There have been some recent burglaries in the Wincanton, Bruton and Castle Cary areas. The offenders are operating at night and are using an open upper window on the ground floor to then open the larger window below and gain access. This is very unusual for this area and would like to reassure you that we are working hard to identify and arrest the culprits.GENERAL:  With the autumn now upon us, we also find that the daylight hours are shortening.  Please think about your security at this time of year.  When you go out, leave lights on a timer in the property to give the impression of someone being home – similarly this can be done with radios left on a talk channel.  Make sure that garden tools, equipment and easily movable objects are packed away securely, secure the shed and ensure that any alarms, lighting etc are working well.

SECURITY ITEMS:  The NHW office at Bridgwater carries stock of items such as timers, personal alarms, UV pens, tax disc holders etc.  Prices are kept as low as possible to give schemes largest benefit – details of items stocked and order forms are available from the NHW office (as above).

If you have any information about suspicious incidents or activity please telephone the police on the general number 101.  Please remember to ask the call handler to mark, or tag, your call `NHW’ (Neighbourhood Watch).
F505

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22 August 2011

This is an important message for the information of all Watch Schemes.From 19th September you will be able to contact Avon and Somerset Police by calling us on 101.

Part of a national programme to make it easier for you to contact your local police, 101 will be used for non-emergencies such as:
?       reporting a crime
?       contacting local officers
?       getting crime prevention advice
?       making us aware of policing issues in your local area
?       making an appointment with a police officer
?       for any other non-emergency

Key Facts
.       101 will not replace 999, which will continue to be used for emergencies.
.       It will replace our existing 0845 number, although there will be a 3-month period when both numbers will be available.
.       If you are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired, you can textphone us on 18001 101
.       Calls to 101 from landlines and mobiles cost 15 pence per call, no matter what time of day you call or how long your call lasts.

999 should be used for an emergency, when a crime is happening, someone suspected of a crime is nearby, someone is injured, being threatened or in danger.

Reminders will be sent out as we get closer to the launch date of 19 September

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31 March 2011

We have received a number calls advising that there is a company calling themselves CIS, making telephone calls in order to arrange appointment for their representatives to visit and discuss home security at a cost of £1.

CIS have advised us that they are not using this method for making appointments and we would advise that you do not give out any personal information over the telephone.

The calls seem to be targeted at the more elderly members of the community, and we would ask if you could check if any of your vulnerable neighbours have received calls, and that they do not sign up to anything they are not happy with.
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Wednesday 24 November 2010.

 Please be aware of the following scam.

A card is posted through your door from a company called PDS (Parcel Delivery Service) suggesting that they were unable to deliver a parcel and that you need to contact them on 0906 6611911 (a Premium rate number).
DO NOT call this number, as this is a mail scam originating from Belize.
If you call the number and you start to hear a recorded message you will already have been billed £315 for the phone call.

If you do receive a card with these details, then please contact Royal Mail Fraud on 020 7239 6655.

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A very convincing SCAM
Sunday, 7 November, 2010

If any of your neghbours do not have internet PLEASE pass this info on as it is VERY IMPORTANT.

This has been passed on via another Force area through our own Fraud Department In Wiltshire Constabulary, and it is a very convincing SCAM. We have been asked to disseminate the information as widely and as quickly as we can through Neighbourhood Watch, School Safe and others.

This one is pretty slick since they provide YOU with all the information, except the one piece they want. Note, the callers do not ask for your card number; they already have it. This information is worth reading. By understanding how the VISA & MasterCard Telephone Credit Card Scam works, you’ll be better prepared to protect yourself.. One of our employees was called on Wednesday from “VISA”, and I was called on Thursday from “MasterCard”. The scam works like this: Person calling says, “This is (name), and I’m calling from the Security and Fraud Department at VISA. My badge number is 12460. Your card has been flagged for an unusual purchase pattern, and I’m calling to verify. This would be on your VISA card which was issued by (name of bank) did you purchase an Anti-Telemarketing Device for £497.99 from a Marketing company based in London ?” When you say “No”, the caller continues with, “Then we will be issuing a credit to your account. This is a company we have been watching and the charges range from £297 to £497, just under the £500 purchase pattern that flags most cards. Before your next statement, the credit will be sent to (gives you your address), is that correct?” You say “yes”. The caller continues – “I will be starting a fraud investigation. If you have any questions, you should call the 0800 number listed on the back of your card (0800-VISA) and ask for Security. You will need to refer to this Control Number. The caller then gives you a 6 digit number. “Do you need me to read it again?”

Here’s the IMPORTANT part on how the scam works the caller then says, “I need to verify you are in possession of your card.” He’ll ask you to “turn your card over and look for some numbers.” There are 7 numbers; the first 4 are part of your card number, the next 3 are the security numbers that verify you are the possessor of the card. These are the numbers you sometimes use to make Internet purchases to prove you have the card. The caller will ask you to read the 3 numbers to him. After you tell the caller the 3 numbers, he’ll say, “That is correct, I just needed to verify that the card has not been lost or stolen, and that you still have your card. Do you have any other questions?” After you say, “No,” the caller then thanks you and states, “Don’t hesitate to call back if you do”, and hangs up You actually say very little, and they never ask for or tell you the Card number .

But after we were called on Wednesday, we called back within 20 minutes to ask a question. Are we glad we did! The REAL VISA Security Department told us it was a scam and in the last 15 minutes a new purchase of £497.99 was charged to our card. Long story – short – we made a real fraud report and closed the VISA account. VISA is reissuing us a new number. What the scammers want is the 3-digit PIN number on the back of the card. Don’t give it to them . Instead, tell them you’ll call VISA or MasterCard directly for verification of their conversation. The real VISA told us that they will never ask for anything on the card as they already know the information since they issued the card! If you give the scammers your 3 Digit PIN Number, you think you’re receiving a credit. However, by the time you get your statement you’ll see charges for purchases you didn’t make, and by then it’s almost too late and/or more difficult to actually file a fraud report.

What makes this more remarkable is that on Thursday, I got a call from a “Jason Richardson of MasterCard” with a word-for-word repeat of the VISA scam. This time I didn’t let him finish I hung up! We filed a police report, as instructed by VISA. The police said they are taking several of these reports daily! They also urged us to tell everybody we know that this scam is happening .

If you see somebody suspicious in your neighbourhood do not hesitate to use the 999 number. Please report the activity as soon as it is noticed.

If you have information about any crime, phone the police on 0845 456 7000
or you can call anonymously to the independent charity CRIMESTOPPERS 0800 555 111. For general information about Neighbourhood Watch nationally see the www.mynhw.co.uk website

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Charlton Musgrove’s Neighbourhood watch contact is Pene Volk
Tel: 01963 32013