OPIOID CRISIS- Washington State’s Response Part 3

The Washington State Attorney General’s Office, Washington State Patrol and the Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys have issued a 29-page report with seven recommended goals to reduce illegal opioid use.

The third goal is to reduce the illicit use of prescription opioids. The report has four recommendations under this goal,

1.      Require providers to consult the Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) before prescribing certain controlled substances.

2.      Eliminate paper prescriptions.

3.      Create a statewide medicine take-back system.

4.      Enable investigators in Washington’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit to be appointed as limited authority peace officer for Medicaid fraud investigations.

Two of the major sources of non-medical use of opioids are from doctors and friends or family.

One way to feed an addiction or to sell opioids is to go “doctor shopping,” that is to visit multiple doctors or to fill prescriptions at multiple pharmacies. The state maintains a Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) database that is updated by pharmacists when they fill prescriptions for certain controlled substances. The database can be accessed by medical providers to identify patients who may be receiving too many opioids or dangerous combinations of medications. Currently, medical providers are not required to look up a patient’s record in the PMP database. The report would like a requirement that requires medical providers look up their patients in the database.

Prescriptions on paper lends themselves to forgery. From April 2015 to early August 2017, healthcare providers reported 86 incidents of fraudulent opioid prescriptions or stolen pads to the Pharmacy Quality Assurance Commission. Electronic prescribing of prescriptions allows for a more secure method of communication between a doctor and a pharmacy.

While Snohomish County and King County have medicine take-back programs, all counties in the state do not provide a way for citizens to dispose of medicines that are no longer needed. More than half of teens say that it is easy to get prescription drugs from medicine cabinets at home. Having an easy, well-advertised way for the public to dispose of unneeded prescriptions should help to prevent the family medicine cabinet from becoming an easy drug diversion source.

The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) is part of the Washington State Attorney General’s Office. It investigates Medicaid fraud within the state, but must rely heavily on local law enforcement agencies to carry out key investigative tasks such as issuing search warrants and making arrests. The report points out that the vast majority of MFCU’s in other states have the authority of limited authority peace officers. The report believes that this limited authority would greatly help in Medicaid fraud investigations and in reducing diversion of opioids.

Next post, part 4; disrupt and dismantle drug trafficking organizations responsible for bringing narcotics into out state.

For the complete report, go to,

Washington State Attorney General’s Office:

http://agportal-s3bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/uploadedfiles/Another/News/Press_Releases/OpioidSummitReport.pdf

The first goal is to increase public awareness about the dangers of opioids (http://ssnoccrimewatch.blogspot.com/2017/11/opioid-crisis-washington-states-response.html).

The second goal is to prevent addiction by curtailing overprescribing (http://ssnoccrimewatch.blogspot.com/2017/11/opioid-crisis-washington-states.html).

SCAM ALERT- Fraudsters Targeting Veterans

The AARP Fraud Watch Network and the Washington State Attorney General’s Office are alerting military veterans that fraudsters are targeting them for scams that steal the veterans’ money and benefits.

Recently, AARP conducted a survey of veterans and found that vets are twice as likely to be victimized by scammers. According to Doug Shadel, AARP’s Washington State Director, modern technology makes it easy for scammers to buy lists of military veterans. That, coupled with veterans tend to trust other veterans, makes it easy for scammers to pose as veterans to gain their targeted victim’s trust.

Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson warned veterans on KING-TV today to think twice about any scheme that requires up-front fees. Also, many schemes would claim to obtain documents for veterans for a fee. Many times, the documents can be obtained for free by citizens.

One specific scam is the Pension Poaching Scam. This often preys on veterans who may have a large debt that they need to take care of. The scammers promise to pay the debt if the veteran signs over their pension benefits. The debt may get paid, but the veteran does not have access to their earned benefits. Doug Shadel points out that there are other legitimate ways to get help with debts. Also, it is illegal to sign over a veteran’s benefits to anyone else.

For more about scams that target vets, look at,

KING TV:

http://www.king5.com/entertainment/television/programs/new-day-northwest/new-scams-target-military-veterans/495507159

AARP Fraud Watch Network:

https://action.aarp.org/site/SPageNavigator/FWN_OperationProtectVeterans.html?CMP=RDRCT-CSN-FRAUD-091117&intcmp=AE-MON-FWN-MAIN-FLXSLDR-SLIDE1

OPIOID CRISIS- Washington State’s Response Part 2

The Washington State Attorney General’s Office, Washington State Patrol and the Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys have issued a 29-page report with seven recommended goals to reduce illegal opioid use.

The first goal is to increase public awareness about the dangers of opioids (http://ssnoccrimewatch.blogspot.com/2017/11/opioid-crisis-washington-states-response.html).

