This is a message from Thames Valley Neighbourhood Watch Association.
With the considerable increase in the number and the variety of cons and scams, thieves are adapting their methods to come up with new ways to share your personal data and other information. On most new credit or debit cards, you will see a wireless symbol which informs you that your card uses Radio Frequency Identification RFID technology. This allows you to simply tap your card on card-readers to make payments up to £30. However, this comes with security risk, as criminals can create an RFID reader with minimal effort and steal your details. They can also download an app onto their Smartphones to achieve the same results. They only need to brush past your pocket or bag with their device to do this. You might not even notice it happening. Thames Valley Neighbourhood Watch Association is able to offer you a very competitively -priced solution with the Card Defender - over 5,000 of which have been purchased from the Association since we publicised their availability at the end of January. The Card Defender is a sleeve card holder that provides RFID - blocking technology and it protects contactless cards from being read. A similar device was demonstrated on an edition of BBC TV's "Rip of Britain" earlier in the year. We recommend that everyone carrying a contactless cards should have one or more Card Defenders. This also applies to Oyster cards and students ID. Card Defenders are now available from Thames Valley Neighbourhood Watch Association for just £1.00 each; 5 for £4.00; or 10 for £7.00 plus postage, and prices for more Card Defenders are available on request. Please feel free to distribute this information to your family, neighbours and friends. To order please contact our Thames Valley Neighbourhood Watch Secretary Naomi Arnold MBE Email: naomi.arnold33@gmail.com David - Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator
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Lucy Billen (Police, Media Officer, Thames Valley Police) Last night the Prime Minister confirmed that the national terrorist threat has been raised to critical. This means that an attack remains highly likely but a further attack may be imminent. At this time there is no intelligence to suggest a specific threat to the Thames Valley. Our priority is to protect the communities of the Thames Valley and visitors to our area. Overnight we have put in place additional armed and unarmed officers at key locations. This is very much focused on crowded places, including transport hubs and shopping centres. Do not be alarmed if you see more armed police officers both on foot and in vehicles. For operational reasons we are not confirming details of locations, tactics and numbers of police officers on duty to ensure the effectiveness of our deployments. We will continue to work with our partners and event organisers to assess the planned events where we may need to enhance our presence. Deputy Chief Constable John Campbell said: “I would like to reassure you that the move to critical is something that we prepare for. We will continually review our deployments and take all possible steps to keep people safe within Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire. “At this time we need everyone to remain alert but not alarmed. We need your help to help us protect our communities and disrupt those who seek to harm us. I would urge you to contact the police straight away if you believe that someone is acting suspiciously. “Our officers and staff will continue to provide a visible presence in our communities and we have the specialist resources in place to respond in an emergency.” We have the following advice: If you see anything that causes you concern then let us know immediately, if you have suspicions about someone’s behaviour call the police on 101, the anti-terrorist hotline on 0800 789 321 or in an emergency you should always call 999.
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Action Fraud (Action Fraud, Administrator, National) Action Fraud has received the first reports of Tech-Support scammers claiming to be from Microsoft who are taking advantage of the global WannaCry ransomware attack. One victim fell for the scam after calling a ‘help’ number advertised on a pop up window. The window which wouldn’t close said the victim had been affected by WannaCry Ransomware. The victim granted the fraudsters remote access to their PC after being convinced there wasn’t sufficient anti-virus protection. The fraudsters then installed Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool, which is actually free and took £320 as payment. It is important to remember that Microsoft’s error and warning messages on your PC will never include a phone number. Additionally Microsoft will never proactively reach out to you to provide unsolicited PC or technical support. Any communication they have with you must be initiated by you. How to protect yourself
Report fraud and cyber crime to Actionfraud.police.uk Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator - David Hunt Message sent by
Action Fraud (Action Fraud, Administrator, National) Following the ransomware cyber attack on Friday 12 May which affected the NHS and is believed to have affected other organisations globally, the City of London Police’s National Fraud Intelligence Bureau has issued an alert urging both individuals and businesses to follow protection advice immediately and in the coming days. Ransomware is a form of malicious software (Malware) that enables cyber criminals to remotely lock down files on your computer or mobile device. Criminals will use ransomware to extort money from you (a ransom), before they restore access to your files. There are many ways that ransomware can infect your device, whether it be a link to a malicious website in an unsolicited email, or through a security vulnerability in a piece of software you use. Key Protect messages for businesses to protect themselves from ransomware:
