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CRIME ALERTS

November/December Alerts 2008
June Alerts 2008


November/December Alerts 2008

Tips to secure your home this Christmas
Good home security is the best way to reduce your chances of being burgled. The following tips may assist you in avoiding becoming a victim.

• Fit security lighting, either dusk to dawn energy efficient lighting that will come on automatically as dusk sets in, or a passive infra-red (PIR) light that will draw attention to movement.

• Use an automatic time switch on an indoor light, either in a room that cannot be peered into from the road, or upstairs. Consider drawing the curtains if you are in a room with the lights switched on. Regularly change the timing on the switch.

• Put a time switch on a radio that has been tuned to a chat station, this will give the impression that the house is occupied. Again, regularly change the timing on the switch.

• Property mark your valuables. Where possible, do not leave items on show, which can be seen, from the street. Register your property free of charge at www.immobilise.com.

• Secure windows, paying particular attention to those on the ground floor and above flat roof areas. Always use locks and bolts and keep all your keys, including car keys, out of sight and out of reach.

• Ensure that gates or access to the rear of the house are locked and secure. Don't forget to lock your shed; your tools can be used to break in.

• Trim overgrown plants - don't give burglars a hiding place.

• Intruder alarms are an effective deterrent against burglars. Before choosing a system ensure it is the one most suitable for your needs.

• Trust your instincts. If you think a crime is about to happen or is in progress dial 999.

If you require any further advice visit:
www.crimereduction.gov.uk or www.homeoffice.gov.uk

Don't Give Criminals a Happy Christmas
With the Christmas holidays fast approaching here are some handy crime prevention tips.

Christmas is the time of year when people are rushing around town centres and then storing gifts in their homes. Criminals take advantage at Christmas and use this opportunity to strike.

Out shopping

• Beware of pickpockets. Stay alert and keep your bags close to you.

• Don't carry too much cash on you.

• Be alert at cash machines and keep your PIN number secure.

• If travelling by car, park in a well-lit area, lock all doors and windows and don't leave anything in view.

At home

• Keep presents out of sight until last thing on Christmas Eve.

• Empty boxes outside your home advertise that you have new goods inside - dispose of packaging carefully.

• All mobile phones, pedal cycles and any other items of property that has a serial number should be registered free of charge on the Immobilise website www.Immobilise.com

Going out

• Use an automatic timer for lights and turn on the radio to make it look like someone is home.

• Close your curtains or blinds at night.

• Always remember to lock all your doors and windows.

• If you are going away for a longer period of time, ask a trusted neighbour to keep an eye on the house.

Out on the town

• Don't leave bags unattended or over the backs of chairs.

• Always use a licensed minicab, taxi or night bus to get home safely.

• Don't drink too much - you could become an easy target for thieves.

• Always keep your mobile phone secure.

Have a happy and crime-free Christmas. Crime Prevention advice can be obtained from our website www.met.police.uk/croydon or from www.cbnwa.com

Beware of Bogus Charity Collections!
Trading Standards are warning the public to be wary of bogus charity clothing collections. Many genuine charities rely on such doorstep collections for a substantial proportion of their shop sales therefore by donating the items to these bogus charities, the genuine one will lose out.

We have had reports of householders receiving flyers through their letterboxes appealing for donations of unwanted clothes, footwear and sometimes other household and electrical items to be distributed to poor individuals and families in Eastern European or third world countries.

Consumers are asked to leave the goods in a plastic bag by the front door. These are later collected anonymously. The flyers are misleading as they give the impression that the items are being collected for charitable purposes. However, it seems that these collections are organised by commercial operators who sell the items for profit.

The flyer gives reference to a registration number, which people may think is that of a Registered Charity but is in fact a company number.

If the householder has any doubts about a leaflet asking for donations, they should:

• Contact the Charity Commission via their website www.charity-commission.gov.uk/ to check whether the collection is on behalf of a registered charity

• Contact the Advertising Standards Authority www.asa.org.uk to stop this type of misleading advertising

• Give donations direct to a local charity shop instead or donate to a charity shop collection sack. These should make clear reference to the charity registration number and many may carry the Association of Charity Shops Kitemark.

It can be difficult to track down the perpetrators and the best curb on such collections is to alert public that such practices of unscrupulous individuals and companies deprive genuine charities of their much needed income.

