Do you know the signs someone could be involved with county line activity? Take a look at them here: https://www.fearless.org/en/campaigns/county-lines
Concerns can be reported completely confidentially and anonymously to Crimestoppers or Fearless.
New data from UK Finance reveals a 20 per cent increase in bank transfer romance fraud between January – November 2020 compared to the previous year, with the total value of these scams rising by 12 per cent to £18.5 million. The average loss per victim reported to UK Finance members was £7,850, highlighting the significant impact this type of fraud can have on victims’ finances.
But criminals can trick victims into sending them money in many ways, not just via a bank transfer. Action Fraud has also seen a rise in reports made by members of the public who have fallen victim to romance fraud in 2020, with total reported losses equating to over £68 million. In these reports, victims have lost money via bank transfer, money transfer, sending fraudsters gift cards and vouchers or presents such as phones and laptops, and providing them with access to their bank account or card.
Romance scams involve people being duped into sending money to criminals who go to great lengths to gain their trust and convince them that they are in a genuine relationship. They use language to manipulate, persuade and exploit so that requests for money do not raise 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 the victim if they are overseas.
The rise in romance scams comes as more people have turned to online dating during 2020 due to social distancing restrictions. Figures from the Online Dating Association (ODA) estimate that over 2.3 million Brits used dating apps during the first lockdown, with 64 per cent of people surveyed seeing dating apps as a lifeline for those living alone. While the internet can be a great way to meet people and form new relationships, the growth in popularity of online dating is giving criminals more opportunities to exploit and coerce people into parting with their money.
Scammers will often build a relationship with their victims over time, the ODA’s data shows that half (53 per cent) of people surveyed are having longer conversations on dating services during lockdown. UK Finance is therefore calling on people to look out for their friends and family this Valentine’s Day. Dating app users should also speak to their friends and family for advice, and follow the advice of the Take Five to Stop Fraud campaign to keep themselves safe from scams.
West Mercia Police Detective Inspector Emma Wright from the Economic Crime Unit said: “We are committed to safeguarding vulnerable people and disrupting criminality that preys on victims and causing them significant financial losses. We work in collaboration with the City of London Police to investigate reports and develop intelligence leads to disrupt romance fraudsters, whilst also safeguarding, supporting and offering protection advice to the victims.
“Romance scams are both emotionally and financially damaging for victims. The increasing popularity of online dating services has made it easier for criminals to target victims, so we urge everyone to be cautious and follow the advice of the Take Five to Stop Fraud campaign, which offers straight-forward and impartial advice to help people spot scams and protect themselves against fraud.
“Although banks are always looking out for suspicious activity, customers must be on their guard and protect themselves too. Always be wary of requests for money from someone you’ve never met in person. If you think you’ve been the victim of a romance scam, contact your bank immediately, report it to Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk or call us on 101.”
Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion said: “I am committed to protecting vulnerable people and supporting victims of crime. Romance fraud is a horrible crime that can leave victims devastated, both financially and emotionally.
“Providing the right support for victims is central to my role as commissioner, and I would urge anyone that has been a victim of this very personal crime to reach out to the support that is available.”
If you’ve been affected by romance fraud or know someone who has, then support is available from the West Mercia Victim Advice Line.
The Victim Advice Line is a free and confidential service offering advice, practical help and emotional support to people affected by crime, regardless of whether it has been reported to the police.
Support is available by telephone on 0800 9523000, via email at info@victimadviceline.org.uk and through live chat on victimadviceline.org.uk
How users can stay safe from romance scams:
If you think you have been a victim of a romance scam, do not feel ashamed or embarrassed – you are not alone. Contact your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or via actionfraud.police.uk.
It is important that no matter how long you’ve been speaking to someone online and how much you think you trust them, if you have not met them in person it’s important that you do not:
Preparations for the laying of fibre is complete and contractors, on behalf of Openreach, have started laying the fibre optic cables that will bring Ultrafast Broadband to properties that are connected to the Mount Road junction.
Once underground cables are laid, work will commence connecting properties. It is hoped that Fibre to the Properties will be “live” by early Spring.
Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Day as it is sometimes known, is a traditional feast day before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday, this year Shrove Tuesday falls on 16th February.
Lent – the 40 days leading up to Easter – was traditionally a time of fasting, and Shrove Tuesday was the last opportunity to use up eggs and fats before embarking on the fast, and pancakes are the perfect way of using up these ingredients. As well as eating pancakes it is traditional to have pancake races and toss pancakes!
