Appeal to the public
Echuca Police need assistance identifying this male who was observed driving this vehicle on Ogilvie Ave in Echuca on May 6, 2022.
The male failed to stop upon police direction and was later involved in a petrol theft in the Shepparton area.
If you have any information pertaining to the identity of the male or owner of the vehicle, please phone Echuca Police Station on 03 5483 1500 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Callers can remain anonymous.
Altercation to land in court
A man has been charged with a number of offences after an altercation broke out at a business on Meninya St, August 2.
Following an alleged altercation between two men aged in their 60s, a 66-year-old male has been charged with common assault and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
The male will face Moama Local Court on September 15.
Residence broken into
A locked residence in Moama has been broken into and a number of personal belongings taken.
The incident occurred at an address on Jacana Ave between August 3 and 6.
CCTV footage has been retrieved and reviewed by Moama Police, who are still currently investigating the matter.
Stolen caravan
Murray River Police District officers are searching for a 1999 Jayco Freedom caravan, which was stolen from an address on Hickey Drive, Moama, between August 7 and 8.
The caravan is white in colour, with a distinctive aqua coloured stripe on its side and a Victorian registration number N23076.
If you see a caravan matching this description that looks out of place or that you haven’t seen in your area before, get into contact with Moama Police on 03 5492 0099 or phone Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 quoting event E88879020.
Vandals target public area
Moama Police are investigating an act of vandalism, which occurred in a toilet block on Meninya St, over the weekend of August 5 and 6.
Police are currently assessing CCTV footage in nearby areas.
Any witnesses are urged to contact Moama Police Station on (03) 5482 0099
‘Hi Mum’ scam rakes in more than $2 million dollars
Police have urged parents to be vigilant when receiving messages from a person purporting to be their child asking for money, after a scam has accumulated more than $2 million stolen dollars.
The scam involves an offender sending a text message from an unknown mobile phone number to a person on a messaging application, stating ‘Hi Mum,’ and then claiming to be their child.
The message then states they’ve lost their phone, telling the victim that they’re sending from their new number and asking them to delete the old number.
Once the victim engages in conversation, the offender will ask to borrow money or have a payment made on their behalf. This will generally include an excuse as to why they need it – for example, unavailability of online banking on the new device – and an offer to pay it back.
The offender will usually declare it’s a matter of urgency before providing details for the payment.
New South Wales Cybercrime Squad Commander, Detective Superintendent Matthew Craft said the ‘Hi Mum’ scam dates back to October last year.
He said reports of people being targeted by the scam have increased significantly since May.
“The demographic of victims is predominately aged over 55, and sadly, many parents are falling victim because they’re simply nice people who are concerned for their child’s welfare,” Det Supt Craft said.
“In just a matter of months, the losses accumulated by Australian victims of this scam easily surpasses $2 million when you consider the significant under reporting by victims of cybercrime generally.”
Inspector Paul Huggett of the Murray River Police District said unfortunately, this is not the only scam that has been circulating around at the moment.
“People are purporting to be from Bendigo Bank, from Ebay, from MyGov and so on,” Insp Huggett.
“Continue to test the information that you are receiving, ring the bank, ring the local police, check your banking apps to see if any money is actually missing before clicking on a link that says you have money missing.
“If you believe it to be a scam then immediately hang up and delete or block.”
Fraudulently obtained funds are usually quickly moved and victims are unlikely to receive their money back.
People who have lost money to a scam should contact their bank or financial institution as soon as possible and report the matter to police.
For more advice on how to avoid scams and what to do if you or someone you know is a victim of a scam, visit the Scamwatch website via https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/