Crime Prevention
Telephone Scam
There are several citizens in the City of Eaton who have received phone calls from an individual claiming to be from a roofing company. The number showing on most caller ID's is: 937-854-0298. This is a fake number and you can't call them back. There are several cell phone and internet phone applications that allow a person's caller ID to appear as a number different than their actual number. If you receive a call from this number simply hang-up and don't speak to them. We are investigating the source of the calls but strongly believe as long as you don’t speak to them you have nothing to worry about.
A trend in similar scams involves telephone calls from criminals claiming to be from a business. Make sure to check the credibility of any business you speak to over the phone. Potential burglars will call you pretending to be a construction company or roofing company and will try to get
you to tell them when you won't be home. They'll engage you in a conversation, and attempt to schedule an appointment with you. The key in the scam isn't in setting the appointment, it's in getting the homeowner to say when they will or will not be home.
If a salesman calls and you are interested in meeting with them, it's not unusual to tell them, "I won't be home tomorrow until 4, so why don't we meet at 5." With that simple statement you've told them an opportune time to break into your home.
Never tell a phone solicitor when you will not be home. It's a good idea to have your
home phone forwarded to your cell phone when you aren't home so it never appears
your home is empty.
Our advice to you is if you receive a call from a phone solicitor is to simply hangup. You have no obligation to answer their questions or advise them any details of your home or property. By not speaking to them or answering any questions you are making yourself a "hard target" for criminals, and criminals are always looking for easy targets.
A trend in similar scams involves telephone calls from criminals claiming to be from a business. Make sure to check the credibility of any business you speak to over the phone. Potential burglars will call you pretending to be a construction company or roofing company and will try to get
you to tell them when you won't be home. They'll engage you in a conversation, and attempt to schedule an appointment with you. The key in the scam isn't in setting the appointment, it's in getting the homeowner to say when they will or will not be home.
If a salesman calls and you are interested in meeting with them, it's not unusual to tell them, "I won't be home tomorrow until 4, so why don't we meet at 5." With that simple statement you've told them an opportune time to break into your home.
Never tell a phone solicitor when you will not be home. It's a good idea to have your
home phone forwarded to your cell phone when you aren't home so it never appears
your home is empty.
Our advice to you is if you receive a call from a phone solicitor is to simply hangup. You have no obligation to answer their questions or advise them any details of your home or property. By not speaking to them or answering any questions you are making yourself a "hard target" for criminals, and criminals are always looking for easy targets.
- Fraud and Identity Theft Prevention
- Crime Prevention Tips:
- 1. Sign the back of all your credit cards. Optionally, also write "Please Verify Photo ID"
2. When you are writing checks to pay on your credit card accounts, do NOT put the complete account number on the "For" line. Instead, just put the last four numbers. The credit card company knows the rest of the numbers, and anyone who might be handling your check as it passes through all the check processing channels won't have access to it.
3. Never have your social security number pre-printed on your checks. You can add it as necessary. But if you have it pre-printed anyone can get it.
4. Do not have your first name pre-printed on your checks, instead have only your first initial printed. This makes it more difficult for thieves to forge your name and steal your personal information.
5. Make a photocopy of all the important personal information in your wallet or purse. Copy both sides of each license and credit card. This way if your wallet or purse is ever lost or stolen you will know exactly what you had and will be able to contact the issuing agencies to report the loss. Keep the photocopy in a safe place. Do not carry it with you.
6. Have the phone numbers of the banks that issued your credit cards handy. If you suspect fraud call and cancel your credit cards immediately.
7. File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where your credit cards, etc. were stolen. This proves to your credit providers you were diligent, and this is a first step toward an investigation.
8. Call the three national credit reporting agencies immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and also call the Social Security fraud line number. The alert means any company that checks your credit knows your personal information has been stolen, and they must contact you to authorize any new credit. Doing this usually will stop the thieves dead in their tracks.
