North Wales Community Alert

[SteveH]

If you’ve found our recent alerts about Scams and Internet Safety useful you may want to consider following our North Wales Police Cybercrime Team Twitter and Facebook pages. On these pages we share daily information and advice about Internet Safety and Cyber Security as well as information about the latest scams.

You can reach our pages by following the below links :-

HGC Troseddau Seiber / NWP Cyber Crime - Home | Facebook

HGC Troseddau Seiber / NWP Cyber Crime (@NWPCyberCrime) / Twitter

Message Sent By
Dewi Owen
(North Wales Police, Cyber Crime Officer, North Wales)


Please be aware, fraudsters are using Facebook Marketplace.

It is very easy for a scammer to set up a fake advert to sell items that do not exist. A picture could easily be taken from the internet.

If you are asked to pay a large deposit before seeing the item, there is a chance you are being scammed.

A resident of Denbigh was unfortunately scammed to the amount of £4000. It was for a deposit on a car. The buyer has had no further contact from the alleged seller. 

Message Sent By
christopher livesey
(North Wales Police, Community Safety PCSO, Central)

[SteveH]

Neighbouring Police forces have recently reported burglaries at Veterinary Premises on their respective Force areas. There have been no occurrences within North Wales but can all such premises please review their security arrangements and ensure Key holders contact details are updated with your relevant security monitoring company.

Should you see any suspicious activity around a Vet practice please contact North Wales Police via 101 or  Web chat using the link below.

https://www.northwales.police.uk/police-forces/north-wales-police/areas/live-chat/

If you suspect a crime is in progress then its 999.

Message Sent By
PC 1952 David Allen
(North Wales Police, Rural Crime Constable, Eastern)



Action Fraud have recently received numerous reports of fake emails purporting to be from Asda. The emails stated that the recipient could win a £100 promo reward gift card by completing a marketing survey.
The links provided in the emails lead to phishing websites that are designed to steal personal information. Be careful what you click on!! #NWPCyberSafe

Message Sent By
Dewi Owen
(North Wales Police, Cyber Crime Officer, North Wales)

[SteveH]

We have received a number of reports of elderly residents being contacted by telephone from an unknown male offering vitamins for sale to those who have not had their Covid 19 booster. These vitamins are being offered for a high price and it is suspected that they are of no medical value.

We advise that residents do not agree to purchase these items and do not pass bank details over the phone.

Please share this message with friends, family and neighbours who may be vulnerable.

Message Sent By
DC 2675 Rachel Roberts
(North Wales Police, Financial Abuse Safeguarding Officer, North Wales )

[SteveH]

This last week has seen members of our Police Cadets,
attending Community Events to promote and sign up new members to the  Home - North Wales Community Alert where they explained what the system is and how it can be a benefit to its members. By offering up to date information about crime, engagement events, appeals, prevention advice and general policing activity in your local area.
But of course you already know that as you're receiving this message.

The Cadets who attended did a fantastic job, along with one of their Volunteer Cadet Leaders.

North Wales Police Volunteer Cadet Leaders are a mix of individuals some are Police Officers, PCSOs, Police Support Staff and others are members of the public.
If you or anyone you know would be interested in joining the team please visit the following for further information to discover what our Police Cadets do. Volunteer police cadets | North Wales Police

Recruit Cadet places can be sought by those aged between 13yrs up to 15½yrs at the time of applying –
at this time we are not currently recruiting Cadets into our Volunteer Police Cadet Units , we anticipate the next recruitment windows to open as follows :-
 
@May 2022 for Conwy  / Denbighshire / Wrexham areas
@May 2023 for Gwynedd / Anglesey / Flintshire areas

We do not recruit ad-hoc as the Volunteer Police Cadets is a two year programme run usually from our local
Further Education Colleges.  We look to recruit 20 Cadets maximum into each Cadet Unit.

If you'd be interested in applying to become a Volunteer Cadet Leader or would like a chat about the role before hand drop a line to CitizensinPolicing@nthwales.pnn.police.uk

Message Sent By
Chris Perkins
(North Wales Police, Citizens in Policing Team Leader, North Wales)

[SteveH]

We have recently seen an increase in reports of scam text messages targeting parents.

The texts claim to be from their adult children asking for money to be sent urgently for various reasons such as the need to pay a debt or bill. A number of residents have lost money because of this scam whilst believing they are helping their children.

