Safergems Bulletin November 2019 (Industry).Pdf
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Nov 2019 11 SUMMARY IN THE RUN UP TO CHRISTMAS ALL MEMBERS ARE REQUESTED TO REMAIN VIGILANT AS THERE IS AN INCREASED RISK OF JEWELLERS & PAWNBROKERS BEING TARGETED IN HIGH-VALUE ROBBERIES & BURGLARIES. AS A RESULT OF THIS RISK IT IS IMPORTANT THEREFORE THAT SECURITY MEASURES PUT IN PLACE ARE IN FULL WORKING ORDER AND REVIEWED. ENSURE THAT PROCEDURES ARE TIGHT AND THAT COMPLACENCY HAS NOT SLIPPED IN. PLEASE CONTINUE TO REPORT ANY SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY TO POLICE!! PROLIFIC FRAUDSTER JAILED PROLIFIC FRAUDSTER MARK HAWKINS HAS BEEN JAILED TO FOUR YEARS IMPRISONMENT FOR 25 COUNTS OF FRAUD & BURGLARY. (PLEASE SEE ‘GOOD NEWS STORIES’) ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR NOVEMBER HAS ALSO SEEN: • COUPLE SOUGHT: DIAMOND JEWELLERY THEFTS: HASLEMERE/ASCOT (SOUTH EAST) • PRESTIGE WATCH THIEF: MAYFAIR/BEXLEY (SOUTH EAST) • ATTEMPT RAM-RAID: STONE (WEST MIDLANDS) • TRAVELLING FRAUD TEAM: HOCKLEY/KIDDERMINSTER/BRIDGNORTH (WEST MIDLANDS) • FAKE GOLD PAMP BARS: MAN ARRESTED: BIRMINGHAM (WEST MIDLANDS) • FAKE GOLD RINGS: NOTTINGHAM (EAST MIDLANDS) • SAFE BURGLARY: SWANAGE (SOUTH WEST) • TRAVELLING WATCH THIEVES: TAUNTON/RUISLIP/STAINES/BRENT (SOUTH WEST) • RAM-RAID: RAWTENSTALL (NORTH WEST) • SUBSTITUTION RING THEFT: BIRKENHEAD (NORTH WEST) • ARMED SWORD-WIELDING GANG JAILED FOR 97 YEARS (GOOD NEWS STORIES) Further details are reported below: Attacks/incidents of interest from around the UK this month: SOUTH EAST SURREY – HASLEMERE (THEFT) HASLEMERE 04.11.19 ASCOT 13.11.19 On Tuesday 28th October 2019, a family consisting of a man, woman and young boy visited the store in Haslemere and initially enquired about silver rings. They then progressed onto diamond solitaire rings before leaving the store without purchasing any goods. On Monday 4th November 2019, the family returned to the store and again enquired about diamond solitaire rings. Whilst staff were busy dealing with other customers, the man and woman took advantage by asking questions and requesting to view multiple items. The woman then used a tissue to secrete a diamond solitaire ring from a pad before placing it into her handbag. SG Ref: 6347 • ON 05.11.19 THE SAME MAN & WOMAN ARE KNOWN TO HAVE STOLEN A PAIR OF DIAMOND EARRINGS FROM A STORE IN WOKINGHAM. • FOLLOWING THE CIRCULATION OF A SAFERGEMS ALERT, FURTHER JEWELLERS IN ASCOT, EGHAM, GODALMING & GUILDFORD REPORTED BEING VISITED BY THE SUSPECTS BETWEEN TUESDAY 5TH & MONDAY 26TH NOVEMBER 2019. NOTHING STOLEN. METROPOLITAN – MAYFAIR (DISTRACTION THEFT) MAYFAIR 06.11.19 BEXLEY 09.07.19 At 11.50am on Wednesday 6th November 2019, the above man (described as Spanish or South American & wearing a trilby type hat) entered the store and (in broken English) requested to view prestige watches. He then distracted staff by pointing at different displays. As the sales assistant turned her back, he removed a Bremont watch (Serial No: 21754) from within a cabinet. The man then made his excuses and left the store. SG Ref: 6351 • THE OFFENDER IS SIMILAR IN APPEARANCE TO A MAN PREVIOUSLY CIRCULATED BY SAFERGEMS FOR A DISTRACTION WATCH THEFT FROM A STORE IN BEXLEY ON 09.07.19 • DETAILS OF THE