The Snohomish County Sheriff's Office's latest issue of the "Partners in Crime Prevention" newsletter notes that burglaries were the number one property crime in 2025. Learn how you can protect your property at home with Situational Crime Prevention.
Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office:
https://www.snohomishcountywa.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/7406
The local press quotes the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office as reporting looting in a flooded area in the vicinity of Marsh Road and Lowell Larimer Road in the Snohomish area. On Saturday, December 13, a local homeowner reported that on checking on their property they found that items had been stolen and property vandalized. The homeowner was able to contact kayakers who were in the closed area and recovered their property. The Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate this incident.
Securing your property during a natural emergency such as a flood
can be difficult. Prior burglary planning and actions can help to secure your
property in case you need to leave for your safety. Having deadbolt locks on
your exterior doors, locks on your windows, can help secure your home during a
natural disaster as well as during more normal times. Security cameras and
exterior lighting can also help, especially if your home still has electricity.
Having an inventory of your valuables with photos, descriptions, and serial
numbers can help recover stolen property. And photos of each of your rooms can
show your property in good condition for theft recovery and will help you with
your insurance claim.
If you need to evacuate your home during a natural disaster, be
sure that your valuables are locked in a safe or locking file cabinet. Also, be
sure to include a copy of your property inventory in your Go Bag. And before
you leave, lock your house as best you can.
My Everett News:
KING TV:
Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office:
https://www.snohomishcountywa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/443/Residential-Burglary-PDF
https://www.snohomishcountywa.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/7319
https://www.snohomishcountywa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/441/Operation-Identification-PDF
If your property has suffered flood damage, you are faced with cleanup, repairs, insurance claims, etc. You may need financial help and help from contractors to get your life back to what it was before the flood. Recovery after any disaster is a prime time for scammers to pounce.
Scammers can pretend to be anyone claiming to help you,
·
Fake contractors use high pressure tactics, asking for money up front or for
insurance payments to be signed over to them. If they do work, it is shoddy.
Many times, they take your money and disappear.
·
Scammers can pretend to be from the government, utilities, or
insurance companies promising government grants, building permits, help to
speed up insurance claims, or help to give you priority to reconnect you to
electricity for a fee. Legitimate government, utility, or insurance employees
will not ask for funds.
To protect yourself be sure to
·
Prepare in advance. Know what your insurance covers.
·
Before hiring a contractor, check them out. If a contractor shows up
unsolicited, check the business name, phone number, and state contractor
license number on their vehicle. Look up any contractor you are considering
hiring, on the Washington State Labor and Industries web site- https://www.lni.wa.gov/. You can also check any local business
out with the Better Business Bureau at https://www.bbb.org/.
·
Check with your insurer before beginning any repairs to ensure
that they will be covered and if the insurer has a preferred contractor.
·
Make sure you are working with genuine insurance agents. Check the license of anyone representing
themselves as from an insurance company, including insurance adjusters with the
Washington State Insurance Commissioner- https://www.insurance.wa.gov/.
·
Confirm that FEMA representatives are legitimate. FEMA agents do knock on doors to offer
assistance. Ask to see their government-issued laminated photo badge.
If you are a victim of fraud while recovering from a disaster
contact
·
The FEMA Disaster Fraud Hotline- (866) 720-5721
·
FEMA’s Office of the Chief Security Officer- (866) 223-0814 or Tipline@fema.dhs.gov
·
FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center- IC3.gov
·
Washington State Attorney General’s Office- https://www.atg.wa.gov/
Following are resources to help you with your recovery from a
flood.
Guidance for flood recovery-
Snohomish County:
https://www.snohomishcountywa.gov/796/Flood-Information-Center
https://www.snohomishcountywa.gov/992/Tips---After-a-Flood
King County:
Washington State:
https://dfi.wa.gov/flood-resources
Ready.gov-
KIRO TV-
The Seattle Times:
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/weather/what-to-do-with-flood-debris-in-western-wa/
AARP:
https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/disaster/
FEMA:
https://www.fema.gov/about/offices/security/disaster-fraud
Federal Trade Commission:
https://consumer.ftc.gov/features/dealing-weather-emergencies
Better Business Bureau:
https://www.bbb.org/all/natural-disasters
With the flooding going on in parts of the Pacific Northwest, you may feel motivated to donate to a charity to give support to those in need of help.
Local charities probably benefit the best with a monetary donation.
Here are ways you can help flood victims in Whatcom, Skagit, and Snohomish
counties from The Seattle Times- https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/how-to-help-those-affected-by-wa-floods/.
If you hear about a charity to donate to first check them out with
the Washington Secretary of State (SOS). SOS maintains a list of charities registered
with it that you can search at: https://www.sos.wa.gov/corporations-charities/nonprofits-charities/charities/information-donors.
You can also look for reputable charities at,
·
Better Business Bureau, Give.org- https://give.org/
·
Charity Navigator- https://www.charitynavigator.org/
·
Charity Watch- https://www.charitywatch.org/
·
Candid- https://candid.org/
If you hear about a charity that you think you might want to
donate to you can also do a web search with the charity’s name and the words
“complaint,” “review,” “rating,” or “scam.”
Scammers may pretend to be a charity to collect/take your money
and/or collect your personal information. Be wary of unsolicited phone calls or
text messages asking for a donation. Two red flags to watch for include,
·
Pressure to give immediately. A legitimate charity will welcome
your donation whenever you choose to make it.
·
A request for payment by cash, gift card or wire transfer. These
are scammers’ favored payment methods because the money is easy to access and
difficult to trace.
