Monday 31 October 2022

Beware fake phishing email from scammer posing as McAfee

spot the fake email!

spot the fake image!

Please beware of the fake phishing email, from a gmail account with an image attachment.  The screenshots have been highlighted to show signs of the fake message (the original does not show the added text and arrows). Click on each to view enlarged.

The resident alerted us to warn others. 

If you receive a call you believe to be fraudulent, hang up. If you are suspicious about an email you have received, forward it to report@phishing.gov.uk. Suspicious text messages should be forwarded to the number 7726 which is free of charge.

Needless to say do no click on links that turn out of the blue. Take time to research and check this blog for advice and further information on similar scams.

If you believe you are the victim of a fraud, please report this to Action Fraud as soon as possible by calling 0300 123 2040 or visiting www.actionfraud.police.uk.

For further information visit McAfee at https://www.mcafee.com/support/?articleId=TS103285&page=shell&shell=article-view



Thursday 27 October 2022

HMRC warns self-assessment taxpayers to watch out for scams

With the deadline for paper returns on 31 October and online self-assessments due on 31 January 2023, millions of people are likely to be more receptive to messages or phone calls purporting to be from HMRC.

We reveal the most common tax-related scams and how you can avoid becoming a victim.

Tax-related scams

We’ve exposed the £400 energy grant scam text

Scammers are looking to entice people into sharing their personal details by sending phoney texts about government energy bill rebates.

Our experts click the suspicious links in these scam texts so you know what to look out for, but never do this yourself. Watch our video to see how the scam works.

Energy grant scam

People’s Postcode Lottery scam email

Fraudsters are tempting you into giving away personal documents by pretending that you’ve won the People’s Postcode Lottery. They’re asking for a wealth of information, including a photo of your driving licence or passport, so stay alert.

Keep your identity safe by knowing what to look out for, we have screenshots and plenty of advice here.

People’s Postcode Lottery scam email

Wednesday 26 October 2022

Bexley Community Lottery Last Chance To Shout About This WHEELIE Great Prize!


click to view enlarged

So now is the perfect time to give Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association a fundraising boost - get the word out about this fantastic prize and attract more players to their lottery. There's no need for existing supporters to buy a separate ticket - they will automatically be entered into the special draw, but of course they could buy extra tickets: the more tickets they have, the more chances to WIN!

Win a £1,000 Bike Voucher!

Now that summer is over, many of us are looking for ways to keep fit through autumn. Well, we've got the perfect thing for you - on Saturday 29th October one lucky supporter will win an amazing £1,000 Bike Voucher!

Maybe you’re looking to save some fuel on the commute? Or perhaps just keeping an eye out for that perfect Christmas present? Whatever your reasons, this WHEELIE is a fantastic prize!

3 Scams to be aware of - from Santander

Investment scams

Fraudsters will try to pressure you into buying worthless or

non-existent shares. These can include crypto-currency, gold or even wine. They’ll use a variety of sales approaches to contact you, so please be cautious.


Read our webpage on investment scams.


Is this investment genuine?


Purchase scams


While online shopping may be quick and convenient, we must be careful as fraudsters can use this to their advantage. They can trick you into paying for high value goods that don’t exist, often through social media or auction sites.


Find out how to spot a purchase scam on our website.


Spotting a purchase scam


Impersonation scams


Impersonation scams happen when a fraudster contacts you pretending to be from your bank, the police, or another trusted organisation to convince you to send them money.


You can find out more about this on our website.


Is it impersonation?

Saturday 22 October 2022

Fake shipping delivery scam text

Fake shipping delivery scam text

One of our local borough residents received the above (screenshot of a) fake phishing scam on his mobile. He reported it but alerted us to warn others.

Suspicious text messages should be forwarded to the number 7726 which is free of charge. Reported and sent above to this number.

reported fake shipping delivery text url to 7726

Needless to say do no click on links that turn out of the blue. Take time to research and check out this blog for advice and further information on similar scams.


Fake 'your Amazon Account has been suspended' phishing scam

Fake Amazon account url

One of our local borough residents received the above (screenshot of a) fake phishing scam purporting to be from Amazon on his mobile. He reported it but alerted us to warn others.

His Bitdefender software also alerted him

Security text alert

A quick check of the fake url on Virustotal

fake Amazon url

flagged the url as malicious

VT flags it as mailicious url

Suspicious text messages should be forwarded to the number 7726 which is free of charge. Reported and sent above to this number.

reported fake text url to 7726

Needless to say do no click on links that turn out of the blue. Take time to research and check out this blog for advice and further information on similar scams.

