BottesfordNHW Alert: Burglaries and Theft / Damage to Parked Vehicle / Fake Designer Goods / Rio 2016 Olympics Lottery Scam

Burglaries and Theft

Be aware that we continue to receive reports of house burglaries and thefts from sheds and outbuildings in the surrounding areas. There is clearly a continuing raised risk. Please be extra vigilant and take sensible security precautions to protect your homes and possessions.

 

Damage to Parked Vehicle

Sometime overnight on Tuesday a car parked outside Paul's Restaurant has it's windscreen broken. If anyone saw the incident or has information relating to it please contact the police on the non-emergency 101 number.

 

Fake Designer Goods

People looking for a cheap designer bargain online are being targeted by fraudsters advertising fake designer goods. The items received are usually cheap and inferior counterfeits of handbags, clothes and sunglasses amongst other things.

The general rule is 'if it looks too good to be true then it probably is.' Designer products sold at heavily discounted prices are an immediate sign that something isn't quite right.
 
What can you do to protect yourself?

• Where possible, buy from well-known, High Street retailers. If you've never heard of a firm, or it is based overseas, be sceptical.
• Avoid paying by cheque or bank transfer.  Use PayPal or a credit card as they will give you additional protection.
• Search the internet. Type the website you are buying from and look for reviews of what others customers are saying about the company. Bad customer service feedback usually finds their way online quite quickly.
• Check for spelling mistakes or poor grammar on websites as this may suggest the website has been put together by a fraudster.
• Sign up to Action Fraud Alert at https://www.actionfraudalert.co.uk/ to keep you updated with what's going on.

Rio 2016 Olympics Lottery Scam

The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) has received intelligence regarding two new Lottery Fraud letters/email attachments (Scam 1 & Scam 2) using the 2016 Rio Olympics as a theme.
 
The scams try to trick people into believing they have won the following:
 
Scam 1: An online lottery prize of £650,000 and a trip to Brazil to watch the Olympics as the recipient's email address was chosen out of a possible ten million at random.
 
Scam 2: An online lottery prize of £820,000 and a trip to Brazil to watch the Rio Carnival and the Olympics as the recipient's winning numbers 8 17 34 38 42 and 51 were selected.
 
In order to collect the winnings the recipient is requested to contact:
 
Scam 1:
Mr Dima Robert
MillMan Street, WC1N 3JB. London A5200.
Tel: +447035973561
Email: RioOlympics2016@represnetative.com
 
Scam 2:
'UK Pay out Officer'
Email:paymaster-office@bol.co.br
+44 7937428753
 
Protect yourself from lottery fraud

• Never respond to any such communication. If you have not entered a lottery then you cannot have won it.
• Official lotteries in other countries operate in much the same way as the UK's National Lotto. 
• We do not know of any official lottery operators who ask for fees to collect winnings.  Any request for a fee payment is a good indication that someone is trying to defraud you.
• Never disclose your bank details or pay fees in advance.
• If they have provided an email address to respond to, be very suspicious of addresses such as @hotmail.com or @yahoo.com or numbers beginning with 07 because these are free to get hold of.
• Genuine lotteries thrive on publicity. If they ask you to keep your win a secret, it is likely to be a fraud.
• Many fraudulent lotteries have bad spelling and grammar – see this as a warning that fraudsters are at work.

If you believe that you have been a victim of fraud you can report it online http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/report_fraud or by telephone 0300 123 2040.

 

Circulated by:

 

John Shilton

Principal NHW Co-ordinator

Bottesford Parish NHW