We are warning members of the public to be on the lookout after conmen made multiple attempts to defraud vulnerable victims of their savings by posing as police officers.

The fraudsters are believed to be targeting victims in the west Kent area, and detectives are urging people to be on their guard. 

Neither police officers nor banks would ever ask you to hand over cash or for personal confidential material over the phone. 

In one incident, a vulnerable victim from the Tonbridge area was persuaded to hand over more than £12,000 to people posing as officers from the ‘Hammersmith Serious Fraud Squad’. She received a phone call at around midday on 6 March 2019 from a purported police officer who told her to take money out of the bank, tell no one and someone would come to collect it from her. The victim went to the bank, withdrew the money and handed it over to a man driving a black car who appeared at her door.

Other victims, who are often vulnerable or elderly, have reported receiving phone calls from people purporting to be police officers from forces all over the country asking people for bank details, credit card details and to withdraw money to give them.

Det Sgt Marc Cananur, from our Volume Fraud Team, said: ‘Legitimate police officers would never ask members of the public to give them money or for their bank or other financial details. ‘The people carrying out these frauds are the lowest of the low, preying on vulnerable victims and stealing their money.

If anyone receives any calls of this nature, or other similar approaches, Please get in touch with Kent Police, on 01622 604100.  Alternatively, please contact the independent charity Crimestoppers in Kent anonymously on 0800 555 111.

A few hints to keep you and your belongings save this Christmas and during the winter months:

. Close your curtains when you have the lights on inside, in the dark winter months it is easy to tell when a house is unoccupied and burglars can use this to their advantage.

• If you’re out for the night, leave a light on inside to look like the house is lived in.

• Whilst Christmas shopping don’t let your handbag out of sight and make sure it is secure, as in busy crowds you can be an easy target for pick pockets.

• Be sure to leave your presents out of sight and well hidden, away from a window, and if you’re out Christmas shopping in your car be sure to leave them out of view and locked in the boot

• Be careful what you post on social media. As tempting as it is to show your friends what Santa’s bought you for Christmas, think carefully who will be able to read your posts, and make sure you check your privacy settings to see who can and who can’t read them

• After the mania of present opening, discard your cardboard packaging in your bin outside or better still take to your local recycling centre, don’t leave on show outside for thieves to see what presents you’ve got.

• Fairy lights can be a fire risk, consider buying new ones to ensure they have a good standard of safety, make sure you turn them off when unattended and don’t leave them on overnight

• Check your insurance policy, presents kept in your home will be covered by your usual contents insurance, but if you’ve bought big ticket items as gifts they may need to be listed separately. Typically, the limit for single items ranges from £1,000 to £2,000, so check your policy and call your insurer if you’ve purchased anything above your limit.

• Also check to see your insurance policy covers accidental damage cover, for any breakages to new items such as laptops, or wine spillages over the Christmas period.

If you get a message stating "The iphone ID associated with this number is due to be terminated. To prevent this please confirm your details" please delete it immediately, it is a scam.  

THE CHERRY PICKER HAS BEEN FOUND - THANKS FOR YOUR EFFORTS Paul Baines Land River cherry-picker were stolen from his drive I. The early hours - Sunday 2nd December - it’s quite distinctive so if you see it please call Paul 01622 720810

A neighbour recently heard from someone who just had all her bank accounts emptied after she paid a taxi driver with her debit card. She wanted to pay with her credit card but he asked for another method because he didn’t want to pay the 4% visa fee.

The Police advise: whenever you are asked to use debit instead of credit for whatever reason, first fully enter in the wrong PIN. If it is a counterfeit machine it will pseudo process the payment and produce a receipt. An authentic machine will reject the PIN and request a “try again” of some sort.

Help spread the word, as the police say this type of fraud is becoming increasingly prevalent.

Be safe out there,especially as we approach the festive season

There have been reports of doorstep criminals targeting vulnerable residents using high pressure sales methods.T

The doorstep criminal claims that their pest-guards will keep your solar panels free from pigeons and asks for an upfront deposit. A business flyer is also left with the resident.

To stop doorstep criminals from scamming you, remember that you must never:

From Kent Police Neighbourhood Watch team

Officers from Kent Police have worked with the Kent Resource Partnership, local authorities, Kent County Council and the National Farmers Union targeting fly-tipping.
 
On Wednesday, 20 June 2018 four warrants were executed by local officers and the Rural Task Force around the county. Six people were arrested, five in connection with fly-tipping activities, six vehicles were seized and 19 people were reported to court for various offences.
 
The warrants took place in Canterbury, Ramsgate, Ash and Maidstone.
 

Chief Inspector Mark Weller (right in the picture) oversaw the action in Dover, he said: ‘This is a large scale issue which blights communities across the county. To effectively tackle this problem it is important we work alongside our colleagues from the Kent Resource Partnership and the local authorities to send a message to those illegally disposing of waste their behaviour will not be tolerated. 

‘This is not just about someone littering, this is organised criminality that has a negative impact on communities and we are keen to work with local people to continue to stamp out this crime. We would ask anyone having work done at their home to make sure that they check the person taking away their waste is licensed to do so. Police and local authorities are also keen to hear from anyone who has information of those involved in fly-tipping. By working together we can protect the garden of England and the countryside can be enjoyed by the community.’

The arrests included:

• A 39-year-old man arrested from a property in Shatterling, Canterbury in connection with cultivating cannabis.
• A 60-year-old man was arrested from a property in Shatterling on suspicion of fly tipping and cultivating cannabis.
• A 29-year-old man was arrested following the warrant in Shatterling. It is suspected he has breached a community order.
• A 53-year-old man arrested in connection with fly tipping from a house in Leigh Road, Ramsgate.       
• A 41-year-old man from Ash in Kent was arrested on suspicion of fly tipping.
• A 30 year old man from Sittingbourne was arrested for failing to surrender in connection to fly tipping offences. 

