ST. CLAIR SHORES POLICE DEPARTMENT

Shores Network for Action and Prevention (SNAP) - Video Contest
St. Clair Shores Students in Grades 6th - 12th Grade - Create a Public Service Announcement (PSA) on. . . “Teen Prescription Drug Abuse in our Community”.  This contest is sponsored by Shores Network for Action and Prevention (SNAP) Coalition.   The Mission of SNAP is to support St. Clair Shores youth by building a safe and healthy community.  Entry Deadline: 12 Noon, March 13, 2012.

SNAP Video Contest Rules
SNAP Video Contest Registration Form
SNAP Video Contest Poster

Dr. Drew's Videos - Smart Moves Smart Choices

Residential Security Tips
Business Watch Flyer

St. Clair Shores residence and boaters:

I wanted to let you know we are in full swing with our Neighborhood Watch program and we are having great success with it.  If you look under informational updates, you can see several success stories just in the last few months.  There is still time to join and get your neighbors involved, it’s very simple.  I just need someone to volunteer to be a block captain for your block, have a meeting with potential members and start watching out for your neighbors.  You will then receive a sign for your block and window stickers for your members, showing the criminals they are under the watchful eye of concerned residents.   

We have also started two other watch programs in the city and are currently working on a third.  We are in the process of having signs and stickers made up for our new St. Clair Shores Crime Watch program and Marina Watch.  The Crime Watch program is available to anyone conducting business in our city which includes but not limited to; Waste Management, Postal Carriers, Landscapers, Snow removal services…etc.  They have agreed to participate by putting  Crime Watch logos on their vehicles working in our city and their employees have agreed to report anything they observe to be suspicious, hazardous or in need of emergency attention.  The stickers will serve as a deterrent to the criminals, letting them know people are out there watching them and are willing to call if they see them doing anything suspicious in our city.  The stickers will also let you, our residents, know that they are involved in our city and are willing to step in and help us keep our community a safer, cleaner community.  

 The Marina Watch is also getting up and running.  I have consulted with the marinas in our city and they are very excited about the new program.  We have made up a new Marina Watch logo and will be giving them to every registered boater with our marinas.   There will also be signs put up in front of every marina letting the criminals know that even the boaters will be watching out for each other.  We are asking the boaters to report anything suspicious or hazardous they see while they are down enjoying their boat.  We get a lot of larcenies from boats and vehicles from the marinas as well, and who better to watch and report than the boaters themselves.  The boaters know better than anyone else in the marina who belongs there and who doesn’t.  If a boat shows up next to them in a well they know right away, it may take the marina personnel a few days to notice.  If they report it to the marina office it would really keep some of the rift raft out of the marinas. Making them a safer and cleaner place to enjoy.

Join a Watch Today!

 

Holiday Shopping Tips

In advance of the holiday season, the FBI reminds shoppers to beware of cyber criminals and their aggressive and creative ways to steal money and personal information. Scammers use many techniques to fool potential victims including fraudulent auction sales, reshipping merchandise purchased with a stolen credit card, sale of fraudulent or stolen gift cards through auction sites at discounted prices, and phishing e-mails advertising brand name merchandise for bargain prices or e-mails promoting the sale of merchandise that ends up being a counterfeit product.

Fraudulent Classified Ads or Auction Sales

Internet criminals post classified ads or auctions for products they do not have. If you receive an auction product from a merchant or retail store, rather than directly from the auction seller, the item may have been purchased with someone else's stolen credit card number. Contact the merchant to verify the account used to pay for the item actually belongs to you.

Shoppers should be cautious and not provide credit card numbers, bank account numbers, or other financial information directly to the seller. Fraudulent sellers will use this information to purchase items for their scheme from the provided financial account. Always use a legitimate payment service to protect purchases.

Diligently check each seller's rating and feedback along with their number of sales and the dates on which feedback was posted. Be wary of a seller with 100% positive feedback, if they have a low total number of feedback postings and all feedback was posted around the same date and time.

Gift Card Scam

The safest way to purchase gift cards is directly from the merchant or authorized retail merchant. If the merchant discovers the card you received from another source or auction was initially obtained fraudulently, the merchant will deactivate the gift card number, and it will not be honored to make purchases.