EQUIFAX: (800) 525-6285
EXPERIAN: (888) 397-3742
TRANSUNION: (800) 680-7289
SOCIAL SECURITY FRAUD LINE: (800) 269-0271
2. When you are writing checks to pay on your credit card accounts, do NOT put the complete account number on the "For" line. Instead, just put the last four numbers. The credit card company knows the rest of the numbers, and anyone who might be handling your check as it passes through all the check processing channels won't have access to it.
3. Never have your social security number pre-printed on your checks. You can add it as necessary. But if you have it pre-printed anyone can get it.
4. Do not have your first name pre-printed on your checks, instead have only your first initial printed. This makes it more difficult for thieves to forge your name and steal your personal information.
5. Make a photocopy of all the important personal information in your wallet or purse. Copy both sides of each license and credit card. This way if your wallet or purse is ever lost or stolen you will know exactly what you had and will be able to contact the issuing agencies to report the loss. Keep the photocopy in a safe place. Do not carry it with you.
6. Have the phone numbers of the banks that issued your credit cards handy. If you suspect fraud call and cancel your credit cards immediately.
7. File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where your credit cards, etc. were stolen. This proves to your credit providers you were diligent, and this is a first step toward an investigation.
8. Call the three national credit reporting agencies immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and also call the Social Security fraud line number. The alert means any company that checks your credit knows your personal information has been stolen, and they must contact you to authorize any new credit. Doing this usually will stop the thieves dead in their tracks.
Possible Burglary Scam
Since the criminals are knocking on doors to ensure nobody is home before they break in
they will engage you in a conversation if you answer the door. They're doing this so they don't look suspicious and so you don't call the police. We're unsure if these two individuals are working together but please call us immediately if one of these individuals knocks on your
door:
Scam #1: Female seeking a Pastor - We believe a female is working with a group of
males and is pretending to be in need of help. The only description we have is a white female who appears to be in her mid to late 2o's. What she is doing is knocking on doors to determine if someone is home or not so they can break in, but if someone answers she's using an excuse similar to this:
"I'm new to the area and don't have any money. I'm trying to find the pastor of the ___________ (name of a local church) to see if I can get some help. Do you know how I can find the pastor?"
We believe what she is actually doing is engaging you in conversation so she doesn't look suspicious and so you won't call the police. If you answer the door and give her information
on how to find a pastor she will thank you and move on searching for a house that is empty to target. If you don't answer the door she and her partners will break into your home assuming you aren't there. Call the police division immediately if this female knocks on your door. Do not invite her inside your home but suggest to the female that you will call the police, on her behalf, in an effort to get her some help. If she is truly in need we'll be able to help her, if she's scamming you she probably won't stick around for us to arrive.
Scam #2: Male looking for a lost dog - We've had numerous calls of a man knocking on doors claiming he's looking for a lost dog. The only description we have is a white male, possible in his late 20's to early 30's. Same as the female's method of operation mentioned above, he's simply saying he's looking for his dog because he doesn't want to raise your suspicion level. He's really knocking on your door to see whether or not you're home so he can break into your house. If this happens to you call the police division immediately.
All the information we've obtained on these two individuals have come from calls from
members of the community. We thank you all for the assistance but ask that you call us immediately if this happens to you. Many of the calls we've received have been well after the individual has left the area. The sooner you can call the more likely we are to find them.
they will engage you in a conversation if you answer the door. They're doing this so they don't look suspicious and so you don't call the police. We're unsure if these two individuals are working together but please call us immediately if one of these individuals knocks on your
door:
Scam #1: Female seeking a Pastor - We believe a female is working with a group of
males and is pretending to be in need of help. The only description we have is a white female who appears to be in her mid to late 2o's. What she is doing is knocking on doors to determine if someone is home or not so they can break in, but if someone answers she's using an excuse similar to this:
"I'm new to the area and don't have any money. I'm trying to find the pastor of the ___________ (name of a local church) to see if I can get some help. Do you know how I can find the pastor?"
We believe what she is actually doing is engaging you in conversation so she doesn't look suspicious and so you won't call the police. If you answer the door and give her information
on how to find a pastor she will thank you and move on searching for a house that is empty to target. If you don't answer the door she and her partners will break into your home assuming you aren't there. Call the police division immediately if this female knocks on your door. Do not invite her inside your home but suggest to the female that you will call the police, on her behalf, in an effort to get her some help. If she is truly in need we'll be able to help her, if she's scamming you she probably won't stick around for us to arrive.
