Sussex Neighbourhood Watch wishes to alert residents to two ongoing types of crime attempts in parts of Sussex. Be aware that it could spread, so you need to be ready.
Firstly, one of our coordinators was telephoned this morning by a lady who told her that her bank wanted to return an amount of interest owing to her. The caller quoted our coordinator's name and address and it all sounded very plausible. Our coordinator then asked the caller which bank or building society this returned interest would be coming from. The caller said she didn't have that information. When our coordinator started to ask more questions the line went dead. It all sounded so convincing.
Please be very cautious about giving personal information if somebody phones you.
Secondly, keep your car keys safe. There is a recognised type of burglary where offenders will enter your home purely to steal your keys in order to take your car.
Sunday, 4 September 2016
Thursday, 11 August 2016
advance fee fraud.
People selling their items on online platforms are falling victim to a new type of advance fee fraud. This involves a fraudster, posing as a buyer, sending an email to the seller (victim), agreeing to the full asking price of the item. They state that they are unable to collect the item themselves and will arrange for a courier to pick it up instead.
The fraudster then sends a fake payment confirmation email from a different email address, one which falsely purports to be from a payment platform. In the course of the email exchange, the seller/victim is requested to pay the courier fee. Once the payment is made the contact is broken, the item is not picked up and the money paid for the ‘courier’ is gone.
An example of the most recent emails received by the victim/seller, from the ‘Buyer’, read:
“I want you to consider this a deal as i am willing to pay your full asking price! i actually want to buy it for a family member who is urgently in need of it, i have checked through your posting and i'm fully satisfied with it. Unfortunately, i would not be able to come personally to view/collect, i work offshore as an instructor on a oil rig so i dont have time at all, but like i said i am 100% OK with the advert”
The fraudster then sends a fake payment confirmation email from a different email address, one which falsely purports to be from a payment platform. In the course of the email exchange, the seller/victim is requested to pay the courier fee. Once the payment is made the contact is broken, the item is not picked up and the money paid for the ‘courier’ is gone.
An example of the most recent emails received by the victim/seller, from the ‘Buyer’, read:
“I want you to consider this a deal as i am willing to pay your full asking price! i actually want to buy it for a family member who is urgently in need of it, i have checked through your posting and i'm fully satisfied with it. Unfortunately, i would not be able to come personally to view/collect, i work offshore as an instructor on a oil rig so i dont have time at all, but like i said i am 100% OK with the advert”
Protect Yourself:
- Be wary when buyers wish to purchase items at the full asking price without viewing them.
- Check the validity of the payment receipt confirmation
- Avoid paying an advanced fee if you are a seller; should you choose to use a courier, arrange your own.
- Check feedback online by searching the associated phone numbers or email addresses of the seller/buyer. Feedback will give you useful information about recent transactions other buyers/sellers have made.
- If you, or anyone you know, have been affected by this fraud or any other scam, report it to Action Fraud by calling 0300 123 2040 or visiting www.actionfraud.police.uk.
Friday, 4 March 2016
Roffey Burglary Alert
Sussex Police
Horsham Neighbourhood Policing Team
Roffey Burglary Alert
Serial 908 of 03/03 relates to a burglary at a property in Roffey.
Between 10:10am and 12:40pm on Thursday 3 March intruders gained entry to a house in Redwing Close.
Access was gained via a rear window.
A quantity of foreign currency was stolen.
Two men were arrested at 3.30pm in West Street, Horsham in connection with this burglary.
At around 3.15pm officers were called to a currency shop in West Street where two men had been trying to exchange some foreign notes. The shop workers became suspicious and called police.
A 31-year-old man and 32-year-old man both from Horsham have been arrested and are both in custody.
At around 3.15pm officers were called to a currency shop in West Street where two men had been trying to exchange some foreign notes. The shop workers became suspicious and called police.
A 31-year-old man and 32-year-old man both from Horsham have been arrested and are both in custody.
