Crews control fire FIRE crews extinguished a fire on Catherine Avenue in Chelsea on Sunday. CFA and FRV crews attended the blaze just after 2pm on 28 February. Crews from Patterson River and Edithvale also assisted, and backup breathing apparatus were called in from Bayswater. Firefighters spent half an hour getting the blaze under control. A section of the next door property was also damaged in the fire.
The house had been fenced off as a demolition site. Police and Ambulance Victoria also attended to assist with the effort.
A FIREFIGHTER cleans off after helping to fight a blaze in Chelsea. Picture: Gary Sissons
Police patrol
with Brodie Cowburn
ATO scams SCAMMERS have been impersonating the Australian Tax Office to steal money. Police say they have seen a rise in scam reports lately. A statement from Victoria Police read “victims have reported receiving a phone call from someone claiming to be with the Australian Tax Office (ATO) or local police, who claim that the victim’s tax file number has been hacked or their account has been involved in fraudulent or criminal activity.” “Offenders ask the victim what their local police station is and to google the number while the offender stays on the phone call. On multiple occasions, the victim has proceeded to do this before providing the scammer with their local police station number. The offender tells the victim that a police officer from that station will call them within five minutes to provide further information. A short while later, someone calls from a number that the scammer has falsified to appear as if someone is calling from the victim’s local police station. “During this call, the scammer informs them they must move all their funds into a secure ATO account while it is investigated. The victim is then contacted again with instructions to withdraw thousands of dollars and lodge them via an ATM into an account. Scammers will most often provide their bank details to victims via encrypted messaging services. The offenders will repeat this process until the victim becomes suspicious or runs out of available funds.”
Police say that one victim handed $5,000 to a scammer in person in a shopping centre carpark in Cheltenham. Suspected scams can be reported at scamwatch.gov.au
Fraudsters wanted TWO people are wanted for allegedly stealing money from businesses. Police allege that on 17 and 18 December last year, a couple gained access to a store account of businesses in Mentone and Airport West. The duo then allegedly changed the account details and made more than $5000 worth of fraudulent purchases. An image of two people police wish to speak to has been released (below). Anyone with information can contact Crime Stoppers at 1800 333 000 or Moorabbin Police Station 03 9556 6565
Bicycle stolen POLICE are searching for two people in relation to the theft of a brand new bicycle on Christmas Day last year. Detectives have been told that a mountain bike was stolen from a Seaford home in the evening on 25 December. CCTV images have been released of two women that police wish to speak to about the theft. They were seen with the bike shortly after it went missing. If anyone recognises the people pictured below or has any information, they can contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or make a report online at crimestoppersvic.com.au and quote the incident number 200469446. TWO people wanted over the theft of a bicycle. Pictures: Supplied
It’s never you, until it is.
More people die on farms than in other workplaces – let’s change that. You might think you’re bulletproof and know your land like the back of your hand. But accidents can happen to anyone. You can prevent accidents. You can prevent deaths. worksafe.vic.gov.au/agriculture Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News
3 March 2021
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