Kent’s Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Scott (middle of the picture) said: ‘Fly-tipping is primarily dealt with by local councils but today’s co-ordinated enforcement shows what can be achieved when the police and other partners work together. Residents can do their bit too by reporting any suspicious behaviour to Kent Police, and by downloading the Countryeye app to report incidents of fly-tipping in their communities.

‘I’ve made it clear that crime is important no matter where it takes place and, thanks to my investment in up to 200 new police officers this year, Kent Police’s specialist Rural Policing Team will soon be able to do even more to bring rural criminals to justice.’

In addition to the arrests officers seized 30 cannabis plants from a property in Shatterling, two people were arrested in connection with the find.

Kent Resource Partnership Chairman Cllr Rory Love said: 'Unscrupulous criminals are out there taking money from householders and businesses to dispose of their waste. Then they pocket the cash and dump the waste in our countryside. And it’s the council taxpayer who picks up the bill of over £1 million - as our local authorities are forced to clear up the mess.

The message is clear to all those involved in illegally dumping waste – Kent councils are working together to catch those who blight our communities by fly tipping. And as this day of action showed, we will find you and we will prosecute you.'

We have been notified to be aware of fake texts from mobile phone provider EE:

These texts messages purport to be from EE and claim that you haven't paid a bill.The link to the message leads to a phishing website designed to steal your EE account login details as well as personal and financial information.

Never be tricked into giving a fraudster your personal or financial details. Never click onto a link or attachment in an unexpected text or email.

Fraudsters jailed for tricking elderly and vulnerable victims

11 Jun 2018

Fraudsters who targeted elderly and vulnerable victims have been jailed for a combined total of six years and five months. 

Hamza Ali and Dujuane Mezu were sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court on Monday 11 June 2018 following a number of courier frauds committed across the county between 1 June and 2 November 2017. 

Courier fraud is the name given to incidents where fraudsters attempt to trick victims into withdrawing sums of money with the intention of sending a courier to collect it from them.

Remember police officers will never ask a member of the public to withdraw cash or send a courier to collect money or items from them.

Conspiracy

Hamza Ali, 23, of Gladstone Park Gardens, London, was jailed for five years after admitting conspiracy to commit fraud.

His offending came to light after officers from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate were alerted to a scam he carried out in Sittingbourne against a woman in her 70s on 23 October 2017.

Ali phoned the victim, claiming to be a police officer from the Metropolitan Police.  He told her to place her belongings, approximately £20,000 worth of jewellery and her debit card, in a plastic bag and leave it outside her door for an officer to collect.

A few days later the victim received another call from Ali to authorise two payments as part of the investigation but Ali was actually inside a shop attempting to buy trainers. 

He was later arrested at Luton airport by officers from Kent Police after taking a friend on an all-expenses paid trip to Italy.  

Dujuane Mezu, 20, of Grosvenor Avenue, London, was sentenced to a year in prison for conspiracy to commit fraud. He also received an extra five months for beaching a suspended sentence for a previous offence. 

Mezu was arrested on 3 October 2017 after acting as a courier to collect money from a victim targeted in Sittingbourne. 

The woman in her 80s was called by someone claiming to be an officer from New Scotland Yard who said there was an issue with her bank. 

Believing this was a scam the victim visited Sittingbourne police station. Officers accompanied her back to her house and arrested Mezu when he arrived at the property. 
He admitted to attending three addresses across Kent and on each occasion he would tell the victim he was there to collect money on behalf of the police. 

Detective Inspector Annie Clayton said:

‘These men preyed on elderly people for their own financial gain. They each played a key part in pursuing and defrauding a number of vulnerable people across Kent.
‘They showed no remorse for their involvement or the effect their actions had. The impact this type of crime has on victims is significant, often leaving them devastated by their financial loss. 
‘I hope that those targeted by Ali and Mezu can now take comfort in the knowledge that these men have been sentenced and brought to justice.’

NHW Police coordinators advise of the following scams

Scam calls

Two suspicious callers  have contacted a member of Neighbourhood watch recently; these are believed to have been made by the same caller.

Call 1 - a male possibly from a foreign call centre told the member that they were from homeserve and that they were paying £5 too much for their TV licence, the male then put the member through to  a female who asked for the long card number of their credit card in order to change the Direct debit, this was of course refused and the lady became very curt and demanding, but details were refused and call ended

Call 2 - about 10 days later a further call was received, possibly from the same male, this time purporting to be from BT and how they could save £5 a month, when member pointed out that this was the second such call received, the male cleared the line.

On both occasions a telephone number was displayed, but neither of these numbers appear to exist. Dont give any details over the phone unless you are absolutely certain of who you are talking to.

Bank Scam

A Bank Scam was attempted whereby unauthorised withdrawals were noted on an account, the account holder rang who they thought were their bank, they were on hold for some 30 minutes before calling from a land line to check, the Bank advised them their line had also been compromised.

Please take care when calling the Bank to ensure you are actually connected to the bank.

Serious Fraud Office Scam

It has been reported that a call was received purporting to be from the "Serious Fraud Office" about some odd transactions on a bank card that morning and wanting to confirm some details.  When asked which "serious fraud office" they were calling from they put the phone down.

There are also reports of scams where the caller states they are from the police, the Police will not ask for Bank details or ask you for your card.