Thames Valley Police report March 2019
Neighbourhood Policing Team
1. Appeal for witnesses after an attempted burglary – Aston Abbotts
A recent attempted burglary has been reported on Wingrave Road, Aston Abbotts.
At around 7:10pm on Sunday (22/04) the resident heard noises at his rear kitchen door. On checking it he discovered two men attempting to force the door open. On seeing him the men ran from his garden to a red or burgundy hatchback type vehicle, which had been parked at the front of the property. The vehicle left in the direction of the A418.
Detective Constable Gemma Howe, based at Aylesbury Police Station, is investigating this crime. She said “Other local residents might have seen a similar vehicle in the area, on Sunday afternoon / evening.
“Also, if you live locally and have CCTV, please review it, to see if anything relevant has been picked up.
“Please call me if you have any information about this vehicle, or any CCTV images.”
DC Howe can be contacted on the 24 hour non-emergency number 101, quoting reference 43180120674.
2. Friends against Scams – can you prevent scams in your neighbourhood https://www.friendsagainstscams.org.uk/
3. FIFA 2018 World Cup Alert https://www.gov.uk/guidance/be-on-the-ball-world-cup-2018
4. Crime prevention advice and equipment marking event 12 May 2018 at The Boot Car Park , Soulbury between 2pm and 4pm . Bring your hand held tools to be security marked . If unable to attend please call PCSO Tina Hobson on 101 and she can arrange for your tools to be security marked.
5. The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) have noticed an increase in Action Fraud reports where fraudsters are offering a discount on Television service provider subscriptions. Fraudsters are cold-calling victims, purporting to be from a Television (TV) provider offering a discount on their monthly subscription. Victims have been told the following: their subscription needs to be renewed; that part or all, of the TV equipment has expired and they are due an upgrade on the equipment/subscription. In order to falsely process the discount, the fraudster asks victims to confirm or provide their bank account details. The scammers may also request the victim’s identification documents, such as scanned copies of passports.
The fraudsters are using the following telephone numbers: “08447111444”, “02035190197” and “08001514141”. The fraudster’s voices are reported to sound feminine and have an Asian accent.
Later victims make enquiries and then discover that their TV service provider did not call them and that the fraudster has made transactions using the victim’s bank account details.
This type of fraud is nationwide. Since the beginning of this year (2018), there have been 300 Action Fraud Reports relating to this fraud. From the reports received, victims aged over 66 seem to be the most targeted.
What you need to do
• Don’t assume a phone call or email is authentic: Just because someone knows your basic details (such as your name and address or even your mother’s maiden name), it doesn’t mean they are genuine. Criminals can exploit the names of well-known companies in order to make their scams appear genuine.
• Don’t be rushed or pressured into making a decision: a genuine company won’t force you to make a financial decisions on the spot. Always be wary if you’re pressured to purchase a product or service quickly, and don’t hesitate to question uninvited approaches in case it’s a scam.
• Stay in control: Have the confidence to refuse unusual requests for personal or financial information. Always contact the company yourself using a known email or phone number, such as the one written on a bank statement or bill.
Visit Take Five (takefive-stopfraud.org.uk/advice/) and Cyber Aware (cyberaware.gov.uk) for more information about how to protect yourself online.
If you are going away, don’t let uninvited guests visit your home! – Aylesbury Vale
August 2018
It’s that time of year when many of us will be heading off on holiday.
Holiday periods increase the chances for opportunist burglars, so before you go please read these tips for keeping your home secure while your away:-
• Check that you’ve double locked all your doors and windows and put keys away. If you have an alarm, make sure that you set it.
• Lock your garden gates with a good quality padlock and lock tools and ladders away.
• Use lights on timer switches and consider leaving a radio on, tuned in to a talk station. Lights can also be purchased that imitate the flickering light of a TV.
• Think about what you are advertising on social media. If you ‘check-in’ at an airport or other holiday destination, make sure it’s not a public post – this information could be very useful to an opportunist criminal!
• Tell a trusted neighbour that you are going away and get them to check your home and move post away from the front door. Make sure they have your contact details in case of a problem. Maybe ask them to open and close your curtains.
• Ask a friend or neighbour to park on your drive and make sure that your bin is put out and then brought back in.
• Cancel the milk and papers if you have them delivered.
We hope that you enjoy your holidays and if you follow this advice it will greatly reduce the chances of an opportunist burglar visiting you while you’re away!
For more crime prevention advice please visit the Thames Valley Police website.
You can follow the Aylesbury Vale policing teams on and and find out what they are doing in your area.
alert@neighbourhoodalert.co.uk
Our watch
September 2018 Quarterly Update
Watch out for this scam
Blocked drains scam – Aylesbury Vale
Thames Valley Police have received recent reports of a scam, where residents are told that there is a problem with their drains.
Victims are being contacted by people claiming to be either from Thames water or Dyno Rod, saying that their drains are blocking and require specialist equipment to clean them, costing around £500 to hire.
At one property in Wendover the money was handed over and we are aware of several other attempts in Aylesbury.
If you receive an unsolicited phone call, or someone comes to your property, don’t always believe what they are saying.
Scammer will try and get your confidence and may use technical information, to make it sound like they know what they are talking about.
Consider using a call-blocking service, which will stop calls that aren’t in your address book coming through, unless you authorise them.
You can find more advice and information by visiting the Buckinghamshire and Surrey Trading Standards or Action Fraud website.
You can also download a copy of the Little Book of Big Scams (attached below).
Please look out for vulnerable friends, neighbours or family and make sure they know how to deal with unsolicited telephone calls.
If you have been a victim of this or another type of fraud you can contact Action Fraud online or by calling 0300 123 2040
http://www.neighbourhoodalert.co.uk/Attachment/190792/235514/38733/38733_little_book_big_scams.pdf
Policing neighbourhood – Great Brickhill/Wing/Ivinghoe
https://www.police.uk/thames-valley/N416/
Thames Valley Police Alert
https://www.thamesvalleyalert.co.uk/
Hidden Harm – Thames Valley Police Alert