Tuesday, 24 August 2021

Who's been pwned?

Pwned websites

https://haveibeenpwned.com/PwnedWebsites shows breached websites that have been loaded into Have I Been Pwned.

Check if your email or phone is in a data breach at https://haveibeenpwned.com/.

Search for pwned accounts across an entire domain and receive future notifications for Domain search.

Pwned Passwords are 613,584,246 real world passwords previously exposed in data breaches. This exposure makes them unsuitable for ongoing use as they're at much greater risk of being used to take over other accounts. They're searchable online below as well as being downloadable for use in other online systems. 

Check if your password has been pwned at https://haveibeenpwned.com/Passwords.

Use a FREE secure password manager to generate secure passwords to use online such as one available at https://bitwarden.com/pricing/.

Be more Cyber Aware and Learn more about Cyber Security at https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/cyberaware.

Monday, 23 August 2021

Monday to Friday Bexley Village Closure

Monday to Friday this week Thames Water Works mean section of Bexley High Street is closed to through traffic, see photos, from 23/08/2021 to 27/08/2021 for Thames Water Works.

Saturday, 21 August 2021

Puppy theft campaign appeal in Kent

 


With puppy smuggling, illegal breeding and organised dog theft on the rise, we have launched a campaign this week across Kent appealing for anonymous information on those behind the crime.

The four-week campaign, funded by the Police and Crime Commissioner for Kent, will reach out to people who know or suspect individuals involved in organised puppy crime, to remind them that they can contact Crimestoppers 100% anonymously with the information they may have, however small.

The four-week campaign, funded by the Police and Crime Commissioner for Kent, will reach out to people who know or suspect individuals involved in organised puppy crime, to remind them that they can contact Crimestoppers 100% anonymously with the information they may have, however small. 
 


In the South East region alone, dog theft cases have increased by 33% since 2018, to a high of 163 last year and nationwide, there has been a 250% increase in dog thefts during the pandemic.*  

The campaign will encourage people to spot the signs that something may not be quite right when purchasing a new dog, which are as follows:
 

  • The price isn’t right. Being offered an expensive breed for a ‘too-good-to-be-true’ price is a big warning sign and the poor welfare of a dog is the cost. 
  • The puppy is too young. Puppies should not be taken from their mum until they are at least eight weeks old in the UK. Outside of the UK, it is 15 weeks. A good breeder will never sell puppies younger than this. Also be concerned if there is no image of the puppy’s mum on the advert, or there is only an image of the mother alone.
  • Lots of breeds for sale. Criminals often have many breeds available at the same time and won’t be able to answer your questions about them. A reputable breeder usually specialises in one breed and knows all about them.
  • Strange meeting places. Criminals will often suggest meeting somewhere public, like a car park, to show you the puppies. This is a big warning sign as they don’t want you to see the conditions the puppies are kept in.
“We know criminal gangs have been profiting from the pandemic and your desire to have a canine companion, which is totally unacceptable. The money handed over could actually be funding organised crime.

“It’s possible that a puppy bought from a criminal hasn’t been looked after well or vaccinated, which could contribute to the spread of disease and the puppy getting ill and dying prematurely. It is important to take the time to ensure you are buying a puppy from an authorised breeder. Or alternatively look at taking on a dog from one of the many well-run rescue centres who have many dogs who are desperate for a loving home.

“If you are suspicious of a seller, you can tell the independent charity Crimestoppers 100% anonymously. Since 1988, when Crimestoppers began, we have always kept our promise of anonymity to the millions who have trusted us with their crime information.

“You can call our UK Contact Centre, which is open 24/7, on freephone number 0800 555 111 or you can fill out our simple and secure anonymous online form. Your information could make all the difference in putting a stop to puppy crime.”
Peter Rolington, Chairman of the Crimestoppers in Kent Volunteer Committee

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR NEW CAMPAIGN HERE
 

***In an emergency, always call 999. To report crime 100% anonymously, fill in a simple and secure anonymous online form or call the Crimestoppers Contact Centre 24/7 on freephone 0800 555 111, 365 days of the year***


Source: Crimestoppers

Counterfeit banknote prevention - advice for retailers and businesses

 Watch our short film on counterfeit prevention:


If you suspect that you have a counterfeit banknote, please take it to your nearest police station. The police should fill out an NCO-1 form and provide you with a receipt and incident number. The suspect notes will be sent to the National Crime Agency and if counterfeit to the Bank of England for further examination.

