Online Watch Link
https://www.owl.co.uk/herts/
Message 18/6/2021
Hertfordshire Trading Standards is warning residents that Nottingham Knockers are operating in Hertfordshire.
‘Nottingham Knockers’ are usually young men who turn up at the door with a bag full of household products such as tea towels. They sell these items, which they know are of poor quality, at an inflated price.
The reason for the high price is their hard luck story, which makes it difficult to say no. They tell you that they have just come out of prison and want to go straight. They claim to be on an official scheme trying to find work. Sometimes they will claim to have special needs or to have just come out of the army and be unemployed.
Those stories are not true. Nottingham Knockers are not part of any rehabilitation scheme and the Community Payback scheme does not involve door-to-door sales. Instead they are professional doorstep traders, travelling around the country, selling their cheap goods.
The deeper issue is that sometimes they are conmen who will look for a vulnerable victim they can scam. A lady in the Dacorum area was found surrounded by the contents of one of these bags. She said that the young man told her that he wasn’t leaving until she bought everything from him, as he’d had a bad day and hadn’t made many sales.
Anyone who gives money to these doorstep traders may find themselves the target of other scams. Police say that streets targeted by Nottingham Knockers often see an increase in distraction burglaries. This is when a person tries to gain access to your home by tricking you into believing they work for your utility company and then steals from you.
Trading Standards advice is:
Only deal with callers by appointment.
If you’re not sure don’t open the door
Do not keep large sums of money at home.
If a trader is aggressive or threatening call the police on 999
For advice, or to ask for help for a scam victim from Trading Standards, call the Citizens Advice helpline on 0808 223 1133.
Message 09/11/2020
_*Neighbourhood Watch launches PROTECT YOUR Pa$$W0rD campaign with 3
quick and easy steps*_
As we spend more time at home and on our online devices, over one third
(34%) of people say that they’re more concerned about cybercrime than
physical crime and a startling 1 in 5 people are a victim of
cybercrime!* You could be more at risk than you might think.
If strengthening your passwords is something you keep putting off, or
you feel overwhelmed by the sea of online security information, you’re
not alone.
As part of our Cyberhood Watch initiative, launched in 2019 in
partnership with Avast, we have launched a*PROTECT YOUR Pa$$W0Rd*
campaign that targets both the overwhelmed and complacent, providing
everyone with 3 easy steps to be more secure online.
*PROTECT YOUR Pa$$W0Rd in 3 easy steps*
1. Create a separate password for your email account
2. Use 3 random words
3. Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA)
To find out more about how to do each step visit our Password Protection
<https://www.ourwatch.org.uk/passwords> page on our website .
But we won’t stop there! Whilst taking those *3 easy steps *will go a
long way to protecting yourself online, we want to protect not just you
but *your whole community*! To do this, we are asking you to spread the
word and help protect your family, friends, colleagues and neighbours by
*sharing these 3 easy steps with 3 others*.
To share with others you can forward this email to at least 3 of your
friends, share the information from ourPassword Protection
<https://www.ourwatch.org.uk/passwords> page in your local newsletter,
or share our campaign on your social media channels using our Protect
your Pa$$W0Rd Campaign Pack
<https://www.ourwatch.org.uk/sites/default/files/documents/2020-11/NW%20Passwords%20Social%20Media%20Pack_2.pptx>,
_*More about the campaign*_
Our campaign will run on social media for 4 weeks from 9th November
2020. We are targeting both Neighbourhood Watch members and non-members
alike with two different attitudes to online security.
For those that are unsure and overwhelmed by an abundance of advice, we
want to cut though the noise and*simplify the confusion*, so they feel
empowered to take action.
And for those that think ‘it won’t happen to me’ we want to shock them
into action, so that they realise how prevalent the problem is, *even
amongst young people.*
We have created social media animated and still graphics targeted to
both those audiences, supported by further information detailing how and
why to take each step on our dedicated *Password Protection
<https://www.ourwatch.org.uk/passwords>* page.
Download our *Protect your Pa$$W0Rd Campaign Pack
<https://www.ourwatch.org.uk/sites/default/files/documents/2020-11/NW%20Passwords%20Social%20Media%20Pack_2.pptx>*
to share the campaign across your networks using email, whatsapp,
Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and in newsletters.
Why not go one step further and share our*Protect your Pa$$W0Rd Press
Release
<https://www.ourwatch.org.uk/sites/default/files/documents/2020-11/NW%20Press%20Release%2005112020.pdf>*
locally and don’t forget to let us know about any local press you are
able to generate.
