Our recent fraud/identity theft information talk at the Community Centre was very informative and we were very grateful to have Inspector Dowdy from Crestmead Station also attend and introduce our speaker. It is evident that identity theft is becoming the major crime to affect us and it is imperative that we all take much more care when banking, divulging our information “on line” and with destroying our utility bills—in fact any paperwork which has identification that can be used by criminals to set up false accounts in our names. If you don’t own a shredder, you can just soak your paper-work in water and make old fashioned papier mache. It is something you could get the children to do each month and they could make a model out of your old bills!! Much better than a criminal make a killing out of your good name.
The rain obviously affected the number of people who came to have their cars fitted with the safe plate screws which have been funded by our grant through the Gam-bling and Community Benefit Fund. Better that you do not become a victim of crime when this service is offered—a gold coin donation will help us continue buying more stocks. Thanks to the VIP’s for their valiant work.
Please note that October is Crime Prevention Month and we should all do what we can to make life safer to live, work and play in our communities. By joining Neighbourhood Watch that could be the first step in getting to know your neighbours and for new residents—your neighbourhood. Let us make Crime Prevention a priority for everyone . Finally with school holidays upon us again, please take extra care driving—the recent fatal crash in Heritage Park was a terrible waste of a young life. Also take note of any suspicious activity around schools—we pay for damage in our taxes so it is down to us. Take care Geoff
FRAUD/IDENTITY THEFT
What you can do to avoid being a victim!
- Place passwords on all your important accounts—avoid using obvious ones like phone numbers, dates of birth or mothers maiden name—these can all be used by criminals for furthering their crime
- Secure personal information—in a lockable filing cabinet or safe
- Don’t carry personal information unless needed. Never carry your PIN in your wallet with the ATM card and don’t carry documents like your passport or birth certificate unless you have to
- Destroy personal information before disposal—when discarding old bills, records or expired cards, ensure that any identifying information is destroyed.
- Avoid providing personal information by phone, mail or on-line. Make sure you know who you are dealing with before you give out personal information
- Secure your mail—make sure you have a secure, lockable letterbox
- Check your billing and account records carefully - you can identify any potential identity theft early. Follow up if bills don’t arrive on time—the criminal may have redirected your mail to another address
- List all your account details—make a list of all your accounts, credit cards and relevant contact details. Keep these in a safe place. If you lose your wallet or purse, notify your bank immediately
OCTOBER is Crime prevention month and on Tuesday October 12th between 9am and 1pm come along to Greenbank RSL to learn about personal safety for seniors. On Saturday 9th October between 9am and noon Safe Pl8 screws will be fitted at Bunnings store car park at Kingston Road, Underwood and on Thursday 21st October between 9am and 1pm, Safe Pl8 screws can be fitted to your car at the shopping centre car park, corner of Kingston Road and Wembley Road at Logan Central. We will be holding more events in Crestmead during the next few months but in the meantime if you are unable to get to the events stated above, you can contact the Crestmead police station to enable them to be fitted by Volunteers in Policing.
You can do so much to protect your home with
- Fitting quality deadlocks on external doors of your home.
- Fit security screen doors to provide additional protection .
- Fit windows with secure locks and do not leave keys in the window locks—intruders can break the glass to unlock your windows.
- Ensure security grills/shutters are properly in-stalled and can allow exit in an emergency.
- Ensure trees and shrubs are trimmed to allow visibility to your property.
- Lock away items of value such as bikes, lawn mowers and garden implements such as ladders. Keep your garage door closed and locked.
- Install perimeter security lighting including sensor lights.
- Mark, engrave or microdot your property with serial numbers and record them.
