From the Central County Precinct First Quarter Newsletter:
Many people hesitate about calling the police department even when faced with circumstances that, upon reflection, are highly suspicious. Some people think they are bothering us and some are not sure what they are seeing.
Use this guide and your common sense to assist in making your decision. There are highly trained and experienced communications personnel at the other end of the line to ask questions and help decide the right thing to do. For emergencies and crimes in progress, call 9-1-1, and for non-emergency situations, dial 314-889-2341.
Try to remember what the suspect looked like (height, weight, hair color, eye color, scars, tattoos, etc.), what the suspect was wearing (describe clothing from top to bottom), the suspect’s direction of travel (north, south, down the alley, or which road), and vehicle description (color, make, model, plate number and state if possible).
Plats 1-6, Est. November 1964
2.15.2010
Internet / Cell Phone Phishing
From the Central County Precinct First Quarter Newsletter:
Most well known and established websites have secure methods for their customers to purchase products using a credit card, but there are thousands of other sites that may not be as reliable.
Make sure you only provide personal information on websites that you trust completely. Similarly, never give out credit card numbers, account numbers or other important details on the phone. A person who claims they are calling from an online store or bank to ask you for information to complete a transaction or verify any activity may actually be a hacker who has obtained your private data.
Phishing is one of the most common methods of identity theft. The concept is simple: a thief will send you a message telling you to log on to a well known website or respond for an important reason. It may be to confirm or deny a transaction, to review a private message, or some other call to action. A convenient link is provided for you to click on to be taken directly to the log in page. Once you arrive, you type in your name and password like always. The problem is that the site you just logged on to is a fake. It is a page designed to look exactly like the real thing, but it is under the control of the criminals who created it. Now they have your log in information and can use it to get your credit card numbers and other private details from the genuine website. You have just been phished.
Stay alert to the new and devious tactics thieves may use to steal not only your belongings, but also your identity. Destroy personal documents before recycling, make sure you only log in to the home page of any website and don't let criminals steal your good name.
The best way to avoid becoming a phishing scam victim is to use your best judgment. No financial institution with any sense will email you and ask you to input all of your sensitive information. In fact, most institutions are informing customers, “We will never ask you for your personal information via phone or email."
Let’s all work together to prevent phishing scams. If you receive a suspicious email, report it. You can send it to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission at spam@uce.gov or you can just click the “Report as Junk” (or similar) button on your email program.
Most well known and established websites have secure methods for their customers to purchase products using a credit card, but there are thousands of other sites that may not be as reliable.
Make sure you only provide personal information on websites that you trust completely. Similarly, never give out credit card numbers, account numbers or other important details on the phone. A person who claims they are calling from an online store or bank to ask you for information to complete a transaction or verify any activity may actually be a hacker who has obtained your private data.
Phishing is one of the most common methods of identity theft. The concept is simple: a thief will send you a message telling you to log on to a well known website or respond for an important reason. It may be to confirm or deny a transaction, to review a private message, or some other call to action. A convenient link is provided for you to click on to be taken directly to the log in page. Once you arrive, you type in your name and password like always. The problem is that the site you just logged on to is a fake. It is a page designed to look exactly like the real thing, but it is under the control of the criminals who created it. Now they have your log in information and can use it to get your credit card numbers and other private details from the genuine website. You have just been phished.
Stay alert to the new and devious tactics thieves may use to steal not only your belongings, but also your identity. Destroy personal documents before recycling, make sure you only log in to the home page of any website and don't let criminals steal your good name.
The best way to avoid becoming a phishing scam victim is to use your best judgment. No financial institution with any sense will email you and ask you to input all of your sensitive information. In fact, most institutions are informing customers, “We will never ask you for your personal information via phone or email."
Let’s all work together to prevent phishing scams. If you receive a suspicious email, report it. You can send it to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission at spam@uce.gov or you can just click the “Report as Junk” (or similar) button on your email program.
Town Hall Meetings
From the Central County Precinct First Quarter Newsletter:
Last year we started Town Hall meetings for our citizens. We originally planned on only doing two town hall meetings. One was to be held in the spring and one in the fall. Based on the overwhelming positive feed back, we added a holiday Town Hall meeting. As a result of last year’s success with this program we are very pleased to announce that we will continue the Town Hall meetings on a yearly basis.
We have chosen the dates for the spring and fall meetings in 2010. Be sure to mark your calendar now so you do not miss out. The spring meeting will be held May 19. The fall session will be held October 20.
The meetings will be held at the Parkway Instructional Service Center located at 12657 Fee Fee Road. The events for the evening will begin at 7 p.m. and conclude at 9 p.m.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?: This meeting is for any and all concerned citizens of the Central County Precinct, subdivision trustees, neighborhood watch groups and the citizen academy alumni.
WHAT WILL BE DISCUSSED?: The topics of discussion will be a variety of police-related topics that citizens will find educational, beneficial and informative. Various law enforcement and safety topics of interest will be addressed that are designed to build a productive relationship between citizens and the County Police.
GOAL: The goal of the town hall meeting is to allow our residents to have an opportunity to interact and exchange ideas with the police department. Additionally, it allows officers a chance to improve communication with citizens to provide a safer environment for all.
Last year we started Town Hall meetings for our citizens. We originally planned on only doing two town hall meetings. One was to be held in the spring and one in the fall. Based on the overwhelming positive feed back, we added a holiday Town Hall meeting. As a result of last year’s success with this program we are very pleased to announce that we will continue the Town Hall meetings on a yearly basis.
We have chosen the dates for the spring and fall meetings in 2010. Be sure to mark your calendar now so you do not miss out. The spring meeting will be held May 19. The fall session will be held October 20.
The meetings will be held at the Parkway Instructional Service Center located at 12657 Fee Fee Road. The events for the evening will begin at 7 p.m. and conclude at 9 p.m.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?: This meeting is for any and all concerned citizens of the Central County Precinct, subdivision trustees, neighborhood watch groups and the citizen academy alumni.
WHAT WILL BE DISCUSSED?: The topics of discussion will be a variety of police-related topics that citizens will find educational, beneficial and informative. Various law enforcement and safety topics of interest will be addressed that are designed to build a productive relationship between citizens and the County Police.
GOAL: The goal of the town hall meeting is to allow our residents to have an opportunity to interact and exchange ideas with the police department. Additionally, it allows officers a chance to improve communication with citizens to provide a safer environment for all.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)