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Dan Herman spoke to Vinton residents at a recent Neighborhood Watch meeting at Delta Crossing. He explained the purpose of Neighborhood Watch and then offered tips to prevent identity theft.
Neighborhood watch is:
• Working with the Sheriff's and police agencies. It is designed for watch group credibility and is the source of necessary information and training.
• Linking up with your victim services - get members trained in helping victims of crime
• Holding regular meetings to help residents get to know each other and decide upon programs strategies and activities.
• Consider linking up with community center, housing authority and organizations
• Ask people who seldom leave their homes to be "window watchers" looking out for children and reporting any unusual activities in the neighborhood.
• Gather facts about crime in your neighborhood. conduct victimization surveys; learn resident's perceptions about crime. accurate information can reduce the fear of crime.
• Watch groups are not vigilantes and should not assume the role of law enforcement. Your duties are to ask neighbors to be alert, observant and caring and to report suspicious activity or crime immediately to the police.
Fraud tips:
• Arrange to have a trusted neighbor remove mail and newspapers from your mailbox while you are away on vacation.
• Make sure you understand how an online auction works before you bid on merchandise
• Investigate the seller as much as possible. be wary if the seller has only a post office box address or an e-mail address
• Bid at auction houses only if there's insurance to protect the buyer or an escrow account where your money will be held until you receive your merchandise.
• Always use a credit card for your auction purchase so that you can dispute the charge if necessary; never use a wire transfer, money order, or personal check.
• To protect yourself against exorbitant charges, make sure you know the shipping and handling charges up front.
• To foil identity thieves never give out your social security number or other personal information
• shred all bills, bank statements and pre-approved credit card offers before you put them in the trash.
• Don't have new checks mailed to you at home, pick them up at the bank.
• When someone asks you for a contribution to a charity, call the charity and make sure it is soliciting in your neighborhood.
• Make your check out to the name of the charitable organization, never to the person who is doing the soliciting and mail it directly to the charity.
Dan Herman spoke to Vinton residents at a recent Neighborhood Watch meeting at Delta Crossing. He explained the purpose of Neighborhood Watch and then offered tips to prevent identity theft.
Neighborhood watch is:
• Working with the Sheriff's and police agencies. It is designed for watch group credibility and is the source of necessary information and training.
• Linking up with your victim services - get members trained in helping victims of crime
• Holding regular meetings to help residents get to know each other and decide upon programs strategies and activities.
• Consider linking up with community center, housing authority and organizations
• Ask people who seldom leave their homes to be "window watchers" looking out for children and reporting any unusual activities in the neighborhood.
• Gather facts about crime in your neighborhood. conduct victimization surveys; learn resident's perceptions about crime. accurate information can reduce the fear of crime.
• Watch groups are not vigilantes and should not assume the role of law enforcement. Your duties are to ask neighbors to be alert, observant and caring and to report suspicious activity or crime immediately to the police.
Fraud tips:
• Arrange to have a trusted neighbor remove mail and newspapers from your mailbox while you are away on vacation.
• Make sure you understand how an online auction works before you bid on merchandise
• Investigate the seller as much as possible. be wary if the seller has only a post office box address or an e-mail address
• Bid at auction houses only if there's insurance to protect the buyer or an escrow account where your money will be held until you receive your merchandise.
• Always use a credit card for your auction purchase so that you can dispute the charge if necessary; never use a wire transfer, money order, or personal check.
• To protect yourself against exorbitant charges, make sure you know the shipping and handling charges up front.
• To foil identity thieves never give out your social security number or other personal information
• shred all bills, bank statements and pre-approved credit card offers before you put them in the trash.
• Don't have new checks mailed to you at home, pick them up at the bank.
• When someone asks you for a contribution to a charity, call the charity and make sure it is soliciting in your neighborhood.
• Make your check out to the name of the charitable organization, never to the person who is doing the soliciting and mail it directly to the charity.