If you receive ANY unexpected message requesting money or vouchers please make additional checks to confirm the request is genuine.

Please share this message with friends, family and neighbours.

Message Sent By
DC 2675 Rachel Roberts
(North Wales Police, Financial Abuse Safeguarding Officer, North Wales )


Below is a common scam message claiming that you need to pay a fee before an item can be delivered.

Whatever you do, do not click the link. Your device could be infected with malware, malicious software that's designed to steal your credentials. If unsure contact the courier directly to check if they have an item for you. #NWPCyberSafe

Message Sent By
Dewi Owen
(North Wales Police, Cyber Crime Officer, North Wales)

[SteveH]

NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH LAUNCHES ‘SAY NO TO ASB’ CAMPAIGN

Antisocial behaviour (ASB) incidents have increased over the last three years. Police forces, councils and housing associations are reporting significant spikes in ASB cases – and these are not minor incidents. They are complex and serious cases causing real harm to many people.

45% of people say ASB is a problem where they live, and 56% of those who had either been a victim of or a witness to ASB did not report it to anyone. *

To help tackle the issue, we are running a campaign encouraging people to SAY NO TO ASB.  The campaign will run from the 25th October through to the 21st November on our social channels with key information on recognising, recording, and reporting ASB on our website: ourwatch.org.uk/asb.

We are running a free online ‘SAY NO TO ASB’ webinar on 15th Novemberat 5pm with the charity ASB Help as part of the campaign. Places are limited. To book your place, visit ourwatch.org.uk/webinars.

HOW TO SUPPORT THE CAMPAIGN

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and share our posts to your social channels, including WhatsApp community groups, to encourage more people to SAY NO TO ASB
Download our ‘Recognising, Recording and Reporting ASB Guide’ from ourwatch.org.uk/asb to share with your community
Download our 14-day ‘ASB Diary’ from ourwatch.org.uk/asb to support you in recognising, recording, and reporting ASB incidents in your area.
To find out more and SAY NO TO ASB, visit  ourwatch.org.uk/asb.

If you would like a digital campaign pack, please email enquiries@ourwatch.org.uk.

* Data source: Taking Back our Communities - working together to make communities safer report, commissioned in 2021 by RESOLVE, a Centre of Excellence solely focused upon community safety and antisocial behaviour

NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH NETWORK, Central Support Team
Follow us.. ourwatch.org.uk / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / LinkedIn
Neighbourhood Watch Network is a charity registered in England & Wales, CIO no: 1173349

Message Sent By
Central Support Team
(NWN, Enquiries Dept, England and Wales)

[SteveH]

This year in Wales, the Police and Fire Service are launching their annual Halloween and Bonfire Night Safety Campaign.

We’ll be asking everyone to think about the way they celebrate Halloween and Bonfire Night.

Our messages are about encouraging you to respect each other, protect the emergency services, and enjoy safely.

There's LOTS of information and downloads on our site. Please view our material on the “Partners” section of the schoolbeat website:

https://schoolbeat.cymru/en/partners/halloween/  ENGLISH

https://schoolbeat.cymru/cy/partneriaid/calan-gaeaf/ CYMRAEG

 Message Sent By
PC 2458 Manus Sheridan
North Wales Police, School Community Police Officer

[SteveH]

For the second year running, we want to hear your thoughts about crime, community, and how effective Neighbourhood Watch is.

The survey, launched on Wednesday 20th October 2021, is open to the public across England and Wales, regardless of whether they live in a Neighbourhood Watch area or not.

The results will enable us to better understand on a national and regional level crime, fear of crime and benchmark whether membership to a Neighbourhood Watch scheme, or living in a Neighbourhood Watch area, has an impact on levels of crime, concern about crime, neighbourliness, and the willingness of communities to work together.

Last year our survey received just over 30,000 responses from across England and Wales providing us with a rich and useful set of data. This year we will be able to compare our data to last year’s results.

Please share this survey via email and social across all the various communities which you belong to whether they be a Neighbourhood Watch community or other such as sport, religious or work community.  This will help us receive a good balance of responses from Neighbourhood Watch members and non-members which will enable us to compare experiences between these two groups.  To help you reach others we have attached a poster which you can print and display locally or share digitally. Alternatively, reshare our social posts (Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / LinkedIn) to your channels.

A good response in all regions will ensure we can publish a national report and provide individual regions with their own reports.

