FRAUDSTERS have fleeced nearly £20 million from online shoppers in Coventry in a single
year by stealing credit card details.

The city is ranked eighth in the country as recording millions of pounds being taken from unsuspecting victims.

The figures have been obtained by the Times from the 3rd Man group, a specialist card not present (CNP) fraud screening company, who said they are experiencing significant growth in online fraud.

In Coventry from August 1, 2008 to July 31, 2009, the company uncovered 6,720 cases of online fraud – amounting to £19.4million being taken from customers.

Criminals use personal information including bank details, email and homes addresses and telephone numbers to make purchases online.

Andrew Goodwill, of 3rd Man, said: “We see 20 per cent of the market place so this figure needs to be multiplied by five to get a more accurate picture.

“We screen online transactions on the payments page, which includes looking at telephone numbers, delivery addresses and email addresses to see if there are any changes and let the retailer know if there are any problems.

“Everything is looked at when products or services are bought on the internet, this includes small purchases such as music downloads to bigger things like holidays.

“We look for good and bad information.

“The company has been going since 2001 and since then we have seen a year on year increase on the amount of fraudulent cases.

“This is partly due to an increase in the number of people buying things online.

“But criminals also see it as a faceless crime and are becoming more attracted to it. It’s something police forces across the country aren’t really looking into either.”

People in Coventry spent £106million online in one year with the CV6 area having the highest spend of £50 million.

But the city centre also had the highest rate of fraudulent transactions. Of 36,886 online sales, 2,412 were criminal.

CV5 had the lowest number of cases – 196 out of 60,670 were fake.

Mr Goodwill added: “Coventry is a hot spot because of the amount of addresses that have been used for the delivery for the goods in Coventry.

“Those could’ve been ordered anywhere in the world, so it suggests hackers must be complicit in the crime.”

A senior lecturer at Coventry University said the figures were “scary reading”.

Dr Qin Zhou, computer forensics lecturer, said: “The figures are quite scary and means that people in Coventry are not very security aware, but should be as millions of pounds are being taken without people knowing.

“There are many ways hackers can get people’s details so we must always be careful.

“Sometimes when you download software the user is unaware that a second programme may also be on your computer.

“This records all keystrokes made by a user and means all sorts of details such as credit card numbers, security questions and addresses are being taken without anyone knowing.

“The best way to prevent this is to always buy from a reputable site, ensure it is safe before putting in any personal details and to make sure you use virus protection on your computer and do regular updates.”

Have you been a victim of credit card fraud? If so contact the Times by calling 02476 500398 or email priya_mistry@mrn.co.uk.

QUASH MARKET'S GRADE II STATUS

COVENTRY Market could lose its status as a listed building as it could hinder plans to redevelop the city centre.

In June this year English Heritage listed the market, which opened in 1958, as a Grade II building.

But traders, councillors and MPs have stepped in and asked for the decision to be reviewed.

They fear the listing of the circular building could prevent the market moving to a new purpose-built home under architect Jerde’s £1billion city centre development plans.

Jim Cunningham, Labour MP for Coventry South, wrote to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and asked to review the title.

Mr Cunningham said: “There seems to have been little consultation about this decision and the impact it could have.

“Traders tell me the market is not fit for purpose, being too hot in the summer and freezing and flooding in the winter.

“They also believe the decision was taken with very little understanding of the history of the
market.”

Culture minister Barbara Follett has confirmed through a letter to Mr Cunningham that a re-examination of the building will take place.

“There is some good news however,” added Mr Cunningham.

“Ms Follett tells me a review of the decision is currently being assessed and her officials will look at all the evidence on the architectural or historic merit of the market and will then take a decision as to whether the original decision to list the market was correctly made.”

Councillor Gary Ridley, cabinet member for city development, said: “We are very pleased to hear English Heritage is looking at Coventry Market’s Grade II listing.

“People and traders helped us to draw up a very exciting plan for the market within the Jerde masterplan and we hope we can now return to our preferred option to relocate the market.

“The Jerde masterplan reflects the historic importance of the market but critically it relocates it to a much better position, recog-nising its role as a true anchor in the city as a place for people to meet and shop.”

VEG OUT TO BE THE WINNING FORMULA

A RACING car built partly from carrots and fuelled by chocolate and wine will be entering its first official race next month.

The 230bhp one-seater racing car – called World First but known as the Flying Carrot – has been designed by boffins at Warwick University.

And on October 17 it will be making its debut at Brands Hatch, in Kent, where it will be competing against 22 other more conventional Formula 3 vehicles.

The car meets all the standards for Formula 3 apart from its engine being biodiesel. This means it will not get championship points.

But it has already crossed the black and white chequered flag for being environmentally friendly.

Dr Kerry Kirwan, its creator, is confident the car, which cost £500,000 to build, will not
disappoint.

He said: “We believe it is the world’s greenest car but it shows that being green does not have to be boring.

“We’ll be disappointed if it doesn’t do well and we believe this is the greenest car in its class.

