09 Jan Latest Local Crime Data and Scams Advice
Dear Residents
Hope you had a nice Christmas and happy New Year.
Please find below the crime record for the period from 16th December to 31st December 2022 .
Unfortunately, over the last two weeks of the year there’s been a bit of a rise in burglary and thefts of vehicle. I’ve always thought that timer switches are a good idea at all times of year but particularly if you are out during the late afternoon and/or evening during winter. This is because a house in darkness when it’s dark is a strong indicator the house may be unoccupied. It’s also beginning to look like scooters along with high value cars are becoming popular targets for thieves. If possible, try and keep your scooter in the garage or the back garden. Good to see no thefts from motor vehicle and only one vehicle interference. This shows the importance removing valuable items from vehicles prior to leaving them unattended.
Good to see that we didn’t have any incidents relating to drunk revelry that can affect a lot of other areas.
On the community engagement side, I had a very enjoyable visit to the St Mary’s Church Community Café Christmas party. PC Hartley and I held a resident’s surgery at Shortlands Library on New Year’s Eve morning. Sadly no one came to see us.
We’re holding a Cuppa with a Copper session at Costa Coffee, Westmoreland Road on Saturday 14/01/23 from 4pm to 5pm and another surgery at the library from 10am to 11am on Saturday 04/02/23. Hope to see some of you there.
Thanks as always for your help and support.
Adam
Adam CHARLES | PCSO 7572PY | Albemarle House SNT Base
Shortlands Dedicated Ward Officer
SHORTLANDS CRIME RECORD 16/12/2022 -31/12/2022
Vehicle Interference:
- 15/12/22-16/12/22. Overnight. Farnaby Road. Suspect(s) entered vehicle and attempted to break steering lock. Also rifled through glovebox and door pockets. Nothing stolen.
Theft of Motor Vehicle:
- 08/12/22 Late afternoon-16/12/22 Mid afternoon. Gardener’s van stolen from Highfield Road after being left parked in street due to bad weather.
- 19/12/22 Mid evening. Scotts Lane. Vehicle stolen from driveway.
- 21/12/22 Late morning. Highland Road. Van stolen from outside block of flats while victim was delivering parcels. Thinks keys may have been taken from his pocket by male who bumped into him in the flats.
- 21/12/22 Late evening. Hayes Way. Scooter stolen from driveway. Recovered in Forest Hill by victim using tracker.
- 24/12/22. Mid morning. Hayes Way. Scooter stolen from driveway.
Burglary:
- 19/12/22 Late evening- 20/12/22 early morning. Wickham Way. Door of outbuilding forced open. Electric scooters stolen.
- 22/12/22. Early morning. Beckenham Lane. Window of café rammed by car. Suspect(s) carried out untidy search. Nothing stolen as no cash kept on premises overnight.
- 22/12/22. Late morning- early evening. Shortlands Road. First floor flat broken into after suspect(s) climbed on to balcony. Glass in back door smashed and key left in door use to gain access. Following an untidy search of the main bedroom a large amount of cash was stolen
- 26/12/22. Late evening. Farnaby Road. Suspect ran into house while victim was taking out rubbish. Stole handbag containing car keys before stealing car.
Cycle Theft:
- 31/12/22. Mid afternoon. Bromley Road. Bicycle stolen from storage cupboard in block of flats.
From Bromley Neighbourhood Watch Association:
BROMLEY TRADING STANDARDS – ALERT!
Bromley Trading Standards urges you to be aware of missed parcel scam texts that claim to be from Royal Mail or other well-known delivery businesses but, in reality, are an attempt to obtain your personal details and ultimately your money. So:
- Don’t click on the link;
- Report the text by forwarding the message to 7726;
- Delete the text.
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has the following advice:
Report a Scam Text Message – NCSC.GOV.UK
Advice on avoiding banking malware – NCSC.GOV.UK
Report a suspicious website – NCSC.GOV.UK
Visit Which? for more information on messages purportedly coming from the Post Office:
Protect others by reporting incidents:
- If you gave your bank details, contact your bank as soon as possible by calling 159;
- Report to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or visit the Action Fraud website;
- Visit the Citizens Advice website for help and advice or call 0808 223 1133;
- Forward suspicious email to: report@phishing.gov.uk.
NB: Alert! updates are now posted directly to the LBB Website. Please tell your family, friends, neighbours, colleagues, groups and members. To read the latest and receive Alert! direct, visit: https://www.bromley.
BROMLEY CYBER CRIME SUMMARY – NOVEMBER 2022
- Number of Offences = 151
- Total Loss = £906,650
- Average per Victim = £6,004
- Top 5 by Volume (number of reports) and type of Fraud:
- Online Shopping and Auctions – 26 – £21,373
- Push Payment -14 – £170,448
- Other Advance Fee Frauds – 12 – £8,262
- Hacking (Social Media & e-mail) – 9 – £0
- Cheque, Plastic Card and Online Bank Accounts -9 – £146,272
ABOUT NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH
- 80% of Watch members think their area is a place where people look after each other;
- 77% of Watch members think people who live in their area trust one another;
- 73% of Watch members are satisfied with their personal safety;
- 71% of Watch members think their area has a close, tight-knit community.
Neighbourhood Watch came to the UK 40 years ago. It became the voice of communities, working with the police to make criminals’ jobs harder and continues to be instrumental in reducing crime. Neighbours looking out for each other is critical to helping people feel safer and a key strength of Neighbourhood Watch. Volunteers are the local bridge between the police and residents; a vital source of information for people needing help to keep themselves safe. What they do varies depending on what is needed. Neighbourhood Watch has traditionally been associated with burglary prevention but, these days, Watch groups help prevent a much wider array of crimes such as fraud, street harassment, car theft, and can signpost people to report domestic abuse, county lines or terrorism.
TIPS TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM SCAMS
SAFE SCAMS – Fraudsters use the word ‘safe’ to convince you to transfer your money into a ‘Safe Account’ by falsely claiming your bank account has been compromised. Your Bank will never ask you to transfer money to another account. Fraudsters will state the new account is in your name when it is not. These scams often begin with an apparently genuine phone call or text, as scammers use “spoofing” to clone the number or sender ID of a trusted organisation. This is a regular tactic fraudsters use to steal your money.
CRYPTOCURRENCY SCAMS – You may be offered tempting opportunities to invest in cryptocurrencies and scammers try to convince you to register for cryptocurrency websites. Conduct your own research before investing. If you wish to invest, seek an opinion from a qualified financial advisor and check the FCA warning list.
INVESTMENT SCAMS – are where scammers attempt to impersonate financial institutions by creating websites that appear to be genuine and contain information on high-return investment opportunities. If you are looking to invest, check the FCA website and use their register to ensure the investment is legitimate.
REMEMBER:
- Always check the amount and bank details on invoices before making payment;
- If in doubt, call the company or person you intend to pay;
- Be sure to call the number displayed on the secure website;
- Never send money to someone you have just met, especially online;
- Never share personal information with someone you have just met, especially online;
- No trusted organisation will call you to ask for your PIN, passwords or to transfer money;
- Stop and think before accepting a call or responding to an email or SMS.