Key common sense crime prevention

Residents of the 112th Precinct received a primer last week on
how to make things tougher for thieves, burglars and con men trying
to separate them from their money and property.

Deputy Inspector Christopher Tamola, the precinct commander, and
Officer John Chiam of the NYPD's Crime Prevention Bureau, said
ordinary precautions and common sense can help people avoid being
victimized.

They spoke Wednesday at a meeting of the precinct's community
council.

Tamola said while the precinct's crime statistics are generally
good, grand larceny is a problem throughout the city.

And unattended property is a major factor in grand larceny.

"People will have laptops, cell phones, iPods, GPS devices and
wallets and will leave them in their cars, and somebody sees them
and breaks in," he said. "They are crimes of opportunity."

Tamola and Chiam said they are seeing an increase in cell phone
snatchings, often while the owner is using the phone and
unattentive.

"You see that the first thing some people do when they come out
of the subway is get on their phone," he said. "The last thing they
do before they go into the subway is use their phone."

Chiam said a little attention can head off trouble.

"Before you use your phone in public, look around and beware of
your surroundings," he said.

Chiam said he never uses ATM machines that are not attached to a
major bank.

"An ATM in store or a bodega may be privately owned," he said.
"Once you swipe your card, you don't know who has your information
or who they will sell it to. "

Tamola said all ATM users should use their free hand to cover
the area of the key pad when they type in their pin numbers, and
always be alert to their surroundings.

He said the same is true when dealing with suspicious people in
their neighborhoods, using, as an illustration the rash of tire and
tire rim thefts in the city.

"You'd be amazed at how quickly they can operate," Tamola said.
"They've been targeting Hondas, high-end SUVs, Mercedes and
Escalades.

"If you see a person walking down the street with a tire or a
heavy drill or a cinder block in his hands, and he's not wearing
coveralls and about to walk directly into an auto repair business,
that is a suspicious person."

Chiam said people engaging in identity theft can be very
sophisticated, but that some prevention measures are easy.

"Most identity theft involves the same four things," he said.
"Your full name, date of birth, Social Security number and your
mother's maiden name."

He said all personal information should be guarded cautiously to
prevent fraud or identity theft.

"I don't buy things on line," he said. "Not even on sites that
say they are secure. You have no idea what that means once you give
your credit card number."

He said to never give out personal information over the phone,
and to not be afraid to hang up any time a telephone solicitor
appears suspicious.

Even solicitations by mail should be approached cautiously.

"Once you send somebody a check, they not only have your bank
account number, but your signature," he said.

Tamola said so-called "police charities" or 9/11 scams also have
become more prevalent.

"The NYPD doesn't call asking you for money," he said. Chiam
said it is the same with his Patrolmen's Benevolent Association and
Police Athletic League.

Chiam also said a surprising number of city residents fall
victim to get-rich-quick scams that require them to put up money
with the promise of unusually high returns.

"We're New Yorkers," he said. "We're skeptical. You know what we
say — if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is," he said.
"But a lot of people become victims, and I hate to say it, because
of greed. "

He said a typical scheme is called the 'Handkerchief Switch,'
where a person is approached in the street by a person displaying
what looks like a pile of cash largely obscured by a
handkerchief.

The bait usually involves getting the victim to put up some
money in order to get a larger sum later.

"He tells you to go to a bank and meet his friend wearing a suit
who works for the bank and is waiting outside at the door," he
said. "He takes your money and tells you to come back in a week to
claim your money. Only you go back in a week and find out he
doesn't work for the bank. He was a guy in a suit. "

Chiam official also said fraudsters will approach the victims with what appears to be a winning lottery ticket.

"People can say" I'm an illegal immigrant, so can not claim the prize, "but says it will give a ticket if you give a 10 per cent," said Chiam. "Why would anyone do that?

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