Author: admincomms@aldenham-pc.gov.uk
Help bring seasonal cheer to Hertsmere
| Children are being asked to help spread some seasonal cheer by entering our annual seasonal card competition. We are looking for a cheerful festive design to be used on its electronic greeting card. Designs can represent religious festivals or aspects of the season. Entries from youngsters aged 11 or below who live or go to school in the borough are invited and must be submitted before Friday 18 October. Winners will receive a certificate and a £50 gift voucher. Second and third place winners will receive a certificate and a £30 and £20 gift voucher respectively. A prizegiving ceremony with the Mayor will take place in our Civic Offices. Invitations have been sent to all the primary and junior schools in the borough to encourage participation in the competition. The winning design will be reproduced by a designer and also replicated on our website and social media channels. Entries should be sent to Corporate Communications, Seasonal card competition, Hertsmere Borough Council, Civic Offices, Elstree Way, Borehamwood, WD1 6WA. Please note each entry must include the full name and age of the participant, the school they attend and a contact number. Find out full details on how to enter here.  |
Warning after residents targeted by fraudsters posing as police
| Fraudsters posing as police officers have been contacting residents in Hertfordshire in recent weeks. Since the beginning of August fraudsters managed to scam victims out of more than £135,000, by posing as police officers and asking them to hand over their bank cards or cash to a courier. One resident from Bishop’s Stortford suffered a substantial loss of more than £110,000. These kinds of scams usually involve the victim receiving a telephone call, from a mobile or a landline number, with someone posing as a police officer or bank official and informing them of fraudulent activity on their bank account. The victims are then instructed to put their bank cards and/or money into an envelope and give it to a courier or taxi, which is sent to their home by the offenders. In some cases the victim may be asked to buy goods or vouchers. If bank cards are collected, they can be used later by the offenders to withdraw large sums of money. The offenders may also ask the victim to disclose their bank details, including their account and PIN numbers, to aid the bogus investigation. Detective Inspector Katy Jackson, from the Serious Fraud and Cyber Unit, said: “While number of courier fraud offences reported has dropped from last year, more than £190,000 has still been lost by victims this year. It’s important to remember that police officers and bank officials will never ask you for sensitive information, like a PIN or ask you to purchase high value items to assist them with an enquiry. “Usually, the intended victim realises the call is not genuine and refuses to part with their personal and bank details. However, these fraudsters can be very persuasive and insistent, which has resulted in some people falling victim to this scam and subsequently losing thousands of pounds.” If you receive a call you’re not expecting, you should be suspicious. The vital things to remember are that your bank and the police would: · NEVER ask for your bank account details or PIN number over the phone, so do not disclose these to anyone, no matter who they claim to be. · NEVER ask you to withdraw money or purchase high value items and send it to them via a courier, taxi or by any other means. · NEVER ask you to send your bank cards, or any other personal property, to them via courier, taxi or by any other means. If you are not happy with a phone call and are suspicious of the conversation you have with the caller then please end the call and dial 101 or report online herts.police.uk/report. In an emergency or if a crime is in progress call 999 immediately. Remember, when reporting a suspicious phone call to police, wait at least five minutes before attempting to make the call to ensure you’re not reconnected to the offender. Alternatively, use a mobile phone or a neighbour’s phone or test your landline by phoning a friend or relative first, to ensure you aren’t still unwittingly connected to the offender. If you have concerns about your bank account, visit your local branch. How to protect yourself: Remember to follow the above advice. In addition to this, some phone companies offer call screening services that can be effective in blocking marketing cold calls and bogus callers. Contact your phone company and ask about call screening and caller display services. How can you help? · Please share this information with your older relatives and friends: this crime has a devastating effect on people and we need to raise awareness to prevent further people becoming victims. · Report any calls you believe are suspicious as we may be able to trace where the calls are originating from. Please remember, to wait at least five minutes before calling police or use a mobile or neighbour’s phone. · Report suspicious activity at cash points. If you see someone spending a long time at a cashpoint, using a number of different cards and have a hood up or their faces covered, contact police immediately. Often offenders will use cashpoints in the early hours. If you believe you may have been a victim of a similar fraud – please report the details to Action Fraud online at www.actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040. |
Warning issued over scam text message
| Residents are being warned to be on their guard against a scam text message relating to the payment of an outstanding parking Penalty Charge Notice (PCN). Hertsmere Borough Council’s Parking Services Team have received a number of complaints from local people, and is keen to raise wider awareness of the scam. Trading standards officials say that where the rules of a car park are genuinely broken, the registered keeper of the vehicle involved will receive a letter and not a text, because vehicles are registered to addresses not phone numbers. The scam text message states only that the recipient has received a PCN issued by ‘a local council’ and provides no further detail. It says that 28 days is allowed for payment of the fine, but warns it will increase by 50% if it isn’t paid within this time. It then states that if the person does not pay, they will be prosecuted. A web link embedded within the text takes recipients to a fake website. No details are provided about the location of the alleged contravention when a vehicle’s registration number is entered. The payment page is live, however, and ready to take people’s money. Trading standards officials advise people to forward the message on to 7726, OFCOM’s scam call and text message reporting facility, and then delete it. Guidance on how to forward details to OFCOM can be found here. Read our full news article |
Residents choose to replace copse in Elstree
| Almost 500 whips and trees are being planted in Elstree, to replace diseased trees felled in a residential area. Residents were asked to have their say on the replanting after a large copse of diseased ash and elm trees in Elstree Hill South and Coates Lane was removed. Of the three options given – a woodland copse, grassland or orchard – the overwhelming majority of people wanted the copse replanted. The copse will provide a rich habitat for wildlife as well as provide better screening for residents as it grows. There will be 17 different species of native trees and shrubs, of varying sizes, to provide a denser copse in the longer term. Since the diseased trees were removed, the council has cleared substantial hidden fly tipping and litter picked the area. Over the coming months the ground will be prepared, which will include grinding out and removing old stumps, soil preparation and improvement, ready for 90 trees and 400 whips to be planted later in the year. If you want to find out more about the planting survey at Elstree Hill South/Coates Lane or how to work with us, please visit our Working With Residents page or go to our consultation hub on the carousel. |