If you have information about someone making, selling or using counterfeit banknotes, please contact the police or phone Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

To find out more visit the Bank of England's Counterfeit banknotes website.

What is a VPN and How Does it Work?

Everything you need to know about a VPN explained in an easy-to-understand way.

Discover how a VPN works and when you would use one, in this video.


http, https, ssl/tls protocols explained

The video below explains the difference between these protocols. It also explains how SSL works and what is an SSL certificate.



Wednesday, 18 August 2021

BikeRegister: The Free Bike Registry


Registering on BikeRegister means you could be reunited with your bike in the event of it being stolen. It does not, however, help make it a hard target to thieves.

To reduce the chances of becoming a victim of cycle theft, you can purchase one of our Security Marking Kits.

Please also note that not all frame numbers are unique, so choosing one of our security marking kits will provide your bike its own unique reference.

Registering your bike is free and provides you with the following benefits:

  1. Lifetime registration on the BikeRegister database
  2. A registration Logbook, to be used as proof of ownership
  3. Secure online access to manage your account.
Your details are held on a secure online database which all UK Police Forces have access to.

Source: https://www.bikeregister.com/ to find out more.

July 2021 Monthly Crime Police Statistics for Bexley Wards

JULY 2021 Crime Statistics BY CLASS DESCRIPTION







Source: These were received by Bexley Watch in an Excel Sheet format and the screenshots are taken from it for class description as shown above. Click on each image to view large. Click back to return to next.

Credit to one of our Coordinators for collating the categories from the sheet.

Wednesday, 11 August 2021

The Little Guide to... preventing fraud and cyber crime - MET Cyber Protect Team

Several million cases of fraud and of computer misuse are reported to the police every year. It's staggering, but even more staggering is that so many of those crimes could have been prevented by making a few small changes in online behaviour.

To avoid becoming a victim of online crime you don’t need to be a computer expert. Developing a few good online habits drastically reduces your chances of becoming a victim of cyber crime, makes you less vulnerable and lets you use the web safely.

We've created the Little series of books and videos to explain some of the most common scams and give advice on how to avoid falling victim to them.  

The current list of leaflets (in PDF) that are available to order are as follows;

·         The Little Book of Big Scams, (5th  edition)

·         The Little Book of Cyber Scams (2nd edition)

·         The Little Leaflet of Cyber Advice

·         Little Booklet of Investment Scams

·         Little Booklet of Phone Scams

·         Little Leaflet of Covid Scams


The COVID scams leaflet is currently being printed and they hope to have some in their office by end of the month.


Source: https://www.met.police.uk/littlemedia - for the above and videos too.

Thursday, 5 August 2021

Warning HSBC Scam text

 


One of our neighbourhood watch residents alerted to the above phishing scam text received as a warning to others. They do not even bank with HSBC.

Useful information via another previous post and what to do if you receive one of these. Do not click on links or attachments in unexpected or suspicious texts or emails.

Wednesday, 4 August 2021

Beware - Bank fraud: Scammed out of £9,000 stolen from bank account

Some banks are failing to provide satisfactory support for devastated fraud victims, leaving them feeling abandoned at a time of crisis and exposed to future scam attempts, according to Which? research.

When a caller claiming to be a bank fraud investigator told Mark Wheeler there were suspicious transactions on his account, he was naturally alarmed.

But the "investigator" was a crook and the call led to £9,000 being stolen from the 62-year-old's account.

When he reported the incident to his bank, its initial response was good but it quickly turned sour, he said.

He's one of several fraud victims who claim to have been given little support from banks, consumer group Which? says.

It reported that some victims struggled to contact their bank after they had been a victim of a scam, including one HSBC customer who waited a total of seven hours on hold, racking up a £50 phone bill.


Source: BBC News* and Which? - and what to do* if become a scam victim.

BBC Scam Safe week 23rd-30th November 2024

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