If you see an ad, receive a phone call, email, or text message soliciting
donations resist the urge to give right away. Take a breath and do a little
research before giving.
AARP:
https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/charity/
Federal Trade Commission:
https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2024/11/give-charity-not-scam
National Cybersecurity Alliance:
https://www.staysafeonline.org/articles/how-to-avoid-charity-scams
Christmas is coming and you will be out to find the perfect gifts for your loved ones. Here are some simple tips to follow while you do your holiday shopping.
In the Car
·
Don’t leave high-value items or shopping bags in plain sight. Even
a few seconds is enough for a smash-and-grab.
·
Store bags in the trunk before you arrive at your next
destination, not after you park.
·
Keep vehicles locked and windows fully closed, even if you’re
stepping away for a moment.
·
Park in well-lit, high-traffic areas whenever possible.
·
Be aware of your surroundings. If something feels off, move to
another spot or notify security.
Prevent Package & Porch Theft
·
With holiday shipping in full swing, porch pirates are more active
too. A few preventative measures can help:
·
Track packages and set delivery alerts so you know when they
arrive.
·
Bring deliveries inside as soon as possible.
·
Use secure delivery options like:
o
Lockers / pickup locations
o
Deliver to work (if allowed)
·
Ask a trusted neighbor to grab it
·
Install a doorbell or security camera, even visible cameras can
deter thieves.
·
Avoid leaving boxes visible outdoors. Break them down and conceal
high-value packaging.
Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office:
https://www.snohomishcountywa.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/7325
https://www.snohomishcountywa.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/7325
This holiday issue of the Sheriff’s Office’s crime prevention newsletter, “Partners in Crime Prevention, covers ways you can protect yourself from a charity scam and gives other tips to prevent crime during the holiday season.
Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office:
https://www.snohomishcountywa.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/7325
Some people may think that all they need is a “strong password” to protect their online accounts. However, while a strong password is important, it is not the only technique that you should use in your toolkit. There are several ways cybercriminals can use to gain access to your online accounts besides cracking your password. There are no single magic techniques to protecting your personal information.
Modern security thinking works in layers. It uses several tools
and techniques to protect your house, your business, or you as a person. For
example, if you want to protect your home and its contents from a burglar you will
lock your front door. But locking just your front door does not guarantee that
a burglar cannot break into your house. A burglar could go to the side or back
of your house to find a way in. You also need to lock any side doors or back
doors. Plus, you need to close and lock any windows. Even by locking all of
your doors and windows there is a chance that a burglar can find a way in, so
you might put valuables like jewelry and sensitive papers in a safe or locked
file cabinet. You also might put away small electronics like your laptop and
cell phone. Finally, you might sign up for a security system with cameras to alert
police of an intrusion. That way police can possibly catch the burglar in the
act or more likely, you can hand over video of the burglar on your property that
police can use in their investigation. All of these steps are examples of
layered security.
To protect your personal information and your online accounts you
also need to think in layers. There are several ways cybercriminals can acquire
your passwords and therefore gain access to your online accounts. Relying only
on strong passwords is not a magic bullet.
Don’t get me wrong. Long, strong passwords are important to protecting
your online accounts. An eight-character password made up of numbers, upper-
and lower-case letters and symbols takes about 5 minutes to crack with current computer
technology. A 16-character password made up of numbers, upper- and lower-case
letters and symbols, the current recommended standard, takes about 5 billion
years to crack. Pretty impressive protection. But there are other ways for a
cybercriminal to acquire your password. Two ways include buying a list of id’s
and passwords that have been acquired in a data breach. A cybercriminal could
also send you a phishing email. or text message with a link that either sends
you to a fake website that looks like the login page of your account or inserts
malware to collect your password.
So, if cybercriminals can steal your password what can you do? You
can add a layer by using multifactor authentication (MFA) in addition to a password
for all of your accounts. With MFA you verify who you are through email, text,
or an authenticator app on your smartphone. You may use a temporary code (something
you have) or your fingerprint/face (something you are). If a cybercriminal
tries to log into your account, they will not receive the MFA message since it
is sent to your email or to your smartphone via text message or the
authenticator app. When you receive the message, if you are not logging into
your account, then all you have to do is to deny access.
Another technique is to use a unique password for each of your
accounts. Using the same password, even if it is strong, across several
accounts has turned into a dangerous practice. If a bad guy acquires your
password for one account, they will try other accounts that belong to you on
the chance that you use the same password to access those accounts.
You should also use antivirus software to protect yourself from malware
that could steal your personal information, including your passwords. Be sure that
you set it to update regularly and be sure your operation system and your
software update regularly.
Finally, use a password manager to store your passwords. We all
accumulate many accounts, sometimes in the hundreds. It’s impossible to
remember all of those complex passwords. Password managers are encrypted so your
passwords are protected from unauthorized eyes. That is even more protection
than keeping your passwords in a notebook in a drawer of your desk.
They can also generate new, strong passwords for you when you are opening new
accounts or changing passwords due to a data breach, or you suspect someone has
stolen your password.
When you are protecting your online accounts, think in layers,
long, strong passwords, multifactor authentication, unique passwords for each
of your accounts, and keep your software and your antivirus software up to
date.
Ask Leo:
https://askleo.com/another-reason-not-to-reuse-passwords/
Compass IT Compliance:
https://www.compassitc.com/blog/what-will-quantum-computing-mean-for-passwords-and-encryption
Norton:
https://us.norton.com/blog/emerging-threats/password-attack
