View from the cop: Crime & punishment
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AJC.com > Metro > View from the cop > Archives > 2008 > June > 02
Monday, June 2, 2008
Don’t make your vacation a holiday for thieves
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It is summertime and several things are certain:
People will go on vacation, They will spend in gas the equivalent of what an old pickup truck cost in 1962. They will swear they will never go to Disney again in this heat, never stay on the 25th floor of an old condo tower in Panama City Beach. (The old elevators are really slow,) and they will surely max out the credit cards again.
This is prime time for stealing and with the rise of identity theft crimes, there’s no reason to think they won’t be lurking somewhere close to you.
How do thieves steal an identity?
Identity theft starts with the misuse of your personally identifying information such as your name and Social Security number, credit card numbers or other financial account information. For identity thieves, this information is as good as gold.
Skilled identity thieves may use a variety of methods to get hold of your information, including: 1. Dumpster Diving. They rummage through trash looking for bills or other paper with your personal information on it. 2. Skimming. They steal credit/debit card numbers by using a special storage device when processing your card. 3. Phishing. They pretend to be financial institutions or companies and send spam or pop-up messages to get you to reveal your personal information. 4. Changing Your Address. They divert your billing statements to another location by completing a change of address form. 5. Old-Fashioned Stealing. They steal wallets and purses; mail, including bank and credit card statements; pre-approved credit offers; and new checks or tax information. They steal personnel records, or bribe employees who have access. 6. Pretexting. They use false pretenses to obtain your personal information from financial institutions, telephone companies, and other sources.
What we see in Sandy Springs is a little of everything but a lot of number 5: Good old-fashion stealing!
Here’s the scenario: Shopper goes to the grocery store and leaves the purse open in the “steal-me” position of the shopping cart.
The perp or perps walk by and many times one will distract and the other will take the wallet. Within one hour, the card is used now days first for gas and then for life’s critical necessities such as iPods or other electronic goodies. By the time you find it and call that number to report it stolen, it has already been used in most cases.
This is probably the most direct affect a thief will have on you while you’re on vacation.
The other categories are things that you should do as a rule to put you in that smaller percentile of would-be victims.
With credit cards, when they are compromised, you have the option of informing the credit card company that you are disputing the charge. With debit and check cards they can wipe out your account. I would stay with the credit cards simply for that option in case something happens.
The Bottom Line: Just pay attention to what you’re doing. All you can do is lower the percentages in your favor. Your card number is out there and the fact is someone could use it. Your goal is to lower the opportunity.
Now, what about those of you left behind? Keep in mind that most burglars will hit during the day.
If, however, they know someone is gone, they would prefer to hit at night so for you neighbors left behind, keep a good eye and call the police if you see anything at all suspicious. For instance during the day, if a car is in the driveway that shouldn’t be there, call. At night, same scenario and listen for the dogs. You would be surprised how many arrests we make just checking out suspicious circumstances.
At Home: Don’t forget to tidy up at home before you leave. Ask your neighbors, the ones you like and trust, not the guy you found out was on the sex-offender list or the ones that wear black robes and paint their fingernails all the time—no, not those.
Have the mail picked up by a neighbor, not the post office. Why advertise? Have the paper picked up. I would get the motion sensors for the outside floods. They’re cheap and you can get them at the hardware store.
Get timers on the inside lights. None of this stuff is hard to install. Don’t use that as an excuse. Many cities have house check forms so the cops will drive by when you’re gone. Check and see. Have your neighbors (again, not the ones listed above) park a car in the driveway occasionally to give it that lived-in look.
Make sure the alarm is on and the deer cameras are set. Deer cameras? Why not? Someone breaks the motion area and you get a picture of that person or thing.
There are a lot more things you can do but do what you can and then go and enjoy the vacation—and, get some SPF-30 lobster boy!
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