There will be no community pancake races due to Covid restriction, but there is still something that we can do as a community to mark the occasion:
Challenge
On a dinner plate size circular piece of paper (your pancake), create something that depicts part of our community, e.g. your pancake could have a church (St. Marks), or trees (Pepperwood) or football field (Recreation Ground) – you can use pens, crayons or craft materials. Take a photo of your creation and email to admin@fvca.org.uk where will share on a social media streams & website. Please state name to be quoted and, if created by a child, age.
LENT GROUP 2021
For the people of Belbroughton, Blakedown, Broome, Churchill and Fairfield
On Zoom
on The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis
Starting Wednesday 24th February 2pm, lasting till 3.15/30 pm
For 6 sessions
The only thing you will need is a Bible.
Session 1: Following Jesus. Matthew 4: 18-22; 8: 18-27
Session 2: The Path of Grace. Mathew 5: 1-12
Session 3: The Path of Humility. John 13: 1-17
Session 4: The Path of Suffering: Matthew 10: 1-33
Session 5: The Path of Peace. Matthew 7: 1-12
Session 6: Following to the End. John 11:1-44
Not everyone agrees, but the majority think that Thomas a Kempis, an Augustinian monk of the 1400’s, is the author of a book that for years was second only to the Bible in sales. The Imitation of Christ has never been out of print and copies have been in circulation since 1418.
Revered by Protestants and Catholics alike, you might like to get your own copy. You can get the Penguin Classics translation by Robert Jeffery, the Dean of Worcester Cathedral before the present one, for under £10. But you do not need to have your own copy. You might already have one!
If you indicate you want to join this Zoom Group, along with the Zoom details, each week you will get a “Handout” with some text from the Imitation and the questions we shall discuss/think about.
Do join us!
Email sueoliver778@gmail.com
Canon Sue
Members of the community put pen to paper and shared their love poems to mark Valentine’s Day 2021.
By Arthur Wilson
In Shakespeare’s time
Love poems would rhyme
With “hast” and “thee”
And “thou” and “me”.
As time progressed
The rhyme grew less
The words less formal
The tone more normal.
So, in love poems now
We will allow
Love to be shown
In any way known.
Just say
I
Love
You
by A Bournheath Resident
I loved you as a baby
Even when changing your nappy.
Your wonderful beautiful smile
Would always make me happy.
I loved you as a child
Thriving at Fairfield First School.
Your imaginative stories
Always seemed so cool.
I loved you as a teenager
When you communicated in grunts,
Even though sometimes
You barely spoke for months.
I loved you as a student
Despite the vast expense,
The late nights and the alcohol.
My love must be immense!
Now you’re living miles away
With one job, then another.
But wherever you are, my love is still there.
From your embarrassing mother.
By Becky Wood
Every day
Regardless of the weather,
An elderly couple
Walks past my house.
She walks with a stick;
He walks at her pace.
Every day
They smile and chat.
Every day
They are synchronised.
Their paces match.
Their hats match.
Is this perfect love?
by A Bournheath Resident
“The capacity
To love
Is infinite.”
So said
The mother
Giving birth
To her fourteenth child
And loving him
Just as much
As numbers
One to thirteen.
By Nalgar
I was young,
On my own,
Minding my own business,
When he walked in.
What would have been
Had he not been there,
Where would my life have taken me,
Had our eyes not met?
Was it love at first sight?
I do not know.
He held me in his arms,
I felt warm and secure.
At times he was commanding,
Always gentle and kind,
But I pulled the strings,
A relationship was born.
We’ve been together
Four years and more,
He lies down beside me,
And I give him a doggy yawn.
It will be soon be Valentine’s Day (14th February), an occasion when when lovers express their affection with greetings and gifts.
This year, let share the love a bit further:
Roses are Red
Violet are Blue
Write us a Poem
That says I love You.
Email your poem to admin@fvca.org.uk and we will add to our special Valentine’s webpage. Your poem could be serious or funny, it can be about a person, animal or whatever you like.
No prizes, just the satisfaction that you have shared your love.
To read the Poems for Valentine’s that we have received CLICK HERE
Contractors have nearly completed preparatory work that will see ultrafast broadband rolled out to properties connected to Mount Road junction. Indications are that BT OpenReach will be laying fibre optic cables in early spring.