The National Cyber Security Centre’s technical guidance includes specific software patches to use that will prevent uninfected computers on your network from becoming infected with the “WannaCry” Ransomware: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/guidance/ransomware-latest-ncsc-guidance For additional in-depth technical guidance on how to protect your organisation from ransomware, details can be found here: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/guidance/protecting-your-organisation-ransomware Key Protect advice for individuals:
Phishing/smishing Fraudsters may exploit this high profile incident and use it as part of phishing/smishing campaigns. We urge people to be cautious if they receive any unsolicited communications from the NHS. The protect advice for that is the following:
If you have been a victim of fraud or cyber crime, please report it to Action Fraud athttp://www.actionfraud.police.uk/ Message sent by Helen Thorne (Police, Communications Officer, Thames Valley) Thames Valley Police has today (3/5) issued crime statistics which cover the past twelve months. The latest figures show that there were 138,710 crimes reported across Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire from 1 April 2016 until 31 March 2017. This is a 7.2% increase to the previous year (2015/16) where there were 129,449 reported crimes within the same time frame. Of these 8,038 crimes were reported in West Berkshire Local Police Area (LPA), a rise of 7.8% on last year. The increase in crime reports is reflected nationally (ONS Crime Survey of England and Wales), and is largely attributed to improvements in compliance with National Crime Recording Standards, following recommendations made by HMIC in 2014. Overall crime levels in Thames Valley still remain low compared with five and ten years ago. There were 66,976 fewer crimes recorded in this timeframe compared with five years ago (205,686), and 8,357 fewer recorded offences compared with ten years ago (147,067). Following the release of the figures, Superintendent Jim Weems, LPA Commander for West Berkshire, said: “Whilst we have seen an increase in overall reports of crime this year, figures remain low per head of population and we have seen a decrease in some key areas. “Our officers continue to work with our communities to put in place simple steps that will help them to protect themselves and their property from becoming victims of crime. “Campaigns such as #Protectyourworld in the Autumn and our February rural crime campaign are good examples of how we have raised awareness and confidence in our communities in reporting incidents to us. “This raised awareness and confidence is reflected in the increases we have seen in reports of crime types such as sexual offences. Despite this increase we know that this remains an under reported crime and we are committed to encouraging people to come forward and report these incidents to us. “Despite some of the increases we have seen this year West Berkshire local police area continues to be a very safe place to live, work and visit and those incidents which do occur are dealt with robustly. “I would like to take this opportunity to thank my staff and our partners for their hard work over this past year and, most importantly, extend my gratitude to our communities for their continued support.”
March Update from PCSO Joanna King:
This month we have had three reported incidents of theft from vehicles parked at Hungerford Common, namely the Denford car park. As the dry sunny weather continues and our beauty spots become busy I reiterate please do not leave valuables in your vehicle and always make sure your vehicle is locked when left unattended. It is the time of year when we have in previous years since an increase in shed breaks. We have so far had one reported in neighbouring Inkpen. Please take the time to check your sheds and outbuildings are secure and gates are padlocked. On a regular basis it is also worth checking that batteries are working in security lights CCTV is recording and pointing in the correct direction. Items that remain attractive to thieves are trailers, STIHL equipment and lawnmowers. Make sure these are security marked and secured at night. Remain vigilant and report to Police any sightings of headlights/ vehicles in fields and persons acting suspiciously. If you would like any further information or advice please contact me on 07814852137 or emailJoanna.king@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk Message sent by
Action Fraud (Action Fraud, Administrator, National) Fraudsters are sending out a high volume of phishing emails to personal and business email addresses, pretending to come from various email addresses, which have been compromised. The subject line contains the recipient’s name, and the main body of text is as below: “Hi, [name]! I am disturbing you for a very serious reason. Although we are not familiar, but I have significant amount of individual info concerning you. The thing is that, most likely mistakenly, the data of your account has been emailed to me. For instance, your address is: [real home address] I am a law-abiding citizen, so I decided to personal data may have been hacked. I attached the file – [surname].dot that I received, that you could explore what info has become obtainable for scammers. File password is – 2811 Best Wishes,” The emails include an attachment – a ‘.dot’ file usually titled with the recipient’s name. This attachment is thought to contain the Banking Trojan Ursniff/Gozi, hidden within an image in the document. The Ursniff Banking Trojan attempts to obtain sensitive data from victims, such as banking credentials and passwords. The data is subsequently used by criminals for monetary gain. Protect Yourself: Having up-to-date virus protection is essential; however it will not always prevent your device(s) from becoming infected. Please consider the following actions:
