEDIATE POLICE RESPONSE WHEN YOU SHOULD RING 999.

Police Direct Team

Interference with motor vehicle – Hundon 29/08/2009

Suffolk Police are warning residents to beware of share scams, also known as boiler room scams, after at least 20 people in the county fell victim to schemes where money was handed over for worthless shares.

Investors have lost thousands of pounds  with one person in Suffolk losing around £300,000  after being tricked into buying into such scams  and Suffolk Police are currently working with the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) as well as other police forces in the UK and abroad to bring to justice those behind the cons that can total millions of pounds.

If you own shares in legitimate companies or regularly trade on the stock market via the internet or a broker you may find you are targeted by cold callers who offer cheap shares, or offer to buy your shares, and give a variety of plausible reasons why you should. However if you do you could be left with potentially worthless shares  and have no right to any compensation.

As Detective Chief Inspector Steve Mattin says, this is a case of buyer beware.

If the offer sounds too good to be true then it probably is. You may be approached by phone, post, email or via the internet and offered cheap shares, a free gift, a discount on dealing charges or a free research report into a company you may already hold shares in. Or you could receive a call from someone offering to buy your shares at a higher price than their market value and then be asked to pay a bond or security that they say you'll get back if the sale doesnt go ahead. All of these can be the opening they need to get cash from you and they will use hard-sell techniques and bogus websites to convince you to buy from them. It may sound attractive but it is likely to be a scam and if they are not a regulated company you have no way of getting your money back.　

Keith Johnson, an Economic Crime Investigator for Suffolk Police who has dealt with many of these cases, says there are a number of ways you can be tricked into handing over cash.

Boiler room scams often operate from abroad  Spain, the USA, Dubai and Hong Kong for example - and are unregulated entities that approach shareholders of legitimate companies usually offering cheap shares by saying the company is going to float on the stock market in future. The company is often dormant or inactive but could be sold as being particularly environmentally friendly or ethically sound as a way of tempting you to buy in. Callers can be forceful and persistent and will often set up cloned websites in order to trick you into believing it is all genuine. They may also encourage you to send money to cover costs or insurance as part of an advance fee scam.

If you are being asked to send or transfer money after being approached in this way please stop and think before agreeing to or signing up to anything. Be careful and dont be pressured into making a decision you may later regret.　

The only way you should buy shares is through regulated companies and full details of these can be found on the Financial Services Authority (FSA) website - www.fsa.gov.uk/register.

There are several steps you can take to reduce the likelihood of being conned.

Start by taking the name of the person contacting you, details of the company they claim to be from and where it is based and then do your own research.

Always make sure the firm you use is on the FSA register and is allowed to give financial advice before handing over any money. However don't assume that because their name appears on the register they are who they say they are. Check with the firm they claim to work for by using the contact details on the register.

The FSA also have a list of unauthorised firms and individuals  those suspected of operating such scam schemes - as well as further advice and guidance on their website.

If the company you deal with isn't regulated and things go wrong you won't have access to complaints and compensation

AVOID THE SCAMMERS!

Lock Stop Chain and Check

Could be the words of a song, but in this instance timely safety advice. Recent television and radio coverage has brought into focus the problem
of rogue traders active in the area and the work being done by Trading Standards in regard these people. Best advice is to say “No thank you”
to doorstep traders. Please remember: -

LOCK – Keep your front and back doors locked, even when at home.

STOP – Before you answer the door, stop and think if you are expecting anyone. Check that you have locked any back door and taken the key out.
Look through the spy-hole or the window to see who it is.

CHAIN – If you decide to open the door, put the door chain or bar on first. Keep the chain or bar on while you are talking to the person on the
doorstep. (Normally when the door is shut and locked, leave the chain or bar off in case you need to get out in an emergency.)

CHECK – Check their details and identity before you let them into your home. Do not agree to any work being done or sign a contract until after
you have talked to someone else. If it is someone looking for help only go out to help if you have someone else with you. Don’t worry if you chose
not to go to help – it’s not rude or unfriendly. If it is someone claiming to be an official, ask for and carefully check their identity card, make sure the caller’s name and picture are the same as on the identity card, even if the visit is pre-arranged. Re-assure your customers that a genuine caller will
be happy to make an appointment to call and will carry an identity card with a photograph. They won’t mind waiting if you want to phone and
confirm their identity. Remember there is the facility in place for the utility companies to have a password to use when visiting

If you want work done then ensure you employ a reputable person, Trading Standards are in the process of drawing up a list of ‘Trusted Traders’,
but word of mouth can also be a good indicator. Get at least three estimates, from traders that you are able to ascertain a landline phone number
and an address, before making up your mind

There are of course the ”perennial favourites” as used by scammers the world over. For instance you have won the ‘lottery’ or ‘a holiday’ please
forward ‘x’ amount of money so we can process your winnings. Another, recently circulated, involves persons claiming to be from a money
collection service (in this instance BT) in an attempt to obtain credit card details. Another that does appear to be an attempt to get a person away
from the premises by claiming that a friend or relative has been involved in an accident and has been taken to hospital. The final one is again an
old scam usually aimed at businesses looking for payment or donations for including some form of advertising in a booklet or wall-chart or similar,
often claiming to be a charitable society, In this instance the caller requested the date of birth of the person he was speaking to then used this as
an order number when demanding payment.

