Identity Theft Prevention

Last night we met to learn about identity theft. The meeting started off with discussions about the ongoing vehicle break-ins however. Deputy Love suggested if this has been an issue for you, you can purchase an infrared deer camera for about $120 at Sportsman's Warehouse. We're getting ours this weekend! Three members of Bike Patrol (Dep. Wikki, Dep. Love, and Dep. Goode) were present at the meeting and patrolled the neighborhood after the meeting. They will also be patrolling the neighborhood more frequently in the next few weeks. We also discussed the vandalism of the lights in the parks, in particular, the park across from the school. If you have any information about this vandalism, please email me. There is an HOA meeting tonight at 7:30 at Simonton; if you have any issues that need to be addressed with the HOA, please come and let your voice be heard. If you would like to come and ask the HOA to be more supportive of Blockwatch, I would appreciate that!

Just a quick note: to those of you who regularly attend meetings, you have no idea how happy it makes me to see your faces. I appreciate your being there! I'm still putting names and faces together, so bear with me, but know that I recognize you and appreciate you!

On to identity theft: Earlier this morning I sent you an email that had been sent to me supposedly from Bank of America, but really from criminals "phishing" for my personal information. Other email scams involve supposed lottery winnings, court settlements, widows who need you to help them get their millions out of bank holdings, etc. Any money making scheme that asks you to SEND money first is fraudulent. Or if you have to first cash a check, then keep part of the money for yourself and send the rest to the "company," this is also false. That's a fake check that won't clear. Unfortunately, you won't know for up to a week, then you're stuck paying it back to the bank.

Pay your bills with a check? If so, it's best to drive the extra miles to put that check into a big blue mailbox and NOT into our neighborhood "group" mailboxes...they get broken into often. Once someone has your check, they can take your routing and account numbers and print them on blank checks with a false name and address at the top. They have a fake id with that name and address, so it's no problem for them to cash that check. The safest way to pay your bills is through your bank's online bill pay feature. This is how I pay all my bills, and I love it; it saves stamps!

Never leave your debit/credit card laying on the shelf or counter at the cashier's. Someone can grab it as they walk by. Also, if paying by debit/credit at a restaurant, make sure the receipt has all but the last four digits of your credit card number x'd out (xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-1234). If those numbers aren't x'd out, carry the receipt to the cashier or wait staff. Don't give anyone the opportunity to grab it from your table. Another way to enhance security of your debit card is to request one from your bank that DOES NOT have the Visa or Mastercard logo on it. Those WITH the symbol can be ran as a credit card (no pin entry required). Those WITHOUT the symbol require your pin number to be entered every time.

Credit card offers in the mail: Don't just throw them away or tear them up! They can easily be taken from your garbage and pieced back together. Even a regular shredder isn't always a guarantee...use a confetti shredder or burn them. If you don't want to receive them anymore, you can opt out here: https://www.optoutprescreen.com/

Be aware of people who try to come into your house to demonstrate a product...they may just be scoping out your belongings. Also, the kids who come to the door asking you to subscribe to magazines so they can go to camp or college or Disneyland...often a scheme to get your checking information.

For peace of mind and protection of your identity and credit score, you can subscribe to Life Lock. http://www.lifelock.com/ For $10/month per person, they will : (taken from their website)

Guarantee Your Good Name
Identity theft can happen anywhere to anyone. In line at the store, online at home or when you're buying your morning coffee. If your identity is stolen, you can spend hundreds of hours cleaning up your credit and struggling to get back your good name. That's because stolen identities are used up to 30 times, with most victims only discovering the theft after they've been turned down for a loan or contacted by a collection agency. You may already be a victim, many times over, and not even know it. But not with LifeLock.LifeLock, the industry leader in proactive identity theft protection, offers a proven solution that prevents your identity from being stolen before it happens. We'll protect your identity and personal information for only $10 a month - and we guarantee our service up to $1,000,000. We also offer the only identity theft child protection program available in the market, so guarantee your good name today and enroll now. (end of Life Lock quote)

Okay, that's it for the March Meeting. Our next event will be May 3rd (Saturday)...a Kids' Fair with a bike rodeo, free bike helmets for kids, car seat checks, Eddie the Eagle, and more! We MAY have an informal meeting in April for Deputy Wikki to demonstrate the deer camera for those of you who want to see how it works and how clear the pictures are, etc. I will let you know more about that soon!Thanks! And keep watching out for each other!

sandi