NATIONAL NEIGHBOURHOOD & HOME WATCH WEEK
14th – 22nd JUNE 2014
INFORMATION FOR PARTNERS
Introduction
This National Neighbourhood & Home Watch Week we will focus on ‘fraud and cybercrime’. Recent figures from the Crime Survey for England & Wales showed crime falling in the year ending September 2013. However, reports of fraud had risen by 34%.
This was partly due to improved recording of fraud following the launch of a centralised recording system. We certainly don’t want to scare our members – but we want to equip as many people as possible with the tools to protect themselves against fraud.
Neighbourhood Watch and Home Watch have traditionally been about getting to know your neighbours face to face and keeping your eyes open for anything suspicious in your neighbourhood. While fraudsters may not have an obvious presence on the streets like burglars or bogus callers, neighbours can still help to protect each other from becoming victims of fraud.
People often don’t want to admit that they’ve been defrauded – they feel embarrassed, or just chalk it up to experience, particularly if they didn’t lose a large amount of money. But we don’t believe people should suffer in silence. It’s only by spreading the word as widely as possible that we can help to defeat fraud.
We are very grateful for the assistance of all our partners in like-minded organisations who help us to spread the message of crime reduction, community spirit and mutual support to as many people as possible.
How to support us
During National Neighbourhood & Home Watch Week 2014 we would like you to support our anti-fraud and anti-cybercrime drive in any of the following ways if you can:
- Circulate some of our ‘key messages’ – on the following page – to your audiences and members of the public. This could be via social media or other methods such as incorporating them into your email signature or newsletter.
- Promote our themed anti-fraud posters and flyers to your networks, and share them on social media.
- Support our promotion of the Week on Facebook and Twitter. You can find us at and and there are some suggested social media straplines included in this pack. Use the hashtag #NHWweek and tag us @N_Watch.
- Put a link on your website to our campaign page, which can be found here.
- Circulate a press release to your media contacts about the Week and about the anti-fraud and anti-cybercrime message. You can find our press release templatehere, but feel free to adapt it or write your own to suit your organisation, mentioning your common aims with the Neighbourhood/Home Watch movement and why your organisation is supporting the campaign.
- If you have any meetings during the Week, mention National Neighbourhood & Home Watch Week and its themes to key strategic contacts and encourage them to show their support for the campaign.
- Whatever you decide to do, please let us know! You can email us at .
Key messages
Here are some key messages you can use during Neighbourhood & Home Watch Week 2014.
- Make your passwords stronger – use numbers, symbols, upper and lower case letters.
- Never give out any personal information unless you are certain you can trust the person contacting you.
- If an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is.
- Banks and financial institutions will not send you an email asking you to click on a link and confirm your bank details.
- Your bank would never contact you to ask you for your PIN, password or other security information in full.
- Anti-virus protects your computer – make sure it’s up-to-date.
- Make sure your computer has a firewall installed.
- Software updates keep your computer safe – install them as soon as you get a reminder.
- Emails can contain viruses – only open them if you know who they’re from.
- Computer firms do not make unsolicited phone calls to help you fix your computer.
- Shred receipts with your card details on and correspondence with your name and address on.
Social media straplines
Do you know what social networks your child uses? Talk to them! Visit and for advice. #NHWweek
Is your password strong? Use numbers, symbols, upper and lower case letters for maximum protection. #NHWweek
Banks and financial institutions will never send you an email asking you to click on a link and confirm your bank details. #NHWweek
Scam or attempted scam? Don’t suffer in silence! Report it to / 0300 123 2040 #NHWweek
Have you been scammed or fallen victim to fraud? Talk about it – you could help protect others! Contact enquiries(at)ourwatch.org.uk @N_Watch #NHWweek
Fraud and cybercrime – share your experiences on the #NHWweek hashtag. Your story could help protect others.
CURVY MATURE BLONDE WANTS YOUr money. Never send money to someone you haven’t met in real life! #NHWweek
GENTLEMAN, 45, LIKES FAST CARS AND taking you for a ride… in every sense. Never send money to someone you haven’t met in real life! #NHWweek
Stay safe from identity theft & fraud, shred receipts with your card details on and correspondence with your name and address on. #NHWweek
Your bank would never contact you to ask for your PIN, password or other security information in full. Report it! #NHWweek
Uncharacteristic email from nephew promising a dancing kittens video? It could be spam & contain a virus. Be wary of attachments! #NHWweek
Computer firms do not make unsolicited phone calls to help you fix your computer. Put the phone straight down – don’t get drawn in! #NHWweek
Worried about your computer? Ask a friend or relative to recommend a good repair person. Ignore unsolicited calls telling you something is wrong! #NHWweek
When did you last update your anti-virus protection? Don’t put it off any longer! #NHWweek
Would you leave your burglar alarm unset when you go away? Make sure you don’t make the same mistake online – update your antivirus protection today. #NHWweek
If an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is. Ignore, ignore, ignore. #NHWweek
Some key facts about fraud
- Online shopping and auction scams were the most common fraud reported in 2013 and cost UK consumers £63.6 million.
- Crime figures show a near 60% rise in reported fraud over the past five years boosted by a rise in identity theft and online scams.
- The internet is the delivery channel for 84% of identity fraud, a crime that costs UK consumers £3.3 billion a year.
The rules on distance selling change in June 2014. For more information see:
Useful resources
Action Fraud is the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and internet crime. It is run by the City of London Police (which is the national policing lead for economic crime) working alongside the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau. It was set up in 2013 to act as a central body for the reporting and investigation of fraud. Fraud and internet crime are not constrained by geography, and this provides a coordinated approach across all police forces.
Visit for lots more information about different types of fraud and how you can protect yourself. You can also report fraud on their website, or call 0300 123 2040 to report it.
Action Fraud Facebook page:
Action Fraud Twitter feed:
The Home Office is running a campaign called Cyber Streetwise, aimed at helping people to stay safe online. It provides lots of useful tips and advice on how to protect yourself. Visit their website
Cyber Streetwise Facebook page:
Cyber Streetwise Twitter feed:
Get Safe Online is a not-for-profit organisation that provides advice and support on protecting yourself online. They have an easy-to-navigate and really useful website at
Get Safe Online Facebook page:
Get Safe Online Twitter feed:
If you are concerned about a trader, sales technique or a product you have purchased, you can contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 08454 04 05 06 (English language) or 08454 04 05 05 (Welsh language). This is also the best way to contact Trading Standards. If you would like to find your nearest Trading Standards office you can do so via
Neighbourhood Watch and Home Watch have traditionally been about helping people to feel safe where they live. However, this does not just relate to physical spaces – your ‘online neighbours’ can be a big part of your community and social life. Not to mention that your neighbours and the people around you can have a big influence on the way you navigate the ‘online world’, and share their skills and knowledge with you and vice versa.
If you are interested in joining or starting a Neighbourhood or Home Watch scheme, visit or call 0116 229 3118. The website also has lots of useful resources relating to crime prevention, community spirit and neighbourliness.