Author: Stourpaine Parish Council

Good Morning

A suspicious red Ford Transit van was seen at Stileham Bank, Milborne St Andrew on Saturday 11th July at 1:30pm. One male who was with the vehicle was going door to door offering to re-surface driveways. He was described as a white male in his late 20’s with an Irish accent. When challenged, the driver returned to the vehicle and left the area at speed. The van was an 05 plate ending MVY.

If you see this vehicle, or any other vehicles acting suspiciously in your area, please contact Dorset Police on 101 or 999 if appropriate.

Thank You

‘The Dyre Wolf’ is a sophisticated fraud scheme that has netted more than $1 million from U.S companies. It is anticipated that British companies could subsequently be targeted by this fraud type.

Spam emails with attachments are sent to as many computers as possible within a targeted company. If installed, the malware – a variant of the malware known as Dyre – spreads itself into the company network where it waits until it recognises that a user is navigating to a bank website. A fake screen is then created telling the user that there are problems with the bank’s site and to call a number.

At the end of the phone line is an English speaking operator, aware of the bank that the user is attempting to contact. After obtaining the user’s bank details the operator commences a large wire transfer of money out of the business account.

So far those targeted work in large and medium sized companies, and at present the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau have yet to notice any reports of this type of fraud being reported through Action Fraud.

Prevention

• Ensuring employees are well trained in spotting phishing attacks where unsolicited emails and attachment could contain malware.
• Ensuring all company employees are aware of the scam.
• Do not give banking details to anyone.
• Only use confirmed banking phone numbers or those that have been previously used.
• Do not follow links from an unknown source.
• Do not open attachments on suspicious emails.
• Run regular virus scans on devices.

If you believe that you have been a victim of fraud you can report it online http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/report_fraud or by telephone 0300 123 2040.

A scam email is currently being sent to victims fraudulently claiming to be from British Gas or The Ministry of Justice. The attached document or link leads to the TorrentLocker ransomware.

This malware encrypts files on the victim’s system and requests a ransom be paid in order for the files to be decrypted; one reported amount has been £330 worth of Bitcoins.

It has been reported that some anti-virus vendors are detecting this and stopping the pages and or documents from being opened.

Protect yourself

• If you receive an email that you are suspicious of do not follow any links or open attachments until you can verify that the email is genuine. To do this contact the organisation that the email has come from by sourcing the number independently from the email received.
• If you believe the email to be fake, report it to your email provider as spam.
• Ensure your anti-virus software is up to date this will help to mitigate the potential for virus to be downloaded. It should be noted that anti-virus software is constantly being updated and may not stop all viruses especially if they are new or been adapted.  It has been reported that some anti-virus vendors are detecting this and stopping the pages and or documents from being opened.
• If you have opened an attachment or followed a link which you believe to be suspicious it is recommended that you run your anti-virus and/or take your machine to a reputable company to have it cleaned.
• In cases where files have been encrypted it can be very difficult to retrieve them, and in most cases they will be lost. It is recommended that you always back up all files on a separate device or cloud storage to ensure they are not lost. Please remember that if a device is attached to the infected machine the files on this could also be encrypted with the virus so ensure they are kept separate.

If you believe that you have been a victim of fraud you can report it online http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/report_fraud or by telephone 0300 123 2040.

Police are appealing for the tractor driver involved in an accident on May 27th in an area west of East Stour on the A30  to come forward.  The collision was with a motorcycle who has admitted being at fault and we purely need to establish details for reporting purposes only.  This person should contact Police on 101 and ask for the information to be passed to PC 2342 Henstridge.

Courier fraudsters have been identifying themselves to victims on the telephone as “Detective Constable Martin Benton of New Scotland Yard Fraud Department”. The fraudsters will invent a story regarding fraudulent activity on your card and request your bank/card details.

No such person exists at the Metropolitan Police. If you receive a call from someone purporting to be this individual, terminate the call immediately.

Protect yourself against courier fraud:

• Your bank will never send a courier to your home
• Your bank and the police will never collect your bank card
• Your bank and the police will never ask for your PIN
• If you receive one of these calls end it immediately

Victim Advice:

• If you have handed over any details to the fraudster, call your bank and cancel your cards immediately.
• ​If you want to call your bank, then do it from another telephone.

If you believe that you have been a victim of fraud you can report it online http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/report_fraud or by telephone 0300 123 2040.

Fraudsters are targeting individuals who have recently expressed an interest in an online loan. Unsolicited calls are made by fraudsters who appear to be calling from a genuine company. They state that the recently applied for loan has been agreed, but an “advance fee” is required before the money can be transferred.

Once these “fees” have been paid, either directly to the fraudsters’ bank accounts or through a money service bureau, they are unrecoverable.

In many cases, fraudsters have asked for multiple upfront “fees” to address issues arising with the loan.

Protect yourself:

• Authentic credit companies do not charge fees in advance.
• Be wary of anyone calling who says they represent a credit company.
• Report any instances of a credit company attempting to request fees in advance of a loan to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

If you believe that you have been a victim of fraud you can report it online http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/report_fraud or by telephone 0300 123 2040.

Please follow the link below to see a copy of the latest newsletter from Dorset Police –

SNT NEWSLETTER JULY 2015

Good evening,

We are asking north Dorset residents to be aware of a motorbike that was stolen from the Shaftesbury area.

The vehicle was reported stolen at 1500hrs today (4th July)

It is a 125cc Pulse Adrenalin in black. Vehicle registration WJ15SVZ

Anyone with knowledge of this incident or if you see the vehicle around, please contact Dorset Police as soon as possible.

Many thanks,

North Dorset Safer Neighbourhood Teams