Tag: #Scam

Be Aware Of Local Scams

Scams are increasing! There are many scams that we are constantly warned about. By our police; by our banks; by charities; by consumer sites and many more.  They penetrate your personal life and catch you off guard.  Some have the audacity to stand on your doorstep, ring your front doorbell and attempt to scam you face to face.  Sadly, these latter types have been exploring locally in Broadwindsor and Drimpton. Particularly because of the “government grants [that] are available for energy saving”.  Loft insulation, window conversions and other home improvements are frequently used in their approach.  They will give you nothing. They want your money. That’s all they want.

Several villagers in Drimpton reported male callers at their door claiming to be from an energy saving company and giving a pitch claiming that they are about to start work in the village.  Others reported a man wandering around in Drimpton and the Greenham area. Another villager commented: ” the young lad called on us…his opening gambit is one of the oldest and most standard in the door to door sales jargon: ” Hi ..how are you today? I’m not trying to sell you anything but my company is currently working in your local area……!”  He continued, “….you need to be careful because retail law and comeback is completely different than retail and on line sales regulations….one of the principle points is that you must invite them into your home…as it were …across your door step…so invariably an appointment would be made and that’s when you’ll encounter the ‘hard sell’ team...”

In Broadwindsor, two young girls were observed knocking on doors in the Yarn Barton area.  They may have been innocent of scamming behaviour but their behaviour raises questions under the Stay At Home order due to the current National Lockdown in place and social distancing restrictions.

Be it by telephone, text, email or on your doorstep – scammers use similar tactics:

  • They try to gain trust by claiming to be from a well-known business or impersonating a known contact.
  • They will suggest their own verification procedures, like going to websites they have created or calling numbers they provide to you.
  • They know how to appeal to your emotions and press your buttons to get what they want.
  • They create a sense of urgency to get you to make decisions without thinking.

Action FraudIf you are a victim, a business, a witness or reporting on behalf of a victim who has been subjected to any type of scam – please contact Action Fraud online HERE.  Alternatively, you can talk to their Fraud and Cybercrime specialists by calling 0300 123 2040.

Scroll#Broadwindsor,#Burstock,#Blackdown,#Drimpton,#Hursey,#Kittwhistle,#Seaborough,#Dorset,#DorsetPolice,#Scam,#Victim,#ActionFraud,#NationalLockdown,#2021,#StayAtHome,#StaySafe

 

Scam Alerts From Dorset Police

Further to the post on Monday advising about scams & ActionFraud, Dorset Police issued the following statement on Thursday evening:

“Detectives are appealing for the public’s help to identify fraudsters who scammed two elderly Bridport residents into handing over thousands of pounds.

1. Sometime between 10am and 10.30am on Wednesday 9 December 2020 the first victim – a woman aged in her 70s – received a phone call from someone purporting to be a detective sergeant from Oxford police.
The caller told the victim a man had been caught with her bank card and urged her to go to the bank and withdraw £4,700. She returned home with the cash, where it was arranged for a courier to attend her home in Happy Island Way. A male courier arrived between 4.30pm and 5pm to collect the money.
The courier is described as white, very tall and thin, approximately aged in his early 20s and with dark curly hair. He wore a high-visibility jacket, headlight around his head and Lycra leggings.
The victim suspected some time later that she may have been scammed so she contacted her bank on Thursday 10 December 2020 and then reported the matter to Dorset Police.
2. A second offence is reported to have occurred on Wednesday 9 December 2020 when a man aged in his 80s received a call in the morning from a detective inspector purporting to be from Bristol police.
The victim was told his bank account had been scammed and that £9,000 had been taken out and paid back in forged notes. He was asked to go to his bank to withdraw £6,000, but staff told him he would have to return the following day. He was advised by the scammer to go to another bank and, if needed, lie about why he needed the money.
The victim successfully withdrew the money and a man attended the victim’s Hillview address during the afternoon to collect it.
Detective Inspector Kate Lill, of Weymouth CID, said: “These are despicable offences and a full investigation is underway to identify the people responsible. I am appealing to anyone who was in the area of Happy Island Way between 4.30pm and 5pm yesterday or Hillview and saw the man described, or a suspicious vehicle, to please contact Dorset Police. I would urge any motorists with dashcam who were driving in the area or residents with home CCTV systems to check their footage from this time period to see if they have captured the courier or any relevant vehicle.”
“We have received further reports of attempted frauds over recent days in other parts of West Dorset and we would like to remind everyone that police officers nor your bank will ask you to withdraw money to be collected. They will also not ask for your PIN number. If you are in any doubt, hang up and call your bank directly.“
“I would ask our communities to speak directly to elderly friends, family and neighbours about this scam so they are aware and we can prevent anyone else handing over their money to conmen.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police – quoting occurrence number 55200184989:

Alternatively, to stay 100 per cent anonymous, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers online at Crimestoppers-uk.org
or Freephone: 0800 555 111

Please be alert and stay safe.

#Broadwindsor,#Dorset,#DorsetPolice,#Scam,#Victim,#Crimestoppers,#BeAlert,#ProtectTheElderly,##StaySafe

 

Report All Scams To Action Fraud

Earlier today, a village resident received a telephone call from a withheld number.  It was a male stating that he was Detective Sergeant Thomas from Southampton Police.  They had allegedly arrested and were holding a woman in Southampton with the same name as our resident, giving the same address. The woman, who was also claiming to be a niece of the resident, added some fragmented details of the resident’s living situation. The Sergeant gave his badge number of: 4416BA and a crime reference number.  Our resident was then instructed to telephone her bank, using the number on the back of her bank card.  As it would happen, our resident had already done some online banking that morning and knew that her affairs were in order. The Sergeant insisted that it was important this was done, that he would hang up, ending the telephone call and call back in 15 minutes.  He also made a comment that the person they arrested was male.  When it was pointed out to him that he initially said they had arrested a female, he hung up and did not call back.

Our resident then contacted Southampton Police giving them the details of what had happened.  Sadly, not an uncommon occurrence.  Somehow, the scammers keep the line open for when you call your bank.  They then overhear you confirming your bank details and passwords to your bank – giving them easier access to steal from your account.  The advice given by Southampton Police was to report the incident to Action Fraud.

Action Fraud is the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime where you should report fraud if you have been scammed, defrauded or experienced cyber crime in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. You can report as a Guest but if you register, you can:

  • Save and resume a partially completed report
  • Track progress of your report
  • Add information to your report
  • Call them to discuss your report
  • Receive an update by email

If you are a victim of any scam – report it HERE.

You can talk to their fraud and cybercrime specialists by calling 0300 123 2040.

 

#Broadwindsor,#Dorset,#DorsetPolice,#Scam,#Victim,#Hampshire,#ActionFraud,#StaySafe