How to report Fraud or Internet Crime

From 3 December 2012, all reports of fraud in the Thames Valley will be recorded by Action Fraud and individual police forces in the south east will no longer take any fraud reports. They will now be recorded centrally by Action Fraud.

If you want to report a fraud, please call the number above (0300 123 2040), or visit the Action Fraud website at

www.actionfraud.police.uk

 

Thames Valley Police will continue to respond to reports of frauds in progress, but any other calls to report a fraud, including financially motivated e-crime, will be referred to Action Fraud. When a person calls to report a fraud, they will be provided with the Action Fraud phone number or website address.

 

The new process will have a number of benefits for victims of crime, including having a central point of contact to report all fraud; an effective and efficient way to bulk report fraud; and an increased chance of identifying repeat and vulnerable victims.

 

The scheme has already been piloted successfully in five forces, and will be rolled-out nationwide by March 2013.

 

Action Fraud leaflet (1).pdf

Cold Callers

 

Police have received reports of an alarm company cold calling on residents in our area. The most recent incidents were reported yesterday (22/11) from residents in Shrivenham, near Faringdon, stating the callers said they were working with the police and offering free alarms systems.

 

These systems are NOT free; there is usually a £300 installation fee plus a monthly fee. The police do not work with any companies who cold call.

 

If you are interested in receiving free advice on home security please contact the police on 101 and ask to speak to a member of your local neighbourhood team who will be happy to carry out a free home security survey of your home.

Lists of approved alarm companies can be obtained through the Trading Standards buy with confidence scheme, please call 0845 051 0845 or visit www.buywithconfidence.gov.uk for details.

Farm Shop broken into

 
A farm shop at Ipsden was burgled overnight on Monday 19th November. It is suspected that a previous reconnaissance had been made because the intruders had the correct tools to access a padlocked steel door after cutting a hole in the fence. A large quantity of fresh and frozen meat and a number of hand made walking sticks were taken and attempts were made to gain entry to other areas of the shop.
 Please be extra vigilant. If you have seen any suspicious looking people or vehicles in the area or have any information relating to this message, please call the police on the new national single non-emergency telephone number 101 and state you are responding to a Community message.

Alternatively if you have information but wish to remain anonymous, please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online @ crimestoppers-uk.org. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.

Farm Ram-Raided

At 11.50 pm on Monday 19 November a gate to a farm near Hambleden was ram-raided.

Three to four men entered farm buildings and removed many items such as chainsaws, grinders etc. Two trucks were started and quad bikes were loaded onto them. Police were on the scene five minutes after the alarm was raised but the burglars had already left. Fortunately, the villains were not able to take the trucks.

Their vehicle was a dark blue Peugeot 306 or similar. Also today Tuesday a dark blue Peugeot was seen in Hambleden Village taking a picture of the garage as it drove past.

Delivery Company Scam

Police are warning residents to be wary of accepting any unexpected deliveries following a credit/ debit card scam highlighted following an incident in Leicestershire.

A victim received a telephone call from someone claiming to be from a company called "Express Couriers". The caller asked if the resident was going to be home because they had a package to deliver in about an hour.

An hour later a delivery man turned up with a beautiful basket of flowers and wine. They victim was surprised as they were not celebrating a special occasion and the package was unexpected. He enquired who the sender was but the man’s reply was that he was only delivering the package, however, a card was being sent separately. There was a consignment note with the gift but no card arrived.

The man said that as the package contained alcohol, there was a £3.00 "delivery charge". The victim thought that this sounded logical and offered to pay him cash. However, he said the company required payment by credit or debit card. The victim provided his details and was asked to swipe the card on a small mobile machine, enter his PIN and security code. A receipt was printed out and given to him.

Over the next four days £4,000 was charged or withdrawn from his account at various ATM machines. In light of this incident Police are warning residents to be wary of accepting any unexpected packages or gifts especially if it involves payment as a condition of receiving the package.

People should also never accept anything if there is no indication about who the sender is. Police would also advise that no credit or debit card details are given out unless you have initiated a purchase or transaction and know it is from a trustworthy source.

Local Rural Crime

1. Theft of Quad Bikes Etc
A large amount of equipment was stolen from a farm at Chilton near Thame on October 26 between 11pm and 4.30am. Seven garages and two vans were broken into. A garden stock fence and barbed wire were cut so the thieves could push a quad bike across a field in deep mud. Items stolen include:
Green Yamaha Kodiak 400cc quad bike stolen from a van.
Red GasGas 280cc Trials bike 2005.
Blue Kawasaki 90cc kids Enduro bike.
Ifor Williams four wheel 2.8 ton plant trailer.
Red and white Cube high end Mountain Bike
Sat Nav TomTom 904.
Sony car Radio.
Red Britol 10 drawer tool chest.
2. Attempted Tractor Theft
At approximately 3:15 p.m. on Sunday 28 October four hooded men appeared to try to take a tractor from a field at Lower Greenfield near Christmas Common. They were very aggressive (possibly on drugs) and crashed over a crop of valuable Christmas Trees as they drove off. This is almost certainly the same vehicle that visited the farm two weeks earlier. It was a silver Suzuki Vitara estate Y383CGC driven by a man, heavily tattooed on his neck. On that occasion, it was accompanied by a white Transit APO3**.
3. Cables Stolen
Two offenders wearing high visibility jackets loaded cables into an L200 Mitsubishi Pickup GF52 HNU at Crowmarsh Hill, Wallingford on 25 October the vehicle then made off towards Oxford where it subsequently rammed a police vehicle. No one was injured. Police reference: URN 145 - 25/10/2012.
4. Diesel Stolen
200 litres of diesel were stolen from premises at Cuxham, near Watlington on 24 October. The thieves also removed metal hinges, bolts and nails which were going to be used to repair fences. Police reference: URN 1106 - 24/10/2012.

Theft of Plant and Machinery

Theft of Plant and Machinery
Between 17:30hrs on Wednesday (26/09) and 06:50hrs on Thursday (27/09) offenders forced entry to a barn on Thame Road, Great Milton, and stole a Kubota tractor with loading shovel, Saleen Viper wood chipper, Kubota grass cutting deck mower, Ifor Williams trailer and a log splitter. Any information to the police on 101.

More Machinery Stolen
Hampshire Farm Watch states that there has been an unusually high level of activity in north Hampshire over the last three weeks – almost as if a sweep of the area is being undertaken. Between 1 and 18 September, 17 different farm premises in a relatively compact area have been hit with, amongst other things, the following vehicles being taken: 1 John Deere Tractor – 1 J.D. Gator, 2 quad bikes, 1 4x4, 1 JCB digger, 1 JCB fork lift, 2 trailers and 4 horse boxes. NFU Mutual have sent out a message asking for extra vigilance and asking farmers to look out for equipment parked up in woodland etc waiting to see if trackers are fitted and whether recovery will take place. Please can everyone based within a 50 mile radius of Basingstoke alert landowners and farmers that this tractor may have been left on their land to "cool off". Please be aware the John Deere 7000 tractor is the current flavour of the month for criminals.

Tractor Thefts Foiled
In recent months three attempts to steal a John Deere 7000 series have been foiled. The last recovery was made at Dover docks, the tractor had been cloned to an exceptionally good standard, so it was not easy to detect as stolen