2 August 2018 

Neighbourhood Watch Update

Thanks to PCSO Angel Parnell for sending the following update :

Motor vehicle crime: On 29/7/18 at 0016hrs A resident in Ellenborough Road Sidcup has had their wing mirror damaged. The incident has been captured on CCTV and police are pursuing the suspect

A motorcycle was stolen from the rear garden of a property in St James Way Sidcup. This occurred overnight from 24th-25th July. The vehicle has since been recovered by the owners as on 28/7/18 they saw their motorcycle being ridden past their property on whereby they followed it and found it dumped in Thursland Road. Officers will be completing a follow up visit at the address

2 vehicles have had their number plates taken this week both overnight from 30th-31st July. One vehicle was parked on North Cray Road and the other on Thanet Road, Bexley. There appears to be no CCTV available or witnesses to this crime.

St Marys & St James have their ward panel this week on Friday 3rd AUGUST at 6pm it will be held at The Albany Park Baptist Church, Stanstead Crescent Bexley.

Borough-Wide Neighbourhood Watch News 

DISABILITY SCOOTER PARKING SCAM  From Member of the Public  New scam going on in Northumberland Heath today (26th July) outside Tescos. The scammer managed to get my grandfather's bank card off of him. A man in a uniform approached my grandfather and told him that he needed a parking permit to park his mobility scooter on the forecourt of Tescos in Bexley Road and that this was a new thing only introduced on Monday. To pay for the ticket this man in uniform escorted him to the ATM and told him that is how you paid for the permit. My grandfather tried to use his card, but nothing happened and he couldn't get his card back. The man in uniform then said he was going to get his supervisor. My grandfather then went into Tescos, where he found out that there was no permit and when he got back to the machine the card had gone. Thankfully, we have managed to stop the transactions. Several had been made including one for £500 and a money transfer between his savings and current account.

PPI SCAM  From Templar Drive, Neighbourhood Watch Member  Phone rings and its PPI. If one decides to go ahead with the call then .... is that Mrs X? (In this case Mrs X is recently deceased and her widower answers the phone). Mr X explains that his partner recently passed away. They tell Mr X that although his spouse has passed there is some good news; her PPI has come through! Mr X offers the solicitor's details and tells the caller that it will need to go to her Estate. The caller says that they can pay Mr X direct. (this could be tempting when one is recently widowed and living on one income) Mr X is told that a courier will deliver the money in cheque, cash or bank order form whichever he would prefer. Now here is the rub .... the PPI commission needs to be paid up front. They tell Mr X that they have had difficulty getting their commission from some clients so they now require .... a topped up phone card! Mr X was not convinced and certainly not happy to receive the funds direct. He calls his bank and the probate solicitor who confirmed it was probably a scam. The caller was able to tailor their patter to whatever Mr X said and I wonder if they targeted him as a widower. Mr X blocked the scammer's number but he has received 2 similar calls.