CAR THEFT THREAT – Kia/Hyundai Tik Tok Challenge

The Puget Sound Auto Theft Task-Force (PSATT), which serves King and Pierce Counties, has issued a warning to car owners about the Kia Tik Tok Challenge. Since early July, some users of Tik Tok, the social media platform, have distributed instructions on how to hotwire a 2011 or newer Kia or 2015 or newer Hyundai using a USB cable. The instructions have been linked to an increase in Kia/Hyundai car thefts by local law enforcement agencies nationwide.

Kia’s and Hyundai’s that use traditional keys in their ignition to start are particularly vulnerable to this theft technique. Kia’s and Hyundai’s that use a push button to start are not at risk to the technique, according to PSATT.

In a recent Facebook post, PSATT made the following observations about the increase in Kia/Hyundai thefts in Pierce County:

·         Most of the thefts or attempted thefts occurred at apartment complexes.

·         In several of the attempts, the vehicle’s windows were broken out.

·         Vehicles that were locked and/or had vehicle alarms seemed to prevent some thefts from occurring.

PSATT recommends:

·         Locking your vehicle!

·         Remove all valuables from your vehicle.

·         Activate a vehicle alarm system.

·         Install a hidden GPS tracking system.

·         Install a hidden kill switch.

·         Install a steering wheel lock.

 

As mentioned earlier, PSATT covers King and Pierce Counties. The activity that they described applies to those counties. However, with Tik Tok being available just about anywhere, Snohomish County and the rest of the Puget Sound region no doubt are susceptible to this car theft threat.

 

Puget Sound Auto Theft Task-Force:

https://www.facebook.com/pugetsoundautotheft/photos/a.105522928408595/372875261673359/

https://www.facebook.com/pugetsoundautotheft/photos/a.105522928408595/373345861626299/

 

FOX13:

https://www.q13fox.com/news/kia-hyundai-owners-warned-of-viral-tiktok-explaining-how-to-steal-those-vehicles-using-usb-cables

 

Newsweek:

https://www.newsweek.com/tiktok-kia-challenge-dangerous-1728309

 

MOBILE PAYMENT APPS – Avoiding Mobile Payment Scams

Mobile apps such as PayPal, Zelle, Venmo, etc. have become an easy way to make and receive payments. And scammers have found numerous ways to try to fool you into sending them money or giving them your account information.

A recent Reader’s Digest article has identified 10 mobile app scams that include order confirmation, fake fraud alerts, password reset requests, promotional offers, refund requests, overpayment scams, and more.

Many of these scams are simply phishing or smishing scams that pretend to be from the payment app provider and ask you to click on a link to “confirm” your information or fix an alleged problem. The problem is that the link may take you to a website that looks like a legitimate website but is run by the scammers to collect your account information so that they can use your account for their own purposes.

Other scams, such as fake charity or overpayment scams, try to get you to send the scammer money. With a fake charity scam, the scammer will pretend to be an established charity, or a charity formed to help victims of a disaster, such as the flooding in eastern Kentucky, to solicit “donations” for the cause. The money does not go to help but goes into the scammer’s pocket. With an overpayment scam, you might have sold something to someone who turns out to be a scammer. They overpay with a fake or stolen credit card. Then contact you and ask for the overpaid balance, usually to a different account. Then they cancel the transaction with PayPal or Zelle leaving you out of your product and your money.

Some things you can do to prevent getting caught up in a payment scam include:

·         Protect your account with 2 factor authentication, 2FA, (multifactor authentication, MFA). 2FA/MFA is being recommended by more and more cyber security professionals because this technique protects your accounts from being hijacked by someone who should not have access to your accounts.

·         Use strong passwords of 12 characters or more on your accounts.

·         Be leery of certain requests or demands such as a “requirement” to make a payment to claim a prize or collect a sweepstake winnings or a “financial institution” having you transfer your funds from one account to another account to prevent fraud. Scammers sometimes demand actions that normally are not needed to take, often requiring some sort of payment. For example, if you have won a sweepstakes, your do not need to pay anything to the people running the sweepstakes. And “transferring” money only allows it to be deposited into the scammers bank account.

·         If you receive an email or a text message requesting money, don’t click on any links. If you want to see a website of the organization, or you want to call an individual who sent the email/text find their contact information through a web search.

Payment apps provide a new level of convenience. With some precautions, you can use them with confidence.

 

Reader’s Digest:

https://www.rd.com/article/paypal-scams/

 

Federal Trade Commission:

https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/mobile-payment-apps-how-avoid-scam-when-you-use-one#avoid%20sending%20money%20to%20scammer

https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2020/02/making-mobile-payments-protect-yourself-scams

 

Identity Theft Resource Center:

https://www.idtheftcenter.org/post/new-zelle-scam-uses-crafty-methods-gets-criminals-into-bank-account/

 

The following links to AARP tells the story of how a scammer defrauded a individual out of her savings through a Zelle scam.

AARP:

https://www.aarp.org/podcasts/the-perfect-scam/info-2022/zelle-scam.html

https://www.aarp.org/podcasts/the-perfect-scam/info-2022/zelle-scam-part-2.html

PIG BUTCHERING – Fattening You Up to Steal Your Money with Cryptocurrency

The use of cryptocurrency by scammers has grown over five times according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) with losses to consumers from $130 million in 2020 to $680 million in 2021. And for the first quarter of 2022, losses amounted to $329 million. The median loss to crypto fraud is $2,600, compared to $1,000 across all fraud types.