Scam #2: Male looking for a lost dog - We've had numerous calls of a man knocking on doors claiming he's looking for a lost dog. The only description we have is a white male, possible in his late 20's to early 30's. Same as the female's method of operation mentioned above, he's simply saying he's looking for his dog because he doesn't want to raise your suspicion level. He's really knocking on your door to see whether or not you're home so he can break into your house. If this happens to you call the police division immediately.
All the information we've obtained on these two individuals have come from calls from
members of the community. We thank you all for the assistance but ask that you call us immediately if this happens to you. Many of the calls we've received have been well after the individual has left the area. The sooner you can call the more likely we are to find them.
Cyber Bullying
Cyber bullying is a problem that many kids and adults deal with on a daily basis. With the prevalance of computers, smart phones, and social networking sites, the issue of cyber bullying is more widespread than ever before.
Here are a list of resources for help or more information about cyber bullying:
Wired Safety - This site provides information and resources to all types of victims of cyber bullying - www.wiredsafety.org
Internet Super Heroes - Delivers smart, safe and responsible surfing messages to children, teens, schools and parents, online and offline. - www.internetsuperheroes.org
Parents Guide to Cyber Bullying: A quick reference for parents with tips on how to keep your child safe:
http://www.stopcyberbullying.org/parents/guide.html
Educator’s Guide to Cyberbullying: Guide for educators that helps explains cyberbullying and ways to stop it. http://csriu.org/cyberbully/docs/cbcteducator.pdf
Bullying.org - This site is dedicated to increasing the awareness of bullying and preventing, resolving, and eliminating bullying in society. www.bullying.org
Here are a list of resources for help or more information about cyber bullying:
Wired Safety - This site provides information and resources to all types of victims of cyber bullying - www.wiredsafety.org
Internet Super Heroes - Delivers smart, safe and responsible surfing messages to children, teens, schools and parents, online and offline. - www.internetsuperheroes.org
Parents Guide to Cyber Bullying: A quick reference for parents with tips on how to keep your child safe:
http://www.stopcyberbullying.org/parents/guide.html
Educator’s Guide to Cyberbullying: Guide for educators that helps explains cyberbullying and ways to stop it. http://csriu.org/cyberbully/docs/cbcteducator.pdf
Bullying.org - This site is dedicated to increasing the awareness of bullying and preventing, resolving, and eliminating bullying in society. www.bullying.org
E-mail Scams
E-mail scams are becoming more prevalant. Any message stating you've won a large sum of money, that someone is in dire need of your help, or requesting your personal or banking information is a scam. Scammers mass e-mail messages to people in an attempt to obtain their account numbers and PIN numbers. They're trying to steal your money, your identity, or both. Do not fall victim to their scams. If you don't know the person who sent you the message, don't open it. Always remember that if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is. Any promises of lottery money, prizes, or foreign accounts being transferred to you are absolutely fake.
Better Business Bureau E-mail Scam
There is an e-mail scam going around claiming to be from the Better Business Bureau. The e-mail uses the correct mailing address for the Better Business Bureau but the return e-mail address is a fake and clicking the link will corrupt your computer with a virus. Click the links below to see the actual scam message and to see the press release from the Better Business Bureau about the scam.
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NACHA Scam
There is also an e-mail scam going around claiming to be from NACHA Electronic Payments Association. The e-mail is a scam to attempt to get your banking information from you. To the right is a pdf link of the actual e-mail scam being sent around that we frequently receive at the PD, and a link to the actual NACHA website that speaks about the scam.
http://www.nacha.org/c/Fraud-Phishing-Resources.cfm
http://www.nacha.org/c/Fraud-Phishing-Resources.cfm
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Actual E-mail Scam messages sent to PDNot even the police division is immune to scammers. We get several scam e-mail messages a week. Take a look at a couple examples:
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