Police are reminding members of the public to be aware of the dangers associated with bogus callers. The warning comes after a local woman received a call from an Indian sounding male who requested she went to a local bank to collect an UCash voucher. The caller then went out to state that once she did so they would attend with a cheque that she could cash for a four figure sum. Shortly later the woman then received a second call from a different male who claimed he would attend once she had the voucher. The woman requested that he attend in person and once she did so, he hang up before a third male called her shortly afterwards.

These callers were persistent and kept talking around the subject and repeatedly asked for the voucher code. At no point did the woman go and purchase a voucher code.

Police advice is to never give out personal or banking details to someone you do not know. Always check that the person requesting the information is genuine. Check about them by speaking to friends and family that you know and trust, check up on the person or company through the internet or visit the company they claim to work for in person in the high street store. If you receive any call that you think is suspicious, take down as much detail about the caller as possible, such as name, accent, telephone number and the company they claim to work for and hand into police. Remember if it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn’t.

Here’s Stig Nordkil’s regular interview with Gus MacPherson (recorded on Wednesday):

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A joint investigation led by Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Benefit Fraud Section in conjunction with the Department of Work and Pensions, has resulted in a Castle Douglas man being fined £350 at Stranraer Sheriff Court.

William Patterson aged 70 of Cotton St, Castle Douglas was found guilty of obtaining benefit which he was not entitled to, by failing to disclose that he was receiving an Occupational Pension.

Overpayments of Council Tax Benefit and Pension Credit totalling in excess of £10,000 had occurred over a 6 year period to January 2010. These overpayments are recoverable in full.

The latest government estimate (2009/10) is that £1.1 billion is lost from public funds every year through all benefit fraud. For more information on how the council tackles benefit fraud, check the website www.dumgal.gov.uk

If you know of anyone committing benefit fraud you can contact the Council’s Benefit Fraud Team in confidence:

Tel: 0800 085 7449

email: benefit.fraud@dumgal.gov.uk

A road traffic crash ocurred earlier today, at a pedestrian crossing adjacent to McDonalds, on the Glasgow Road at around 2.45pm.  Only one car was involved in the incident. We understand that the car did not have any occupants, apart from the lady driver, who seemed to be shaken, but was able to relay events to police and emergency services in attendance.

Nine children, six locations, two days, 21 tantalising questions and almost 200 miles – it all adds up to the first ever Youth Challenge, held as part of this year’s Doors Open Days weekend.

The adventurous group of 12 to 14 year olds from Teen Spirit, the youth club that meets at The CatStrand, New Galloway on Tuesday evenings, took to the road on Saturday 25th and Sunday 24th September. Their whistle stop tour of six of the 36 local sites taking part in Doors Open Days ranged from 21st century Oasis Youth Centre in Dumfries, which has its own recording studio, to a 17th century cell in Wigtown, with time off for good behaviour and an overnight stay at the YMCA Drop-In Centre in Gatehouse of Fleet.

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Police in Dumfries are appealing for witnesses following a serious road traffic collision on the A701 at Shieldhill, near Aimsfield. The collision occurred at around 09.35hrs on Saturday 24 September and involved a green coloured BMW 318 and a red coloured Citroen ZX.

The local 58 year old owner of the Citroen sustained serious injuries in the incident and was taken to DGRI to receive treatment. His condition is described as serious but stable. The local 21 year old driver of the BMW was not harmed in the incident and will be reported to the Procurator Fiscal in relation to dangerous driving.

Anyone who was in the area around the time of the incident or seen the green coloured BMW travelling in the Heathhall area or travelling on the A701 prior to the collision is asked to contact police on 0845 600 5701

We’re upgrading our streaming service this afternoon, which should improve the sound quality you experience and allow many more listeners to connect at the same time.

There may be a short break in service in while this is carried out and you may need ot close your browser and reopen it to regain the new service.

If you’re using iPhone or Andriod to conne, you’ll need to select Shoutcast (we were formerly using an Icecast server). We can help provide you with guidance and support if you get stuck.

Apologies for any inconvenience.

Stig Nordkil spoke with Queen of the South Manager, Gus MacPherson earlier today, following QoS 0:5 defeat to Kilmarnock in the Communities League Cup last night.

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Dan and Deborah Whitt, from North Carolina, USA, fell in love with Scotland on a visit last year and will be returning to Dumfries in late September to hold four seminars. They are coming to Scotland to teach and minister to and with folks of all denominations and churches in the Dumfries area. Thanks to Pastor Sandy Jamieson, all four seminars will be hosted at the Lighthouse Church on Maxwell Street in Dumfries (www.lighthousechurch1.com).

The seminars will include:

A Christian Perspective on Money – 29 September starting at 1930 – This will include a Jewish perspective on money, stewardship, inheritance, investing, and the three kinds of giving: tithes, offerings, and alms. Pastors have asked Dan to bring this teaching to their churches because it is a well-balanced teaching on how to handle money.

Ministry Gifts and Moving in the Holy Spirit – 30 September starting at 1930 – This will begin with a short teaching on ministry gifts and conclude with “practice” time for all who want to move more in ministry gifts and be more used by the Holy Spirit. Of course, folks who want to be baptized in the Holy Spirit can come expecting that, too. This is really all about helping folks to understand that the signs and wonders talked about in Mark 16 are supposed to be happening around ALL believers, not just a few, and that they, too can be part of the miraculous works on earth today.

Healing and Flowing in Healing Ministry – 1 October starting at 1400 – This will start with a teaching about healing (physical, emotional, deliverance, etc.) and how God heals and wants to heal followed later in the afternoon with “practice” time for those who want to be used more in healing ministry.

Healing Rally – 1 October starting at 1930 – This will begin with a short teaching on healing leaving plenty of time for Dan, Deborah, and a prayer team from the afternoon teaching on healing to pray for the sick and watch God work miracles. Dan and Deborah report an amazingly high percentage of people who are truly touched and changed during rallies like this.

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Police are advising motorists that the A709 will be closed east of Lochmaben for the recovery of a wood wagon that is currently on its side. The driver was uninjured in the incident.

Diversions will be put in place shortly and the road is expected to be closed for approximately two hours.

Drivers are asked to avoid the area if possible and to expect delays.