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

I am also attaching a press release from Public Protection Partnership about fines recently issued for breaches of weight restrictions.

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 have been notified of phone numbers that could be linked to scams:  07860042238, 07886575084 and 07561449227. The last number has a recorded message asking for your phone number to call you back!   If you do not recognise a phone number, you can add 141 before the code and number so that your number remains anonymous.

How to report Rural Crime

Rural Crime - reporting fish poaching.pdf

Rural Crime - reporting hare coursing.pdf

Rural Crime - reporting vehicle & machinery theft.pdf

Due to the significant operational demands in September, it has been decided that the Force Open Day cannot go ahead on Saturday 6 September.  As the event relies heavily on a number of teams who are significantly involved in other unavoidable commitments, it would not be possible to hold the event at this time.  TVP will be aiming to move the event to May 2026 and once a date has been confirmed I will be notified.

There has recently been an increase in customers reporting fake emails about Amazon Prime membership subscriptions.   Amazon are sharing the below important information to help you stay protected.

·  Scammers are sending fake emails claiming your Amazon Prime subscription will automatically renew at an unexpected price.

·  The scammers might include personal information in the emails, obtained from other sources, in an attempt to appear legitimate.

·  These emails may also include a "cancel subscription" button leading to a fake Amazon login page.

Do not click on any links in these messages - scammers use fake websites to steal your Amazon login credentials and banking information.  If you want to verify your Prime membership, open your Amazon mobile app or go directly to Amazon.co.uk.   Select “Prime” from the main menu to view your membership status, renewal dates and plan details.

Report suspicious communications to amazon.co.uk/reportascam.

Fraudsters know their audience and lurk in social media feeds with fake giveaways intended to lure you into handing over your personal information, and even money, for prizes that don’t exist.  Often disguising themselves as popular brands to run competitions for everything from store vouchers to phones, toys and cars. Bogus competitions can also simply be well-designed images using a brand’s logo posted from a throwaway account that clearly has no link to a real brand. 

Another tactic popular with scammers is posting recommendations or endorsements about competitions or offers from accounts of real individuals whose accounts they have hacked. Posts that appear to be from real people give these scams an extra convincing illusion of authenticity. 

Competitions can also be a quick method of stealing money. A victim told Which that she was delighted to hear she had won a 55-inch TV after entering a Facebook competition that she thought was being run by Currys. She was asked to pay £15 for delivery because it was a large item and would need two delivery drivers but after she had paid using an online form, the contact stopped. The scammers disappeared with her money, her address and her bank details.

Spot the scam: Trusted brands would never ask you to pay a penny to receive a prize. Before entering any competition online, you can make a few checks before giving away any personal information. 

With energy bills skyrocketing and Winter Fuel Payment announcements, scammers are taking advantage of ongoing worry and confusion to try to con people into handing over personal and payment information. The fake messages either claim to be from the government or sometimes from your local council, and claim you are entitled to, or have been ‘approved’ to, receive a heating allowance or subsidies. The wording can be formal, making the message seem official. The messages include links to take victims to fake websites that may be designed to look like gov.uk or your local council website.

There are also plenty of online ads circulating on social media and websites that also promise authority-funded heating allowances, and other relief payments and tax breaks for certain people.

Spot the scam: Most people eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment get the payment automatically, and there’s no need to apply for it. Be wary of texts claiming to be from trusted organisations that contain links to websites asking for personal information. 

A resident has advised me of a scam on Facebook Messenger: She clicked on the icon top right that showed a new message. Computer instantly locked and showed multiple windows purporting to be from Microsoft saying they'd blocked my system for my security as hackers were trying to get into my computer. A flashing window showed telephone number 01138 312807.  It is all a SCAM. If the number given is rung, they say they can unlock for £99.00 and further suggest they install Firewall Defender to protect in future - at a cost of course. But if you have Windows 10 or 11, this is already on your computer courtesy of the real Microsoft Corporation.

Your bank/building society will never contact you to ask you to withdraw or transfer cash, or buy gold or valuables to help secure your account.  Don't assume someone is authentic because they know your name, address, part of your card number, or other personal/financial information.

If you need to contact your bank/building society, use the number on the back of your card or dial 159.

Find out more here: Don't assume a phone call is authentic just because someone knows your name and address | Action Fraud

Criminals are continuing to send untrue texts claiming that you've been issued a parking penalty notice (PCN) using spoofed mobile numbers and email addresses. The text tells you that you must pay a £20 parking fine and says that this is your final notice.  It goes on to scare you by claiming that legal action could be taken against you if you don't pay and includes a malicious link to follow to make the payment.

This will lead to a website impersonating the government's official site in order to get you to type in your personal and financial information. You can report scam texts by forwarding the message to 7726. more (click on this link to read the full Which article).

How do I spot a TV Licence Scam

There are a few common signs that you shouldn’t trust an email:

The sender has an unusual email address.  The TV Licensing organisation will use donotreply@tvlicensing.co.uk or donotreply@spp.tvlicensing.co.uk to email you.  The criminals cannot send emails using these addresses.  Instead, they may come from a personal email account or one which looks unusual.

Angela Money BEM

Area Representative for West Berkshire Neighbourhood Watch (Voluntary role)

Attachments

Press Release - Weight Restriction Fines 21.07. 2025.docx