LAYING Response to appeal has been great
WITH DIVISIONAL COMMANDER CHIEF SUPERINTENDENT ALAN MURRAY
As I have mentioned previously frauds perpetrated online have become more prevalent since lockdown commenced, almost certainly because people are browsing more and doing more of their shopping through the internet.
Over recent months we have identified a number of frauds where the method used to obtain large sums of money from unsuspecting victims is very similar.
The thieves target both individual members of the public and commercial businesses/premises.
An example of such a fraud occurred in February this year when a local Paisley resident purchased a motor home on line from a reputable source.
During the purchase process the victim received a fraudulent email which appeared to be from the sellers account requesting that the remainder of the money was sent to an alternative bank account.
The victim, recognising the email address, believed this to be a legitimate request and transferred a five figure sum of money to the new account.
It wasn’t until he received an email from the genuine seller that the fraud became apparent.
Another similar incident occurred in March when a large Paisley business premises was duped into sending a five-figure sum of money to scammers.
The fraudster had sent an email purporting to be from the company’s utility supplier informing them that their bank details had changed and requested that future bills were paid into the new bank account.
Again, it wasn’t until the genuine supplier informed the victim that their utility bill was still outstanding that the fraud was discovered.
This week saw another such crime where a local business has been defrauded of a six figure sum of money. In all incidents the scammers are sending emails in the name of a genuine company known to the victim, however, on each occasion there has been a slight alteration such as a letter contained in the email address being amended or removed.
A minor change like this is very easy to miss.
If you receive a request to send money to a different account by either a known supplier or half way through the purchase of services or goods then please contact the seller by a previously used and trusted method.
Do not reply to the email or phone the telephone number provided on the suspect email as this too could be operated by the thieves.
And remember, reputable companies do not mind you being careful and making additional checks if necessary before sending electronic payments.
I’m pleased to report that after some extensive enquiry by local community officers this week two young males were identified and charged for a string of car crime offences which occurred over two nights in early May.
During the early hours of the morning when most of us were asleep these two individuals crept around Shortroods and then Erskine trying car doors, sneaking through gardens and committing a number of thefts.
They will shortly be appearing in Paisley Sheriff Court to answer for these crimes.
Of course, the responsibility for these crimes sits only with the perpetrators themselves.
However, it is worthy of note that the only vehicles they actually managed to access had been left unlocked by their owners. Simple security checks before you call it a night are still very effective in crime prevention.
During the week we put out a public appeal for information regarding a particularly sickening incident on the cycle path in Kilbarchan that is now being investigated as an attempted murder.
I’m delighted to say that the response to this appeal was fantastic.
All the information received is being followed up and has been of huge assistance.
We are very grateful for the support we have received and will be doing all we can over the next few weeks to ensure there is no repeat of this incident.
Finally, please enjoy the weather over the next few days but remember your social distancing, especially if you are going to meet with friends or loved ones from another household.
It is important that we continue to look after each other.
My officers remain available to give advice to anyone who is not sure of what the recent changes to government guidelines and legislation mean to them.
As usual we want to protect public health by using our three ‘Es’ of Engage, Explain and Encourage and will only resort to enforcement if there is no reasonable alternative.
Your continuing support is gratefully appreciated