The second goal is to prevent addiction by curtailing overprescribing. The report makes the following recommendations,

1.      Establish limits on the amount of initial opioid prescriptions.

2.      Require patients to acknowledge that they have been informed on the dangers of opioids upon initial prescription.

3.      Support requirements or incentives for alternative pain management treatments.

The medical and dental industries can help reduce opioid addiction with judiciously prescribing opioids and other non-opioid pain relievers. The report points out that dentists are the biggest prescribers of opioids to youth, with emergency medicine providers the second highest.

Prescribing more than a week’s supply of opioids almost doubles the chance that the patients will still be using opioids one year later.

Some states limit the amount of initial opioid prescriptions. The state of Washington is moving to establish opioid restrictions. The report points out that as patients and medical providers become educated about opioid dangers and the state establishes limits, an effort needs to be made to develop and expand other non-addicting anti-pain treatments.

Next post, part 3; reduce the illicit use of prescription opioids.

  

For the complete report, go to,

Washington State Attorney General’s Office:

http://agportal-s3bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/uploadedfiles/Another/News/Press_Releases/OpioidSummitReport.pdf

OPIOID CRISIS- Washington State’s Response

Last week Snohomish County announced a new effort to reduce illegal opioid use by partially activating the county’s Emergency Coordination Center (http://ssnoccrimewatch.blogspot.com/2017/11/opioid-crisis-snohomish-county-tries.html). The partial activation will allow better coordination between agencies such as the Sheriff’s Office, county Department of Health, public Works and Human Services.

The state of Washington is also responding to the opioid crisis. In June of this year, the Washington State Attorney General’s Office, Washington State Patrol and the Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys convened a two-day meeting of law enforcement, prosecutorial, public health, policy and medical professionals to develop strategies to reduce the supply of illegal opioids in Washington. The result of the meeting is a 29-page report issued last week with seven recommended goals to reduce illegal opioid use.

Despite efforts in Washington State to reduce opioid abuse, overdose deaths continue to rise. The report tries to include all community resources that may be able to contribute to reducing the crisis.

The first goal is to “Address significant gaps in public awareness about the dangers of opioids, as well as less risky alternatives available.” The report recommends expanded statewide, coordinated education and outreach efforts.

One in four teens believe that there is little or no risk in using prescription pain relievers without a prescription. Also, about 4,500 12^th graders use prescription opioids in any given month and about 3.600 have tried heroin at least once.

The Kaiser Family Foundation Health Tracking Poll has found that four in ten adults were not aware that

1.      Prescription opioid abuse makes a person more likely to use heroin.

2.      Prescription opioids are about equally addictive as heroin

In an attempt to improve the public’s understanding of the dangers of opioids, the Washington State department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) will begin an education campaign to educate the public about the dangers of prescription drug misuse and increase awareness of appropriate opioid use, storage and disposal and on how to respond to an overdose. While DSHS has limited financial resources to conduct the campaign it will use major media, a campaign website, Facebook and a toolkit for partner organizations.

Next post, part 2, Preventing addiction by curtailing overprescribing.

For the complete report, go to,

Washington State Attorney General’s Office:

http://agportal-s3bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/uploadedfiles/Another/News/Press_Releases/OpioidSummitReport.pdf

SCAM ALERT- Washington State Attorney General Issues Warning about Flood Damaged Cars

The Washington State Attorney General’s Office has issued a warning concerning flood damaged cars that could be for sale in Washington State. In this morning’s press release, the office noted that scam artists are trying to sell vehicles that were flooded in hurricanes Irma and Harvey earlier this year.

The Attorney General’s Office recommends that if you are considering purchasing a used car that you take the following actions before you make your purchase,

·         Check out the vehicle’s history, title and VIN number on  www.vehiclehistory.gov and/or  www.carfax.com/flood.

·         Make a test drive simulating how you normally would drive.

·         Check the gauges and any controls that rely on electricity.

·         Do a complete visual inspection looking for any signs of damage or a collision.

·         Have your mechanic check out the vehicle.

Taking these measures should help you avoid a flood damaged vehicle.

Washington State Attorney General’s Office:

http://www.atg.wa.gov/news/news-releases/scam-alert-flood-damaged-cars-could-be-sale-washington

HOLIDAY ONLINE SHOPPING- How to Protect Yourself While Shopping Online

Thanksgiving is coming and after that Black Friday and the holiday shopping season. More and more people are foregoing the mall for the convenience of online shopping and having gifts delivered to their homes.

With that convenience comes some danger of identity theft. Here are some tips to let you protect your personal information from thieves taking your credit card or bank information.

·         Only shop on websites that use a secure connection. Look for “HTTPS” in the address bar of your browser. The “S” is your guarantee that the information being transmitted between your device and the web site is secure from snooping eyes.

