Beware - Telephone Scam

Bob McKinney from the Police Scotland Crime Reduction Unit has circulated the following information.

There have been a number of reports of a particular telephone scam currently doing the rounds.

The scam relates to a male calling people at home and claiming to be from the Department of Justice and alleging that the recipient was due the Department a sum of money. The man advises the victim that they can only repay debt in Apple iTunes vouchers, sometimes running into many thousands of pounds.

The Department of Justice would never accept payment for any outstanding taxes in Apple iTunes vouchers. Neither the Department of Justice nor Apple are a part of any such scheme.

If you receive a call from anyone using this or a similar scam, please do not speak with them; they are criminals trying to defraud you and steal your money. 

Instead, 

1.   hang up and get a pen and notebook. 

2.   lift the phone and listen for a dialling tone. 

3.   once you hear that, dial 1471 and note the number which the fraudster called from

4.   note the current time and date. 

5.   phone the Police on the non-emergency number of 101 and report the incident.

There are a number of uncertainties about this scam, such as how the fraudster obtains the victim's phone number and how he selects localities to target, as well as the identity of the fraudster himself. 

Police Scotland is investigating all reports but in the meantime, if you receive a cold-call from a stranger whose first act is to alarm you with their message and the rest of the call relates to money changing hands, please STOP, think about what they said and ask yourself "Could this be a scam?". If you have the slightest doubt, do not follow their instructions at all; instead discuss it and seek advice from someone you trust and if you feel it may have been a scam, please report it to Police Scotland. Better to be safe than sorry.

If you would like security advice on how to keep yourself or your property more secure, please give Police Scotland a call at the Crime Reduction Unit on the Police Scotland non-emergency number of 101 and they will be only too pleased to help.

Constable McKinney can be reached at 

Crime Reduction Unit,

Police Scotland,

North East Division,

Nigg Police Office

230 Abbotswell Crescent, Nigg,

Aberdeen,

AB12 3JT,

Tel: 101

Community Council Meeting - 27 June 2017

The next meeting of the Community Council is on Tuesday 27 June 2017.  The meeting begins at 7pm prompt. This and all future meetings this year, will be held in the Gordon Room at Mannofield Parish Church.

The Agenda can be downloaded by clicking here.

ALL WELCOME

First Aid Awareness Event - CANCELLED

As previously intimated, the Community Council were considering organising a 2 hour first aid awareness event for staff associated with local businesses. 

Despite writing to each of the organisations individually to invite their participation and publicising the initiative in the Community, it is disappointing to report that only 2 expressions of interest were received.

As a result, we have reluctantly decided that we will not progress the organisation of the first aid course at this time.

Should any organisation want the details of the trainer that we were going to use, feel free to email the Secretary who will pass you the details.

To email us, click here

Police Report - May 2017

Sergeant David Cowie says, "This month, I want to make you aware of Operation LATHE.  Over the month of June a small dedicated team will be robustly tackling push bike crime.  We will focus on three strands of intelligence, prevention and enforcement.

If you see anyone acting suspiciously in your area you contact Police on 999 for on-going incidents or 101 for historical incidents.  Our team is committed to keeping the community safe, preventing and detecting crime. If any suspicious activity is seen, please report this to us, either as an emergency on 999 or to the Service Centre on 101. Quick and effective reporting allows our team to react accordingly and maximise the opportunity to apprehend offenders."

The local policing team are based at Whinhill and request that if any suspicious activity is seen they are contacted, either as an emergency on 999 or on the Police Scotland Service Centre at 101.

Follow the Local Policing Team on Twitter @NorthEPolice   #WestEndCPT

Also available are the three following contact email addresses for the West End:
AiryhallBroomhillGarthdeeCPT@Scotland.pnn.police.ukHazleheadAshleyQueensCrossCPT@Scotland.pnn.police.ukTorryFerryhillCPT@scotland.pnn.police.uk

Click here to download the full report