CYBERCRIME- Tech-Savvy Swindlers

Over the past few years, scammers have been calling usually elderly persons claiming to be a relative (grandson/granddaughter, or a niece or nephew) who is in some sort of trouble and needs money quickly. The caller tries to have the potential victim send money. The caller isn't related. It's only a scam to steal money.

A new twist to this is where the scammer will look up profiles on Facebook, then when he/she calls their intended victim, they will have enough family information to be more convincing.

The following article from The Seattle Times published earlier this year talks about this scam and cyber crime trends:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2014294766_pfwebscams27.html

AUTUMN MEADOWS- Attempted Burglary

A neighbor near 122nd Pl SE and 44th Drive SE experienced two possible break-ins. On the first occasion he found a pair of pliers on his front porch and his front and back door jams appeared to have dents and scratch marks around the locking devices. The second occurrence happened on Friday, April 15, 2011 when he found the milk box on his front step moved and he wondered if someone was looking for a possible hidden key. The Sheriff's Office was notified.


Tip: Be sure you do NOT hide a spare key under your door mat or anywhere nearby where thieves might look. Be sure that doors and windows are locked, set your alarm if you have one, be alert to what's happening around you, and report all crimes and suspicious behavior to 9-1-1 and the Homeowners Association.

Calling 911- SNOPAC Takes "Complaints"

When most of us think about 911 we think about emergencies. Calling for help with a serious accident on the road; for help with a heart attack; calling for a deputy when you come home to find your house burglarized.

But there may be other situations that you might not think are an emergency, but you want to pass information to the Sheriff's Office. SNOPAC, the agency that services the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office for 911 calls takes "complaints." This means that you can call 911 for any criminal matter whether it is an emergency or not. So if you see suspicious activity, you can call 911. Giving a timely report of suspicious can be very helpfull for the Sheriff's Office's daily operations. If you have information related to a crime that you want to pass to the Sheriff's Office you can call 911 and ask to talk to a deputy. Depending on the workload, it may take some time for the deputy to contact you.

If you have non-time sensitive information that you would like to pass you can also contact the Sheriff's Office through it's Tip Line  (425) 388-3845 or it's online Tip Line http://sheriff.snoco.org/Sheriff_Services/SCSO_Tip_Line.htm.

For more information go to:
Sheriff's Office Tip Sheet:
http://sheriff.snoco.org/Documents/Calling%20911.pdf

SNOPAC:
http://www.nwlink.com/~snopacweb/index.html

BEAT THE BURGLARS- Before a Burglary Ever Happens

Rikki King of The Herald has begun a series that she calls "Beat the Burglars." Burglaries are frustrating crimes for victims. Being property crimes, police may take awhile to arrive at the scene especially if they have one or more crimes against a person in progress. The priority goes down if the victim does not have any "suspect" information. In addition, crime statistics show that most of us are more likely to become victims of a property crime like burglary or car theft of car prowl than an assault or homicide. Despite the fact that the crime only involves property, you the victim can feel violation and loss. There are things you can do to prevent becoming a victim of burglary and do to cope and be assistance if you are burglarized. Here is her first installment: http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20110407/BLOG41/110409910 For more information about burglary prevention go to: Sheriff's Office Tip Sheet: http://sheriff.snoco.org/Documents/Residential%20Burglary.pdf Sheriff's Office Crime Prevention Newsletter: Burglary Prevention- http://sheriff.snoco.org/Documents/MayJun05.pdf Alarms- http://sheriff.snoco.org/Documents/MarApr06.pdf

SNOHOMISH COUNTY- Increasing Arrests for Heroin throughout the County

Heroin use in Snohomish County is receiving more attention by the local press. This article from this morning’s The Herald makes the following points:

• Snohomish Police say that they have arrested 11 people in the last month who they believe are part of the heroin trade.

• Oxycontin was very popular with drug users. However, recently, manufacturers of Oxycontin have changed the formula to make it harder for drug users to smoke for a quick high. So users have migrated to the cheaper heroin.

• For the last two years, accidental drug overdose has past car crashes and gunshot wounds as the leading cause of accidental death.

• Police make a connection between drug abuse and property crimes such as burglaries and car theft/car prowls. So, reducing drug abuse should also reduce property crimes.

For the full article go to:

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20110407/NEWS01/704079904

For past reporting about heroin in Snohomish County go to:

http://ssnoccrimewatch.blogspot.com/search/label/drugs%20heroin

For more information about heroin go to:

http://mfiles.org/guide/guidefiles/2010%20Drug%20Resource%20Guide.pdf