ARLINGTON- Police Looking for Burglar

The Arlington Police Department is seeking help to identify a burglar who broke into a home in the 17700 block of 43^rd Ave NE in the morning of February 14.

The police department released pictures of the burglar taken from home video. The burglar took electronics, computers, power tools, landscaping equipment and two bikes. The burglar used the victim’s truck, which was recovered, to remove the stolen items from the property.

Arlington police ask anyone who can identify the burglar to contact dcone@arlingtonwa.gov.

 

Note: This is a good example of the benefit of home video. While the homeowner was still victimized, they could provide police with good evidence of a potential suspect. This, coupled with good descriptions and pictures of the stolen property would give police an excellent chance of not only catching the burglar but also recovering the property. For more information about security video, go to:

http://www.snohomishcountywa.gov/Archive.aspx?ADID=534

  

The Herald:

http://heraldnet.com/article/20140228/NEWS01/140229172/Arlington-police-seek-help-in-identifying-burglary-suspect

 

KING COUNTY- King County Sheriff’s Office Looking for Burglary Victims

The King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) and Sammamish Police Department are looking for burglary victims of burglaries that occurred from January 2012 to July 2013 from Mill Creek, Washington to Tigard, Oregon. KCSO has posted the following on its Facebook page:

 

Were you the victim of a burglary between January 2012 and July 2013?   If you were and you live somewhere between Mill Creek, Washington and Tigard, Oregon we may have property that was stolen from your burglary.

Detectives from the Sammamish Police Department and the King County Sheriff’s Office are trying to find the owners of stolen property that was recovered last July after the arrest of a couple who admitted to committing dozens of burglaries between Tigard, Oregon and Mill Creek, Washington.

Krystal Sweetman, 27 of Puyallup and Steven Tipton, 27 of Tacoma were arrested last July after an investigation that revealed the couple had committed over 80 residential burglaries between January 2012 and July 2013. The couple sold many of the stolen items at area coin shops netting over $346,000 in the 18 month crime spree.

Detectives also discovered that the pair had a storage unit that was packed with property taken from the burglaries. Many of the stolen items from the storage unit have not been claimed and detectives are hoping to reunite victims with their property.

In January, Sweetman pled guilty to multiple charges and was sentenced to 36 months in prison and 36 months in community custody.  Tipton is expected to plead later this month. 

Detectives have photographed the unclaimed property and have provided a link to photos for the public to view.  Detectives are asking anyone who was the victim of a burglary between January, 2012 and July, 2013 to look at the photos to see if any of the property belongs to you.

If you have questions please call 804-885-KCSO (5276)   do NOT call other police department numbers.  If you see property that you believe belongs to you follow the instructions on the link.  You will be asked to provide the case number of your burglary and will need to provide some proof the item is yours. 

If you have trouble accessing the site please try at another time.  We expect the site to be inundated with viewers and access may be limited during the initial release of information.

http://s1113.photobucket.com/user/kcsophotos/library/13-160094   Password – SammamishPD  (password IS case sensitive!)

 

KCSO:

https://www.facebook.com/notes/king-county-sheriffs-office/were-you-the-victim-of-a-burglary-between-january-2012-and-july-2013/603632076386193

 

FRAUDS AND SCAMS- Frauds and Scams Can Hurt You Just as Badly as a Burglary

While burglaries and car prowls often are the focus of Neighborhood Watches, frauds and scams have become more of a threat to the public in this age of digital communications. Here are some recent reports of frauds and scams going around:

 

MAYS POND- BECU Debit Card Scam

The Mays Pond Neighborhood Watch reports that an unknown caller has been calling local numbers telling whoever answers that that their BECU debit card has been locked. The caller suggests pressing “1 to go to our security center…” DO NOT PRESS ANY BUTTONS JUST HANG UP!

This alert holds true for any bank or credit union, never give your pin number or any information over the phone from an unsolicited call.  Hang up immediately, and then call your financial institution to find out if the call was legitimate.

The Seattle Times:

http://seattletimes.com/html/theblotter/2014165880_becucallsaskingforaccountinformationareascam.html

 

THE FALLS- You Won a BMW!!!!

One resident of The Falls reports having received 2 phone calls in the past 3 months from someone with an accent telling them that they were fortunate to win a BMW and several million dollars. The homeowner had not entered any contest and knew it was a scam and hung up the phone.  If you receive a call like this hang up then call 911, especially if you can provide a phone number from your Caller ID.

  

AARP WATCHDOG ALERT- Online Dating and Romance Scams

Just before Valentine’s Day the AARP Fraud Watch Network (http://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/fraud-watch-network/) issued the following alert about online dating and romance scams. While Valentine’s Day is past, its warning is still beneficial for singles who use online dating services.

Signs your Valentine is a scammer

Romance cons are big business, costing an average loss of more than $10,000 per victim in the U.S. Scammers know how to make a connection, tailoring their sweet talk to their victim’s responses.

How does it work?

You think you’ve found your perfect partner online. Once they’ve gained your trust, they ask for money or your personal information — leaving you with an empty bank account, and a broken heart.

Sweetheart scams can happen on a dating site or via "catfishing" on social media, where Internet predators fabricate elaborate online identities to trick people into emotional/romantic relationships over a long period of time. See the story of a San Jose woman who was duped out of $500,000 in one such online scam (http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2014/01/15/san-jose-woman-duped-out-of-500k-in-nigerian-online-dating-scam/).  

What are the signs?

            • First comes instalove: Your new friend immediately moves the conversation to email or instant messaging — and just as quickly falls in love.

            • Long distance romance: They say they’re from your town, but are currently out of the country. Emergencies keep you apart when making plans to meet in person.

            • Money, honey: Then come the asks for help with travel fees; a child or other relative’s hospital bills; expenses while a big business deal comes through; or recovery from a temporary setback.

How do I protect myself?

            • Do some digging, including an image search of the profile photo used on the dating site, and consider a background check if you aren’t finding any information.

            • Don’t mix friends and finance. Do not give credit card or financial account details, or personal identifying information (e.g., Social Security number) to anyone you don’t know and trust.

What should I do if I’m a victim?

            • Break off contact immediately.

            • Do not send any more money.

            • Report to:

                        ○ the website or chat room operator

                        ○ local police

                        ○ the Internet Crime Complaint Center (http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx)

                        ○ the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov or 877-FTC-HELP (877-382-4357)

 This is a message from AARP Washington, the Washington State Attorney General’s Office and Better Business Bureau.  If you or someone you know has been a victim of identity theft or fraud, you can contact the AARP Foundation Fraud Fighter Center at 1-800-646-2283 for help