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Essex Community Messages received - JANUARY 2016  (click here to see Contents of all messaging archives)


28/1/16

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 us. Advice from Royal Mail on scam emails and how they contact you: • 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 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


28/1/16

Police are warning that victims are being contacted electronically by fraudsters claiming to be from the Home Office offering them a National ID Card for Commonwealth Citizenship. Fraudsters are selling the “British Commonwealth National cards” to victims for around £150 - £300. The Home Office have said that no such scheme exists and the card “does not prevent an illegal migrant from being removed from the UK”. If you receive an unexpected email, telephone call or letter from someone who claims to be from the Home Office, it may be a scam. They will never contact you to ask for money or your personal details. You should always get your information from official websites. The Official UK government website always has ‘.gov.uk’ at the end of their website. Other Home Office scams to be aware of: • Websites that offer jobs in the UK that do not exist. If you apply for one, they tell you that you have the job and ask you to pay visa and work permit fees. • A person who pretends to be a Home Office officer and goes to someone’s home to ask for money to process a partner’s visa. The Home Office will never visit you at home to collect money. • People who target applicants for UK work visas. They ask you to pay a deposit as proof that you have enough funds to support you in the UK until you receive your first salary. • Calls from people who claim they work for the Home Office and tell you there is a serious problem with your visa. • Agents who tell you they can get you a visa using forged documents. The Home Office can easily spot a fake and they will refuse your application if you use them. • Agents who say they can speed up the process of getting a visa. They cannot. • People outside the UK who pretend to be visa officers and offer to meet you somewhere. Legitimate visa officers will only meet you at their offices and will never contact you to ask for money. • Fake websites designed to look like official ones for the UK government or its official visa enquiry services. The fake website may look slightly different with an alternative layout or misspelt words. Always get your visa information from here. If you believe you have been a victim of fraud or targeted for fraud, you should contact Action Fraud by phoning 0300 123 2040 (only if you are in the UK) or by using the online reporting tool.


27/1/16

Warning: There has been a Burglary in Devon Gdns Rochford this occurred between 9am and 6pm on Wednesday 27th January. Entry gained via back window and door. Now is a good time to review your security. Advice is available on our website www.essex.police.uk or you can speak to our Crime Reduction officer Emma Clark on 101 extension 490533. Regards PCSO 7403 John Venner


25/1/16

Police are appealing for witnesses to a robbery at Betfred in Rayleigh High Street. A white man armed with what was believed to be a firearm entered the premises shortly before 8.45pm on Sunday, January 24 and used a nearby stool to jump onto the counter. He demanded cash from the male member of staff who was forced to open the safe and till. He made off with a three figure sum of money. The staff member was uninjured but was left very shaken up by what had happened. The suspect was described as aged between 30 and 40, 5ft 7ins tall, of stocky build, and wore a blue hooded jumper and black scarf covering his face. He used a gold 'JD' drawstring sports bag to carry the cash. Police carried out an extensive search of the surrounding area and the helicopter was dispatched to assist. The man has yet to be located. Enquiries are ongoing and witnesses who have yet to speak to police or anyone with information are asked to call officers at Rayleigh CID on 101. Alternatively, they can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or www.crimestoppers-uk.org.


25/1/16

Residents in Hullbridge have recently reported that they had been approached by a builder claiming that repairs needed to be made to their roof. The builder attempted to get them to agree to repairs and pay money up front. The residents approached were elderly. Our advice is not to engage with any cold callers, just shut the door.

A genuine trader won’t :-
    Call without an appointment
    Ask you to go to the bank to withdraw cash or make a money transfer
    Offer to take you to the bank to withdraw cash for payment
    Ask you to pay in full before the work is complete
    Insist that you make a decision about the work they're offering to do on the spot
    Bully or scare you into doing the work

If you think you need some work doing
    Get a number of quotes
    Get a written estimate detailing exactly what work will be carried out, how much it will cost     and what the terms of payment are
    Take your time to make sure you’re happy with what you’re undertaking – ask a trusted     friend/relative for advice or ring the
Buy with Confidence number 08454 040506.

Further advice is available on the Essex Police website at
www.essex.police.uk/be_safe/rogue_traders.aspx


20/1/16

A 15 year old male from Rochford has been issued with a Criminal Behaviour Order following a series of damages and others crimes in Rochford. This included cutting down the Xmas tree in Rochford Town centre. The order lists a number of instructions with the intention of disrupting further acts of anti-social behaviour and crime around Rochford and Hockley. The order also contains a curfew for the male between 6.30pm and 7am daily. He will also attend weekly meetings with the Youth Offending Service. Operation Wishbone was launched last year to combat the increasing issues being reported. Two 16 year old males have been issued Community Protection Notices and two younger males placed on Acceptable Behaviour Contracts. Further work is being carried out by the Neighbourhood Policing Team in conjunction with partner agencies. PC 1325 Steve Joynes.


6/1/16

TalkTalk telephone scam
We have received a report from a Castle Point resident of an attempted telephone scam from someone claiming to be from TalkTalk. The householder was asked to open their broadband connection & allow remote access to their computer, the claim being that the TalkTalk account of a neighbour had been hacked. The resident didn’t give access & ended the call.
This is a variant of the scam where the caller claims to be from Microsoft or Windows Security and says that a virus has been detected and remote access is needed to remove it. If access is given, the scammer will be able to pull all personal information from the computer.
TalkTalk, Microsoft, the Banks, Councils or any reputable organization will never cold call anyone and ask for remote access to your computer equipment. If you receive this type of call our advice is not to engage in conversation, do not give any information and hang up.


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