Impersonation scam on WhatsApp doing its round

Whatsapp scam

One of our local borough residents received the above (screenshot of a) fake phishing scam purporting to be from WhatsApp on his mobile. He reported it but alerted us to warn others.

Suspicious text messages should be forwarded to the number 7726 which is free of charge. Reported and sent above to this number.

Needless to say do no click on links that turn out of the blue. Take time to research and check out this blog for advice and further information on similar scams.

Find out more at here or here

Apple Pay text message scam

 

click to view screenshot enlarged

One of our local borough residents received the above (screenshot of a) fake phishing scam purporting to be from Apple Pay on her mobile. She reported it but alerted us to warn others.

A quick check of the fake url on Virustotal

 

fake apply pay url

VT flags it as malicious url
flags it as malicious.

Suspicious text messages should be forwarded to the number 7726 which is free of charge. Reported and sent above to this number.

Needless to say do no click on links that turn out of the blue. Take time to research and check out this blog for advice and further information on similar scams.

Find out more here.

Thursday 20 October 2022

Spotting a phoney heir hunter

It’s the job of an heir hunter to locate people who are legally entitled to inherit from a deceased relative's estate, but are unaware of their legal claim. While legitimate ones exist, you’re just as likely to encounter an imposter.

When we surveyed our members who had been contacted by an heir hunter, half of them said that the claim wasn’t genuine. Find out more about phoney heir hunters and how to spot one.

How the scam works

'I lost £83,000 to a remote access bank transfer scam'

Remote access software enables someone to access a device from any location, and it's being used by scammers to pose as legitimate companies to transfer your money into their own accounts.

We heard from one reader who was duped by a fake Barclays employee. But after our intervention with the bank, the reader was reimbursed. Find out more about what happened and how to spot these types of scams.

Bank transfer scams

Wednesday 19 October 2022

Over 60? Still Feeling Isolated After Covid lockdown? Read on..

click image to view enlarged

We realise that there are some older residents in Bexley that are still not back to normal with travelling and shopping after the scares of the covid lockdown period.

Those who might want to gradually get out more might want to dip their toes by going to local group meetings such as the one being held in St.Mary's & St.James Ward on Fridays between 2-4pm.
at Baldwyns Park Baptist Church Hall,
Dartford Road,
Bexley,
Kent,
DA5 2AY - map
 
It is called Elderberries and they meet in the Baptist Church hall every Friday 2-4.
 
For over 60s and under www.evergreencareuk.org. Find out more here.

This Friday (21st) they are holding a special event with live music….. 
 
It is for anybody not just local ward residents.

Thursday 13 October 2022

Bexleyheath Broadway BCSP and Neighbourhood Watch stand

BBNWA & BCSP stand
BCSP & BBNWA stand

On Saturday 8th of October Laura and Maria from Bexley Community Safety Partnership and Steve, Amrik and Saby from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch manned a stand in Bexleyheath Broadway to Hate Awareness, it being Hate Awareness Week, The Bexley Community Safety Survey and Neighbourhood Watch.

For more information on the various issues please visit:
Stop Hate UK (0800 138 1625 24-hour helpline)
National Hate Crime Awareness
Bexley Community Safety Survey

Watch out for phoney Amazon texts

Scammers impersonating Amazon are sending texts asking you to follow a link to secure your account following attempted logins, which is a typical tactic to incite panic. If you click the link it takes you to a convincing fake Amazon website where you’re prompted to enter your login details.

The website could look genuine enough if you don’t take time to assess it. Here’s what to watch out for.

Fake Amazon text

Don’t fall for the lure of high-risk investments

With inflation far outpacing savings account rates and unregulated investments claiming to offer far higher returns, there’s growing temptation for the unwary to be tempted by these types of schemes.

Listen to the latest Which? Shorts podcast as we investigate how large parts of the investment world remain unregulated and how social media is only helping scammers to operate on a global scale. You also have the option to download the full transcript.

The lure of investments

Wednesday 12 October 2022

CRIME PREVENTION & SECURITY ADVICE

Secured by Design (SBD) is the official police security initiative that works to improve the security of buildings and their immediate surroundings to provide safe places to live, work, shop and visit.

Their advice offers best practice for you to follow, alongside practical crime prevention methods.

CRIME PREVENTION & SECURITY ADVICE

Vehicle Crime Prevention Advice

  • home security advice will help to keep your home and possessions safer and reduce the chances of you falling victim to an opportunistic burglar.

