CrimeZilla

This Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, is the traditional start of the holiday shopping season. Christmas is not only a breathtaking time of the year with fun family gatherings and gift giving, but it is also the optimal period for crooks. Here are some ideas suggested by some crime prevention specialists to help boost your holiday shopping safety and security, and help conquer these holiday evildoers: 1 — Carry only the credit cards, cash and checks you will need for your shopping. In... Read Full Story

A lost or stolen wallet or purse is a gold mine of information to identity thieves. If your wallet or purse is missing or stolen ……… File a report with the police immediately and keep a copy. Cancel your credit, debit and ATM cards immediately. Get “new” cards with “new” account numbers. Call the fraud departments of the major credit reporting agencies. Ask each agency to put out a fraud alert on your accounts. Report the loss to the fraud department at your bank. Review... Read Full Story

STAYING SAFE — “America’s Crime Prevention Column” with Bruce Mandelblit For millions are children across the United States, Halloween is a fun and exciting time.  In fact, according to the US Census, there will be about 36 millions kids, from 5 to 13 years old, out trick-or-treating as they visit about 112 million occupied housing units. For the great majority of children out on Halloween trick-or-treating, it will be an enjoyable and safe event.  However, unfortunately, for a few... Read Full Story

STAYING SAFE — “America’s Crime Prevention Column” with Bruce Mandelblit Recent media stories have once again put a powerful spotlight on the realistic possibly that Al-Qaeda linked groups may be planning a “soft target” terror attack in Europe, and even on United States territory.  These potential terror attacks may be similar to Mumbai shooting spree attacks from November, 2008.  In fact, the US State Department recently issued a European travel alert for Americans thinking of... Read Full Story

Information from fbi.gov — During 2009, violent crime declined for the third year in a row, with an estimated 5.3 percent drop from 2008 figures. Property crime continued to fall as well—for a seventh straight year—with an estimated decrease of 4.6 percent. That’s according to our just-released report, Crime in the United States, 2009 . These latest statistics come 80 years to the month after we took over the responsibility of compiling and publishing the nation’s crime data from the... Read Full Story

STAYING SAFE — “America’s Crime Prevention Column” with Bruce Mandelblit It’s back to school time.  Regardless of the college or university, all students must have a basic understanding of what to do – and not do – to help mitigate their crime risk, as well as enhance their personal safety. A federal government agency, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), offers some helpful tips and ideas for new and transferring college students and their families... Read Full Story

STAYING SAFE — “America’s Crime Prevention Column” with Bruce Mandelblit The record flooding in Pakistan has affected millions of anxious people including countless children.  There are media reports that the worst flooding in 80-years has displaced about 20 million Pakistanis.  In addition, millions of Pakistanis are absolutely frantic for even the basic necessities such as food, water and shelter.  The flooding in Pakistan is one of the worst natural disasters of recent years. Given... Read Full Story

Information from fbi.gov …  1 — Don’t give out your credit card number(s) online unless the site is a secure and reputable site. Sometimes a tiny icon of a padlock appears to symbolize a higher level of security to transmit data. This icon is not a guarantee of a secure site, but might provide you some assurance. 2 — Don’t trust a site just because it claims to be secure. 3 — Before using the site, check out the security/encryption software it uses. 4 — Make sure you are purchasing... Read Full Story

Information from myfloridalegal.com – Many consumers buy what they think is valuable art only to find out that they have purchased a counterfeit print or art work worth very little. Before purchasing expensive art, you should consider the following: How the scam works … Consumers may receive a post card in the mail telling them they won a “free” original and valuable piece of art. Next, after returning the post card, the consumer will get a call from a salesperson trying to sell them a... Read Full Story

There are, unfortunately, thousands of lost and stolen purses and wallets each and every year. Many people do not realize that losing the cash in their wallet or purse may actually be the least of their problems.  Do you know that a lost or stolen wallet or purse is a potential gold mine of information to identity thieves? If your wallet or purse is missing or stolen, the following measures should be taken as soon as possible: File a report with the police immediately and keep a... Read Full Story