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Crime Prevention Notes: It Can Happen to Me |
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April 10, 2018 |
by Michael Meier
Boundary County Idaho
Director of Emergency Management
Public Information Officer
I have written in these columns before: “What
can I do to keep from being a crime victim?” In
today’s world it’s a question we should ALL be
asking ourselves.
I’ve been the victim of crimes. There was the
assault caused by a drunk that didn’t want to go
to jail. There was the burglary of my 4X4 that I
left parked on the street. The only thing taken
was the VIN tab off my dash. It’s surely
occupying the same position in a stolen 4X4
somewhere. Then there was the identity theft and
abuse of my debit card in a state far away.
Thank you VISA for your assistance.
Family members have been the victims of crimes.
My mother lost most of her jewelry when she
checked her baggage onto an airline headed to
Kansas City. My step-father was almost bilked
out of his savings from a telephone scam.
Another relative had her credit card abused to
the tune of more than $700.00. Fortunately the
good people at Columbia Bank and Capital One
came to the rescue in the last two cases. We
photographed and valuated the remainder of my
mother’s jewelry, just a little late for most of
it.
OK, there are a hundred different crimes and a
hundred things to do that will help protect
yourself. Let’s reduce it down to one or two
three MOST important things.
1. I’m convinced that the single most important
thing to do, to prevent you from being a crime
victim, is to ABSOLUTELY positively convince
yourself that you can be the victim of a crime.
First you MUST understand and BELIEVE that it
can happen to you before you will take positive
steps to protect yourself. Until you believe
that you are vulnerable to crime will you begin
to protect yourself. Repeat after me: “It Can
Happen to Me.”
2. Sign up or subscribe to the security services
available to you through your bank or credit
unions. Many are free for the asking. The more I
hear of identity thefts, the more I hear that
financial institutions are competitively trying
to provide security for their customers. My bank
sends me a text anytime their debit card is used
without being swiped: Amazon, online purchases,
etc. If your bank doesn’t offer such services,
switch banks or subscribe to the security
companies that sell such identity security.
Expensive? The number one thing lost in a
burglary or identity theft is not money or
property, it’s the sense of loss of privacy and
security that the violation causes.
3. Check your balances and transactions often,
regardless of whatever financial security you
have acquired or bought. No one cares more about
your finances or credit history than you. Have
the phone numbers to the fraud units inside your
financial institutions saved on your cell phone.
If you find an abuse, call them immediately.
4. Notify law enforcement of the abuse but don’t
expect apprehension or prosecution. It’s likely
that identity theft will happen in another state
or country. None of the local prosecutors are
going to send investigators to distant places
for credit card abuse.
5. Form a communication link-up with your
friends and relatives. Pass on information about
phone scams or other abuse so they will be aware
of the possibility of receiving similar scams.
6. Attend a crime prevention workshop offered by
the Boundary County Sheriff’s Office to learn of
other ways to protect yourself. The next one is
on April 19th at 6:00 PM at the Naples
Firehouse. Look forward to seeing you. |
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