·         Do not use public Wi-Fi when shopping or checking your bank or credit card account. Someone in the vicinity could intercept your signal (called a middle man attack) gaining access to your passwords and account information. Its better to use a secure Wi-Fi connection or your cellular data connection.

·         Use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) as an extra layer of security. A VPN acts as a tunnel between your device and other web sites. For more information on VPN’s check out the links in the sited Windows Central article below.

·         Run anti-malware software before you start your online shopping session. This allows you to ensure that you do not have any malware on your device that can watch what you are doing while you shop.

·         Don’t fall for fake shopping apps. Shopping with a store’s app is a great, secure way to buy merchandise. However, hackers often create fake apps that try to mimic apps from legitimate stores or shopping sites. One way to try to detect the fake from the real is to look for the apps with thousands of reviews. These are often for the big stores or web sites. Also, go to the vendor’s web site that you are interested in making online purchases from and see if you can download their app from their web site.

·         Watch out for phishing emails. Fraudsters will try to get your personal information by sending you an email that looks like it is from a legitimate company. They may have a special offer or promotion, or they may claim that your information needs to be “verified.” Hover your mouse pointer over he from part of the message and see if the address looks like it really comes from the company that the email claims to be from. Do not click on any links on a suspicious email. Go to the web site of the company and see of the offer is located there.

·         Always use strong passwords for you shopping accounts. And use a different password for each of your accounts.

·         Don’t overshare information with online retailers. Only share essential information for conducting the transaction. That should mean your credit card number, expiration date and maybe the three-digit code on the back of the card. The shipping address is also essential. But if they want more information such as your date of birth, think about doing business with someone else.

·         Pay with a credit card or PayPal. Do not pay with a debit card. Anyone who gains access to your checking account through your debit card can wipe out your funds. That cannot happen with a credit card or PayPal.

·         Lock your device with a password or another technology such as facial or iris detection. If your cell phone or tablet computer is lost or stolen, this will prevent other people from accessing your private information.

Windows Central:

https://www.windowscentral.com/how-protect-your-identity-while-shopping-online?_ga=2.44142052.1983520407.1511309144-1253559911.1502314648

Washington State Department of Financial Institutions:

https://dfi.wa.gov/financial-education/blog/safety-tips-shopping-online

OPIOID CRISIS- Snohomish County Tries a New Strategy

In an effort to fight the county’s opioid crisis more comprehensively, County Executive Dave Somers has ordered partial activation of the county’s Emergency Coordination Center. The center, as part of the county’s Department of Emergency Management, is normally activated for natural disasters such as major earthquakes, floods and fires. Activating the coordination center will allow better coordination between local agencies such as the Sheriff’s Office, Department of Health, Public Works, Human Services as well as the county’s cities.

At a press conference that was streamed online, County Executive Dave Somers, County Health Officer Dr. Mark Beatty and Sheriff Ty Trenary all described a serious situation that requires many disciplines to control.

Numbers portray the problem. The emergency room at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett has treated 688 overdose cases through August of this year. In 2016, there were 90 overdose deaths in Snohomish County. 13 of those deaths were attributed to fentanyl or other synthetic drugs. Statewide in 2016, there were 694 fatal opiate overdoses.

Over one weekend last month, the county Medical Examiner reported 7 suspected overdose deaths. In the first six months of this year there have been 8 overdose deaths from synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. And according to Dr. Beatty, the Everett needle exchange is on track to collect over 2 million needles this year.

Comments from the three officials emphasized that the county needs to develop a multi-disciplined approach to reduce the damage of the opioid/heroin crisis. Dr. Beatty said that we need to change how we think about the problem. Opioid addiction is not a failure of will, it is a disease that may be influenced by some people’s genetics. The county needs to protect the community from harm; that includes from crime caused by addiction and the health dangers from the addiction itself. The county needs to treat the addicted but also it needs to prevent the addiction.

Sheriff Trenary said that the addiction problem is all over the county, not just in certain areas. He feels that the crisis has some ties to homelessness as well as an individual’s mental health. He said that "Letting people die is not a solution.”

Both Dr. Beatty and Sheriff Trenary pointed out that there are not enough services in the county to treat the addicted. Often, when the Office of Neighborhood’s outreach teams, which consist of deputies and embedded social workers, find people who want help, it might take a few days to coordinate help. This often requires putting the person wanting help, the client, in a hotel room. Also, the social workers are often going out of the county and out of the state to find the services that the client needs. One goal that Sheriff Trenary has is to convert an old work release facility into 40 beds where clients can stay while the embedded social workers find help.

County Executive Somers said that "Punishment doesn't work." Dr. Beatty concluded that it is a community problem and the community needs to take action to fix it.