Number Plate Thefts
There has been a marked increase in thefts of vehicle registration plates this week, presumably for use in avoiding the Congestion Charge or speed cameras. Penalty Charge Notices will be sent direct to the registered keeper so if you are a victim of this type of theft you must report the theft to the Police immediately.

Anti theft screws can often be obtained from a local hardware store, you should ask for 'clutch head screws No.10 x ¾" stainless steel self tapping security screws with button head'. They can also be obtained on the internet from www.safe-plates.com where they cost £2.50 a set plus delivery. There is also a motoring store called Gasoline Alley at 50, Streatham High Road, SW16 1DA who can supply 'Richbrook' anti theft screws with a special unlocking key so that they can be removed by the owner, these cost £6.99 for six screws.

Crime Prevention Phone Calls
Information has come from from Kent Police that a company has been making phone calls in their area close to the Met Police boundary claiming that they are crime prevention officers and giving a hard sell of their products. The company is known to Trading Standards and has apparently targeted the Kent area twice already this year and is trying to arrange home visits to sell their products by increasing the fear of crime amongst the elderly. There is a worry that they may move into the local area in the future.

If any telephone salesmen contact you regarding installation of alarms etc please ask if the company is a member of the British Security Industry Association who vet and monitor all their members very closely for any breach of their membership conditions. (See: www.bsia.co.uk). There is also NACOSS operated by the National Security Inspectorate whose 'Gold' is the highest standard of approval for companies. (See www.nsi.org.uk). The SSAIB run by the Security Systems and Alarms Inspection Board is a non-profit company, which encourages high standards in the security industry. (See: www.ssaib.co.uk). All the above websites have a facility to check whether a company is a registered member of their organization. Alarms bought from any member of these organizations will have the backing of the registering body in the event of any problems.

Bogus Callers
Trading standards are warning of bogus traders who are cold calling homeowners in Croydon to discuss wall coatings that were applied some years previously. The rogues claim that the original wall coatings were substandard and that they are able to rectify the original works - for a fee. This fee then escalates and residents have been left out of pocket with no redress because the traders have provided false contact details.

DO NOT FALL FOR THIS SCAM
For details of a reputable trader contact www.trustmark.org.uk

Trading Standards Advice

Is there anything I can do to check callers' identities?
Trading standards advice is not to buy goods or services from doorstep callers. However, if you are interested in the goods or services on offer you should check the identity of your caller and obtain a quote which you can then compare against those of other traders. Most reputable companies ensure that their representatives carry photo identification. Check that the person is the same as the one in the photo. ID cards or badges usually carry a phone number you can use to contact the company, but Trading Standards advice is to check the number in the phone book or yellow pages before you ring to confirm that it's genuine.

Remember:
Always ask to see identification and check it carefully. If in doubt CLOSE your door and call your utility company to confirm. Genuine callers will not object to having their identity confirmed.

Remember if you have any doubts at all about the trader who calls on you; do not do business with him. If you receive a visit from someone you are suspicious about please tell us so that we can take appropriate action. You can notify trading standards by calling them on: 0845 404 0506.

Email Scams
Warning: The con men are keeping right up to date with a bogus email claiming to be from the Financial Services Authority saying that they are collecting a countrywide banking database for security 'purpose'. They say that the activity is to protect all UK banking 'customers'. There is a link, which claims to send you to the 'Enrol online programme', but this in fact leads to a Website in Germany. The email also tries to frighten victims by warning that the programme will support you from being excluded by your bank database. An obvious scam to collect banking logon details from unsuspecting victims.

A scam email offer of extra income from John Duff who claims to be HR head at 'Dove Fabrics Ltd' based in the UK who requires a representative in the UK to receive payments. Cheques would be sent to you for you to cash and then keep 10% for yourself and forward the balance direct to Dove Fabrics. This appears to be a scam for money laundering or sending you forged cheques, which would bounce several weeks after you send your own cash to the company. There are reports of this as a bogus email on the Internet.

The Nigerian 419 scams continue with emails from Mary Mulla and Williams Uvah who both wish to send large sums of cash to you if you give them details of your bank account!

Another scam concerning Barrister Felox has been reported. Apparently he also has some eight million US dollars to send you via TNT delivery service but you need to send a security fee of $150 to claim your ATM card, which is hidden in a magazine! If you send the cash you will never hear from them again.

There has been a fresh attempt at using the HM Revenue and Customs name to obtain banking details, with a message claiming that a refund of 209.40 GBP is waiting for you. As usual a link is provided for you to click on and give your banking details, which leads to a website in Houston, Texas. HM Customs and Revenue NEVER send out such emails.

