A Crime Alert for the residents of Southport from Merseyside Police

Burglaries

Between the 15^th and the 30^th of September 2019 burglaries or attempted burglaries have taken place in the following locations:

East Street, Lytham Road. Marshside Road, Willow Grove, Guildford Road, Sefton Street (garage), Cedar Street, Princes Street, Park Crescent (garage), Promenade (2 garages), Althorpe Drive, Southbank Road

Attempted burglaries 1

Properties left insecure 2

Car keys and vehicles stolen 4 cars

Theft from Motor vehicles

Mellors Close

Scams

A Sefton resident received a telephone call supposedly from Microsoft stating that the man’s computer was being hacked and he had phoned to give support to stop it, the resident should now turn on his computer (which was already on). The caller was told this was a scam and the recipient hung up.

He rang again and to try to prove the call was ‘genuine’ quoted the address of Microsoft & proceeded to give a licence number which he said was unique to the resident’s computer. The caller was persistent and also very persuasive.

Once again luckily the resident had read the warnings given in previous messages in the Sefton Crime Alerts and knew precisely how to prevent himself from becoming a victim of this crime.

Two other residents received the usual call supposedly from BT stating their line had been hacked. The unusual part was the call came supposedly from a Southport telephone number.

Crime Prevention Tip.

If you get persistent calls from one number you can apply to your Telephone/Internet provider to block that particular number. Each provider has a different number to ring to instigate this service. However, remember these scammers use many phones with different numbers, this means you will need to enter each new number you wish to block once the system has been activated

News from your Community Policing Team

LOOK AFTER YOUR STUFF – KEEP IT SAFE AT ALL TIMES

Over the last two weeks we have received an increase in reports of purses being stolen from shoppers in Southport town centre. The incidents are under investigation however, there is clearly a need for those visiting busy town centres to be aware of this issue and to keep purses and wallets close and secure. Avoid leaving purses/wallets in open bags or in shopping baskets. Keep them in a zipped inside pocket close to your body. Alternatively, consider money belts or other ways to keep your cash and cards secure. Be mindful of your surroundings and of people who may be attempting to distract you. If you are suspicious of someone, alert shop staff. If you find items have been stolen, report it on 101 or via the social media desk at MERSEYSIDE POLICE CONTACT CENTRE on Facebook or @MerpolCC on Twitter.