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.

The fly-tipping on the layby at the bottom of Lower Road Charlton Lane has been reported using the Country Eye app. Why not add it to your phone and help keep our roads clear of sights like this

Very recently, one of our neighbours in Charlton Lane had a CCTV camera installed - ironically the very next day they were victims of theft.  If you recognise the people in the photos or the car registration plate, please contact us so we can inform the police - we do not have a crime number as yet. Please note the police are happy for us to publish.

Community Policing Volunteers being recruited

Kent Police is looking for volunteers to play a new role in community policing.

Community Policing Volunteers are being recruited as part of a pilot scheme in the West Division which includes Maidstone, Sevenoaks, Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells. 

The scheme is open to all adults aged 18 or above who are able to commit to 16 hours a month and interested in contributing to their local community as a volunteer.

They will wear a uniform and support their local Community Safety Units by providing additional visibility and accessibility and improving the communication flow to the police and back to the community.

Applicants will need to successfully pass a fitness test and provide a medical certificate to confirm they are in good health to perform an active role.

Volunteers will work as part of a team to reduce crime and the fear of crime and to promote community safety. They will have a number of duties including supporting police officers; responding to the needs of communities and supporting victims.

They will play a vital role in solving local problems and gathering useful evidence about criminal activity and anti-social behaviour (ASB).

The new role has been established following the Policing and Crime Bill 2017, which has given Chief Constables authority to extend certain powers to volunteers. This includes the power to request the name and address of someone committing ASB, some powers to control traffic, the power to place traffic signs and the power to enter premises to save life and/or prevent serious damage.

Recruitment has just started and closes on 26 January 2018. Interviews for those shortlisted will take place during February and training will start at the end of April which will take place over five weekends over a 10 week period.

Assistant Chief Constable Tony Blaker said: “We know from talking to many people that there is a strong interest in volunteering to support the police and the community, and this is a fantastic opportunity that we hope will attract adults of all ages and backgrounds.

“We have a rich tradition of volunteers in Kent Police with a thriving Special Constabulary, a growing Volunteer Cadet Force and an army of people who help in support roles throughout the force.

“This new role will build on that and provide an invaluable service to both the police and the local community.”

Anyone interested in applying to become a Community Policing Volunteer can get further information from our website: www.kent.police.uk

This information was received from Kent Police

Suspicious Call

A phone call was received from a person who claimed to be employed by ' one of three government employed companies' to check the power installations in private homes. He stated the home was on his list and wished to make an appointment to carry out the inspection, which he implied was obligatory.

The Caller replied stated the check was free but the householder would be charged for any remedial work.

There have been similar calls relating to water and power where people were offered money from the government to carry out insulations and checks, but these are NOT obligatory.

Please check that any companies you ask to carry out the work are suitably registered and that the work is actually required, and DON'T allow anyone into you home unless you are certain they are genuine.

Another Courier Scam

Telephone call received (late November 2017) advising that they were calling from the bank – they did not specify which bank and naturally this was not questioned.  Caller stated he was conducting an internal investigation into bank staff and that she was to tell no one that she was assisting with the investigation.  He stated that counterfeit money had been put into accounts and that she was to withdraw 2 separate sums on consecutive days, and that once withdrawn he would ring her and check random numbers on some of the bank notes to determine if they were the ones that they had introduced and were circulating in the system. A courier from the bank would collect the money and then her account would be re credited with genuine notes. She was to leave the phone off the hook when they were communicating so that she would not be contacted by anyone and she was to tell no one why she was withdrawing the money, including the bank staff. She also had to take ID to withdraw the money.  Money was withdrawn and the courier, described as male in his 20s and Mediterranean appearance, collected the money the same day.

Remember no-one in authority will ask for your account numbers or ask you to withdraw money from the bank.

Be careful out there!