KCC Scams Update

This week we have had reports from Kent Police of Courier Fraud in West Kent, Maidstone, Rochester and Sittingbourne.The Police would never telephone and ask for your bank card and pin number to be collected by a courier or withdraw cash to assist in an investigation. Please continue to warn friends and family.

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Kind regards

Victim Safeguarding Officer

❌ All reports say residents receive a call from the Police and they either need to give their address for a courier to come and get their bank card or money. The scam can change from having a family member arrested and you need to call 999 or that fraud has taken place on your account.

🚨 These are all scams.

❎ The Police would never telephone and ask for your bank card and pin number to be collected by a courier or withdraw cash to assist in an investigation.

❎ Always check the dialing tone after your call to ensure scammers are not still on the phone, use another telephone if possible or call a trusted friend first.

🚨 If a courier arrives at your property ring 999. Please warn and inform friends and family.

If you think that you may have been a victim of this or any other type of scam, then contact your bank immediately, which you can do by calling 159.

🔴 We’ve received reports of a concerning scam targeting Kent residents. Scammers impersonate your friends or family members in emails, asking for you to purchase sending gift cards on their behalf as they are either short of money at that time or having problems with their online banking.

🚨 This is a scam.

If you receive such an email and have doubts, contact the person using a known phone number to verify the request’s authenticity. Remember the Kent Police fraud awareness message: Never Assume, Never Believe, Always CONFIRM.

⛔ Resident received a phone call from a fraudster impersonating The Post Office. They said there was a parcel in their sorting office and to provide bank details to get it resent to their address.

🚨 This is a scam.

Thankfully the next day the residents bank called them to let them know they had frozen their account due to potential fraud but not to worry and they will look into it for them. The scam payment was a total of £849 which flagged to the bank that this was a scam.

⛔ We have received information that Kent residents have received emails claiming to be from the DVLA asking them to fill out a form and provide bank account details.

🚨 This is a scam.

The resident noticed the website address appeared to be wrong and that DVLA do not usually ask for bank account details so they did not opened the form.

⛔ Resident purchased a van online and sent the money. The van advertised was a fake and did not exist and the address provided was nothing to do with the sale. After making a 12 hour round trip the resident is now out of pocket and the phone number for the seller is turned off.

🚨 This is a scam.

Watch our Cost of Living newscast ‘How To Buy A Secondhand Car In UK’ to get tips on how to buy online safely

⛔ Resident received three separate letters from mobile companies saying they had opened credit agreements with them. The statements said the resident had failed to make payments and to contact them. The resident never signed up for this.

🚨 This is a scam.

Scammers will impersonate reputable companies through direct mail as well as email, text and phone calls to try to obtain your financial details. They can also commit fraud and sign up for packages under your name if they have your personal details.

Almost all firms and individuals must be authorised by us to carry out or promote financial services in the UK.

This firm is not authorised by The Financial Conduct Authority and may be targeting people in the UK.

What this means for you
If you deal with this firm, you won’t have access to the Financial Ombudsman Service if you have a complaint.

You also won’t be protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) if things go wrong. This means it’s unlikely you’d get your money back if the firm goes out of business.

More information here

🔴 Product details
Fin Carré White Chocolate
Pack size: 100g
Best before: 16 October 2024

Advice to consumers
If you have bought the above product do not eat it. Instead, return it to the store from where it was bought for a full refund. Any customers with queries or concerns can contact Lidl Customer Services on 0203 966 5566 or customer.care@lidl.co.uk

More information

Product information
Brand: O2
Product Description: 20W and 45W white wall chargers

Affected Models

🔴 20W Wall Charger
Model number: AKOC20WN
Barcode: 5056489706723
Affected date range: August 2021–January 2023

🔴 45W Wall Charger
Mobel number: AKO45UWN
Barcode: 5056489753680
Affected date range: August 2021–January 2023

Advice to consumers
If you have one of these plugs you can request a replacement by emailing O2support@exertis.co.uk and referencing the voluntary recall process. The Exertis team will arrange for one to be sent to your home address. Please keep hold of your plug until Exertis have confirmed it’s affected by the recall.

More information here

🔥Fires from lithium-ion batteries used to power e-bikes and e-scooters within the first three months of 2023 have taken four lives in the UK and left others hospitalised or seriously injured.

🚒 If your battery catches fire, do not attempt to put it out yourself. Get out and call 999 and ask for the fire and rescue service.

Watch the Electrical Safety First video here

SPEAK UP. STAY SAFE

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Our mailing address is:
Kent County Council

Invicta House

Maidstone, Kent ME14 1XX

United Kingdom