All data will be anonymised and aggregated and will be used by Neighbourhood Watch to ensure our work is effective, inclusive, and representative.

www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/CL72YGJ

The survey closes on the 16th of November. Thank you for your support.

NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH NETWORK, Central Support Team

Message Sent By
Cheryl Spruce
(NWN, Head of Membership & Community Engagement, National)

[SteveH]

With celebrations for Halloween and Bonfire Night upon us, North Wales Police are once again working with partners including the North Wales Fire and Rescue Service to help ensure a safe and enjoyable time for everyone.

Activity packs and ideas on how to celebrate Halloween at home have been created, so whether you are looking for a rainy day activity with your family or something to keep the youngsters entertained this half term. We have attached some spook-tacular Halloween activities which you can print.

Also have you visited our website? – We’ve got even more skele-fun Halloween activity packs - #GwarchodParchuMwynhau – Ym Bang 2021 | Heddlu Gogledd Cymru / #ProtectRespectEnjoy – Op Bang 2021 | North Wales Police

Don’t forget to tag North Wales Police in your pics using #CalanGaeafHGC  / #NWPHalloween 👻 🎃 🕷️

For those Trick or Treaters, be s-careful this Halloween with our tips:

Young children should always go trick or treating with an appropriate adult
Plan your route and let people know where you are
Do not take short cuts
Make sure you stay in areas that are well lit with street lamps, and take a torch with you
Never go into a stranger’s house
Please respect residents who choose not to take part
Don’t talk to strangers on the street
Be careful not to frighten vulnerable people, especially the elderly
Ensure you are always visible; it may be a good idea to wear reflective tape on your costume so that you are seen by motorists
Look carefully before crossing the road
Remember that throwing eggs and flour at property is classed as criminal damage - and the police will deal with all incidents of anti-social behaviour accordingly
Remember to also be frightfully thoughtful of others this Halloween as some people may find this time of year distressing and intimidating.

 

Cue the sparklers; here are some tips and advice for bonfire night:

Attending an organised display is the safest way to enjoy fireworks – click here to see your organised displays.
It’s an offence to sell or give Fireworks to anyone under the age of 18. You can be fined or imprisoned for buying or using fireworks illegally
It is also an offence to set off fireworks in a public place
Visit Gwasanaeth Tân ac Achub Gogledd Cymru / North Wales Fire and Rescue Service website for more Firework & Bonfire safety advice.
 

Our Police Officers, PCSO’s and Special Constabulary will continue to be visible in our communities in the run up to, and during the festivities to help prevent and detect antisocial behaviour.

If you have concerns around antisocial behaviour and public safety; this is a matter for the police. If it’s not an emergency, you can contact us via our website. In an emergency always dial 999.

Concerns about noise, the sale of fireworks and other related items, and littering/fly-tipping should be directed to your local authority via Ein partneriaid | Heddlu Gogledd Cymru  / Our partners | North Wales Police

 

#GwarchodParchuMwynhau / #ProtectRespectEnjoy

Attachments
Halloween callers poster_Croeso i alwyr.pdf
Halloween colouring sheet 3_Taflen lliwio 3.pdf
Halloween egg poster_Poster ar gyfer siopau.pdf
halloween no callers poster_Dim galwyr os gwelwch yn dda.pdf
Halloween word search_Chwilair calan gaeaf.pdf

Message Sent By
PS 3189 Abbie Burns-Jones
(North Wales Police, Prevention Sergeant, North Wales)

[SteveH]

We are delighted to be able to invite you to our FREE online webinar regarding Preventing and disrupting county lines exploitation.  This will be held on Tuesday 9th November from 5pm-6pm.

The webinar will focus on providing an in depth view on County Lines exploitation, based on the key principals; exploitation, prevention, protection, and reporting

What is County Lines?
County lines is a form of criminal exploitation where urban gangs persuade, coerce or force children and young people to store drugs and money and/or transport them to suburban areas, market towns and coastal towns (Home Office, 2018). It can happen in any part of the UK and is against the law and a form of child abuse.

We are delighted to welcome expert guest speakers from The Children's Society, County Lines leads and organised crime county lines coordinators to be part of our panel of presenters.

Event Details
Tuesday 9th November 2021
5.00pm - 6.00pm
Online via Zoom
Register for your FREE place
How to register for the event

Simply register for your FREE space https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/preventing-and-disrupting-county-lines-exploitation-tickets-195017421357
You will receive your link to the event once you have registered.
We look forward to welcoming you to the event as part of our serious crime webinars in November.  Look for more details in our November newsletter.

NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH  Central Support Team

Message Sent By
Central Support Team
(NWN, Enquiries Dept, England and Wales)

[SteveH]

1. Further to my recent alert North Wales Police continue to see an increase in reports of scam text messages and Whatsapp messages targeting elderly parents.

The messages claim to be from their adult children asking for money to be sent urgently for various reasons such as the need to pay a debt or bill. Victims are told that their child has a new mobile number and in some cases the scammers engage in text conversations for some time before asking for money making the messages appear legitimate.

An increasing number of residents have lost money because of this scam whilst believing they are helping their children.

If you receive ANY unexpected message requesting money or vouchers please make additional checks to confirm the request is genuine.

Can I please also ask that if you have elderly parents you discuss this scam with them to ensure they do not become a victim.

Please share this message with friends, family and neighbours.

Message Sent By
DC 2675 Rachel Roberts
(North Wales Police, Financial Abuse Safeguarding Officer, North Wales )



2. Criminals will often use major news stories such as the issues currently facing energy suppliers as a chance to pose as a genuine organisation, as well as a bank. Often the criminal will pretend to be from the impacted company and claim they are dealing with the issue or offer to provide help, such as switching supplier.

They use fraudulent emails, phone calls or text messages to contact people. The criminal will then attempt to get recipients to disclose personal or financial information which they will use to steal money.

Stop: Take a moment to stop and think before parting with your money or information.

Challenge: Could it be fake? It’s ok to reject, refuse, or ignore any requests. Only criminals will try to rush or panic you.

Protect: Contact your bank immediately if you think you’ve fallen for a scam and report it to Action Fraud.

Please share with friends, family and neighbours.

Message Sent By
Dewi Owen
(North Wales Police, Cyber Crime Officer, North Wales)

[SteveH]

It is that time of year again when the nights start to draw in.

If you are not going to be home till after it gets dark, consider setting a timer switch to turn on a lamp.

Also if you are someone who pops out to walk the dog in the evening leave a light on.

This will make the house look occupied and as a result deter a burglar.

With the advances in technology you can also get smart bulbs that you can turn on via your smartphone if you are going to be late home.

Message Sent By
christopher livesey
(North Wales Police, Community Safety PCSO, Central)

[SteveH]

Beware of automated calls saying that your National Insurance number has been involved in criminal activity.

IT IS A SCAM! Report these calls to Trading standards through the Citizens Advice helpline number on 0808 223 1133.

Please share with friends, family and neighbours.

 

Gwyliwch allan am alwadau wedi eu awtomeiddio yn dweud fod eich rhif Yswiriant Gwladol wedi bod yn rhan o weithgareddau troseddol.
MAE'N SGAM! Riportiwch y galwadau yma i Safonau Masnach trwy'r linell gymorth Cyngor ar Bopeth ar 0808 223 1133.
Cofiwch rannu'r wybodaeth yma hefo eich teulu, ffrindiau a chymdogion.

Message Sent By
Dewi Owen
(North Wales Police, Cyber Crime Officer, North Wales)

[SteveH]

⚠️ SCAM ALERT: Watch out for fake Lidl emails offering a free prize if you complete a survey. The emails link to websites that are designed to steal your personal information.

Action Fraud have already received over 230 reports of this scam. Remember if you receive a suspicious email forward it to: report@phishing.gov.uk

Message Sent By
Dewi Owen
(North Wales Police, Cyber Crime Officer, North Wales)

[SteveH]

During the week of the 15th to the 21st of November there will be a national police operation called Operation Sceptre.

During Op. Sceptre Knife surrender bins will be placed on the police side of the below front counters to maximise the safety and security of the public.  Bins will also be available at the recycling centres listed below, this is to encourage the public to surrender any knives for those who do not wish to attend a police station.

We understand that some of the below venues may not be in your area, however they have been provided for those wishing to share this information with friends and family in other areas of North Wales.

Police Stations : Wrexham, Mold, Rhyl, Llandudno, Colwyn Bay, Bangor, Caernarfon, Holyhead                                         

Recycling Centres: Mochdre, Abergele, Rhyl, Denbigh, Ruthin

The purpose of the operation is to remove knives and weapons from our communities in order to safeguard and preserve life.

Thanking you all in advance for your support.

Message Sent By
PS 1754 Sean Woods
(North Wales Police, Community Safety Sergeant, Central)