A new hoax email is now circulating in several variations claiming that The Post Office are asking you to specially ask for religious Christmas stamps as they are trying to reduce the sales of these stamps! This has been strenuously denied by the Post Office and it appears to be a sick attempt at stirring up the feeling of religious discrimination against Christians.

Yet more bank phishing emails have been reported with Alliance and Leicester claiming that now that Alliance & Leicester have been taken over by Santander you must register your account by clicking on the link provided to allow an easy merger! The link in fact leads to a website called cyberstar.gr with a server in the UK. There is also another email claiming that a recent upgrade requires you to confirm your bank details; this link leads to a site owned by a Russian company with the server in Dallas Texas.

There has been a massive increase in Nigerian scams this week with Mr. David Mark the Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria who has 1.8 million USD which he wishes to transfer to you via an ATM card so he needs your personal details. Barrister Mark Randy also has 1.5 million USD to send you via Western Union; again he needs your personal details. A John Adams has $2 million to send via FedEx but delivery was refused to an incorrect address so he needs $185 from you to arrange its re-delivery. Also Mr. Jones Darry of FedEx West Africa Office has a package containing a bank draft and he requires $200 for a security fee.

The Xmas Bonanza lotteries have started with emails from Catherine Nola who has $4 million to send if you contact her. 'Barclays Premiership Promotions' have £470000 which has been awarded to your email address and which requires you to contact them on a hotmail address. Finally the 'Iwon Promo Board' has awarded you $450 thousand via an ATM card and Barrister Peter Collins requires all your personal details to send this to you.

There has also been reported an attempt to hijack your email account so that it can be used as a spambot from the 'Account Update Team' at mail2world.com who require you to give them your login name and security password etc due to spam emails having been sent from your account.

June Alerts 2008

When did you last speak to your Neighbours? 
A new poll from the BBC suggests we are fast becoming a nation of strangers. Half of Britons have said hello to fewer than half a dozen people in their street in the last week, a survey for BBC Breakfast has suggested.

And one in ten of those questioned for the programme by ICM Research spoke to no-one.

More than a fifth (22%) of Britons believe that the UK's neighborhoods are becoming less friendly.

But there is a slightly brighter picture in Scotland and the English midlands. ICM found that more than a third (35%) of Scots had said hello to between six and 10 of their neighbours in a week. Just under a third (28%) of people living in the Midlands had done the same.

Three years ago neighbourhoodwatch.net took part in a survey that compared Neighbourhood Watch members with members of the public. Our results showed that Watch members appeared to get on much better with their neighbours.

More than 90% of Watch members said they regularly spoke to their neighbours at least once a week. Over half of all members (56%) said they were on excellent terms with their neighbour.

Worryingly, when members of the public were interviewed, eight per cent admitted they would not be able to tell whether an intruder in their garden was their neighbour or not.

New Scam?
The Croham Safer Neighbourhood Team have reported that a lady in their Ward has received a note pushed through her door saying that there has been a mistake and a parcel would be delivered to her address. The parcel would be addressed to a David Edwards. The note requested that she take the parcel in and then telephone Mr. Edwards on his mobile phone. Shortly afterwards the postman knocked as he had three parcels for Mr. Edwards. The lady refused them as she did not know what they contained. The postman said don't worry we have a sack full of these parcels that have been refused - they contain mobile phones.

Later that day a big-built African male, approx 5' 10" tall, with short black hair wearing a purple t-shirt, and approx 35 years old called. He was accompanied by an African female, also well built and about 5' 07" tall, approx 40 years old wearing a denim t-shirt with "If your single I am hot" written on the front. The lady explained that she had not taken delivery of the parcels and the post office had taken them back. 

The Safer Neighbourhood Team advice is not to sign for anything if it is not yours and you do not know what it contains. If the lady had signed for the phones and then handed them over she could have been invoiced for them and as she had signed for the she would have had to pay. They could also possibly be stolen goods obtained by 'cardholder not present' fraud.

In Shirley, a member received a telephone which she signed for; luckily she contacted the Neighbourhood Watch Office and has now managed to return the phone. Trading Standards and the Shirley Safer Neighbourhood Team are now aware. There is obviously a scam operating in the area so if you receive a note through your door or any similar parcel please refuse delivery.

