Covid-19 scam warning

Today, we have been alerted to a highly believable scam which starts with a text and advises the user that they are eligible to apply for the vaccine and to click on the link in the text message.  The user is then led to a webpage, which looks very convincing and asks them to complete some details, in order for them to be able to apply for the vaccine.

The details asked for:

• Name
• Address
• Date of birth
• Proof of address
• Card payment details

With the recent approval of multiple vaccines in the UK, these types of scam attempts are likely to continue, as fraudsters continue to take advantage of the rollout to some many people.

Please see our article on our website: 

https://www.ourwatch.org.uk/news/fake-text-identifying-you-eligible-covid-19-vaccine

repair service is getting worst.

One of our residents in the ground floor is constantly having problems with drain blocckage when it rains hard for a while.

Whilst just on New Years day a drain in the bath completely blocked, which also affects all waste water from the kichen, the repairs service does nothing to fix the situation. They sent a man with a large palstic plunger, which didn’t help, than a man with a drill, that couldn’t go around the bends of pipes from the kitchen to the bathroom. The tenant has been told they can still use the bathroom sink, to do

• washing
• washing up
• laundry
• personal hygiene
• and all other things you need to do.

Apparently even the washing machine is connected to the same wastepipe as the bath, so that kitchen sink, washing machine waste flows into the bath/shower, making them unusable and THH wants to leave the tenant waiting for 9 days to have this repaired.

This is intolerable as the tenant is elderly with arthritis problems.

The councillor Eve McQuillan promised to contact Head of Repairs but why should we have to go to that lenght to get a blockage removed that is not due to negligence by the tenant?

Obviously the architecture of the block is complicated and out-dated and makes it very difficult to carry out repairs. A kitchen unit has been built in by the landlord to cover the waste pipes, which now needs a carpenter to remove to carry out pipe repairs.

Who suffers the endeffect? The resident.

supporting our older generation

There are a number of scams, which are meant to intimitate older persons as they are considered more vulnerable to some scams. Often living more isolated can lead to being more receptive to phone calls and demands made via email or phone.

Do you get emails telling you, that you have to pay extra for TV license, missed deliveries, which need extra payment, offers of money into your bank account? Do you get phone callls that threaten your arrest unless you press a reply button immediately and pay a sum of money?

Do you feel unsafe when going to shops, chemists? We can give tips on how to make every-day chores safer for you.

We would love to invite all members of our community to courses – in small groups – to talk about

• how scams affect us and how we can put safety nets in place not to fall for them.
• how to spot scam emails
• what to do when worried
• how to shop safer

Please get in touch with Parkview Neighbourhood Watch or the Tenants and Residents Association to arrange sessions that suit you.

Covid-19 level 4

New Covid-19 restrictions will apply in London tomorrow (Sunday 20 December) until further notice:-

• Stay at home-
• Non-essential businesses must shut-
• No household mixing on 23-27 December –
• You can meet 1 person from another household outdoors

Additionally we recommend that everybody wears face coverings in any socially mixed areas like stair cases, lobbies and great caution is used during lift use.

Tower Hamlets Council advice page.

Quiz about Cyber things

Whilst we have the Christmas season and people are rushing to buy gifts and get more than average excited about buying gifts, please try out the quiz that is attached on this document. It will help you to stay safe.

festive-quiz-cyber-fraud-2020Download

New Unity doors

Let me thank all the operatives who work very hard to instal the new doors for all THH tenants and those opting to have them installed.

Whilst I now have first-hand experience of the new door, I must make recommendations to all who also have had them installed or plan to have them installed.

The doors comply with the latest national Firesafety regulations. Please see a data-sheet enclosed.

unity-doors-data-sheet-solid-fd30s-v1Download

The doors have a more secure lock and key, the latter looks distinctly different from the previous standard type Yale key.

I would like to recommend that you lock your door with your key each time you leave your dwelling, even for a short time. The door remains open unless it is locked either from the inside or the outside.

The automated closing with the latch will only bring across bolts, but they do not lock the door, even if it sounds like your door is shut, it is not.

If you share your dwelling with others and those remaining inside whilst you leave cannot immediately lock the door from the inside, you are strongly advised to lock the door from the outside every time you leave as – if the person/s remaining inside cannot secure the door when you leave, – the door remains open.

It is similar to a car. You would never leave your car door open. I suppose it would invalidate a home burglary insurance if you failed to lock your door, even for a short while and then somebody enters your dwelling without your permission.

East Park school proposal

On the site of the former Raine’s Foundation school, there is a plan to open up a free school. The partnership is between Fulham Boys School and the Raine’s Foundation Trust. See the new website advertising the scheme.

The proposed new secondary school, needs a good register of interest to be able to show that people are interested to send their kids there.

I would like to see some life back in the Raine’s building. Please support the proposed new school if you can.

Up-date on liveable streets

tonight we had another discussion round on the proposed Liveable Streets changes to our area.

Making the roads around the estate triangle one-way will reduce traffic and the pedestrianisation around the shops will make it safer for pedestrians to cross the Bonner Road and also crossing Bonner Street over Old Ford Road gets easier as the round-about gets removed.

Most through-traffic gets channelled through Old Ford Road, Mile End Road towards the East and North of London.

Hopefully no change to the bus stop on Bonner Road will result as many residents rely on that bus stop to get to a super market because we do not have one in walking distance. Pupils from St. Elizabeth also rely on the bus to bring them.

Once the Chest Hospital gets developed even more people will use the bus. Traffic calmin through Sewardstone Road will calm the area and also improve air quality, especailly also for the school children attending Gatehouse school.

We did get paper consultations posted through our letter boxes but the consultation is which is now live online

A big thank you

Just to say a big thank you as well to our local SNT Team of officers who tirelessly work on keeping us safe. Our PCSO John Murphy has been with us for a long time and most of us know him well.

Martin, our RA chair has put new posters into the display cabinets and distributed the Parkview Life newsletters.

Bethnal Green SNT newsletter

The latest SNT newsletter was sent out yesterday and it shows that officers now share three wards between them to patrol. Bethnal Green, St. Peter’s and Stepney Green.

It’s good they patrol, stairwells, ASB hotspots; they even check whether people in supermarkets and public transport are wearing their masks and carry out re-assurance visits.

That is all in the face of police budget cut-backs.

We have our next Parkview Neighbourhood Watch online virtual meeting on 1. December 2020 18:00. and I ask all who want to take part to email me to get admitted to the meeting. Email parkview.neighbourhoodwatch@outlook.com please state your address when emailing me, which will be kept confidential and not published anywhere. We work in full compliance with Data Protection laws. We do not share your details with any third parties without your permission. If you want to join Parkview Neighbourhood Watch please register here and apply for membership.

Police distribute their manpower to those areas that get most complained about. If people don’t complain they don’t know. We can only help those who complain. How to complain about crime and ASB please visit our website or the website of the Tower Hamlets Neighbourhood Watch Association.

It is very important that people complain because the criminals and those causing problems will always go to the areas where people complain the least.
Anonymous crime reporting:

https://crimestoppers-uk.org
Tel: 0800 555111