|
|
|
5-22-2000 Solicitors are calling Livingston County residents representing that they are soliciting money for the Sheriff Department. If you receive such a call please obtain as much information as possible and contact the Sheriff Department.....
A common method of gaining entry to the inside of one's home uses the technique professional magicians use to fool their spectators. Namely, MIS-DIRECTION. When a magician wants to do something he doesn't want you to see he will get you to look elsewhere. This is what people using Ruse Home Invasion do also. Ruse Home Invasion usually begins with a person knocking on the front door claiming to offer the homeowner a really good deal on something. It could be frozen foods that they "didn't sell on their normal delivery route", tree trimming, blacktop resurfacing, etc. Their first goal is to get you interested in whatever it is they have to offer. When they get you interested, one person will occupy (mis-direct) you while their partner's) go through your home looking for and taking any valuables they can. Sometimes they actually deliver the service they speak of, which simply gives them more time to look for valuables, but in the end, they leave, with your property. Usually they offer no business name or, if they do, a Bogus one. This makes it all but impossible to track them down. Sometimes an actual business engages in this scam but if they are not caught in the act it is very difficult to pin them down. There is one simple but effective way you can keep from becoming a victim of Ruse Home Invasion.... DO NOT accept or discuss work or purchase items with someone who comes to your door without being called. IF YOU DIDN'T CALL THEM, SEND THEM AWAY...
Slamming is the illegal practice of changing your telphone provider without consent. This scam is on the rise. Read the following tips provided by Ameritech to help keep yourself from becoming a victim of slamming. Don't sign "cash bonus checks" or respond to contest offers without reading the fine print. You may be changing your telephone company and not even know it. If you have not switched services but receive a letter or postcard verifying a switch, notify the sender that you did not authorize the change. Read you phone bill every month. If you see any unfamiliar names or charges that you can not identify, call the company issuing the charges or your local phone company. If you do not know who carries your long distance or local toll calls, here is a fast way to find out: To check your long distance provider, dial 1 (700) 555-4141. To check your local toll provider, dial 1 (your local area code) 700-4141. Recorded messages will tell you who caries calls from the number you are calling from IF YOU ARE SLAMMED Call you long distance or local toll call provider at the number you have on you bill to be switched back. Call the company that slammed you and ask for proof that you authorized a switch. Ask your carrier if they offer protection against being slammed in the future.
Cellular telephone crimes are on the rise all over the country. With smaller and cheaper phones available just about everyone has at least one. Theft of Cellular Phones This is the actual theft of the phone. Generally this occurs when a person leaves the phone unattended or in plain view inside their car. When the phone is stolen it usually is sold and eventually re-programmed so it can be activated with a new account. Theft of Cellular phone service With this type of crime you won't even know it happened until you receive your phone bill. The Electronic Serial Number (ESN) and Account Identification Number can be taken from you anytime you phone is powered on. The stolen information is then re-programmed into a stolen cellular phone and is sold. All the phone calls made on that phone are billed to the account of the person whose numbers were stolen. This is called a cloned phone. This is why it is important to check you phone bill every month. What can you do to prevent yourself from becoming a cellular phone fraud victim? Keep your cellular phone out of sight. If you keep your phone in your car keep the phone in your glove box or trunk where it can be locked, even in your own driveway. If you find calls billed to your account that you did not make contact and work with your cellular carrier, not only to correct the bill but to put the criminal behind bars!
A person claims to find a large sum and wants to share it, but needs to check with an attorney in case the owner comes back. The crook asks the victim to hold the money and hand over some personal cash for security. The crook leaves the victim holding a sack usually filled with newspaper.
Someone offers to sell an expensive TV still sealed in the box. The package actually contains rocks or other heavy objects.
A person disguised as an investigator stands outside a bank and says a teller is stealing cash and passing out counterfeit money. The crook takes the "counterfeit" money from a victim and runs away.
|
