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Cambs Police are urging you to be vigilant following a recent spate of catalytic converter thefts.

In the past week there have been 15 reported thefts of catalytic converters in Cambridge, Longstanton and Bar Hill, with thieves predominantly targeting Toyotas and Hondas in public car parks during daylight hours.

Catalytic converters are found in the exhaust system of every car and reduce the output of toxic gases and pollutants. Stealing them has become popular because they aren’t easily identifiable and can be sold on for the precious metals found inside them.

Motorists can take the following precautions to help prevent them from becoming a victim:

• Park close to fences, walls or a kerb with the exhaust being closest to the fence, wall or kerb to make theft more difficult.
• Invest in a catalytic converter lock, which can be fitted retrospectively and physically locks the converter to the vehicle, thereby preventing a quick and easy removal. Contact your local Toyota or Honda dealer for more information.
• If your catalytic converter is bolted on, consider having the bolts welded to make removal difficult.
• Mark your catalytic converter with a marking and registration system – some examples are: http://www.retainagroup.com/theisr.html and https://www.selectamark.co.uk/security-marking/cat-marking-kit. This will not protect against theft, but will act as a deterrent, assist in returning property and help bring offenders to justice.
• If you park on your driveway then consider purchasing a video doorbell – www.ring.com and/or a driveway alarm that will alert you to suspicious activity.

Cambs Police are seeing a clear trend in the vehicles which thieves are targeting, particularly at park and ride sites.

Cambs Police are urging motorists to not only take precautions with their own vehicles to make it harder for thieves, but to also be on the lookout for suspicious behaviour and report it to us.

Anyone with information should contact police on 101 or 999 if a crime is in progress.

You may recall earlier this month Cambs Police warned of ‘courier fraud’ scams where fraudsters pose as a police officer or bank official to persuade their often elderly and vulnerable victims to hand over large amounts of cash.

They have been made aware of seven separate instances where people across Cambridgeshire have lost almost £88,000 to courier fraud this month alone.

In six out of the seven instances this month, the fraudster has cold-called the victim by telephone posing as a police officer claiming they had someone in custody as part of a fraud investigation.

The bogus officer told the victim there was an issue with their bank account or requested their assistance with an ongoing investigation. The ultimate aim of the call being to lure the victim into withdrawing cash from their bank and later handing over money to a courier.

On the other occasion the fraudster has claimed to be from the tax office, claiming the victim owed in excess of £10,000 and would be arrested if they didn’t pay the outstanding balance. In this instance the victim was told to hand over cash and also purchase thousands of pounds worth of Amazon vouchers from a supermarket.

Criminals are increasingly turning to vouchers as a method of obtaining funds since these are much more difficult to trace than banking transactions.

Between 18 and 26 January five victims in the East Cambs area lost a total of £78,500 and on two occasions in Peterborough, on 8 and 24 January, two people lost a combined £9,000.

This recent spate of courier fraud is appalling and must be stopped. Not only is the financial detriment significant, these crimes often have a devastating impact on the health and well-being of the victims and their families.

Whilst the latest reported incidents are all in the same two areas, it is likely the scammers are working through a list organised by postcode and therefore there is a strong chance this scam will appear in other areas too. We urge residents to please be vigilant to this and pass the message on so others can be vigilant too.

Please remember your bank and the police would:

• Never ask for your bank account details or PIN over the phone
• Never ask you to withdraw money and send it to them
• Never ask you to send them your bank cards or any other personal property

Further information about courier fraud can be found on the Cambridgeshire Police  website here Cambs Police help.

If you are suspicious about a telephone conversation you should end the call and contact us via our non-emergency number, 101. Ideally use a mobile phone or a friend’s phone or wait at least five minutes before calling to ensure you aren’t reconnected to the offender.

To report an incident in action or if you are in immediate danger always call 999