At this stage we are not aware of any timetable that will see properties in our community that are not connected to the Mount Road junction also enjoy the benefits of Fibre To The Property.
Neighbourhood Watch are delighted to announce our exciting new partnership with Universal Studios and the Co-op in the launch of The Croods 2: A New Age in the UK. The film (also known as The Croods 2) is a computer-animated adventure comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Universal Pictures.
The film centres around values of community, neighbourliness, inclusivity, and working together. These are values that are close to the heart of all Neighbourhood Watch supporters, and as part of our initiative to reach more young families and to add to the positive and approachable perceptions of Neighbourhood Watch, the opportunity presented by this partnership was too good to pass up!
The Croods and The Bettermans are thrown together, two very different families who have to learn to live with one another when an evil tribe of monkeys threaten their homes. Once safe from this threat, the Croods and the Bettermans realise that home is not a place, it’s people, and together they create history’s first neighbourhood!
Neighbourhood Watch’s partnership with the film provides the opportunity to reach young families and to promote the importance of neighbourliness and community spirit to new audiences and across diverse communities. We know many young people and their families believe in the values which we stand for and this partnership gives them the introduction to becoming Neighbourhood Watch supporters for life.
WIN! Design a Croods 2 inspired treehouse and win it for your local Wildlife Trust Nature Reserve
In partnership with ‘The Croods 2: A New Age’ and Co-op, we want children up to the age of 16 to design their very own Croods 2 inspired treehouse for their local community. What’s more, the winning entry will be brought to life and built within a nearby Wildlife Trust location to be enjoyed by the public for years to come!
What do you need to do to enter?
West Mercia Police are aware that criminals pretending to be police officers are again attempting to defraud people in Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire, in a scam known as ‘Courier Fraud’. Some jewellery shops are also being taking advantage of as part of the scam.
Detective Inspector Emma Wright said: “This type of fraud traditionally targets older, vulnerable people however cases reported in the last 24 hours would suggest the criminals are targeting a broader range of ages.
West Mercia Police Economic Crime Unit is also making all jewellery shops aware of the Courier Fraud scam that can see their businesses used by criminals as part of the fraud.
Detective Inspector Emma Wright said: “Courier Fraud is an especially cruel type of fraud that sees vulnerable people prayed on by criminals.
“Victims are telephoned by a person, pretending to be a police officer. The bogus police officer explains that the victim’s bank accounts are under threat from fraudsters. He or she convinces the victim to participate in a fictitious undercover police operation to catch the fraudsters and safeguard their funds. They are told not to inform anyone, including their bank, as bank staff are equally under suspicion. Often the bogus Police officer discloses private financial information about the victim, which is used to encourage the victim to trust them.
“Where the jewellery shops may come into this, is that victims are sometimes instructed to either buy gold bullion or high valued watches. These items are handed to a courier who confirms a password given to the victim over the phone by the suspect.
“While this may seem hard to believe and that nobody would fall for this con, we have had recent cases where one victim was convinced over several long and very detailed calls to buy £250,000 in gold which once delivered to their home, was handed to ‘investigating officers’ and another where a victim who had already withdrawn more than £25,000 in cash was tricked into purchasing a £35,000 designer watch as part of a fake investigation, which was then handed to waiting criminals pretending to police officers.
“These people are operating as part of organised crime gangs. They are ruthless, extremely convincing and extremely successful and these scams net millions of pounds a year for them.
“So my message to everyone is simple: no police officer, bank security staff or government agency, will ever ask you for your bank details over the phone or by text and email. They will never tell you to withdraw money as part of a criminal investigation, nor ask you to buy goods like watches or gold, nor request that you transfer funds to another account. The police and security teams for banks simply do not work in this way. I would ask you to please let elderly and vulnerable people know never to believe anyone who claims to be from the police and who then asks for their money, even if they know some of your financial and personal details.
“We are contacting all jewellery shops across West Mercia to encourage them to be aware of the scam and what to look for if they are approached by a customer who may be a victim of this fraud and we are working in conjunction with the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau to combat this type of crime.”
“If you are concerned you have been targeted, because for example, you have recently provided bank details, handed over cards/cash/valuables, you are going to visit your bank/a jewellers, or the caller has arranged for someone to visit your address to collect items; you should call the police to report this on 101. In an emergency dial 999.”