Crime & Safety

• Phishing: Pretending to be legitimate financial institutions or companies and sending email spam, spoof websites or pop-up messages to get you to reveal your personal information.
• Dumpster Diving: Rummaging through trash looking for bills or other paper with your personal information on it.
• Old-Fashioned Stealing: Stealing wallets and purses; mail, including bank and credit card statements; pre-approved credit offers; and new checks or tax information. Stealing personnel records, or bribe employees who have access.
• Phoney Prize Promotions and Foreign Lottery Schemes: Letters, phone calls or emails stating you have won the lottery or a prize in another country; Foreign lotteries are illegal in the United States; Be wary of anything that promises winnings in exchange for your advance payment, donation or investment.
• 419 Nigerian Scams: An email or letter stating they are looking for someone, for their deceased client, who will transfer funds into their account for a cut of the total; you will be asked to put up money in advance to pay for “taxes”, “attorney costs” and “fees”; in reality, you will never receive any money.

• Auction Fraud: The most common type of auction fraud is failure to deliver the purchased item.
• International Auction Fraud: Legitimate auctions or legitimate seller’s identities are taken over by scammers to sell items, usually high dollar, to unsuspecting buyers where the item is never delivered; Most often the scammers are in European countries; They ask for money to be transferred via Western Union, bank transfer or money order which are untraceable.
• Counterfeit Check and Money Order Scams: The scammer purchases something you are selling using a cashier’s check or money order. By the time you have sent the product, you have realized the check is counterfeit. In other scenarios, the buyer will send you too much money and ask you to send back the balance, along with the merchandise. You are responsible for the full refund amount to the bank.

• Guard your information: Trash doesn’t always end up in the dump. Stolen wallets and purses can become stolen identities. Purchase a shredder.
• Don’t respond to email or phone calls asking for your account information: Phishing emails. Spoof websites. Unsolicited Phone calls from customer service centers requesting sensitive personal information.
• Stay Alert: Get free security help using a credit alert. Monitor your accounts frequently. Shop on only secure online sites. Act quickly if you think you have been scammed or your identity used. Law entitles you to one free report a year from each of the nationwide credit reporting agencies if you ask for it. Online: http://www.annualcreditreport.com/; by phone: 1-877-322-8228; or by mail: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281

• Contact the local police.
• Follow the victim contact procedure document at the bottom of this page.
• Call the fraud units of the three major credit bureaus and have a fraud alert placed on your credit file.
• Order copies of your credit report.
• Contact your financial institution and ask them to flag your account and report any unusual activity.
• Equifax: 1-800-685-1111 (general) or 1-800-525-6285 (fraud); PO Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374; http://www.equifax.com/
• Experian: 1-888-397-3742 (general and fraud); PO Box 2002, Allen, TX 75013; http://www.experian.com/
• TransUnion: 1-800-888-4213 (general) or 1-800-680-7289 (fraud); PO Box 2000, Chester, PA 19002; http://www.transunion.com/

• Run
• Comply
• Whistle/scream/make loud noise
• Negotiate
• Physically resist or fight with the attacker
• Call 911 should time allow and you have a phone

• Especially in unfamiliar areas, whether or not you are alone, you should drive with the windows shut and the doors locked.
• Do not leave valuables (purses, laptops, etc.) out in plain view even when driving your vehicle.  Doing this may be seen as an opportunity.  Remember that certain SUV’s and trucks may sit higher allowing it’s occupants to see clearly what is lying on your seats.
• Park in well lit, highly traveled areas.
• Always lock your car when you walk away from it.
• When approaching your car, have your keys firmly in the palm of your hand.  Make a fist with the hand holding the keys, with a key tip protruding between two fingers.
• Always look inside the car before you unlock it and get in.
• If you believe you are being followed drive directly to the police department or get the attention of a patrol officer you might observe in the area.  DO NOT drive home or pull over to the side of the road.

• Have your doors locked at all times
• Do not allow access to anyone you do not know
• If someone asks to use your phone, request the name and phone number they want to call and offer to make the call for them
• Never tell an unknown caller that you are home alone
• Do not converse with “prank callers” or “wrong number callers”.  If the calls persist, press *57 on your phone immediately after hanging up and notify police so a report can be taken and followed up.  *57 generates a trace to the source of the nuisance calls.  A police report is needed to get that information released to the police.  A fee is associated with this service through your service provider
• Never give personal information such as full name, date of birth, social security numbers, etc to unknown callers

• Plan and use the safest and most direct route
• Travel in a group when possible
• If walking to a friend’s or acquaintance, call them when you are leaving and let them know when to expect you
• Stay alert to what is around you and look confident
• Carry your keys in your hand as if you were walking to your car
• If walking at night, be aware of businesses that are open late along your path of travel
• Do not walk in unlit areas
• Keep money in a secure place on your person
• If at any time you feel uneasy, go to a place where you know people will be

• Do not open or close by yourself
• Be sure of who is on the other side of the door before you leave
• Check the area for unknown people or vehicles before leaving after closing
• If you wish a police escort to a bank deposit location at any time, contact the Oregon Police Dispatcher at 419-698-7064.  Tell the dispatcher your name, business location, and the bank you wish to be escorted to.  An available officer will be dispatched to follow you to the bank.

Always mentally and physically prepare to defend yourself.  Always have a plan.  Remember there is no right or wrong way to react to a hostile encounter.  No two situations are exactly the same.  The best response depends on the threat, location, the presence of weapons and your physical capabilities.  Remember that your safety is paramount.  If surrendering personal items will insure your well being remember, any item can be replaced.  If the method you are using to deal with the situation is not working, be prepared to try something else.

Self defense tools are advertised and readily available.  In the right hands they can be an excellent deterrent.  Carrying these items without knowledge of how they affect a person, (i.e. personal experience) may be more of an aide to a would-be attacker than to a person attempting to use it.  Always remember that whatever incapacitating effect these tools may have on another; they will have on you as well.  Do not carry anything that you have not been trained to use, and that you are not prepared to use.