tree trimming scam back again - please advise family, friends and neighbours
Hi Everyone,
The couple in their 80’s were approached (in their own home) by a couple of men of Pacific Island descent (the couple thought they were Samoan but couldn’t be absolutely sure).
They were told that their trees were too high and had to be cut back. They could do this for the couple. The couple felt pressured into saying yes –but did so with the husband agreeing on a price of $280 to cut back two trees and leaving a card with the business name of Erika Tree Services.
They came back to do this on Sunday and spent about an hour at the property (of which they had a ½ hour smoko break). When they had finished, the wife gave them a cheque for $280 made out to Erika Tree Services.
They tried to tell her that the price was $380 - and she said “no you agreed to $280” and showed where it had been written down. They then said that they wanted cash – they could not accept a cheque.
She was standing her ground and saying – we don’t have $280 in cash. They then insisted that the husband go down to the money machine and take the money out – which he eventually did.
The couple were also upset with them having a good look inside their garage and felt that their work was shoddy and was not done safely (no safety gear, including footwear, hearing and face guards and dangerous positioning on the fence.
Obvious concerns here are-
a) Their approach to the couple stating that the work had to be done
b) Trying to get more money than was agreed
c) Insisting on cash and that the husband go to the ATM to withdraw it
d) Unsafe work practices.
From Neighbourhood Support
Scam Alert: Fake information regarding December Bonuses from MSD
The Ministry of Social Development is reporting that fake information is circulating about new ‘December bonuses’ or ‘benefit increases’
If you get suspicious communication, please contact Netsafe.
Further important update to all Neighbourly members
Dear Neighbours,
We wanted to update you with what we have uncovered in regards to the potential Neighbourly data breach which we were alerted to on Thursday January 1.
Over the past few days we have worked to understand whether our members’ data had been accessed without authorisation and, if so, the extent of the breach.
We have now confirmed that there was a breach of some data from our registered users. We are now satisfied that the breach was quickly contained, and we have restored the Neighbourly site and services.
Our investigations have shown that there was unauthorised access of Neighbourly data, which included our registered members’ names, email addresses, GPS coordinates, forum posts and member communications. It did not include passwords but some publicly advertised event and business addresses were included.
Following best practice, we will look to seek a court injunction against any use of the material.
We want to apologise to our members for this occurrence and any concerns it may have caused you over the past few days. We have, of course, addressed the issue that allowed the theft to occur, and we are satisfied that the site is secure for use by all of our members. We will work closely with all our staff to ensure we have the most robust processes in place to prevent it from happening again.
Thank you to our members who contacted us over this period and for the understanding you have shown as we work through the complex issues associated with cyber theft.
Q&A regarding Neighbourly data breach
The Team at Neighbourly
A Craft a Day: Simple Projects Using Pegs, Sticks & Resene Testpots
A craft project a day keeps the boredom away. Entertain kids with these easy arts and crafts projects using pegs, ice block sticks and Resene testpots. Find out how to create and paint your own peg crafts with these easy step by step instructions.
Loading…