Crime Hotspots
There has been a sudden rise in theft from motor vehicles in the Town centre area with afternoon or night time thefts from vehicles, by smashing windows, in the town centre car parks.  As always, do not leave sat navs, laptops and mobile phones etc on view.

Message from the Borough Commander
Borough Commander Ch Supt Mark Gore said "The release of the Metropolitan Police Annual crime stats show that Croydon is getting safer. Over the last year there have been 923 less victims of crime. Violent Crime has for the 3rd year in succession fallen. There are now 2092 less victims of violence than there were three years ago. These encouraging figures are testament to the hard work and dedication shown by everyone on this Borough. Burglary continues to be a priority crime and although we have seen an increase in the number of offences compared to last year, we are solving more crimes with 201 more crimes detected; this can be seen in the success of Operation Safer Homes launched last November. Since the beginning of the operation over 120 arrests have been made. Our challenges ahead for the forthcoming year are youth violence, anti social behaviour and burglary which will remain our priorities. We will continue to work in partnership with the local authority to reduce crime in Croydon."

Metropolitan Police Service details used by internet lottery fraudsters
Currently one of the most common types of fraud are lottery scams. You will receive a letter or email stating you are the winner of a lottery of which you were unaware and had not bought a ticket. To corroborate the win, the fraudsters will often attach a certificate, letter or other correspondence to prove its validity. Recently this has included naming members of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) as providing such an authentication. The Metropolitan Police would never support or substantiate any lottery wins or other financial windfalls. Once the fraudsters have you hooked, they move on to demand a fee to release the winnings.

Remember, if it looks too good to be true it probably is!

Bogus Tradesmen
Information comes from Croydon Trading Standards regarding bogus tradesmen; last week police spoke to a customer of the Nationwide in George Street at the request of the branch manager. The customer had been drawing out large sums of money on a regular basis and it transpired she was having building work done at her house. The manager suspected she was being ripped off.

We attended and spoke to the customer who is an elderly lady; she has some estimates /quotes from the man who was described as a roofing contactor. It appeared she might have been overcharged for the work shown. She stated she was satisfied with his work and did not wish to make any complaint.

If the workman is a 'rogue trader' she may well get a re visit as he probably knows she has a substantial amount of money in her account. If you know of any family member or elderly neighbour who may be targeted by these people please keep a lookout for anyone cold calling who may be trying to extract money in this way. If you have any worries, contact the police or Trading Standards, details are below:

Fair Trading Officer, Consumer Affairs, Trading Standards
Taberner House, Park Lane, Croydon CR9 3BT.
020 8407 1310 or fax 020 8760 5786

Protect Your SatNav
In-car satellite navigation systems are the new "must have" for motorist and for thieves. Croydon police has noticed an increase in these types of thefts and believe they are going to be on increase as more people invest in them.

Hiding the system in the glove box or under the seat is simply not enough - this is the first place thieves will look if they break into your vehicle.

Satellite navigation systems are small, hand-held devices that are easily transportable - take them with you when you leave your vehicle, as you would the fascia of your car stereo. Consider placing a prominent notice in your car stating that the system has been removed

Where possible, do not even leave the cradle for the system on display and remember to wipe clean the mark left on the windscreen where the cradle was. If you have to leave the cradle for the system in your car, make sure it is marked overtly with poster or UV paint.

Mark your Satellite navigation system with your postcode and house number or your vehicle registration number, using special UV security markers. These pens are readily available from any good hardware store.

Never leave anything on view in your car. Thieves are opportunist; make sure to always lock all doors, windows and sunroofs. The effects of having your vehicle broken into is not only time consuming but can also increase the cost of your car insurance.

Thefts of Catalytic Converters
Thefts of catalytic converters in the South of the Borough and in the neighbouring Surrey Police area have re-started with a gang operating overnight, stealing the catalytic converters from underneath Ford Transit vans and other large vehicles such as 4 x4's where it is easy to get underneath the vehicle without using a jack. They use pipe cutters to avoid making any noise, if you see or hear anything suspicious involving these types of vehicles do not approach the vehicle but call 999, if any vehicles are seen to be involved a note of the registration number will greatly help the Police.