*Visit our Protect your PA$$word
<https://www.ourwatch.org.uk/get-involved/support-campaign/protect-your-paw0rd>
campaign page to find out more.*
*Perceptions of cybercrime in the UK report produced in partnership with
Avast, surveyed over 14,000 Neighbourhood Watch members:
https://press.avast.com/hubfs/media-materials/kits/Avast%20Cyberhood%20Watch/Avast_CyberHood_Watch_Report%20FINAL.pdf?hsLang=en
For more information contact Deborah Waller on
deborah.waller@ourwatch.org.uk
<mailto:deborah.waller@ourwatch.org.uk?subject=Protect%20your%20Pa%24%24word%20campaign>.
Message 21/10/2020
A message from the Police We are asking people not to give food or money to beggars on the street or leave food out for them in any public place.
Begging is a criminal offence and giving to beggars on the street often continues the cycle of homelessness for those caught up in it.
Please be assured that we work closely with many different agencies to offer help and accommodation to every person we find sleeping rough.
If you want to help, please donate instead to an alternative giving scheme, where funds are channelled directly towards projects to help the homeless and those sleeping rough. As you know we support Feed up Warm up in our parish and your donations can help them also.
To find out how you can help or if you need help yourself please call Haven First on 01462 435835.
If you want to help connect an individual rough sleeper with local help please call Streetlink on 0300 500 0914.
Message 13/7/2020
Online Gaming Safety Advice for Parents and Carers
Online gaming can offer many positive experiences. It can give children and young people the chance to escape into a virtual world, to learn, and to connect with others.
However, there is a risk of children and young people viewing inappropriate content in games and being contacted by adults seeking to exploit them.
This week the activity pack for parents and carers to deliver to their children explores how they can stay safe while gaming:
Thinkuknow is an education programme from the National Crime Agency’s CEOP Command.
Since 2006, Thinkuknow has been keeping children and young people safe by providing education about sexual abuse and sexual exploitation.
Thinkuknow is unique. It is underpinned by the latest intelligence about child sex offending from CEOP Command.
Thinkuknow aims to ensure that everyone has access to this practical information – children, young people, their parents and carers and the professionals who work with them.
Message 24/4/2020
The National Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) team have told us that their third #OnlineSafetyAtHome pack is now available with new activities for parents and carers to use at home.
To support parents during COVID-19 and the closure of schools, CEOP we will be releasing new home activity packs each fortnight with simple, age appropriate, 15 minute activities you can do with your child to support their online safety at a time when they will spending more time online at home.
The activity packs can be accessed here:
https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/Support-tools/home-activity-worksheets/
Professionals and parents and carers have reported that children are using video-chatting apps and sites to access learning and keep in touch with friends and family.
Two new Parent Information articles look at some of the things parents and carers should think about to ensure their child’s experience of video chat is safe and fun:
Video chatting: a guide for parents and carers of primary school-age children
Video chatting: a guide for parents and carers of secondary school-age children
Message 17/4/2020
Update from Hertfordshire County Council
Dear Watch Member,
Closure of Household Waste Recycling Centres [HWRCs] due to COVID-19
The link below takes you to the relevant press release concerning closure of the HWRCs:
https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/about-the-council/news/news-archive/hwrc-coronavirus-closures
In essence, journeys to your local household waste recycling centre are not currently classed as an essential journey and therefore no residents should be trying to access the HWRCs.
Fly Tipping
Attached is the Hertfordshire County Council “Lets S.C.R.A.P. fly tipping” leaflet. It contains useful information and advice on how to reduce fly tipping.
Fly Tips should be reported to your local district council.
The link www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/flytipping provides various ways you can report fly tipping in your local district, including online reporting, email and telephone numbers.
Skips
Skips are still in operation and this is a secure way of depositing waste. An invoice from the skip company fulfils the obligation for a householder’s duty of care. Please check with the skip company as some are happy to drop the skip but it could take two to three weeks to collect.
The following link will help you identify approved carriers:
https://environment.data.gov.uk/public-register/view/search-waste-carriers-brokers
Burning of Waste
With regards to burning waste, this is a NO, as what it is being burnt could be harmful to the atmosphere. However, a bit of common sense means that if you burn garden waste and wood then this is a normal bonfire. On days where the weather is good, please consider your neighbours who may hang out washing or have open windows.
Here is the official Government Bonfire Guidelines. Breaches should be reported to your local Council.
https://www.gov.uk/garden-bonfires-rules
Download Associated Documents
Documents accompanying this message are linked below. Click to download and open a file which use the popular PDF format. If you experience problems downloading or viewing a file please visit this help page.
