Crime & Police News February 2016

Click on the link here for the February 2016 Southam SNT Police News.  Also see below for an invitation to join Action Fraud and take the survey.

Neighbourhood Watch are working with the Home Office, VISAV and Action Fraud to help pilot a new way of targeting crime prevention advice – particularly about cyber-crime and fraud.

The project was developed from a piece of Home Office research (The Public Interventions Model) which we have developed with the Home Office and VISAV into an operational model which we call the segmentation model.

On Tuesday Action Fraud sent the message out to 252,770 registered users and within 24 hours 27,644 had undertaken the self-assessment. This equates to 11% which is a great initial response rate.

By Friday, Feb 12 more than 33,000 users had taken the survey – a fantastic first week!

Not all of these people are Neighbourhood Watch members so we are asking for this to be cascaded even further by including this link in messages.
https://www.actionfraudalert.co.uk/30BD8884-23A9-41D7-AD67-9B6A6E16485C/QuickRegister

Also the latest from Warwick Trading Standards:

Copycat websites, bogus versions of genuine Government websites that were leading some consumers to pay more for services that would typically cost less or be entirely free (passport, driving license, EHIC etc.) appear to have turned to new tactics to target residents!

Following enforcement action, arrests and cooperation with the large internet search engine websites, these copycat websites are appearing less and less in Internet searches and this appears to have led some copycat website owners to target residents directly via the post.

One Warwickshire resident reported receiving a letter that looked like it could have been sent from the County Council requesting that he renew his Blue Badge at a cost of £49. The letter directed him to a copycat website. The genuine cost of Blue Badge renewal is only £10.

Marketing lists, with the names and addresses of people who have purchased disability/mobility related products in the past are easily purchased, so it would not be difficult for someone to target residents who are likely to possess a Blue Badge.

More on copycat websites