Ferndale Area Residents Association (FARA)

This evening, there has been a distraction burglary in Davies Lane. Unfortunately one of the older members of our community lost a quantity of cash. The police would like us to remind you to be aware and alert!

Description: 2 men pretending to be from the Water Board; they then left the front door open for a third man to enter while they kept the occupants talking.

The men are described as mixed race (probably Asian-mixed race) and in their 20s.

Please keep an eye out for three men of this description, and if you have an elderly neighbour, please look out for them – remind them about distraction burglaries and also not to keep cash in the house.

This is also a good time to remind you that if you need them, we have security tins (that look like baked beans) if you do want to keep valuables or cash – hide them among your tinned veg! We also have 24-hr segment timers, chains to secure your wallet to your belt or handbag, and UV pens to mark your property. These are all supplied by the police and if you would like any of these items, please just contact flash@fara-leytonstone.org.uk or drop a note to 1 Davies Lane.

We have heard recently about two similar scams where residents are cold called with an offer of cheap or free security alarms – but the callers don’t tell you it comes with a hugely expensive maintenance contract.

NATIONAL CRIME RESEARCH GROUP

One of our members received a call from a young man claiming to be carrying out phone research on behalf of the ‘National Crime Research Group’. Being suspicions of the questions he was asking, the resident ended the call. Subsequently we discovered it relates to this scam. See news story in the local Guardian.

SAS FIRE AND SECURITY LIMITED

Our Neighbourhood Watch coordinator tells us these people are offering a deal on burglar alarms that sounds too good to be true … and it is. They will normally ring up and say they are recommended by the police, local authority and Neighbourhood Watch and offer a deal on the system for a very small amount of money. They then tie people into a rip-off service contract that lasts for years.

If a similar approach is made to you, DO NOT sign anything but get in contact with Consumer Direct on 08454 040506 and let them know the circumstances.

A point to remember is that any reputable security company will not cold call as they do not need to. If you are interested in getting an alarm system you can find a company on the National Security Inspectorate website http://www.nsi.org.uk/.