West Mercia Police – Economic Crime Unit – Monthly Fraud and Scam bulletin

The Fraud & Scam Bulletin

January 2022

Your monthly update direct from West Mercia Police on the latest scams and frauds

 

Welcome to our first monthly Bulletin  highlighting current fraud trends in our area.

Please circulate to your members and contacts, as well as using it for your own information.

 

This month we are focusing on two types of Fraud about which we have had multiple reports from the public in recent weeks and how you can keep safe.

 

Romance fraud – What is it?

 

You are convinced to make a payment to a person  you may have met through social media platforms, dating websites and Apps, or Gaming sites.

  • Fake profiles are used by criminals in an attempt to build a relationship with you – this is often known as “Catfishing”.
  • Criminals  use information found on social media to create fake identities to target you with the scam, often looking for profiles saying you are single, widowed or divorced
  • They will go to great lengths to gain your trust and convince you that you have found a genuine relationship before appealing to your compassionate side to ask for money
  • Criminals use language to manipulate, persuade and exploit so that requests for money do not raise any alarm bells
  • These requests might be highly emotive, such as criminals claiming they need money for emergency medical care, or to pay for transport costs to visit you from overseas

What to do:

·      If you are speaking to someone online that you have not met in person, stop and think. It could protect your heart and your money

·      Never give your bank details to someone online that you have never met, and if you are in any doubt about the person’s honesty, speak to a friend or family member. If they have tried to take money from you, report it to  Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or via the website https://www.actionfraud.police.uk

 

 

 

NEW WhatsApp FRAUD

 

A rising number of similar Frauds using WhatsApp have been seen in recent weeks in our area which residents need to be aware of.

  • The suspect will send the victim a message via WhatsApp claiming to be their son/daughter/friend and that they have had to change their phone number
  • The suspect then asks for money for debt repayment / to buy a new phone/asking to pay outstanding bills
  • The victim then ends up sending money to the fraudster believing this is going to an actual relative or friend
  • This type of Scam is becoming more frequent

Always remember:

  • STOP: Taking a moment to stop and think before parting with your money or information could keep you safe.
  • CHALLENGE: Could it be fake? It’s ok to reject, refuse or ignore any requests. Only criminals will try to rush or panic you.
  • PROTECT: Contact your bank immediately if you think you’ve fallen for a scam and report it to Action Fraud.

For further information visit:

https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/

https://takefive-stopfraud.org.uk/

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West Mercia Police and Crime Panel – Recruitment of Lay Member 2021

Recruitment of Lay Member 2021

Applications for an Independent Lay Member of the West Mercia Police and Crime Panel are invited from members of the public. Closing date: 5pm on Monday 6 December 2021 

The Panel covers the geographical areas of Herefordshire, Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin and Worcestershire with support for the Panel provided by Worcestershire County Council.

The Panel is part of the governance arrangements for policing in the West Mercia area and its role is to maintain a regular check and balance on the performance of the directly-elected West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner.

How to apply

Please return to Sheena Jones by 5pm on Monday 6 December 2021

You can do this either by email:  or by post:

Sheena Jones, Democratic Governance and Scrutiny Manager
Legal and Governance, Worcestershire County Council County Hall, Spetchley Road, Worcester, WR5 2NP

The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 created a directly elected Police and Crime Commissioner within each force area in England and Wales outside London. The Commissioners’ main responsibilities are:

  • setting the strategic direction and accountability for policing
  • holding the Chief Constable to account
  • working with partners to prevent and tackle crime and re-offending
  • contributing to resourcing of policing response to regional and national threats
  • ensuring value for money

More information about Police and Crime Commissioner can be found on West Mercia PCC website (opens a new window)

West Mercia Police and Crime Panel

The West Mercia Police and Crime Panel is part of the governance arrangements for policing in the West Mercia area (which covers the geographical areas of Herefordshire, Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin and Worcestershire).

The Panel (PCP) scrutinises the actions and decisions of the West Mercia PCC and makes sure information is available for the public. Worcestershire County Council has been appointed as the host authority for the West Mercia PCP.

The Panel is made up of representatives from each local authority in the West Mercia area. Details of membership, Agendas and Minutes of the West Mercia PCP meetings are available online: West Mercia Police and Crime Panel (opens in a new window)

Members of the public may participate by asking a question or making a statement to the Panel (up to three minutes each person) for a maximum of 30 minutes in total, having given appropriate notice (no later than 9:00 a.m. on the morning of the working day before the Panel meeting) to the contact officer below. Responses will normally be provided in writing after the meeting.

The Panel makes report to the PCP about a range of matters and recent reports are available online: Police and Crime Commissioners Reports and Police and Crime Commissioners Responses (opens in a new window).

Home Office Grant expenditure

The Home Office offers a grant each year to meet the costs of the Police and Crime Panel. Expenditure against the grant is shown below.

Expenditure against the grant is shown below.
Financial Year Total grant offered Member Expenses Staff costs Administration costs Total grant claimed
2016 to 2017 £68,940 £ 5,057 £56,449 £2,976 £64,482
2017 to 2018 £68,940 £1,074 £64,691 £3,030 £68,796
2018 to 2019 £68,940 £1,316 £63,281 £2,029 £66,627
2019 to 2020 £68,940 £1,505 £63,264 £1,638 £66,407
2020 to 2021 £68,940 £770 £57,559 £1,493 £59,822

Complaints about the Police and Crime Commissioner

The West Mercia Police and Crime Panel is responsible for handling complaints about the conduct of the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) and the Deputy PCC. The Panel has delegated the implementation of the complaints process to the Monitoring Officer of Worcestershire County Council as the host authority for the Panel.

The Panel cannot deal with the following:

  • complaints about the PCC’s intervention or lack of involvement in complaints about West Mercia Police, or his failure to act as an advocate or to investigate a personal case – the PCC cannot direct how the Chief Constable deals with a specific complaint
  • appeals about the outcome of a complaint against West Mercia Police or the Chief Constable
  • policy decisions made by the PCC – the Panel is only able to look at whether a decision has been made properly. The Panel may scrutinise policy decisions, but this is a separate function

The Panel is not able to investigate complaints. It may ask the PCC or Deputy PCC to provide information or to attend a meeting to answer questions in order to try and resolve a complaint.

If a complaint alleges that the PCC or Deputy PCC may have committed a criminal offence, the complaint must be passed to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). It is open to the IOPC to refer the complaint back to the Panel.

How to make a complaint

All complaints about the conduct of the PCC or Deputy PCC can be made online.

Online complaint form

Your complaint must relate to the conduct of the Police and Crime Commissioner. If you have an ongoing complaint, we would normally require that complaint process to be completed before it would be considered under the Panel’s procedure.

There are separate procedures for the following complaints:

  • complaints about operational policing matters, the performance of West Mercia Police or any of its officers are dealt with by the West Mercia Police Standards Department
  • complaints about the Chief Constable or the office which supports the PCC are dealt with by the PCC
  • complaints about individual members of the Police and Crime Panel should be sent to the relevant Council

View a list of Panel members and the meeting information (opens in a new window).

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On the Beat North Worcs

You will find attached the summer quarter of `On the Beat North Worcs` for Alvechurch, Wythall, Hagley & Rubery and surrounding villages.

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Attachments

Total Attachments: 1

Download: On the Beat North Worcs Summer 2021 (643 KB)