The partial activation is called the Opioid Response Multi-Agency Coordination Group (MAC). The county has set seven goals for the group:

1.      Reduce opioid misuse and abuse;

2.      Lessen the availability of opioids;

3.      Reduce criminal activity associated with opioids;

4.      Use data to detect, monitor, evaluate, and act;

5.      Reduce collateral damage to the communities;

6.      Provide information about the response in a timely and coordinated manner; and

7.      Ensure the availability of resources that efficiently and effectively support response efforts.

The health district has created a “one stop” web site on opioids for people who want more information or who want help with their own opioid addiction. That web site can be found at http://snohomishoverdoseprevention.com/.

Snohomish County:

https://snohomishcountywa.gov/Archive.aspx?ADID=5852

The Herald:

http://www.heraldnet.com/news/agencies-launch-coordinated-response-to-an-opioid-emergency/

My Everett News:

https://myeverettnews.com/2017/11/20/county-to-treat-opioid-epidemic-as-a-disaster/

SCAMS- Western Union Money Transfer/FTC Settlement

Normally, with online or telephone scams the rule of thumb is that the victim cannot recover any funds that he/she may have lost. Many scammers are not near the victim, making their calls from another state or even another country. However, for some victims, they may be able to recover lost funds due to a court settlement earlier this year between Western Union and the federal government.

The Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice alleged that Western Union allowed fraudsters to use Western Union money transfers as part of their scams despite receiving hundreds of thousands of complaints about the practice. Western Union also allegedly failed to promptly discipline problem agents and to have effective anti-fraud policies and procedures. In January 2017, Western Union agreed to pay $586 million to resolve the charges.

Scammers would demand that their victims transfer funds with Western Union money transfers for fraudulent lotteries and prizes, fake family emergencies, advance-fee loan scams, online dating and other scams.

If you were a victim of a scam that used a Western Union money transfer between January 1, 2004 and January 19,2017, you may have a claim for a portion of the settlement funds. You can file a claim or learn more about the settlement at

https://www.ftc.gov/enforcement/cases-proceedings/refunds/western-union-settlement-faqs.

The FTC reminds you that filing a claim is free. You should not pay anyone to file a claim on your behalf. It also says that no one associated with the claims process will call you to ask for your bank account or credit card number.

Federal Trade Commission:

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2017/11/ftc-alerts-consumers-if-scammers-had-you-pay-them-western-union

AUTO THEFT PREVENTION- Don’t Leave Your Car Running Unattended

Here is a reminder to stay with your vehicle if the engine is running. With the cold weather, many people like to run the engine to warm up the car or truck while they get ready in the morning to go to work. This gives a car thief a great opportunity to steal your vehicle.

Many vehicles are stolen when they are being warmed up on a cold morning. Other common car theft scenarios include when a driver keeps their engine running while they make a “quick” run into a convenience store, gas station, or ATM.

Don’t make it easy for a car thief. Shut off the engine (and lock your vehicle) if you are going to be away from your vehicle.

SNOCAT:

https://snohomishcountywa.gov/2687/Auto-Theft-SNOCAT

Washington Auto Theft Prevention Authority:

https://www.waautotheftpreventionauthority.org/tips

SNOHOMISH COUNTY- Imposter Scammers Continue to Call County Residents

The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office reports that in the past few weeks it has received several reports from citizens of scammers calling with several schemes to trick citizens into giving money. The scams that were reported were primarily some form of impersonator scam such as, warrant scam, utility scam, IRS scam. In at least one case, the scammer claimed that the citizen had won a prize.

In an imposter scam, the scammer claims to be an official from a federal or local government agency. They try to scare you into sending them money to avoid imminent arrest. With the warrant scam, the caller claims to be from the Sheriff’s Office or local court and says that since you did not show up for jury duty a deputy is on his (or her) way to arrest you unless you pay an amount in iTunes cards or another gift card immediately. Some callers claim to be from the PUD and claim that you have not paid your utility bill. If you do not pay right away, they will cut off your electricity. With the IRS scam, they claim that you owe back taxes and/or late fees. Someone is on their way to put you in jail if you don’t pay.

The scams make some attempt to scare you into immediate action. Some go as far as to insist that you stay on the phone while you go to the store to purchase the cash card. Others spoof the phone number on your Caller ID so that you think that they are truly the IRS, utility, or local police.

The best thing you can do is hang up. No governmental agency will make you pay over the phone with a cash or gift card. If you want to check to see if you owe money, look up the phone number on a statement or with a Google search then contact the agency.

Also, let your family, friends and neighbors know about these scams. The more people who are aware the fewer who will become victims.

The Herald:

http://www.heraldnet.com/news/phone-scammers-targeting-people-with-fake-threats/

Federal Trade Commission:

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/feature-0037-imposter-scams

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/audio-video/video/fraud-affects-every-community