Neighbourhood Watch

Safer payments online:

Advice from https://www.getsafeonline.org/safepayments/

Using the internet to make payments to utility, phone, credit card, insurance and other companies saves considerable time and effort. It is also a simple and convenient way to contribute to charity either directly or sponsoring participants in money-raising activities. There are, however, risks associated with online payments and you need to take care when making them.

The Risks

• Fraud resulting from making payments over unsecured web pages

• emails directing you to fake websites set up to collect your payment card details.

Safe Payments

Online payments are normally part of your arrangement with a service provider as an alternative to payment by Direct Debit or cheque. In most cases, therefore, the payee will be familiar to you, but you must take care to ensure that you are on the provider’s genuine site.

• Remember that paying by credit card offers greater protection against fraud than with other methods.

• Double check all details of your payment before confirming. Before entering payment card details on a website, ensure that the link is secure, in two ways:

  • There should be a padlock symbol in the browser window frame, which appears when you attempt to log in or register. Be sure that the padlock is not on the page itself ... this will probably indicate a fraudulent site.

  • The web address should begin with ‘https://’. The ‘s’ stands for ‘secure’.

• The above indicate only that the link between you and the website owner is secure, and not that the site itself is authentic. You need to do this by carefully checking the address for subtle misspellings, additional words and characters and other irregularities.

• When making a payment to an individual use a secure payment site such as PayPal – never transfer the money directly into their bank account.

• Check the website’s privacy policy.

• Always log out of sites into which you have logged in or registered details. Simply closing your browser is not enough to ensure privacy.

• Keep receipts – electronic or otherwise.

• Check credit card and bank statements carefully after payment to ensure that the correct amount has been debited, and also that no fraud has taken place as a result of the transaction.

• Ensure you have effective and updated antivirus/antispyware software and firewall running before you go online.

More Information

If you think you have been a victim of fraud: Report it to Action Fraud, the UK’s national fraud reporting centre by calling 0300 123 20 40 or by visiting www.actionfraud.police.uk. If you are in Scotland, contact Police Scotland on 101.

February 2019

Guildford Neighbourhood Watch Coordinators' Conference

6th October 2018,

​Queen Elizabeth Park Centre, Stoughton

At the recent and well attended Conference talks were given by Guildford Police and the West Surrey Mediation Centre.

The first presentation was by PC Rob Clarke (attending in his free time) who described the impact of cuts and the resultant reduction in numbers of police officers. Whereas in the past, the priority was in catching criminals, the current priority is public protection. Calls received by the police are assessed by the call handler in terms of the immediate and short term level of personal threat posed by the incident reported. Major issues include and are affected by mental health issues, domestic abuse, missing persons, child sex and crime exploitation and modern day slavery.

The second presentation was by the West Surrey Mediation Service, a registered charity which deals with cases of neighbourhood disputes and anti social behaviour referred to them by the Borough Council, Housing Association or Surrey Police. It is run by volunteers and funded by grants . About 50 to 60 cases are resolved each year. They are also able to help those affected in the cases where no resolution by mediation is possible.

Presentations were followed by group discussions of the challenges facing Neighbourhood Watch. Concern was expressed by coordinators that the use of a risk approach system by the police has led to a lack of visibility and response when called for. This may result in a reduction in support by the general public. It was stated that it is still worth reporting non-emergency crime or suspicious behaviour to allow a picture to be built up. This can be by telephone (101 or 01483 571212), email (contactcentre@surrey.pnn.police.org) or through the non-emergency online form on the website https://www.surrey.police.uk/contact-us/ . This website has a useful link which will help direct your call to the appropriate agency.

Alison Vincent

5/11/2018

This News document is to be found Here

The Crime Summit, G Live, 2nd December 2015 was organised by the Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner for Surrey[1]

For a full report please click Here