Preventing Burglaries and Protecting Your Home
We have prepared the following information for you to help ensure the safety and security of your home while you’re away. Some of these recommendations require the help of trusted neighbors. Alert and concerned neighbors are your best protection against crime in your neighborhood.
- A vacant house – or one that appears to be vacant – is an appealing target to a burglar. This is true during the work day when everyone may be at work or school, or during a vacation, a weekend away from home, or a business trip.
- Install good locks on doors and windows.
- Make your valuables identifiable if they should be lost or stolen.
- Use electronic timers on inside lights and photoelectric switches on the outside lights.
- Don’t leave valuables where they can be easily seen from the windows.
- Don’t let your travel plans be widely known including posting such time lines on social media outlets.Criminals are constantly monitoring these sites for an easy opportunity to steal from you.
Vehicle Theft Prevention
During the time it takes you to read this, a thief could break into your vehicle, hot-wire it and drive away. If you think it won't happen to you, consider these following facts that were given by the insurance companies.
- Every 19 seconds, a car is stolen in America.
- The number of cars stolen this year would be enough to fill the parking lots of 170 major shopping centers.
- The cost of car theft and looting is estimated to be more than $7billion.
Theft is a crime of opportunity. Most thefts occur when valuables are left unattended. The thief normally seeks privacy to commit his/her act. Virtually any article left in plain view is apt to be stolen. Most property that is stolen is left unattended or unlocked.
- Lock your vehicle and take your keys, even for quick errands.
- Do not leave your vehicle running and unlocked.
- Before leaving your vehicle, verify that the doors are locked.Do not just rely on your keyless remote to lock the vehicle.
- Do not leave outgoing or incoming mail in your car, especially where visible.This has your name and address on it.
Identity Theft Prevention
Identity theft is one of the fastest-growing financial crimes in America, accounting for losses in the billions of dollars every year. The Federal Trade Commission reports that 10 million
Americans discovered that their personal information had been misused by someone else in some manner last year.
In many cases involving identity theft, months pass before the victim is aware of any wrongdoing. Simply monitoring your credit card and account statements on a weekly basis can greatly decrease your identity theft risk. In fact, the majority of identity theft crimes are self-detected. And according to a recent report by the Better Business Bureau, accessing accounts online provides earlier identity theft detection compared to monitoring monthly statements and bills.
One of the most frightening and overwhelming types of fraud is identity theft. If you’ve been or think you’ve been a victim of identity theft, there is a proven process in place that can help you resolve your problem and help you protect yourself from further harm. If you think you’re a victim of identity theft, it’s important to act quickly to minimize your losses.
Step 1: immediately contact your bank and or credit card companies.
Step 2: contact your Social Security Office
Step 3: contact law enforcement for a police report