This is the new location for our scam warnings. Please e-mail us information on any scams you hear about.

Laptop Scam

(Photographic Model Used)

"Why buy from an unlicensed trader? For your cash, you get no receipt, no guarantee and no money back if the goods are faulty or stolen."

This is yet another scam to be aware of :

Police issued a warning about a scam being used by unscrupulous con artists. At approx 13:20 hours on 10/12/08 the victim, a 28 year old man, was approached in the street by the

suspect, who asked if he would like to buy a laptop worth £1,500 for £700. The man accompanied the suspect to a white car in High Road N22 and was shown a laptop in good working condition. The victim agreed to buy the laptop and went to a bank to withdraw cash, accompanied by the suspect. He handed over the money and took the bag that he believed contained the laptop. Some time after the suspect had left, the victim opened the bag to find that it contained two bottles of water and no laptop.

Haringey CID are investigating and looking at CCTV This is a well known con in which unsuspecting victims have handed over anything up to £600 for a bag that turns out to contain nothing more than bottles of cola, magazines, catalogues, bricks or even onions.

Two other cases have been reported in Haringey in November: On 19/11/08 in Roseberry Gardens N4 a 53 y/o man handed over £170 for a bag of bottled water. On 10/11/08 in Maidstone Road N11 a 22 y/o man handed over £250 for a bag of onions. DC Suzie Chantry of Haringey CID said:
"We really must urge people to exercise extreme caution when they are approached by anyone in the street trying to sell anything. You could find yourself handing over good money for bottles of water or even onions, we've seen it all! Even if you do get the item you're paying for, there is a real danger that you could be buying stolen property, which in itself means you could be arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods. Be safe and only buy from reputable outlets."

Anyone with information is asked to contact Haringey CID on 020 8345 0712, or to remain anonymous call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Latest Scams

Weather can be a decisive factor in the day-to-day life of a criminal; on miserable, cold and wet days more people will stay home and shut their doors and windows, making it less easy for the opportunist burglar. Come the sunshine caution is thrown to the wind and doors and windows are left open to let in the fresh air and the burglars. Sunshine brings a change in people’s attitude and moods, people are happier, more trusting, and more likely to enter into conversations with complete strangers, resulting in criminals taking advantage of people’s happier nature, to execute their criminal activities and scams. Statistics show that sunshine can contribute to an increase in burglaries by up to 40%.

There are many budding 'entrepreneurs' out there who come up with very good ways to make tax free money, one of these being door to door collections for donations to charity or sponsorship for local events and schools. The forms they present are well thought out, professional and very believable. Do not hand over cash to these people, no worthy cause will benefit from these illegal collectors.

A resident of Victoria Road, N22 received a visit from an 'ill looking' man who said that he had just returned home by taxi after being released from hospital, however his wife was not home and he did not have the money to pay for the taxi, he gave his address which was a little further down Victoria Road. The ill looking man said he was embarrassed to have to ask but could he be loaned the taxi fare. It looked plausible as there was a car waiting outside of the address given, and he did have a hospital tag around his wrist. Cash was given to this man who did not live at the address and was never to be seen again. Please can you warn as many people as you can of this scam.

Taxi Fare Scam Update

Scam Warning from a Neighbourhood Watch member who lives on Alexandra Ward.

At 2.30 am someone knocked at my door (several times) and tried to get money off me for a taxi fare. I did not get a good look at him unfortunately, because I did not want to open the door, so spoke to him through the frosted glass of the front door. He had a sob story about how he had been in a motorbike accident and had arrived back from the hospital in a cab and had no money to pay for it and that there was noone at home until tomorrow to bail him out. He claimed to have ID and to be from several doors down the road. He had a bandage on his head, covering a lot of his face and was shaking. He was a tall thin man, around 30 years old, with a nasal well spoken voice. My husband and I politely sent him packing without paying anything and we lost any doubt as to the fact that it was a scam when we saw him walking perfectly normally across the road, getting into a hire car ( or a car with writing on the side) and driving off! We searched the net and found that something similar had happened in Victoria Rd recently, so I thought I should inform you so you can warn people that this is fraud and not to entertain these people. I hope no other local people will have this happen to them as it is quite creepy.

Be aware of people claiming to be from emergency services, local authority or utility companies trying to gain access to your home with stories such as checking security, water pressure problems, or a dangerous situation developing following a gas leak. It is very rare any of these personnel will visit unannounced, without an appointment, or without you being aware of a problem relating to their visit. Once inside light fingers will pick up cash, jewellery or other small valuable items. Haringey Borough Association of Neighbourhood Watches recommends that any sponsorship or donations be given directly to the cause, not an intermediary.

Police officers, council workers and utility workers will carry an identity card. You can check their credentials by ringing their local office. Do not use a number on their business card. If in doubt, keep them out! If you are suspicious, contact the police.

Important Information - "knock on your door"

There are a number of reported incidents involving females of Eastern European appearance who are knocking on doors asking for a pen and paper to leave a note for the person who lives next door. A female will follow you into your house and will leave with a lot more of your property than pen and paper!

Should you receive such a visit please note the description of the person and call the police immediately, do not let anyone enter your property.

Sponsorship Scam - Door to Door Calling

The Sussex Gardens Neighbourhood Watch on Fortis Green Ward has alerted us to following scam.

Two young girls have been going door to door asking for sponsorship to raise funds for the charity Breakthough, the sponsorship form refers to a school's sports day held on 18th June 2008 at The Fresh Academy. The coordinator has checked with the school, and they confirm that they did not hold a sports day on 18th June also the correct address of the school is different to that shown on the sponsorship form.

Please inform all your members. Should you receive a visit from these girls, do not hand over any money but inform the police.