- Lets S.C.R.A.P fly tipping (3677 KB)
If you need to reply regarding this message, tap on this email address: wlo@herts.pnn.police.uk
Regards,
Terry Morris
Watch Liaison Officer
Email: wlo@herts.pnn.police.uk
Tel: 01707 355815
Message 7/8/2019
Landmark Neighbourhood Watch Cybercrime Survey Launched
Help us understand the impact of cybercrime and be in with a chance to win £50 worth of M&S vouchers
Neighbourhood Watch has today launched a landmark new survey to understand the impact of cybercrime on communities across England and Wales.
Traditionally Neighbourhood Watch has been focused on keeping people safe in the places they live but with the advent of new technology, it’s clear people can be at their most vulnerable when they occupy online spaces.
Action Fraud, the national fraud and cybercrime reporting centre run by the City of London Police, revealed that last year cybercrime victims lost £28m to online criminals. It reports more than 12,000 cases of cybercrime every six months.
With the threat from online criminals only ever increasing, it is essential we understand the impact this type of crime has on members as well as their understanding and perception of cybercrime.
The survey, designed in conjunction with cybersecurity company Avast, takes just 10 minutes to complete and one lucky responder will be in with a chance to win £50 worth of Marks and Spencer vouchers.
The survey can be completed via the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/nw_cybercrime
It would be great if you could share the survey with other Neighbourhood Watch members particularly those who have been victims of cybercrime.
This news story on our website can be shared with friends, family and neighbours or on your social media profiles: https://www.ourwatch.org.uk/landmark-cybercrime-survey-launched/
Kindest regards,
Central Support Team,
Neighbourhood Watch Network
Message 3/7/2019
Latest Scam Calls Happening in Hertfordshire
You owe tax: A person calls you from a ‘spoofed’ number – the number displayed is a legitimate HMRC phone number. The call often starts with a recorded message saying that a warrant has been issued for your arrest if you do not pay outstanding tax. An option to speak to someone is given. They will ask you to visit a local shop or Post Office to buy vouchers for iTunes or Google Play or similar. The person then asks for the code on the voucher and tells you that you have now paid the tax and the warrant will be cancelled. This is a scam. HMRC would never call you if you owe tax and would never ask you to buy gift vouchers from a shop.
BT telephone line problems: Many people have received calls from people claiming to be “BT” saying that there is a fault on their telephone line or a problem with their internet.This is the start of a scam.BT would not phone you about your line, they would wait for you to report any issues to them. Please do not give ANY personal details to these callers and simply terminate the call. If they call back, just end the call again.
Police fraud investigation: You are called by someone claiming to be a police officer who is investigating a fraud involving your account.They either ask you to move your money from your bank account or they ask you to assist an investigation by purchasing an expensive item.This is a scam.A police officer would never tell you to move or spend your money.If you think there is a problem with your bank account,it is best to visit your bank or call them on their published number.
These scam calls can be reported directly to Action Fraud – www.actionfraud.police.uk or 03001232040 – please note any phone numbers the scammers ask you to call, as this may assist an investigation.
If you do become a victim and a caller arranges to attend your address to collect vouchers or cash, please call police on 101,or 999 if the crime is in progress.
If you need to reply regarding this message, click on this email address: wlo@herts.pnn.police.uk
Regards,
Verity Soued
Watch Liaison Officer
Neighbourhood Watch
Email: wlo@herts.pnn.police.uk
Tel: 01707 355815
About IDAS https://www.idas.org.uk/
IDAS is the largest specialist charity in Yorkshire supporting people affected by domestic abuse and sexual violence.
For details click on
www.rachelsvineyard.org.uk
Healing the Pain of Abortion One Weekend at a Time
Find Healing at Rachel’s Vineyard www.RachelsVineyard.org/donate or call 1-877-HOPE-4-ME (1-877-467-3463)
Click here for details https://www.marysmeals.org.uk/
(Feb 2019)
Stevenage &NorthHertsTalkingNews offer a weekly free service of local news (from the Stevenage Comet and the Royston Crow) as well as a selection of popular magazines from the RNIB, which we record onto a USB memory stick. If you know of someone that would be interested, please contact Ian on 07981 442341 and he will arrange a suitable time when 2 of our volunteers could visit to deliver a free media player and talk the listener through the use of it.
(Sept 2017)
https://www.hertscaresearch.org/