Phishing and Social Networking

Be leery of e-mails or text messages you receive indicating a problem or question regarding your financial accounts. In this scam, you are directed to follow a link or call the number provided in the message to update your account or correct the problem. The link actually directs the individual to a fraudulent Web site or message that appears legitimate; however, any personal information you provide, such as account number and personal identification number (PIN), will be stolen.

Another scam involves victims receiving an e-mail message directing the recipient to a spoofed Web site. A spoofed Web site is a fake site or copy of a real Web site that is designed to mislead the recipient into providing personal information.

Consumers are encouraged to beware of bargain e-mails advertising one day only promotions for recognized brands or Web sites. Fraudsters often use the hot items of the season to lure bargain hunters into providing credit card information. The old adage "if it seems too good to be true" is a good barometer to use to legitimize e-mails.

Black Friday has traditionally been the "biggest shopping day of the year." The Monday following Thanksgiving has more recently (2005) been labeled Cyber Monday, meaning the e-commerce industry endorses this special day to offer sales and promotions without interfering with the traditional way to shop. Scammers try to prey on Black Friday or Cyber Monday bargain hunters by advertising "one day only" promotions from recognized brands. Consumers should be on the watch for too good to be true e-mails from unrecognized Web sites.

Along with on-line shopping comes the growth of consumers utilizing social networking sites and mobile phones to satisfy their shopping needs more easily. Again, consumers are encouraged to beware of e-mails, text messages, or postings that may lead to fraudulent sites offering bargains on brand name products.

Tips

Here are some tips you can use to avoid becoming a victim of cyber fraud:

• Do not respond to unsolicited (spam) e-mail.
• Do not click on links contained within an unsolicited e-mail.
• Be cautious of e-mail claiming to contain pictures in attached files, as the files may contain viruses. Only open attachments from known senders. Always run a virus scan on attachment before opening.
• Avoid filling out forms contained in e-mail messages that ask for personal information.
• Always compare the link in the e-mail to the web address link you are directed to and determine if they match.
• Log on directly to the official Web site for the business identified in the e-mail, instead of "linking" to it from an unsolicited e-mail. If the e-mail appears to be from your bank, credit card issuer, or other company you deal with frequently, your statements or official correspondence from the business will provide the proper contact information.
• Contact the actual business that supposedly sent the e-mail to verify that the e-mail is genuine.
• If you are requested to act quickly or there is an emergency, it may be a scam. Fraudsters create a sense of urgency to get you to act impulsively.
• If you receive a request for personal information from a business or financial institution, always look up the main contact information for the requesting company on an independent source (phone book, trusted internet directory, legitimate billing statement, etc.) and use that contact information to verify the legitimacy of the request.

Remember if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

FRAUD/SCAMS 
 

1. A GAS or ELECTRIC company employee shows up at your door….They may threaten to shut your gas or electric off unless you pay them or they may state you have a credit but they will only take a credit card to give you credit or to take a payment, they carry a portable handheld unit that they can swipe your card on then they get your card # and pin.

2. If you let someone in your home don’t take your eyes off them, make sure you follow them to the restroom.  Lock the front door after they come in, chances are there is someone else with them that may try to enter while you are distracted.

3. Don’t except jobs from people going door to door that state you need work done.  Take a flyer if they have one, check to make sure they are a legitimate company and get other estimates.

4. If the person at your door has an emergency and wants to use your phone, DON’T LET THEM IN, offer to make a call for them or just call 911

5. There is no description I can give you of a typical criminal, today they show up, young and old, male and female

6. The bottom line is Don’t let anyone in your home.  Keep them outside while you check on things or make any calls the company to make sure the service call is legitimate.

7. Fraudulent mail: I am also getting reports that people are getting responses to items for sale or rent on EBay and Craig’s list.  You receive an email that they will take the item or rent the home and pay more that what the asking price is.  They will send you a check for one years rent etc…and ask you to send them the difference back.  You then take their check to the bank and deposit it.  You send them a check for the difference.  The problem is their check is bad and you just sent them good money, now you’re out what you sent them.  Don’t fall for this, if it sounds too good to be true it is!

8. Fraudulent Phone Calls:  they tell you that you need to get a relative out of jail by giving them your credit card # or by wiring it to them.

9. They tell you that you have won some $ or a trip but you have to send $ to get it (to cover taxes etc..)  SCAM you didn’t win anything so don’t give out any information, including foreign lottery, sweepstakes, scholarships, charities, pyramids and multilevel marketing, where you are promised big profits in exchange for recruiting others

10. Never Ever give the caller any bank account information even if they say they are from your bank, if they are really from your bank then they have all your information.