If you have been affected by this or any other fraud, report it to Action Fraud by calling 0300 123 2040, or visitwww.actionfraud.police.uk. David - Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator Message sent by
Helen Thorne (Police, Communications Officer, Thames Valley) The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Anthony Stansfeld, has launched his new five year Police and Crime Plan for the Thames Valley. The document sets out the priorities for policing and other crime reduction organisations. It consists of five strategic priorities which are:
It was also developed using a broad range of information including academic research, analysis of crime trends and consultation with partners including the police and local authorities. Anthony Stansfeld said: “Demand on policing and community safety issues have changed over the last few years and my new plan reflects this. The Plan focuses on many new and emerging issues for policing but crimes such as household burglary and rural crime will also remain a priority. “Tackling new demand, as well as maintaining support for the investigation of more traditional crimes, won’t be an easy task. However, as recent Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) inspections have shown, Thames Valley Police is a force we can be proud of and I have faith that they will be able to rise to this challenge and continue to safeguard the communities of Thames Valley. “I will now be working closely with partner organisations to understand how they will address the issues identified.” For more information and to view the full Police and Crime Plan visit the PCC website. Earlier this week, Thames Valley Police was pleased to launch their new force website.
This is the culmination of a collaboration project between Thames Valley Police and Hampshire Constabulary, working with the Police ICT Company and the Digital Policing Programme. The design and operation will be a national solution which is expected to be available to all police forces in the coming years. We are grateful to the Alert users who completed our survey in April 2016 which influenced the new site, but also to everyone who has provided feedback during the testing phase. We continue to upload content but trust that users will find this a more resilient and easier to navigate website. It’s a new look, but the address is the same: www.thamesvalley.police.uk - do go and have a look. Message sent by
Lucy Billen (Police, Media Officer, Thames Valley Police) Following the tragic events in London yesterday afternoon, Thames Valley Police would like to remind our communities that the national threat level remains at SEVERE: as it has been since October 2014. This means that an attack is highly likely and we urge the public to be alert but not alarmed. Along with our partners we continue to do everything we can to help protect our communities, public institutions, critical national infrastructure and businesses. We have reviewed our security measures and activities, including those for pre-planned events and in crowded places and there is no intelligence to suggest a specific threat to our communities within the Thames Valley following the terrorist attack in London yesterday. We will continue to provide a visible policing presence across the Thames Valley to provide reassurance to our communities. Today we will be engaging with key community representatives to allay concerns and fears linked to this incident - with a particular focus on supporting our Muslim communities. We will be actively monitoring any incidents of hate crime and will ensure that they are dealt with robustly. Communities defeat terrorism - we depend on information from the public, you are also our eyes and ears, and everyone can play their part in the effort to keep us safe. Please remain vigilant and report any suspicious behaviour or activity to the confidential Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321 or in an emergency call 999. In the rare event of a weapons attack occurring we urge you to follow the Run, Hide, Tell advice. Chief Constable Francis Habgood said: “In light of the tragic incident in London, the cooperation of our communities is more important than ever before. “I would urge you to contact the police straight away if you believe that someone is acting suspiciously. Trust your instincts and let us decide whether the information is important or not. No piece of information is considered too small or insignificant. “I would like to reassure you that Thames Valley Police has reviewed our security measures and there is no specific intelligence to suggest a threat to our communities within Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire. “My officers and staff will continue to provide a visible presence in our communities and we have specialist resources in place to respond in an emergency.” |
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March 2024
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