Toys are scatttered as nursery vandals strike
This week’s CrimeBeat column has been put together by local area commander Chief Inspector Ian Scott.
Anyone with any information that may be useful should contact Tayside Division on 101 or any police officer.
Alternatively information can be passed anonymously via the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Last week Cathy Marshall, secretary of the Pitlochry and District Neighbourhood Watch, put together a list of common scams, several of those listed I had previously warned Perth and Kinross residents about this year.
This week I want to provide some more advice in relation to scams highlighting ‘phishing’ and listing ways to help you avoid becoming a victim.
‘Phishing’ is when criminals use fake e-mails, or web links, to acquire sensitive personal information, such as passwords, usernames, or bank account details.
This is used to commit fraudulent or even criminal acts in your name. Such emails and linked websites often appear as genuine but are designed to trick people into entering personal details to access your identity, steal from your bank account or infect your computer with a virus which can allow them to control your system.
1. Don’t click on links in emails from unknown sources This first point is possibly the most important one and the one we need to spell out the most!
If there’s a link in an email from an untrustworthy source you should check the real destination of the link.
You can do this by hovering your mouse over the link (without clicking). The true destination of the link will be displayed on the bottom left of the screen in grey.
Ensure the web address shown on the bottom left matches what appears on the bottom bar when you hover over the link - if it doesn’t you could be taken to a phishing site.
Be aware that the safest websites to visit are those with a padlock sign on the destination website address followed by ‘https: //’.
2. Do not click on attachments in emails from unknown sources.
St Catherine’s Square in Perth If you weren’t expecting an email customer service (without from an organisation, always clicking on any links in said email question their motives for getting of course!). in touch. If you’re concerned something
There’s a good chance it might is a scam, copy the text of the not be genuine. email and paste it into Google.
3. Any requests for personal There you can see if other people information should be treated have had similar emails, and with caution often the real company (which
Be careful with what the email falsely claims to be information you give out online. from) will have advice on their If you receive an email asking for own pages about what to do usernames, passwords or bank in the event of receiving this details then tread with caution. information.
In 2016, many people were If you suspect you have been hoaxed through an iTunes the victim of online crime call ‘phishing’ scam. An email was Police Scotland on 101. For sent through from a fake Apple further advice regarding online email address featuring a fake safety and how to protect yourself invoice for purchased music or visit the www.getsafeonline.org/ an app. They would then be asked GSOWeek. to click on a ‘Refund’ button to Think about the link before you get this money back and then click! duped into providing card details on a separate website.
Scared that someone had gone shopping with their credit/ debit card, thousands were conned into providing personal information. This was done in the hope they’d receive a refund, but ended in money being emptied from their bank account.
Apple has information on their own website about identifying legitimate emails from iTunes and what you should do if you are targeted.
4. Be suspicious of any email that doesn’t use your proper name. This can be one of the biggest giveaways of a scam. For example, the email starts ‘Dear customer’, ‘Dear account holder’, or ‘Dear (your email address).
Any reputable company getting in touch with you will use your proper name.
5. An urgent request for action might not be genuine A common ‘phishing’ scam is to issue a threat or put the fear into that person that if they don’t click on a link or provide certain details within a short space of time then they’ll lose money or face some other consequences.
This has people panicking and results in them falling into the trap. If you suspect a scam, get in touch with the organisation in question and speak to their INCIDENT UPDATES
•At about 5.30pm an elderly resident in St Catherine’s Square, Perth found a male within his property and ushered him out. The resident then discovered items had been stolen and contacted police. A short time later a 46-year-old local man was traced and arrested when he was found in possession of the stolen property.
•A 38-year-old Perth man was arrested at 10.50pm on Sunday, November 5, after a resident in Balhousie Street saw the man within their garden, in circumstances that appeared he was there to commit theft.
RECENT INCIDENTS
•The construction site on Auld Bond Road, Perth has been targeted again by thieves who stole 750 litres of red diesel from a bowser overnight on Monday, October 30.
•A black Volkswagen Golf had two tyres punctured whilst it was parked in Ladeside Court, Perth overnight on Tuesday, October 31.
•Between 8.30pm on Tuesday, October 31, and 1pm on Wednesday, November 1, a flat in Grampian Court, Perth was broken into and items were stolen including a games console and jewellery.
•Two tyres were damaged on a white Ford Transit van parked in Ladeside Court, Perth, overnight on Thursday, November 2.
•Between Friday, November 3, and Monday, November 6, three storage containers at the nursery building, North Muirton Primary School, Uist Place, Perth were vandalised. On Monday when staff returned to work they found that outdoor toys were strewn across the playground and the containers they had been stored in were broken. Staff believe this damage is being caused by local children who enter the school grounds at weekends. Parents are requested to ensure that their children are respectful of others property to prevent further incidents of vandalism occurring.
•Between 3pm and 4pm on Monday, November 6, whilst a schoolgirl was playing at the South Inch playpark, Perth, a thief stole her trumpet which she had laid down with her jacket and other belongings nearby.
•A green Yamaha Grizzly 600 quad bike was stolen from Stronachie House, Forgandenny between 8pm on Monday, October 30, and 1pm on Tuesday, October 31.
•A police vehicle was damaged when a vandal broke off the rear registration plate between 10pm on Tuesday, October 31, and 2am on Wednesday, November 1, in the Blairgowrie area.
•A glass door pane was smashed at 7.55pm on Wednesday, November 1, at a house in Jessie Street, Blairgowrie.
•A tray of freshly baked goods was stolen from outside the Co-op, Perth Street, Blairgowrie between 4am and 6.30am on Monday, October 30.
•A black Ford Fiesta parked in Campbell Street, Coupar Angus was damaged overnight on Wednesday, November 1, when the paintwork was scratched.
•During the day on Thursday, November 2, a blue Dacia Stepway motor car was vandalised whilst parked in Arthurstone Gardens, Meigle.
•Overnight on Monday, November 6, an attempt was made to break-in to Munros, Bridgend, Aberfeldy.
•During an open day to celebrate 50 years of the Vane Farm Nature Reserve, Kinross a £500 pair of binoculars were stolen from a display table.
•The Handy Shop, Drummond Street, Comrie had a window smashed after a young man punched it at 11pm on Saturday, November 4. A local man will be visited soon by officers in connection with the incident.
•A red deer carcass was found on the Invergeldie Estate, Comrie on Monday, October 30. The deer had been shot and its head removed.