STOLEN WATCH ADDED TO THE SAFERGEMS STOLEN WATCH REGISTER. SURREY – EPSOM (FAKE ROLEX) EPSOM WEYBRIDGE On Saturday 9th November 2019, the above man using the name "LOUIS CHEEK" entered the store and informed staff that he wished to sell a Rolex Submariner 50th Anniversary which he stated he had bought from a work colleague. Staff informed the man that he would have to leave the watch with them to verify its authenticity. An examination of the watch revealed to be a extremely good quality fake. SG Ref: 6341 • BETWEEN THE 12 O CLOCK LUGS THE WATCH HAD A MODEL NUMBER OF 16610T. • ON THE INNER REHAUT IT HAD SERIAL NUMBER OF M586252. • ON THE BASE PLATE OF THE MOVEMENT THERE WAS ANOTHER SERIAL NUMBER OF OY518286. • THE SUSPECT, WHO HAS BEEN ARRESTED, IS ALSO KNOWN TO HAVE ATTEMPTED TO SELL GOOD QUALITY FAKE ROLEX WATCHES TO JEWELLERS/PAWNBROKERS IN BRIGHTON & WEYBRIDGE. METROPOLITAN – WESTMINSTER (DISTRACTION THEFT) At 11.20am on Tuesday 12th November 2019, the above two women entered the store and distracted staff by spending approximately fifteen minutes looking, offering to sell and generally making a fuss. They kept up this behaviour until they created the opportunity to pocket a 18ct gold bracelet. Both then made their excuses and left the store.SG Ref: 6343. The suspects are described as: • APPROXIMATELY 30YRS OLD, DARK HAIR/EYES, OLIVE COMPLEXION, CLAIMING TO BE ITALIAN (BELIEVED ROMANIAN) AND UNABLE TO SPEAK ENGLISH. The stolen bracelet is described as: • 18CT GOLD, ITALIAN, UNHALLMARKED, 3 ROWS OF CHAIN WITH APPLIED STARS EACH SET WITH A DIAMOND. • IF THE ABOVE BRACELET IS SEEN OR OFFERED FOR SALE, PLEASE CONTACT THE METROPOLITAN POLICE QUOTING CRIME REFERENCE NUMBER: 6576889/19 METROPOLITAN – WHITTON (FAKE ROLEX) On Monday 18th November 2019, the above man visited the store and offered for sale a ROLEX DAYTONA SERIAL NO: 958Q67K1, providing a driving licence in the name JAMIE LEE GREGORY BN: 10.09.97 as means of identification. However, he was unable to provide a box, papers or receipt. The jeweller told the man that he would have to leave the watch with him to verify its authenticity. A thorough examination of the watch revealed it to be an extremely good quality fake. When the man returned the following day, he was informed the watch was not authentic and that the Police were now involved. SG Ref: 6361 • IT IS BELIEVED THAT THE SUSPECT HAS ATTEMPTED TO SELL THE WATCH TO OTHER STORES IN THE AREA/REGION. METROPOLITAN – CENTRAL LONDON (SUSPICIOUS PERSONS) On Tuesday 26th November 2019 a tradesman in the jewellery trade visited a high end jewellery shop in Old Bond Street, London W1S for a planned business meeting. Shortly after 2.15pm the same shop where the meeting was taking place was attended by a man and woman who explained they were Argentinian and requested a business card from a member of staff. The woman is believed to have covertly recorded the interior of the store/the tradesman and staff within the shop using a mobile telephone before leaving. The tradesman then left the store and returned to a trade premise in the area of Oxford Street before visiting a third store on Shaftesbury Avenue for an unconnected personal engagement. These journeys were taken on foot. As the tradesman exited the third store, he