With the cost of Fuel increasing, it is worth considering your Vehicle Security

Be aware of where you park your vehicle - is it well-lit?
Remove any valuable items from your vehicle
Always secure your vehicle, set your alarm and immobilizer
Be aware of who is around you when you park your vehicle
To deter the theft of Number Plates, consider fitting vandal resistant screws (available through most automotive stores)
For further information on vehicle security products please visit: www.soldsecure.com
For further information on crime prevention, please visit www.crimereduction.gov.uk or www.homeoffice.gov.uk

Email Alerts
A Neighbourhood Watch member has asked us to remind members that there is a problem with the Adobe Flash player which is used by an increasing number of web sites. The older version which is 9.0.115.0 can allow a website with malicious code to install a keylogger on your machine. You can visit the Adobe website HERE to get the latest update Version: 9.0.124.0 which stops this vulnerability. Untick the Google Toolbar (If you don't want it and don't already have it) and click install - accept the Active X install on the next page (a bar will appear at the top of the screen; right click on it and select Install).

A phishing attempt on PayPal with an amateurish email claiming that you have added a second email address and you must click on the link to confirm has been reported. This leads to a hijacked website in Taiwan, the owners are aware as they have put up a special page warning that they did not send the original email.

One Neighbourhood Watch member has reported that they received an email from Manchester City Council (part of the email address refers to Washington.edu which the University in Washington USA? The message is headed 'You've Won (Congratulations)' and states that you have won the Manchester City Council Lottery Bonanza which is worth three million pounds. This appears to be an attempt at a scam to obtain a processing fee and/or personal ID details.

Another member has received an email from 'The Catholic Church of Italy' a Rev Doni Vinocci is pleased to inform you that you have been picked by the Board of Trustees to receive a personal grant/donation of 650,000 US dollars for your educational and business development. The Church is given out 100 donations of this amount every year which will 'undermining your religion'!! There is an email address to claim your cash on gmail.com where no doubt you will be asked for a processing fee.

A hoax email headed 'Virus warning POSTCARD' was first circulated in 2007 and has now been re-circulated. It warns of a virus called Postcard which burns your hard disc and asks you to forward it to everyone. Please delete immediately as it is not true!

A Neighbourhood Watch member has received an email headed 'Your email was selected' from the Online Lottery Award 2008. It claims that you have won £500,000 and you should contact Mr. Stephen Mario of the claims dept and give your personal details to claim your money. It is the usual scam to obtain your ID details.

Another Neighbourhood Watch member has received an email headed 'Please pass this on to everyone you know with a mobile phone - not a joke'. This email claims that there is a fraud company calling to check your mobile line and asking you to press 90 or 09 and then they can make calls at your expense. This is an old hoax from America in 1989, with this version dating from 2004, and can only work on old style American company PBX systems so please do not forward this to anyone else.

Banks continue to be targeted with emails from HSBC claiming a software update which requires you to click on a link. There is also an email from Royal Bank of Scotland claiming that a response to your recent inquiry can be accessed through a secure online session if you click on the link; both of these have now been closed down by the banks. There has also been a second RBS email claiming that the bank is shutting down some accounts due to complaints of unauthorized use. There is a link which takes you to an official looking page asking for your log in details, the site belongs to a 'Clinicmister.info' in Germany. 

Another email has been reported from NatWest which confirms a recent change to  personal details, and requesting that you click on a link and log into your secure profile if you did not wish to change these details. The link leads to a website owned by the Tasking Company in the Virgin Islands with a server in the USA. Another rather amateurish email from NatWest requiring you to log in and complete the 'Natwest online Form' to keep your account secure has been reported. The link leads to a website owned by Eurodns S.A. in Luxemburg with a server in Japan.

NatWest has also been targeted by an email claiming that there has been unauthorized use of your account and asking you to click on the link which leads to a website 'Tsn.cc' owned by Saunders Properties Pty in New South Wales, Australia, possibly another hijacked website.

An email has targeted NatWest Bank, warning that you have not yet renewed you Nat West Bank Online Branch and you need to validate your email address, there is the usual link to click on which leads to a website called buakaew.com in Thailand.A phishing email from 'Email Manager' at account.com has been reported headed 'Cancellation of Email Account Notice' warning that they are upgrading their database and if you do not confirm your identity within three days you will loose your account permanently. You are required to give full personal details including your email password! This would enable them to clone your ID and also access your email account.

A phishing email for Halifax has been discovered claiming that during their scheduled account maintenance a slight error has been found in your billing information. The link provided leads to a Russian website called SOS Norway which then redirects your browser to another site in Russia. The Abbey has also targeted with a poorly written email claiming that there has been unusual activity in your account so you must click on the link provided; the link has now been closed down by the bank.

