Scam Alert Nov-2017
From: Jennifer Burbridge, Crime Prevention Coordinator, SPD SW Precinct
To: Community members, Block Watch Captains and SW Precinct community groups,
Around this time of year, around the Holiday season, we often see an increase in scam and fraud incidents. Crooks use clever schemes to defraud millions of people each year- for money and/or personal information. These crooks often combine new technology with old tricks to get what they are looking for. Subsets of the population are more vulnerable to these types of scams- but everyone can help protect themselves by keeping the following ten practical suggestions in mind, provided by the Federal Trade Commission:
For more information, or to access tips and suggestions in other languages, please visit the Federal Trade Commission’s consumer website-https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/topics/money-credit
As always, please feel free to share this information with your neighbors, friends and community groups.
Let us know if you have any questions. Jennifer.Burbridge@seattle.gov
Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving week!
From: Jennifer Burbridge, Crime Prevention Coordinator, SPD SW Precinct
To: Community members, Block Watch Captains and SW Precinct community groups,
Around this time of year, around the Holiday season, we often see an increase in scam and fraud incidents. Crooks use clever schemes to defraud millions of people each year- for money and/or personal information. These crooks often combine new technology with old tricks to get what they are looking for. Subsets of the population are more vulnerable to these types of scams- but everyone can help protect themselves by keeping the following ten practical suggestions in mind, provided by the Federal Trade Commission:
- Spot imposters- scammers will often try to disguise themselves as someone you trust (such as a government official, family member or charitable organization). Never send money or give our personal information in response to an unexpected request.
- Do online searches- try typing in the company or product name into a search engine with key words like ‘review’, ‘complaint’ or ‘scam’. You can also look up phone numbers to check on their validity.
- Do not believe caller ID- technology makes it simple for scammers to fake a caller ID. If you receive a call asking for personal information or money, hang up. If you feel the caller is legitimate- try calling back a number, you know is genuine for that person or company.
- Do not pay upfront for a promise- scammers may try to ask you to pay up front for debt relief, loan offers, mortgage assistance or a job (such as handy work or lawn maintenance).
- Consider how you pay- most credit cards have significant fraud protection built in, while other payment methods (such as wiring money through services like Western Union or MoneyGram) do not have these protections. Government offices and honest companies will not require you to use a risky payment method, keep this in mind when paying.
- Talk to someone- scammers will often want you to make decisions in a hurry and may even threaten you. Before you give money or personal information, slow down, check out the story, do an online search and maybe even talk to an expert or friend about the request.
- Hang up on robocalls- if you answer the phone and hear a recorded sales pitch, hang up and report this to the Federal Trade Commission and/or to local police. These calls are illegal and are often fake. Do not follow prompts, just hang up.
- Be skeptical about free trials online- some companies will use free trials to sign you up for products and bill you each month until you cancel. Before you agree to a free trial, review the company’s cancelation policy and always check your monthly statements to review charges.
- Don’t deposit a check and wire money back- banks must make funds from deposited checks available within days, but discovering a fraudulent check can take weeks. If a check you deposit turns out to be fake, you are responsible for repaying the bank.
- Sign up for free scam alerts from the Federal Trade Commission at ftc.gov/scams- get the latest tips and advice about scams directly to your email.
For more information, or to access tips and suggestions in other languages, please visit the Federal Trade Commission’s consumer website-https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/topics/money-credit
As always, please feel free to share this information with your neighbors, friends and community groups.
Let us know if you have any questions. Jennifer.Burbridge@seattle.gov
Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving week!
Block Watch Web Resources
SW Police Precinct
West Seattle Block Watch Captains' Network
- Last meeting of 2017 is October 24th
Seattle Police - Block Watch
Burien Block Watch
How to Make a Strong Block Watch
- By Spokane C.O.P.S. • 23 Sep, 2017
Block Watch Society of British Columbia
Vancouver, BC Police - Block Watch
- The Block Watch program was initiated in Seattle in 1974, with participating homes seeing a decrease in residential break-ins of between 48-62%.
SPD Block Watch Instructions
BLOCK WATCH SIGNS
Block Watch resources cross posted frOm nextdoor.org
BLOCK WATCH RESOURCES CROSS POSTED FROM NEXTDOOR.COM
Al Boss, Greenbridge
Setting up a Blockwatch
Posted in Crime & Safety January 9, 2018
(This is a re-post from deep down in another thread. It’s worthy of its own topic, so people can find it more easily.)
For anyone interested in setting up a Blockwatch, it’s done via your police. Within the Seattle city limits, it’d be the prevention officer for Southwest precinct. https://www.seattle.gov/police/community-policing/block-watch
If anyone outside Seattle is interested in setting up a blockwatch, go to http://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/sheriff.aspx, scroll to the very bottom and click the “Contact us” link. That’ll route the question to the right place.
Jennifer Burbidge, the SW Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator, is going to be present at the meeting on January 16th (https://nextdoor.com/events/1806942/).
Once you have some interested neighbors the next step is to schedule a meeting with Jennifer (Seattle) or a Deputy (County), where they will talk about crime stats, provide literature, etc. This will be a great way to meet your neighbors and learn more about how we can look out for each other and create a safer more connected neighborhood.
West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network is a resource well worth knowing about. They have an open group on Facebook at https://m.facebook.com/groups/337488370959 and they publish information at https://wsblockwatchnet.wordpress.com/.
Here on Nextdoor, your neighborhood lead might want to create a sub-group for your blockwatch. That lets you leverage this platform but keep the messages out of the broadcast of the general thread and restrict them to only the ones who are on the list. Not everybody is on Nextdoor, or Facebook, or most of these type of tools, but they’re a good start for neighborhoods that do have a lot of folks online.
Also, check with Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) or King County Roads (if you’re not in the Seattle city limits) about getting Blockwatch signs installed on the street signs.
Al Boss, Greenbridge
Setting up a Blockwatch
Posted in Crime & Safety January 9, 2018
(This is a re-post from deep down in another thread. It’s worthy of its own topic, so people can find it more easily.)
For anyone interested in setting up a Blockwatch, it’s done via your police. Within the Seattle city limits, it’d be the prevention officer for Southwest precinct. https://www.seattle.gov/police/community-policing/block-watch
If anyone outside Seattle is interested in setting up a blockwatch, go to http://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/sheriff.aspx, scroll to the very bottom and click the “Contact us” link. That’ll route the question to the right place.
Jennifer Burbidge, the SW Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator, is going to be present at the meeting on January 16th (https://nextdoor.com/events/1806942/).
Once you have some interested neighbors the next step is to schedule a meeting with Jennifer (Seattle) or a Deputy (County), where they will talk about crime stats, provide literature, etc. This will be a great way to meet your neighbors and learn more about how we can look out for each other and create a safer more connected neighborhood.
West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network is a resource well worth knowing about. They have an open group on Facebook at https://m.facebook.com/groups/337488370959 and they publish information at https://wsblockwatchnet.wordpress.com/.
Here on Nextdoor, your neighborhood lead might want to create a sub-group for your blockwatch. That lets you leverage this platform but keep the messages out of the broadcast of the general thread and restrict them to only the ones who are on the list. Not everybody is on Nextdoor, or Facebook, or most of these type of tools, but they’re a good start for neighborhoods that do have a lot of folks online.
Also, check with Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) or King County Roads (if you’re not in the Seattle city limits) about getting Blockwatch signs installed on the street signs.