“It’s the first car of its kind built from waste material, recycled
material and natural materials, but it has the same performance
levels and looks just like a
Formula 3 racing car.

“We hope to reach out to
future scientists and engineers and give them something they can get excited about and relate to.”

The car looks similar to other Formula 3 vehicles, with the performance to match – it can reach a top speed of 130mph and accelerate to 60mph in
under 2.5 seconds. But its
similarities end there.

The bodywork is made from recycled rubbish and the steering wheel is made from shredded carrot fibres glued together and is derived from technology used to make fishing rods.

The fuel used to power its 230bhp recycled aluminium
engine comes from a variety of sources, including waste fat from a chocolate factory and fermented wine dregs.

TERRY WAITE VISITS COVENTRY

TERRY Waite will pay a visit to a troubled homeless shelter charity in Coventry.

The former hostage is president of Emmaus, which runs the community in Brinklow Road, Binley.

He will be visiting the charity’s shop, in Red Lane, Foleshill, on Friday (tomorrow) September 11 to see the progress made after the centre brought in new staff.

It comes after the organisation re-opened a year ago when it was forced to close. Staff walked out after thieves broke into their living quarters causing damage and stealing personal belongings.

POLICE HUNTING BLACK AUDI AFTER BOY SHOT IN NECK

POLICE investigating the shooting of a teenager in Bell Green are tracing a black Audi in connection to the attack.

The 16-year-old victim, was shot in Proffitt Avenue at around 10.30pm on Tuesday September 1.

He had been walking down the street with two friends when he was shot in the neck and was rushed to University Hospital, in Walsgrave, where he remains in a serious but stable condition.

Officers investigating the case believe the victim was shot by someone inside a moving car and a tracing a black Audi.

Detective Inspector Nigel Harrison, of Stoney Stanton Road police station, said: “We’ve interviewed the three lads but we are no closer to finding out who did this.

“It appears the defendants were in a black Audi and shot from that. There is a lot of speculation in the area about what happened but nothing can yet be substantiated. There are a number of theories but we cannot speculate.”

He also said that Tom was no longer in a critical condition and would hopefully make a full recovery. But the teenager was still in pain and is likely to be left scarred by the attack.

Police had cordoned off Proffitt Avenue during the tail-end of last week as officers carried out door-to-door inquiries and tried to uncover evidence.

Anyone who witnessed the shooting or who has any information about what happened should contact CID at Stoney Stanton Road police station on 0845 113 5000 or anonymously on Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

'STATUS DOG’ ATTACKS AT ONE A WEEK

AT least one person is attacked by a ‘status dog’ on the streets of Coventry each week.

And the Coventry branch of the RSPCA fears more dogs are being bred as weapons, giving owners a threatening status.

Figures obtained by the Times through the Freedom of Information Act show from January 2007 to June 2009, there were 123 reported incidents of someone being injured by an out of control dog in Coventry.

Of these 123, only seven arrests were made.

In 2007, there were 46 incidents of dogs being out of control - with two owners arrested. This increased to 51 attacks in 2008, when four arrests were made.

And figures up until June this year show 21 offences, with officers
arresting one suspect.

Records show Staffordshire bull
terriers attacked 15 people, rottweilers 10 and German shepherds 11. There were 66 dogs that were not recorded by breed, suggesting they may have been mongrels.

Glen Mayoll, manager of the
RSPCA centre in Coundon Wedge Drive, Allesley, said that he is seeing more dogs at the centre that have been bred to become status dogs.

He said: “Dogs are 100 per cent not supposed to be used as status dogs in any way.

“In Coventry some people have got dogs for the wrong reasons and I
predict that we will see more. For dogs to be used as a tool or weapon is just unnecessary.

“People are breeding status dogs in a bid to make a fast buck and we see the other end of this when the dogs are not sold.

“Animals in my view are com-
panions or for appropriate services, such as helping the blind or working in a police force for instance.”

West Midlands Police, which has the second-highest number of Dog Legislation Officers (DLOs) in the country after the Metropolitan Police, also
noticed status dog incidents, but warned not to give all dogs a bad press.

The force has 10 DLOs whose role includes handling dogs, being able to identify the pit bull type and offer advice and guidance to other officers who feel they may be dealing with a dangerous dog.

PC Keith Evans, a DLO based in Balsall Common, said: “Coventry has more of an issue with status dogs. Young people with pit bull type dogs see them as a fashion accessory that can be used to intimidate other
people. It is something which has grown in the past four to five years.

“The police work closely with councils and youth teams to deter this and try to raise the awareness of what pit bull dogs look like for neighbourhood officers and PCSOs.

“We must be careful that dogs do not get a bad press because of their irresponsible owners who get those dogs to resemble tougher ones.

If anyone owns a large breed it is an enormous responsibilty and they should be mindful of the impact they can have on the community.

“If somebody has a dog and they themselves think it could be a pit bull type, then they should not be afraid to seek advice from the police as there are ways of dealing with it.”

n What do you think? Have you been attacked by a dangerous dog? If so contact the Times by writing to us or email timesletters@mrn.co.uk.

