Once regestered with Spelthorne NHW, we email important information concerning crime within the borough. As this information is area specific, you may not receive all borough events in the in your email.


Neighbourhood alert.

Neighbourhood Alert provides an advanced community messaging system solution for police forces, local authorities and Neighbourhood Watch and has been designed and constructed by VISAV Limited (VISAV), based in Sherwood, Nottingham.

Spelthorne NHW strongly recommend you sign up and join the site.

                                                                      Alert Logo

 


AOL Scam

Scammers are getting more and more sophisticated and bogus emails look very convincing. The one supposedly from Companies has a website link that is almost accurate and you might click on it thinking it is correct. Particularly one supposedly from AOL itself, asking to click on a link to verify GDPR, is very convincing - with all the correct details, references etc etc - but if you look at the originator of the message it is NOT AOL, but someone called "troyrthomas".

With any suspicious email, ALWAYS check the properties or the message source before clicking on any links.This can be done simply by positioning the cursor over the link, without clcking, and checking the URL link which is normally displayed on the bottom of the page.

Bill Cunningham will be giving a presentation on the latest scams and what to look for at the AGM later this month.


Thefts from garages and sheds.

A number of thefts from garages and sheds are being reported across the Ashford Common, Sunbury Common and Charlton areas. Please secure garages and sheds as securely as feasible and also consider registering identifiable property free at www.immobilise.com . If you would like some window stickers to show that you have done this (as a big deterrent) we can send some out to you - so just let us know.


 

Information provided by petrolprices.com

A recent phishing scam aimed at motorists has been illegally trying to steal people’s personal details by sending emails which appear to be from the DVLA, offering a tax refund.

The email contains a message which states that the individual is due a refund of £239.35 as they have overpaid, and can apply for the money they are owed by completing an online form, which they can reach through a link included in the email. It goes on to say that the money will be in their account in 4 – 6 days.

Featuring the DVLA logo, the fonts that the agency uses, and even a sentence about reporting phishing scams, the email looks completely legitimate, which has led to some people clicking on the link and submitting their personal details. Those personal details are then used in various forms of financial and identity fraud, such as new credit card applications or fake passports.

The DVLA have been used to carry out a phishing scam a few times before, in which people were sent emails asking them to confirm their direct debit details, and some individuals received this message via a text to their mobile phone too.

In the past, motorists in Manchester were caught up in a phishing scam due to these emails, which seemed to be from Greater Manchester Police, saying that they had been caught speeding.

The email contained a link which the individual could click on to see photos of them committing the offence, but when they clicked on the link it installed malware onto their computer, which could then access all their personal information.

How to protect yourself

To protect yourself, you should never click on external links which are included in emails, as most companies would not send these out to their customers, and you should only open attachments which come from a reliable source.


BBC1's Fake Britain's just warned of scammers pretending to be Martin Lewis, so how do you spot scams? 

There's only one Martin Lewis - not a football chant - a warning. Fake Britain warned against scammers pretending to be Martin Lewis & MSE with false claims of tax rebates and energy deals. Remember they NEVER call or knock at your door. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Our scam-spotting guide will help - here are 7 key tips...

1. Check if hackers have stolen your data. Find out if passwords, email addresses, your home address, phone numbers or your DOB have been exposed after the big hacks of the last few years (including the high profile LinkedIn warning). Hack check. If they have, change the password there (and anywhere else you use the same).

2. Filter out fake deals in your Facebook feed. Our Deals team uncover many bogus offers popping up on Facebook feeds, eg, Lidl allegedly giving away £80 for its birthday and British Airways offering 100 free flights. They're a con: if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. Here's how to spot Facebook fakery.

3. Apple users' urgent fix to stop crooks hacking into your device. Apple's recently admitted its operating system had a vulnerability making it possible for fraudsters to hack into your iPad/iPhone, to expose personal data (including your financial details). Install its security fix.

4. Add a pin to your SIM, to prevent '£6,000 bills'. If your contract mobile phone's stolen, you'd be shocked how quickly big bills can be run up on it; we reported one victim having massive £6k bills run up.

5. Never give personal details if they call you... even after you've put the phone down. The new scam is 'vishing' (fishing for victims by voice) where callers claim to be from a bank, insurer, energy firm - even the police - and convince you to hand over personal or password details. Cunningly, they ask you to call them back, but they don't put the phone down, so you're still talking to them without realising. So it's always best to call from another phone and independently find the right number - don't rely on the one given. These scammers can be plausible.

6. Where does this www.bbc.co.uk link take you? Not all internet links are genuine - fraudsters exploit this a lot. To find where a link really goes, on a laptop or desktop, hover your mouse over it and read what it says at the bottom of the screen - though sometimes even that's foolable. Always look where you're clicking. (We bet you checked that time.)

7. Ensure you've got antivirus software - some of it is FREE. This is a simple but effective measure. See MSE free antivirus software guide.