Garden Security Advice

  • Theft of property from gardens can be a problem, but having spent time and money on your home garden and equipment you need to consider its security. The value of equipment, structures and plants often amounts to thousands of pounds.

Cyber Security Advice - SBD Internet of Things (IoT)

  • cyber security advice will help to keep your IoT devices and products safe and reduce the chances of you falling victim to a cyber-criminal.
  • Resources & Guides

CCTV SECURITY ADVICE

  • CCTV, together with appropriate signage, can provide a good deterrent to intruders
  • CCTV cameras should provide images of recognition quality and should be positioned in such a way that light, natural or otherwise does not interfere with picture quality
  • A CCTV system should be designed to cover vulnerable areas at relevant times of the day, such as the need for infra-red technology to record nighttime activity
  • For evidential purposes, the CCTV system should have a recording and storage capability of 31 days
  • Consideration should be given to garden landscaping and planting to ensure that any growth through the seasons doesn’t restrict the coverage of the CCTV system during the growing season
  • In high crime areas, cameras may need protection within vandal-resistant housings. The cameras should also be positioned so that they are not easily accessible
  • Images should not be captured of the street scene unless the user complies with the requirements set out by the Information Commissioners Office
  • The CCTV cameras including the housing must be regularly maintained and cleaned to ensure that the quality of the images are not inhibited. This could be the removal of a spider’s web or ensuring that moisture is not infiltrating the camera so that remedial measures can be undertaken.


Tuesday 11 October 2022

Operation to tackle motor vehicle crime sees 17 stolen vehicles recovered

A two-day operation saw 17 stolen vehicles recovered and 14 arrests made as more than 60 officers came together to tackle a rise in motor vehicle crime causing concern to local communities.

Operation Huntsman was a large cross border operation involving officers from the Met and Kent Police using Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology to track down offenders.

A total of 15 vehicles were also seized and 16 traffic offences reported during the operation. The arrests were made for suspected offences including robbery, theft of a motor vehicle, possession with intent to supply class A drugs, dangerous driving and failing to stop for police. Among the stolen vehicles recovered were a BMW, a Jaguar and a delivery van containing parcels.

Several weapons were found including knives, a baseball bat and a stun gun.

The operation built on the work of a new motor vehicle crime unit set up by the Met’s South East Command Unit a year ago. This followed concerns raised by Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham residents around motor vehicle crime with more than half of local ward panels choosing this as a priority issue to tackle.

The area has seen a rise in offences, particularly high value keyless car thefts and catalytic converter thefts. Last year there were 2,608 vehicle thefts in Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham. In the first nine months of this year, almost 300 of one make of vehicle alone were stolen from Greenwich, Lewisham and Bromley, and Dartford and Sevenoaks in Kent. Of 4,606 offences of theft from a vehicle, 18 per cent were of catalytic converters.

Many of these have been violent offences with gangs arming themselves with baseball bats, iron bars, machetes and more recently BB guns. As well as stealing cars to sell on, either complete or for parts, offenders also use the vehicles to commit other crimes.

Officers have spent the last year gathering information about individuals and organised crime gangs and carrying out a range of operations. These have concentrated on violent criminals using the road network and motor vehicle thieves who cross the Met/Kent border to commit offences.

Successes include in February the recovery of a pistol, silencer and 11 rounds of ammunition linked to the theft of a high value car in Bexley.

Chief Inspector Russ Joao, from South East Command Unit, said: “We’ve really listened to what local people have been telling us they are concerned about. The rise in motor vehicle crime has had a big impact on the lives of many of our residents and we’ve taken significant action over the last 12 months to tackle this issue.

“Alongside our new proactive unit working day in and day out, Operation Huntsman allowed us to work with colleagues in Kent Police to actively target offenders with some great results.

“Our work does not stop here and there will be more operations in the future as well as crime prevention initiatives, such as catalytic converter marking events, to help people avoid becoming a victim of this type of offence.”

The operation on 28 and 29 September involved officers from Met local policing teams, the Roads and Transport Policing Command, the Violence Suppression Unit, ANPR Interceptor teams, the National Police Air Service and Kent’s Swanley Community Policing Team. Also invited to see the operation were the chairs of Sidcup and St Mary and St James ward panels so they could let their local communities know the action being taken to tackle the issue.

The operation focused on the areas south of the A2 to north of the A20 and the A2 Bexley Village North through Crayford and up to Slade Green and Erith. Of those arrested, two have been charged with more minor offences and the remainder released under investigation or bailed while enquiries continue.

