KNOWLEDGE EVENT AND MORE SCAMS – JUNE 2025

I will be having a Neighbourhood Watch stand at the Volunteer Centre Knowledge Event next Wednesday 25 June from 1.00 – 4.00 pm at Shaw House.  Please come and see me (flyer attached).

If there is no Neighbourhood Watch scheme currently in your road, please consider setting one up.   A scheme can be anything from 5 houses/apartments upwards or a whole road and the Coordinator will receive free signs, stickers, literature and details of discounts available to all members in the scheme.  Once a Coordinator is registered on the Police/Neighbourhood Watch database they will receive emails giving information on crimes, scams etc to pass on to their neighbours and with email or a WhatsApp group, it is so easy now to forward the Alerts.  If you would like more information, please email me on my Gmail address below.

Please note that I am no longer using my email address ajmy5m7@inbox.com and now only using my Gmail which is ajmy5m7@gmail.com. 

I am also attaching a press release from Public Protection Partnership on “How the Disability Aids Market is failing its customers”.

Consumer scam alerts - Norfolk County Council   This website gives information on numerous scams that are currently circulating and on rogue traders.  

A resident answered their mobile to a call from EE (purported). They asked whether they would like to have their mobile for £5 per month for the next two years. After saying yes, the resident gave them information to hack their EE account. They were told repeatedly to stay on the line, until they eventually became suspicious and closed the call. After doing so, the 'scammers' made six further attempts to contact them. The resident then cancelled their Direct Debit and called the EE technical / security section, where they were told that their EE ID and email address had been changed. They also received an email confirming this, and could no longer log into their account. Thankfully, the technician was able to block the account and reassured resident that no further damage was done. 

I have been made aware of a Sky Scam that occurred recently using the number 0808 503 7399.  A resident was unable to make or receive calls on her mobile. She checked for no accidental barring. She pressed a link for Sky customer care, joining a call. A male with a foreign accent answered the call. She double-checked that it was Sky as the line wasn't clear, and was told that it was indeed Sky. After she explained her issue, she was asked a series of "Security questions" including her name, date of birth, address, and password. She was then asked for her "bank account details". She eventually gave them four numbers from her account, after repeatedly asking why they needed them and not receiving a positive response. She then realised she was talking to a scammer and didn't give them any more information. They told her someone could call back in 20 minutes and hung up. After the phone call, she searched the phone number she had called via the link, and all it showed were foreign words. She later contacted Sky through a legitimate number where she was told that the other number was not one of theirs. The fraud section of her bank blocked her account after she contacted them. 2 days after her account had been unblocked and she had been sent a new SIM card from Sky, she had a new call on WhatsApp from someone named "SKY". When she answered, they asked for her name and address. She realised it wasn't Sky and hung up. After realising the calls were a scam, the false "Sky Customer Care" link she clicked on has since been removed/hidden on Google.

A local resident advised that her parents in Wiltshire recently suffered a scam starting with a female with an accent phoning “from BT”, saying “your broadband hub has been compromised”.  After a long conversation, a male called with a very English accent, to “help” on the technical side. We think they took remote control of her Mum’s computer, and had her mirroring her mobile to the computer. They persuaded her to provide bank card details, and then somehow registered her for phone banking and started moving money between accounts and some money was taken.

Having realised something was amiss, her parents had their cards stopped and their accounts frozen. Some money taken has been returned, but the effect on sense of security, and on confidence is palpable. Her Mum is not completely clear what went on, and is, understandably, embarrassed, having kept us all informed about scams in recent years, so we are not keen to push for details, but this is what we have pieced together, so as to try to suggest helpful recovery steps.  Resetting router, email passwords, and booking a computer rebuild have all taken much time and energy, at a time when both are recovering from significant health issues. Replacing the phone is still on the to-do list!

Please warn others never to speak to anyone on a cold call from phone/mobile companies. 

Angela Money BEM

Area Representative for West Berkshire Neighbourhood Watch