Sussex Police are appealing for anyone with additional information or who may have seen anyone suspicious in the vicinity of Redwing Close to e-mail 101@sussex.pnn.police.uk or to call 101 quoting serial 908 of 03/03.
Kind Regards
Louisa HULL
Public Engagement Officer
Neighbourhood Policing Team, Horsham.
Neighbourhood Policing Team, Horsham.
Monday, 29 February 2016
Roffey Attempt Burglary Alert
Sussex Police
Horsham Neighbourhood Policing Team
Roffey Attempt Burglary Alert
Serial 1214 of 28/02 relates to an attempt burglary at a property in Roffey.
Between 2pm and 8pm on Sunday 28 February an unknown suspect tried to gain entry to a house in Hawkesbourne Road.
The intruder tried to get in to the premises by forcing open the rear patio doors but they were unsuccessful.
Some tools were stolen from a shed at the rear of the property.
Sussex Police are appealing for anyone with information or who may have seen anyone suspicious in the area to e-mail 101@sussex.pnn.police.uk or to call 101 quoting serial 1214 of 28/02.
Kind Regards
Louisa HULL
Forest Burglary Alert
Sussex Police
Horsham Neighbourhood Policing Team
Forest Burglary Alert
Serial 1171 of 28/02 relates to a burglary at a property in Horsham.
Between 6:30pm on Friday 26 February and 8am on Saturday 27 February an unknown suspect gained entry to a house in Chesworth Close.
The intruder accessed the premises by forcing open the front door. Damage was caused to the both the door and frame.
Eleven light fittings were stolen from the property, which is currently being renovated.
Sussex Police are appealing for anyone with information or who may have seen anyone suspicious in the area to e-mail 101@sussex.pnn.police.uk or to call 101 quoting serial 1171 of 28/02.
Kind Regards
Louisa HULL
Roffey Burglary Alert
Sussex Police
Horsham Neighbourhood Policing Team
Roffey Burglary Alert
Serial 1272 of 26/02 relates to a burglary at a property in Roffey.
Between 8am and 6:30pm on Friday 26 February an unknown suspect gained entry to a house in Greenfields Way.
The intruder accessed the premises by smashing a rear window. A search of the property was made and three rings were stolen along with a Nokia Lumia 520 mobile phone.
Sussex Police are appealing for anyone with information or who may have seen anyone suspicious in the area to e-mail 101@sussex.pnn.police.uk or to call 101 quoting serial 1272 of 26/02.
Kind Regards
Louisa HULL
Tuesday, 2 February 2016
Fraud
| Message sent by |
| Action Fraud (Action Fraud, Administrator, National) |
Fraudsters are sending out virus infected emails that claim a package has been seized by HM Revenue & Customs upon arrival into the United Kingdom. The official looking scam emails claiming to be from Royal Mail contain a link to a document which will install malicious software on your computer designed to steal credentials like account names, email addresses and passwords.
An example email reads:
Title: Your parcel has been seized
Royal Mail is sorry to inform you that a package addressed to you was seized by HM Revenue & Customs upon arrival into the United Kingdom.
A close inspection deemed your items as counterfeit and the manufacturers have been notified. If your items are declared genuine then they will be returned back to you with the appropriate custom charges.
You may have been a victim of counterfeit merchandise and the RM Group UK will notify you on how to get your money back. Please review the attached PDF document for more information.
Document (RM7002137GB).Zip
Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused.
To help the spread of the virus, the email also says: “you will need to have access to a computer to download and open the Zip file”. If you receive one of these emails, do not click on any links or download any attachments and report it to Action Fraud.
Protect Yourself
- Royal Mail will never send an email asking for credit card numbers or other personal or confidential information.
- Royal Mail will never ask customers to enter information on a page that isn’t part of the Royal Mail website.
- Royal Mail will never include attachments unless the email was solicited by a customer e.g. customer has contacted Royal Mail with an enquiry or has signed up for updates from Royal Mail.
- Royal Mail have also stressed that they do not receive a person’s email address as part of any home shopping experience.
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