WE'RE NOT LOVIN' NEW EATING TIMES

RESIDENTS near a McDonald’s restaurant said they are not lovin’ plans for part of the eatery to stay open until 6am.

The fast-food chain’s branch, in Wigston Road, Walsgrave, has applied for a late licence for the ‘drive-thru’ section.

McDonald’s, – whose catchphrase is “Lovin’ it” – said it wanted to extend opening hours for customers who live their lives outside the 9-5 routine.

People in the Henley ward, who live nearby, fear the move will attract anti-social behaviour and cause lots of litter.

At the moment, both the ‘drive-thru’ and restaurant close at 11pm every day. With a late licence customers in vehicles could be served until 6am.

Ray Shaw, aged 75, of Jonathan Road in Walsgrave, said: “People have a McDonald’s while sitting on rubbish bins but then fail to put their rubbish inside them. Instead, they just drop it on the ground and it flies into our backyards, and we have to pick it up.”

His wife Tina, 72, said: “We have nothing against McDonald’s but don’t want it to become an all-night venue. Visitors of McDonald’s wander into our estate and cause a nuisance.

“The restaurant is advertised as people come off the motorway so it will attract customers.”

A McDonald’s spokesman said: “We’re looking at our CCTV and other arrangements. We take litter very seriously and recognise a thoughtless minority don’t always dispose of packaging in a responsible way.

“That’s why we conduct
regular litter patrols and take steps to minimise packaging. We apologise if our neighbours are not happy with our litter patrols, and we’d be happy to meet and discuss the routes and timings.”

The council received objections on Thursday September 3. A date to discuss the licence is yet to be set.

CONCERT FOR VITAL CASH TO RESTORE HISTORICAL CHURCH

A HISTORICAL church in Coventry will be hosting a concert to help raise funds for renovation and establish itself as a musical venue.

St John the Baptist Church, on the corner of Fleet Street and Spon Street, has stood the test of time after being built 700 years ago.

It recently underwent repairs costing more than £25,000 to prevent it from being placed on the English Heritage’s ‘Buildings At Risk’ register.

This meant the church had to dig into its general maintenance reserve funds, which should have lasted for the next 10 years, to secure essential grants from English Heritage and the Sita Trust.

This has left the parish needing to raise around £30,000 to fill the empty pot of cash.

On Saturday September 5 the Tony Gibbs Singers will be performing at the church.

The group was founded in 1994 and draws members from different choirs, including the Coventry Philharmonic Choir, St Michael’s Singers and the Coventry Blue Coat School Choir.

Money raised will go towards funding the Grade I listed building.

The concert is also hoping to help fulfil the church’s desire to become an established venue for arts and entertainments.

It has already staged a number of concerts and performances in its mediaeval surroundings, with others planned for the rest of the year.

Father Paul Such, the rector of the church, said: “It’s always a pleasure to welcome visitors to our beautiful church, whether they are coming to worship, to admire this piece of Coventry’s medieval history, or to enjoy one of our musical or dramatic events.

“We have been serving the people of Coventry for 700 years, both spiritually and pastorally, but now we hope to embark on pastures new, by becoming an established venue for performance art within Coventry and Warwickshire, including holding art exhibitions for both new and more established artists.

“The Tony Gibbs Singers are well-regarded across the UK and beyond, and the programme they will be treating us to on Saturday promises to be full of popular music - classical, folk and show tunes - so there will be something for everyone.”

The show kicks off at 7.30pm, tickets cost £6 and can be bought at the door.

FLUSHED AWAY WITH LOO TWINNING SUCCESS

A BUSINESS has become the first in Coventry to become potty over toilet twinning.

Logistics business ByBox, in Red Lane, Hillfields, has been flushed away with the idea and twinned three of its toilets to three in war-torn African town Burundi.

The idea is the brainchild of Leamington-based charity Cord, which works with victims of war in Africa and Asia.

For £60, toilet twinners can help a family returning home to a country ravaged by years of civil war to start again from scratch.

Every toilet twinner receives a framed picture of their twin latrine to hang in their loo, complete with its Google Earth location so they can pinpoint it in the remote Rutana province of Burundi.

Stuart Miller, chief executive officer of ByBox, said: “We may be living in challenging economic times in the UK, but when you hear and see how families are having to cope without even a basic toilet, it puts everything into perspective.

“Our toilets are something we take for granted in this country, so I hope lots of other businesses will follow ByBox’s example and see that toilet twinning is a fun way we can all engage in the serious business of helping people to improve their lives.”

Since the scheme launched in June this year it has taken off across the country and internationally with countries such as the US, France and Australia taking part. In Britain just under 500 toilets have been twinned.

In Coventry 21 people and groups, including Coventry Cathedral and the Christ Church, in Frankpledge Road, Cheylesmore, have signed up for loo twinning.

The movement is endorsed by Cord ambassador and singer Corinne Bailey Rae, The Royal Shakespeare Company and West Midlands Fire Service.

For more information visit www.toilettwinning.org or call 01926 315301.