      Don’t verify account #’s or pin #’s.

Sign up for the DO NOT CALL LIST AT 1-888-382-1222 or go on their web site at WWW.donotcall.gov

I also recommend keeping an eye on your credit.  You can get a free credit report once a year. Go on line to www.ftc.gov/vredit or call 1-877-382-4357 or www.annualcreditreport.com

or you can call 1-877-322-8228. 

You can also obtain a copy through these three companies, EQUIFAX, EXPERIAN, or TRANS UNION

 

        
SCSPDCRIMEWATCH.NET

For Information please email:
crimewatch@scspdcrimewatch.net

Officer Cherie Mascarello
Community Resource Officer 

Officer Mascarello has been appointed to the position of Community Resource Officer of the St Clair Shores Police Department. Cherie is a 13 year veteran of the Department and has experience as a Certified DARE Officer. CRO Mascarello will serve as the liaison between the Police Department and the community in coordinating a Neighborhood and Business Crime Watch program.  Officer Mascarello can be reached at 445-5305 or Mascarello@scsmi.net.

To report crime or suspicious activity call
911 or 586-777-6700 Non-Emergency

POLICE, SCHOOLS AND PARENTS UNITE AGAINST SUBSTANCE ABUSE
 

Unfortunately, “friends” often try to make kids who say “no” to drugs, alcohol and

tobacco feel like outcasts. Peer pressure to try drugs, doesn’t end when kids say

“no”. In fact, pressure can increase when “friends” try harder to make kids feel like

dorks, wimps, or outcasts when they don’t go along with the crowd. It doesn’t have

to be that way. Home testing kits have emerged that protect privacy and provide

kids with a socially acceptable excuse, “my parents test me.”
 

For years, police have been the first to know when local kids used drugs while their

parents were often the last to know. We found a way to work together and turn that

around. We have recently announced a new alliance with TestMyTeen.com, an

organization that has donated over $5,000 worth of free home drug test kit vouchers

to be shared anonymously with parents who need them. Electronic vouchers

require no interaction with police. They protect the anonymity of parents who

redeem them online. Ordering is done online and shipping is done using nondescript

packaging to protect privacy.
 

Employers use testing to rid the workplace of substance abuse. Schools, police,

community leaders and parents can now work together to ensure safer schools and

homes. Kids can use it to prove their trustworthiness to their parents and dissolve

unwanted pressure from peers.
 

Private and confidential vouchers for free test kits (limit 1 per family, only shipping

fees apply) are available by visiting any one of the three high schools or middle

schools in St. Clair Shores.
 

Answers to frequently asked questions about home-based substance abuse testing

are available at www.TestMyTeen.com.

Additional Safety Tips

• Make sure you have sturdy metal or solid wood doors at all entries into your home and that sliding glass and similar doors are properly secured.
• Trim the shrubbery around your doors and windows so crooks don’t have a place to hide.
• Do not give out personal information over the phone, through the mail, or over the Internet unless you have initiated the contact or know with whom you are dealing.
• If you’re a senior, use direct deposit for your Social Security check and other regular payments.
• If you notice someone following you when you’re driving, head for the nearest busy, brightly lighted area. Write down the license number and make and model of the car. Call 911 or your local emergency number.
• Always lock car doors and take the keys when you leave your car, even if you’ll be gone “just for a minute.”
• Don’t leave valuables in view in the car. Leave them in the trunk or, better yet, take them home immediately.
• As you walk down the street or through the parking garage, walk alertly and assertively. Don’t weigh yourself down with too many parcels. Take several loads to the car if necessary.
• If you carry a purse, hold it close to your body; if a wallet, keep it in a front pocket.
• Don’t display your cash or any other inviting targets such as pagers, cell phones, hand-held electronic games, or expensive jewelry and clothing.
• When traveling, carry only the credit and ATM cards you absolutely need. Leave the others at home, safely stored.
• Make sure your home is secure when you are traveling—all deadbolts locked, lights left on timers, newspapers stopped, and mail held at the post office or collected by a trusted neighbor who has your travel schedule.

Numbers to Call to Identify Utility Company Workers:

Detroit Edison: 1-800-477-4747
Consumers Power: 1-800-477-5050
Ameritech or Phone Company: Call local operator (dial 0) and they can assist you.