RECENT NEWS
Burglaries
Vehicle Crime
Robbery
The below website shows an overview of the crime in your area, along with recent news stories and important information.
www.merseyside.police.uk/area/your-area
Some important things to remember.
I am pleased to advise that the National Neighbourhood Watch Scheme of which our online Homewatch is closely affiliated, will this year celebrate its 40th Anniversary and has for the duration amended its well-known logo as per above. Significantly to us here in South Wirral, the Neighbourhood Scheme was founded just a few miles away in Mollington, Cheshire in 1982 and is now the largest crime prevention charity in the UK, dedicated as it is to the creation of Safer, Stronger and Active Communities.
Online Homewatch could not function without the close professional Community Police partnership we have with Merseyside Police of all ranks working out the Police hub at Bebington. Specifically we acknowledge with thanks the support of Tom Welch who has recently been promoted to Chief Inspector and has moved role to Command Team based at Wallasey. He has been replaced by a new highly experienced Inspector at Bebington and I will be introducing him to Members shortly.
Meanwhile, I do urge everyone to take the time to read all three of the reports for December 2021 listed below – compiled as they are by the Ward specific Police officers- and make your own judgement as to the relatively low level of crime in your own particular neighbourhood.
Be Safe. Be Well
Ray Squire
Lead Homewatch Coordinator
Online shopping scams cost shoppers £15.4 million over the Christmas period last year.
New data from Action Fraud, the national reporting centre for fraud and cyber crime, reveals that 28,049 shoppers were conned out of their money when shopping online over the Christmas period last year – an increase of almost two thirds (61 per cent) when compared to the same period in the previous year.
Ahead of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Action Fraud is warning the public to take extra care when shopping online as reports of online shopping fraud have continued to surge. Here are some simple tips to help you and your family enjoy a secure online shopping experience this festive season.
Where to shop:
Buying from an online store you haven’t used before? Carry out some research first, or ask a friend or family member if they’ve used the site and about their experiences before completing the purchase.
Your information:
Only create an account if necessary or to save you effort if you’re going to use that site a lot in the future. Be cautious if the website asks you for details that are not required for your purchase, such as your mother’s maiden name or the name of your primary school.
Payment method:
When it's time to pay for your items, check there's a 'closed padlock' icon in the browser's address bar. Use a credit card when shopping online, if you have one. Most major credit card providers protect online purchases.
Phishing:
Some of the messages you receive about amazing offers may contain links to fake websites. If you’re unsure about a link, don’t use the it – go separately to the website. Report suspicious emails you receive by forwarding them to: report@phishing.gov.uk. Report suspicious text messages by forwarding them to: 7726.
Email accounts:
Make sure that your really important accounts (such as your email account or online shopping accounts) are protected by strong passwords that you don't use anywhere else.
Need help changing your email account password? You can use these links to find step by step instructions: Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, Outlook, BT, AOL Mail.
If things go wrong:
If you've lost money to an online shopping scam, tell your bank and report it as a crime to Action Fraud. By doing this, you'll be helping to prevent others becoming victims of cyber crime.
For more of the government’s latest advice on how to stay secure online, visit the Cyber Aware website: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/cyberaware
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