recognised the same couple waiting in the lobby having provided security staff a vague account of their business at this shop. SG Ref: 6380 • IT IS BELIEVED THE COUPLE HAD FOLLOWED THE TRADESMAN BETWEEN THESE MEETINGS BY WAY OF LIFESTYLE OBSERVATION/RECONNAISSANCE FOR A POSSIBLE OFFENCE. THE TRADESMAN WOULD ROUTINELY TRANSPORT HIGH VALUE JEWELLERY BETWEEN DIFFERENT LOCATIONS. EASTERN CAMBRIDGESHIRE – HUNTINGDON (FRAUD) On Friday 1st November 2019, the above four men (described as Asian) entered the store and requested to view rings. One of the men then distracted a sales assistant, whilst two were looking at the items. The fourth man was in and out of store throughout the entire process. The two men then decided to purchase two rings to the value of £2150 before presenting a credit card and inputting more than the required number of digits into the terminal. All four then left the store. On Friday 15th November 2019, the store was informed by their merchant provider (Global Payment) that the transaction was fraudulent. SG Ref: 6357 HERTFORDSHIRE – STEVENAGE (ATTEMPT FRAUD) At 1.10pm on Thursday 7th November 2019, an Afro Caribbean man entered the store and attempted to use stolen credit cards to obtain gift cards. However, staff were suspicious of the customer and refused to engage in any transaction. Enquiries made by the store with Police revealed that the suspect is part of a group distracting members of the public at car parks/supermarkets and stealing their credit card details and PIN numbers. SG Ref: 6335 WEST MIDLANDS STAFFORDSHIRE – STONE (BURGLARY/RAM-RAID) At 2am on Wednesday 6th November 2019, two offenders approached the store on foot and looked in the window. They later returned 3.40am in a vehicle and used a breeze block to smash to smash the window display, however, due to the metal security shutters were unable to gain entry to the store. They then left again before returning at 3.45am. On this occasion they used an unknown vehicle to ram-raid the front of the shop. Extensive damage caused but no entry gained. SG Ref: 6333 WEST MIDLANDS – HOCKLEY (FRAUD) GOLD CRAFT 12.11.19 GADSBYS DIAMOND CENTRE T H BAKER At 11.30am on Tuesday 12th November 2019, three Afro Caribbean men entered the store and requested to view various items of jewellery. After deciding to purchase a number of goods, they presented a none chip & pin credit card as means of payment. SG Ref: 6339 • FOLLOWING THE CIRCULATION OF A SAFERGEMS ALERT JEWELLER IN BRIGNORTH REPORTED BEING VISITED BY ONE OF THE SUSPECTS ON MONDAY 11.09.19. ON THIS OCCASION HE ATTEMPTED TO OBTAIN A ROLEX WATCH. NOTHING STOLEN. • THE SUSPECTS ARE BELIEVED TO BE MEMBERS OF A GANG WHO ARE KNOWN TO HAVE ATTEMPTED TO FRAUDULENTLY OBTAIN GOODS FROM THE STORES IN HOCKLEY ON 11.09.19 & KIDDERMINSTER ON 23.09.19. WEST MIDLANDS – BIRMINGHAM (FAKE GOLD) On Tuesday 12th November 2019, the above man entered the stores and offered for sale a 5cm x 3cm gold bar to the owner of the shop. The man told the owner of the shop that it was solid gold. The owner believed him and bought it for £1100. The jeweller later found out that the bar was fake. It was copper coated with gold plate. On Wednesday 20th November 2019 the man returned to the shop in an attempt to sell more gold bars.