If you think that a crime prevention visit would be advantageous, please contact the Neighbourhood Policing Team who would be more than happy to help.

CLICK HERE to view your local Policing Team 

CLICK HERE to view the Pontprennau Police Team - covering St. Edeyrn's Village

Mobile Phone Contact Numbers for Old St. Mellons Neighbourhood Policing:

Please ring 999 for an emergency and 101 for a non-emergency.

The PACT meetings for Old St. Mellons are now taking place:
Weekly: Ty’r Winch Pub, Ty’r Winch Road Every Wednesday (12:00-13:00)

For St. Edeyrn's Village:
Weekly: Pontprennau Community Church Every Wednesday (11:00-13:00)

NEWS - SCAMS

POSTED - 7 June 2021

The ‘WhatsApp Hijack Scam’ seems to be doing the rounds again.

The BBC have a very good article on it, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-57357301

WhatsAPP hijack scam continues to spread
 

Scammers are continuing to target WhatsApp users and hijack their accounts, by posing as a friend and asking for SMS security codes.

The scam has existed for years but has continued to catch people out, with victims sharing their stories on social media.

WhatsApp says users should never hand over their security codes to anybody, even if they appear to be a friend.

One victim said he was embarrassed to have fallen for the "simple" scam.

What should you look out for?

You may be a target of the scam if you receive an SMS text message with a six-digit WhatsApp code that you were not expecting.

Usually you would need this code when setting up a new account, or logging in to your existing account on a new device.

However, if you have not initiated this request, it could be a scammer trying to log in to your account.

In the next step, the scammer sends you a WhatsApp message asking for the six-digit code.

It appears to come from a genuine friend because that account has already been hijacked.

"I got a WhatsApp message from my good friend Michelle, saying she was locked out of her account," one victim, called Charlie, told the BBC.

"She said she accidentally sent the access code to my phone instead of hers, and could I just screenshot it and send it over."

In reality, Charlie had sent the access code for his own account to the scammer.

"I think I fell for it because we all know how frustrating tech can be and I was eager to help," he told the BBC.

"It took me a day to realise what had happened."

Charlie said he had deleted WhatsApp and would not be using it again. He has switched to Apple's iMessage instead.

What do the scammers do with stolen accounts?

With a stolen account, the hijacker can message your friends and family, and pretend to be you.

They may pretend you're having a crisis and ask your contacts for money.

It also gives them your contacts' phone numbers so they can try the six-digit code trick with new victims.

By hijacking your account, the scammer will also remain in your group chats, where they could see sensitive information.

How can you protect yourself?

In a statement, WhatsApp said: "The safety and security of our users and their messages are really important to us. However, just like regular SMS or phone calls, it's possible for other WhatsApp users who have your phone number to contact you."

It said users should:

• never give a password or SMS security code to anybody - not even friends or family
• enable two-step verification for an extra layer of protection
• be vigilant if you receive a message asking you for money. If in doubt, call your friend or family member to check

WhatsApp has a guide on its website to help people keep their accounts safe.

South Wales Community Messaging - Bike Watch

Dear Resident,

Rumney / St Mellons Neighbourhood Policing Team are aware of problems currently affecting the local community with regards the use of off-road motorbikes and Quad-bikes.

With summer evenings on us we are expecting to have an increase in calls regarding this issue and wish to reassure the community that we are doing all we can to tackle the problem, in partnership with the local authority, who are able to provide support in this area.

It has been proposed to run partnership exercises in the near future to tackle the issue, which we know is impacting the quality of life of members of the community.

If you can assist in identifying offenders, who often have moved on when officers arrive, or else have their faces covered by cycle helmets, then please contact 101 to report the matter or contact your local Neighbourhood Policing Team. If you are able to provide a name or address, or the details of the vehicle being used, we can deal with the offender, even after the event. We take this matter seriously, and working together we will stop this problem.

As a direct result from the community working together with the Neighbourhood Policing Team this week one off road bike has been seized using Section 59 powers, (Anti Social use of a vehicle), and 2 persons have been warned. When a warning is issued it is issued to the person and the vehicle being used at that time. This means that if the person is stopped using ANY vehicle in an anti social manner, or the same vehicle is stopped in the next 12 months, then police have the power to seize the vehicle being used.

We would like to thank you all for your assistance in this matter and also request that you continue to report incidents to 101 or contact your local Neighbourhood Policing Team.

Crime prevention

We would like to offer some crime prevention advice:

• Leave a light on in the evenings if going out.
• Lock all doors securely and always double check.
• Never leave a key on the inside of the door. If someone climbs through a small window they can only steal what they can fit through that window. Leave the key
  hidden nearby but make sure that everyone that lives at the property knows where the key is, in case of fire.
• Renew any old locks on windows and doors.
• Make sure that there is adequate lighting outside.
• Consider hedging around the perimeter of the property. High hedges are good for privacy but it also hides away anyone in your garden that should not be there. Also consider prickly style hedging on the other side of walls to make it more difficult for people to climb over and use plastic trellising on the top of walls.
• Never leave ladders or anything in the garden that may be used to climb into open windows.
• Gravel on the path / drive also makes a crunching noise as you walk on it so you can hear anyone walking towards your property.
• Consider CCTV – even a dummy camera is a good deterrent.
• Possibly use a sign such as “Beware of the dog”.
• Ornaments on the windowsill will make it difficult to climb through the window without making noise.
• Make sure that all vehicle keys are hidden.