Here's what you can do to help keep your vehicle safe:

  • Always leave your car locked and secured. Lots of modern vehicles fold in their wing mirrors when locked – so very easy for thieves to spot when a vehicle has not been locked.
  • Take valuables with you when you leave the vehicle.
  • Consider investing in steering wheel locks, pedal locks, immobilisers and tracking devices.
  • Key fob protectors (Faraday bags) help prevent keyless car thefts.
  • Consider installing driveway posts.
  • Visit the Secured by Design website for more information – https://www.securedbydesign.com/guidance/crime-prevention-advice/vehicle-crime

+ We're investing in what we call 'precise community crime fighting' - involving communities in our decisions to tackle issues that matter to them.

Source: Met News (11/10/2022)


Helping to protect children and young people online

If you are a parent or grandparent or work with children and young people, the following websites contain very useful and helpful information concerning this topic, reporting and seeking advice to keep your child safe.

Thinkuknow is an education programme from the National Crime Agency’s CEOP Command.

Visit the links and navigate to this resource to find out more.

Monday 10 October 2022

Fake shipping delivery scam text - how to check and report



screenshot of fake shipping delivery scam text received by a borough resident

Reported the text message and number to 7726


A quick Check of 
fake url

the above fake url at Check a website [Disclaimer.]

fake url check at https://check.getsafeonline.org/

reveals 
click image to view enlarged
not to be safe.

And a quick check of this suspect URL for malicious or phishing scam via
virustotal.com at

fake url check at https://www.virustotal.com/gui/home/url

reveals 
click image to view enlarged


a malicious site.

Suspicious text messages should be forwarded to the number 7726 which is free of charge. Reported and sent above to this number.

Needless to say do no click on links that turn out of the blue. Take time to research and check out this blog for advice and further information on similar scams.

Friday 7 October 2022

Black Range Rover theft in Crook Log - Appeal for information

Please be aware that on Thursday 6 October 2022 between 02:48am and left at 03:20am Friday 7 October 2022, offenders broke the steering lock stole a black Range Rover Sport, Registration plate EA21UDB, year 2021, from a driveway in Sandhurst Road, Bexley (by Danson Park).

Please be aware that on Thursday 6 October 2022 between 02:48am and left at 03:20am Friday 7 October 2022, offenders broke the steering lock and stole a black Range Rover Sport, Registration plate EA21UDB, year 2021, from a driveway in Sandhurst Road, Bexley (by Danson Park).

The resident immediately reported the incident on the Nextdoor app and to the Police and given a crime reference.

This is an appeal to residents to check your CCTV footage or If you think you may have seen or heard anything suspicious, or have any information related to this incident then please contact Crook Log Police on 101, or 020 8721 2504, or via email at crooklog.snt@met.police.uk alternatively you can call them above or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 1111.

For further information, Ask the Police.

Halloween and Bonfire Night: let’s celebrate safely

 

As the nights draw in and Halloween and Bonfire Night get closer, we share our tips and advice to make sure frightfully fun celebrations happening across the borough are safe for everyone.

Bonfires, sparklers, and fireworks

The explosive force of some modern fireworks is not always fun for young children and babies, pets, or children and adults with disabilities. It is illegal to set off fireworks (including sparklers) between 11pm and 7am. However, for Bonfire Night the curfew is extended to midnight.

Candles

The London Fire Brigade’s top candle safety tips are:

  • place your candles/tea lights in a suitable fire-resistant candleholder
  • put the candleholder on a heat resistant surface like a ceramic place
  • keep candles/tea lights away from curtains, furniture, and anything else that can catch fire
  • keep candles out of reach of children and pets

Trick or Treat?

As Halloween approaches it is important to remember that it can be a scary time for some. Having people in masks knocking at your door at night or fireworks let off close to your home may not be fun for older people or disabled children and adults. Please keep an eye out for ‘No Trick or Treat’ posters.

You can download and print the 'No Trick or Treat' poster at home. Copies are also available from your local libraries and the Council’s Contact Centre, Civic Offices, 2 Watling Street, Bexleyheath.

Download poster.

Frightfully fun events 

The safest way to celebrate Halloween or Bonfire Night is to watch well-organised and professional bonfire/fireworks displays such as Danson Park Fireworks hosted by Welling Round Table.

Source: https://www.bexley.gov.uk/news/halloween-and-bonfire-night-lets-celebrate-safely

Maisonette fire - Abbey Wood 🔥🚒

Six fire engines and around 40 firefighters tackled a maisonette fire on Lensbury Way in Abbey Wood.  A split-level maisonette on the first ...