Police are warning the public not to give out credit card numbers over the Internet after a rash of fraudulent e-mails.

Inspector Robin Sherwood of the Police Fraud Squad said several people have contacted the Police after they received e-mails supposedly from banks or other financial institutions.

The e-mails asked for details such as credit card numbers and said these number were urgently needed for security reasons.

?A bank wouldn?t contact you for those details because they have them,? Insp. Sherwood said. ?Most banks never ask for confidential information over the Internet.?

Anyone receiving such an e-mail should contact their bank or the Police, he said. Fortunately, so far no one appears to have responded to the e-mails with their credit card numbers, however Insp. Sherwood said: ?We are just putting everyone on notice to use common sense.?

Police are warning the public to secure their homes after noticing a larger than average number of break-ins at private residences, particularly in the central parishes.

?These incidents are occurring both during the day and at night,? a Police spokesperson said. ?In many cases the residences were insecure and the culprits were able to gain entry through unlocked or open windows and doors.

?The public is reminded to please secure your home and valuables. Do not leave large quantities or cash or jewellery in the home. It is advised that you put your valuables in a safe or a safety deposit box.

?Also, always be on the look out for suspicious vehicles and individuals. Try and get a good description of the individual and the vehicle they were riding or driving, and don?t forget to take down the licence plate numbers, if you can, and call the Police immediately.

?In the event that your home is broken into, it is important that you report the incident to the Police at the earliest possible opportunity. However, do not touch anything as it may interfere with forensic evidence.?

More than $200 in dimes and $100 in other change was stolen from a Devonshire residence on Monday, while another thief unsuccessfully tried to break into a Tamarind Vale home on the same day.

The complainant at the Cedar Park, Devonshire home told Police that sometime between 5.45 a.m. and 11 p.m. on Monday someone broke into the house and stole the money.

The Tamarind Vale intruder tried to break into the home by removing an air conditioner, however failed in the attempt.

A 34-year-old man, who was in critical condition after a tree fell on him, has been flown off the Island for further medical treatment in the United States.

The man suffered serious back injuries after the large Poinciana tree he was sitting under in Harlem Heights, Hamilton Parish fell, pinning him to the ground on Thursday night.

The Construction Association is mulling proposals to build low cost housing at Southside which could put its members in direct competition with overseas contractors.

At a meeting last week with top civil servants from the Labour, Immigration and Environment departments, Construction Association representatives were told that Government fully supported the project by Bermuda Homes for People to build 196 homes at Southside.

The innovative but controversial project will see 100 of those homes being sold off for $199,000 each to income qualified buyers while the rest will be sold at market value.

A $2 million surplus will be ploughed back into similar projects in other parts of the Island. BHP will manage the project directly and will be giving overseas and local contractors an equal opportunity to bid on work packages, according to minutes of the meeting obtained by The Royal Gazette.

The Association is now canvassing its members for feedback, but have already insisted on full transparency of the bid procedures, equal bid conditions and that work packages should be awarded on the basis of price.

?The Association raised concerns that on another major 'not for profit' project in Bermuda, the vast majority of work went to overseas contractors regardless of pricing and that this was not acceptable,? the Association's minutes read.

It also insisted that the overseas contractors would not be given any breaks on pension payments, payroll taxes, insurance or other statutory obligations, and that they would not receive subsidised accommodation unless that is extended to local contractors as well.

And the thorny issue of work permits was also raised ? the Association wanted equal access to work permits as the overseas contractors and Permanent Secretary Robert Horton agreed to discuss the matter with Labour Minister Randolph Horton.

Yesterday Mel Wright, president of the Association, confirmed that the meeting had taken place but declined to comment saying that he was awaiting full feedback from the membership.

He agreed that the proposed method of approaching the project was unusual. ?However, we've had, over the past year or so, a number of discussions with Government and they have several mandates, one of which is to provide low cost housing as quickly and as cheaply as possible,? he said. ?By the same token they want to get local companies involved in the process and there are several ways of achieving that.?