These messages are sent via Keep In The Know. This information has been sent on behalf of Durham Constabulary
The home telephone for some is a lifeline; it is a connection to friends & family. It is also a direct line for fraudsters.
Please talk to people and pass on these tips, start by telling just 2 people and ask them to do the same.
Hang up on all cold telephone calls from any business, and then take 5 mins to verify via a trusted method before calling back.
Please do NOT rush to call back as fraudsters can keep a phone line open for up to 10 seconds and even spoof a dial tone.
Fraudsters may often know you name and other personal details when they call and will pretend to be authorities /companies you know such as your bank, broadband supplier, HMRC and even the police.
Remember NOT to trust caller ID on your phone as fraudsters use technology and can put up any genuine number.
Recently there have been a lot of calls where fraudsters say they are a phone/ broadband company and offer to fix your laptop, Hang up! They are trying to manipulate you into giving them access to your computer and online life.
Criminals are also calling and asking for payment in gift cards, such as ITunes vouchers and target everyone including vulnerable people. If you know someone living on their own please let them know.
Please talk about this and share it with others, the attachment shows the benefit of telling just two people and asking them to do the same.
Finally , BT Call Guardian, CPR and True Call are three companies who offer call blocking devices , these are good way of helping to stop telephone fraud and I have heard some great feedback on their effectiveness .
Do your research but please no there are design out crime options to help.
Cold call? Hang up, Take 5 mins, verify if you think it�s genuine and tell others how to protect, start by telling 2 people.
Car Theft
Police are urging car owners to take extra care when de-icing cars following the theft of a van yesterday morning.
Drivers are being warned not to leave their cars unattended with keys left inside the vehicle and the engine running.
The advice follows a theft of a van from Tow Law yesterday which was later recovered from Bishop Auckland and two men aged 24 and 25 were arrested.
A spokesperson from Durham Constabulary said: “We would encourage owners not to leave keys in their vehicles, whether it is in order to save a couple of minutes de-icing vehicles or otherwise. The temptation is for motorists to leave their cars unattended with the engines running, making them vulnerable to opportunist thieves.
“It takes two minutes to de-ice your car, but it can take two seconds for a thief to steal it. We are urging the public to take extra care and not give criminals an early Christmas present.
“This may also affect any subsequent insurance claim.”
