SMS Best Practice by Which?

Smishing (fraudulent text) is the fraudulent practice of sending text messages purporting to be from reputable companies in order to induce individuals to reveal personal information, such as passwords or credit card numbers.

1. "police say they have busted a gang in Maitland suspected of smishing"

The lowdown on text scams, aka ‘smishing’

Text message scams are a big problem for consumers and it’s often hard to know which texts you can trust. Even genuine messages from businesses end up looking suspicious because sometimes they use language that panics you into taking a specific action.

This is why we’re asking businesses to adopt our SMS best practice guide, so you can spot scam texts and have more trust in business messaging. We also show you examples of legitimate text messages that could be mistaken for scams.

Smishing tactics

Source: Which?

⚠️ Warning about bailiff email scam

⚠️ Scammers are posing as County Court bailiffs and targeting users via email.

If you’re unsure whether communication from a bailiff is genuine, you can check guidance here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/warning-about-bailiff-email-scam

If you think you've been scammed, report it to Action Fraud: https://www.actionfraud.police.uk

Don’t get scammed by this fake Wetherspoon meal voucher competition

Fake meal vouchers for Wetherspoon pubs are being promoted on Facebook, despite the chain shutting all its social media accounts in 2018.

Facebook users who comment on the posts published by the fake Wetherspoon pages are told they will win meal vouchers if they receive comments from Wetherspoon. But these comments come from scammers who have set up the pages.

The posts read ‘Congratulations for those of you who have received comments from us, you have the opportunity to win them’. You are then asked to like and share the post with your friends.

Sadly, it’s bogus.

The link leads to an unrelated page.

How to report a scam

If you think you’ve spotted a social media scam, follow these steps to protect yourself:

Is the deal ‘too good to be true’? – If the deal or competition looks too good to be true, it probably is. A quick Google search will tell you if the legitimate company is promoting the giveaway.

• Check the URL – If you’ve followed a link, does the URL look suspicious? If it does, leave the site.

• Check your social timeline – Is there a high number of people posting or sharing the same thing? They may have been scammed.

• Check the branding – scammers are becoming more and more sophisticated but there might be giveaways such as inconsistencies in the branding that could give them away.

• Send a message – if someone you know has posted or shared something suspicious, ask them. Send them a message to make sure – it may have been intentional.

• Contact the company directly – Reach out to the company on social media, via email or over the phone to check whether the competition or giveaway is real.

Scammers try to exploit the credibility of social media advertising but our  how to spot a social media scam advice can help you stay one step ahead.

Source: Which?

Maypole's Community Fayre - see posters

 

Faith Watch - join us now

 

Did you know Bexley Neighbourhood Watch runs a scheme called Faith Watch, this scheme is aiming to try to prevent crime in and around places of worship. 

If you join you will receive emails and our bi-weekly report you will be also contacted if there is any crime reported where places of worship have been targeted, in return we ask that you let us know of any similar crime so we can make others aware of what has happened.

Contact Bexley Neighbourhood Watch to make a general enquiry

Fed up with crime in your area?

 

Are you fed up with crime in your area, vehicle damage, theft or burglary or damage to property.

 

Why not join Bexley Neighbourhood Watch now and say no to criminals.

Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association –
New Member Application

Contact Bexley Neighbourhood Watch to make a general enquiry

Message to dog walkers in Bexley

 

If you walk your dogs in Bexley why not join Bexley Neighbourhood Watch's  - Houndwatch Scheme, once signed up you will receive emails warning of attempted dog theft, dog attacks etc in the Borough, in return we ask that you keep us informed of anything you see while walking your Hound. This could be a suspicious person or vehicle, drug taking, fly tipping or criminal damage. We can then pass this information onto either the police or the council.

To join the scheme, Click and complete the Hound Watch online form OR Scan the QR code below to join Hound Watch and submit the form. It is FREE to join!

Scan QR code for Hound Watch Registration

For more information about this new initiative on dog theft Safety advice, reporting and alerts, visit our Facebook page.