One circulation has been reported from Abbey regarding a scheduled upgrade which requires you to click on the link provided. The writer appears a little confused as the message keeps referring to Abbey National Ltd rather than the new Abbey name which is used at the top of the message.

Another email has been reported from Halifax warning that you have one new security message alert and should log into your account to resolve the problem. The link provided leads to a website owned by amprnet.org in Puerto Rico and as usual asks for your password, etc. Halifax has also been targeted with a 'Message Alert - error detected in your account information' due to an error on their server. The link leads to a possibly hijacked genuine site owned by SOS Children's Village in Norway with the server operating in Russia.

A new phishing email has been reported for Cahoot which informs you that they are unable to verify your account. There is a link to click on to give your banking details which leads to a website owned by xiaowen in China with the server running in the USA.

Another new phishing message has been discovered supposedly from BT which informs you that 'you're billing informations are out of order' and if you fail to update your record your account will be suspended. The link leads to a website owned by Radiogarin in the USA. The webpage is carefully put together using parts of the genuine BT site and attempts to obtain your full personal details, including mother's maiden name and your date of birth together with your credit card details. The ideal fraudster's method to clone your ID and also use your credit card online!

Another money laundering email has been reported offered this week by a 'David Robben' headed 'Looking for a great personal assistant' which entails receiving and making payments also receive and forward letters for which you will receive lucrative pay! There has been a short news item recently regarding one of the spammers who send out this type of email being found guilty by the New York County Court and he is now awaiting sentence.

Another email states a Mr. Maxwell Cole is offering you fifteen million US dollars which he has found in Dubai and asks you to contact him to arrange transfer; no doubt he will require you to send him cash first so that he can make the arrangements.

A new variation on the Nigerian 419 scam has been discovered with an email from Mrs. Smith headed 'Hello can you handle this' asking if you can accept five million US dollars as the next of kin of a deceased businessman from America who was killed in air crash. The email asks for your full names, mobile and home phone numbers, profession, age and country of residence. If you contact Karen Smith she will inform you of how the money can be released to you, no doubt involving you send a fee to her first!

An email from a 'Carl Davis' who claims to be the personnel manager of 'Gifts for charity' who needs a reliable person to help transfer money to donors in other countries has been reported. Apparently, you will get 10% of any donation! The email asks for personal details and is apparently an attempt to clone your ID. Another email has been spotted supposedly from 'Asda Sweepstakes' offers you a chance to win £500 Asda vouchers. The link provided has now been closed down but there is an address given for Los Angeles USA and another website which has also been shut down.

Bogus Callers
Please be aware that in a recent burglary items of Croydon Council uniform have been stolen. The clothing was used by a housing caretaker and three purple coloured council warden coats together with a council handheld radio were taken. These items may be used to commit bogus caller offences.

In the Shirley area a male was woken by three white males who claimed that they were from Thames Water and that there had been an explosion in the sewer. They looked around his flat and said they would return later. Later property was discovered to be missing and it appears that a key was being kept outside the back door which the suspects had used to enter the property. There have been reports of a team of three white males working all over South London; approx. 25 years of age with Irish accents; one suspect described as having a 'moon' face with a blank expression. This is very similar to the description of the three males in Shirley.

A Neighbourhood Watch member has reported a male door-stepping in South Croydon warning residents that a team of inspectors will be doing a property survey in the area. He sounded official and asked for a phone number to make an appointment for the inspector to call. He then left a leaflet about a free exterior wall assessment. The leaflet has the name of 'Apex Direct Promotions Ltd', which is a registered company. This sounds like high pressure salesmen attempting to make sales.

A white male called on a very elderly female victim stating that he needed to work on a tree in the back garden as it was damaging the neighbour's fence. He took the victim to look at the tree and made an appointment to return later. While the victim was distracted another suspect entered unseen into the victim's bedroom and stole a large amount of cash. The male is described as about 50 years old 6'00" tall of stocky build and with short brown hair. He was wearing light coloured Wellington boots, yellow or light brown in colour.

There have been 9 bogus caller offences in the last six weeks with most suspects being white males claiming to be workmen mending a water leak with peak times being Wednesday and Friday. Cash has been taken in most cases from elderly victims who appear to have been targeted by teams of two or more suspects, many with Irish accents. One consistent description is of a white male with gingery hair, a smaller build than average and using a long sleeved shirt to cover his hands.

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