In all these cases the advice would be: -
Do not provide ANY personal information to anybody who phones you.
Check the information provided by the caller, obtain the name and address of the company, the name of the caller, and include a phone number.
These can all be checked independently.
If you have not nor have any recollection of agreeing to an advertising contract, question the caller and ask for proof or put these points in a letter.
If it is to do with a debt you know nothing about request that they forward to you a copy of the contract.
Lotteries DO NOT ask for payment to process winnings

If you have access to a computer there are several web sites that may be of use to you, two are listed here: -
www.spamlaws.com
and
www.moneymadeclear.fsa.gov.uk
both with long lists of scams old and new. Another good way of checking a particular suspected scam is to
select some words or phrase used in the communication add the word ‘scam’ after it and carry out a ‘google’ search.

Remember if it sounds too
good to be true, it probably is!

Is your property secure?

Suffolk Police are reminding householders to keep their homes and vehicles secure at all times, as the temperatures continue to rise.

Senior Crime Reduction Officer Dave Gilson says homes and cars often are left insecure at this time of year. With the recent warm weather windows and doors get left open, often overnight or when people have left the room or vehicle. An open window or door is an invitation for a thief to enter your property. Anything of value left on display can be quickly and easily taken. In the summer it's tempting to leave doors and windows open, but we would advise you to only do so if you're in the room. Otherwise keep them locked and keep the burglars out. If you're working in the garden, lock your house and your garage or shed,

It doesn't matter what time of day it is, it only take a few seconds to steal a bag or a wallet through an open window or door during the day, or some tools from a shed. Burglars don't just come out at night they will take any opportunity presented to them. This includes reaching through open windows of cars in car parks or in the street, or trying door handles. Always lock your vehicle and remove items of value from display.

Items stolen as a result of insecurities tend to be smaller things such as cameras, laptops and mobile phones, or tools and cycles and lawnmowers from sheds or garages. Owners are encouraged to record serial numbers and postcode mark items of value, and take photos of them this helps police identify items if they are recovered and can help prove cases of burglary.

Items with a serial number can also be registered with Immobilise, the national online property database www.immobilise.com when things like mobile phones, iPods, laptops and sat navs with serial numbers are recovered, officers can check the database and if it's registered find its real owner.

People are also reminded not to leave items of value near doors and windows where they are on display and easily accessible. This includes keys, as in a number of burglaries cars have been stolen from driveways when offenders have taken keys from a handbag or hung up near a door.

Do not write down the PIN for credit and debit cards and keep it with them, as if a burglar takes your bag or wallet, they'll also be able to get into your account.

Any suspicious persons, vehicles or activity should be reported to police, taking note of vehicle index numbers and descriptions - officers, including your local Safer Neighbourhood Team, can be contacted on 01473 613500 or you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. If a crime is in progress call 999 immediately. More information on keeping your property secure can be obtained from your local Crime Reduction Officer on 01473 613500.

Police Direct Team
 

How Secure is YOUR Home?

New home security pages have been launched on the Home Office website which will offer a single source of information and advice on home security - Click HERE for details

Want to find out how secure your property is? Try this handy, three-minute online scorecard to find out how your home stacks up. Click HERE


Suffolk Constabulary have received the following report and would like to hear from anyone who believes they or a relative may have been approached by a bogus caller claiming to be from an NHS service

"Please be aware that elderly residents appear to be the targets of persons, purporting to be from the hospital or local surgery or otherwise NHS-related, saying that they have come to give them their 'flu vaccination. It is not routine for such a service to be provided and there are important clinical reasons why patients are invited to attend NHS premises for their vaccinations. A few incidents have been reported to GP practices where patients have rightly made contact to check before letting these strangers indoors. NHS staff usually call ahead and always carry identity cards when visiting patients at home, which can be checked by telephone if you are unsure."

Please remember to always check the identity of callers to your door.
Use a directory to obtain a company phone number.
Ask the caller to wait outside whilst you check, a genuine caller will be happy for you to do this.
Please contact your GP surgery or Patient Advisory and Liaison Service (PALS) if you wish to check the identity of a visitor claiming to be from the NHS.
To report an incident to Suffolk Constabulary please call 01473 613500
OR
Please click HERE to pass any useful information to Suffolk Police .

DO NOT USE THIS LINK IN AN EMERGENCY OR IN A SITUATION THAT REQUIRES AN IMMEDIATE POLICE RESPONSE WHEN YOU SHOULD RING 999.
Police Direct Team

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