Scams . . .

Children’s Hearts / RCC..

(added originally early 2011)

Another plastic bag has arrived – this time it’s Children’s Hearts which is run by RCC Limited listing a Crawley phone number – I checked Companies House and the only RCC Limited is listed as a Devon address.

Here’s a list of a few worthwhile charities NOT involved with a private limited company:

• Cancer research UK
• Oxfam
• Salvation Army
• British Red Cross Society
• RSPCA
• Barnardo’s
• The British Heart Foundation
• NSPCC

The bag you see says the RCC Ltd will give 60% of profit after tax. There will be No profit thus no contribution should RCC Ltd decide to spend their income.

As a matter of interest those bags make excellent bin liners!

The Hand of Help (themselves)!

This from the internet written by Steve Playle of The Guardian on 15 August 2009

“I had a hand-delivered flyer through my letterbox from someone called The Hand of Help, asking me to leave out any unwanted clothing to raise funds for the Birth Care Association. According to my internet research, there is a connection with **Lithuania.

This seems to be a commercial operation and the flyer you received says “we donate half of our profit to the Birth Care Association in support of disabled children”.

It doesn’t say anything about the other half, so I checked out its website which makes a tenuous link to a registered charity, Unicef, by saying it will be making a first donation of £1,000. It doesn’t say when this will happen.

The Hand of Help is a limited company with an accommodation address in east London that was incorporated in 2005.

I have called and emailed but cannot get a response.

There are lots of people collecting unwanted clothing but, like me, you might want to consider a local charity shop before lining the pockets of a commercial operator.”

**There’s another clothing scam connected to Lithuania called Do Not Delay . . . makes you think hey!?

See list of charities listed above!

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Rogue Traders – Dacorum

Around 2.00pm today, Wednesday, 19th January, a white male entered the rear garden of a house in South Hill Road, Hemel Hempstead uninvited. He moved a paving slab to open the rear gate and when approached by the female resident said he was quoting for a neighbour for taking the tops off his trees.

He is described as 5′ 10″, wearing a green sweatshirt with a logo on it, stocky with a paunch, slightly balding aged around 40 years of age.

When challenged he made off in a Ford Transit tipper, which had a white cab and a silver back covering it’s contents. Enquiries revealed that the other elderly neighbour had also been approached and was told that the other neighbour had asked for a quote.

This man, who is believed to have been with another white male, was probably looking for criminal opportunities. He left a card with the resident titled ‘Expert Tree Care’ – Specialists in all tree and garden work.

If you are approached by this man or see the vehicle please phone the Police and quote: Unique Reference Number 427 of 19th January.

Police advice is to never deal with cold callers.

Scam Awareness Month from National Neighbourhood Watch

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is launching its Scams Awareness Month on 1st February – 28th February 2011. The aim of the campaign is to increase awareness and understanding of scams to reduce the number of scam victims.

The nationwide campaign calls on consumers to drop scam mailings they have received into designated Scamnesty Bins or Boxes at local libraries and public areas across the country. Watch members are encouraged to get involved in Scam Awareness Month and take advantage of the free campaign materials available including campaign resource packs, posters, bin stickers, information booklets and web banners.

To find out more about Scam Awareness Month please click here.

Thefts from vehicles and crime prevention

During the evening of last Wednesday several vehicles were broken into whilst parked in school or their connected sports premises.

One car was at Tring School car park in Mortimer Hill and another in the adjacent Sports Centre another was targeted. At least two more cars were broken into in the car park of the Knox Johnson sports area of Berkhamsted Collegiate School in Kings Road, Berkhamsted. These crimes could well have been committed by the same offenders.

In each case iPods or lap top computers were taken. It’s quite possible that the offenders had an electronic device/scanner that could detect the targeted items.

I have been asked to advise members not to leave electronic items in vehicles, whilst parked, especially during the hours of darkness. Whilst these thefts are not local, it only goes to show that the thieves are getting smarter which might mean this email should help you be one step ahead!

This extends to removable stereo/CD facias – please don’t just leave the removed facia in its container and stuff it in a side pocket for the would-be thief to see – best place of course is to remove it from the car all together.

Remember – you can always call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Not in OWL? Find out where your nearest OWL co-ordinator resides by checking on www.owl.co.uk