Pig butchering refers to fattening up the pig for the kill and is used by romance scammers to refer to their process of developing scripts that promise romance and riches through social media to lure potential victims for their romance scams. The FBI in Oregon recently alerted the public to Chinese romance scammers who started operations in China and migrated to U.S. victims. The scammers use dating apps and other social media to find their victims.

The scammers will groom their target and eventually try to move communications off the dating app or website to WhatsApp or email.

After some time, typical romance scammers come up with a seemingly compelling reason that they need money. A new trend is for scammers to suggest that “investing” in a cryptocurrency would make the target rich. The scammer might say that they have been investing and they, naturally, would be happy to help the target.

The scammer will suggest setting up a cryptocurrency account and may provide a web link to an official looking cryptocurrency website to learn more about cryptocurrency investing. The website looks legitimate but, of course, is controlled by the scammer. Any money invested through the site will eventually go to the pocket of the scammer.

Scammers who use other techniques, such as employment scams, extortion scams, imposter scams, are demanding payment in cryptocurrency. In the past, the favorite mode of payment has been with gift cards. Like with gift cards, once the scammer has the funds, they are gone. And there is no way to get your money back. Cryptocurrency is not regulated so you do not have a bank to go to, to reverse the transaction.   

Scammers are always looking for new ways to take your money. Cryptocurrency offers a unique opportunity for scammers. It is new, mysterious, complicated, unregulated, and has received publicity recently. Many people have tried to “invest” in cryptocurrency as a legitimate investment rather than just use it to pay for a good or a service. Enticing a target into investing in something that is exotic and that the target does not understand gives the scammer all of the advantage.

 

The following links give more detail on cryptocurrency scams and cryptocurrency:

 

Krebs on Security:

https://krebsonsecurity.com/2022/07/massive-losses-define-epidemic-of-pig-butchering/

 

FBI:

https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/portland/news/press-releases/fbi-oregon-tech-tuesday-building-a-digital-defense-against-a-new-cryptocurrency-scam-pig-butchering

 

AARP:

https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/info-2022/cryptocurrency-schemes-ftc.html

 

Federal Trade Commission:

https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-know-about-cryptocurrency-and-scams#scams

 

Better Business Bureau:

https://www.bbb.org/all/scamstudies/cryptocurrency_scams/cryptocurrency_scams_study

 

 

988 – A New Easy to Remember Mental Health Crisis Line

You no doubt have heard about the recent rollout (on Saturday July 16^th) of the new 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The new 988 number will build on the older National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. 988 will build on an existing network of over 200 crisis centers nationwide that are manned by counselors who answer calls from people, or their family or friends, who need help with a mental health, behavioral, or substance use crisis.

The idea of 988 is to have an easy to remember phone number, like 911, that someone can call if they or a friend or relative are in a mental health, behavioral, or substance use crisis. While 988 will get more emphasis in the future, the old National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 10-digit phone number (1-800-273-8255) still works. The line works 24/7 and you not only can call you can also text 988 or chat with a 988 counselor at  https://988lifeline.org/chat/. Phone calls can be conducted in English, Spanish or other languages. Texts and chat are currently only available in English.

When contacted, a 988 trained crisis counselor will listen to develop an understanding of the situation and can provide support and point the caller to resources that can help in the long term. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) points out that several studies show that for the majority of callers calling a hotline helps the callers feel less depressed, less suicidal, less overwhelmed, and more hopeful. If an immediate intervention is needed (fewer than 2% of calls), the counselor can summon resources to the caller’s location.

With the announcement of the launch of 988, there have been concerns expressed in the press that the mental health infrastructure is not robust enough to handle a large call load to the national number. Similar to 911, the actual day to day operations of 988 are handled by state and local agencies. The federal government has seeded over $280 million to launch the hotline. But local and state governments also need to contribute money for the daily operations of the hotline and the local mental health resources.

Volunteers of America (VOA) will oversee calls in Snohomish County. Crisis Connections oversees calls in King County.

While the State of Washington has passed legislation to fund and develop an integrated crisis system, other states, such as Idaho, have not. The development of the 988 system is expected to be uneven throughout the United States. Observers point out that it took 911 several decades to develop into the robust system that it is today.

 

988 is an attempt to create a more coordinated, comprehensive system to help individuals with mental/behavioral health crises or concerns, and with substance abuse issues much like 911 summons aid for crime, fires, and medical emergencies. Continued funding will be needed to build this mental health system to truly help those with mental health or substance abuse concerns.

 

Volunteers of America:

https://www.voaww.org/behavioralhealth

 

Crisis Connections:

https://www.crisisconnections.org/

 

SAMHSA:

https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/988

 

Snohomish County Human Services:

https://www.snohomishcountywa.gov/3124/Resources

 

Seattle Times:

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/mental-health/988-the-new-crisis-phone-and-text-line-goes-live-this-weekend/

 

Associated Press:

https://apnews.com/article/mental-health-hotline-988-ac50f02b74b8b89be5592be3f3605ff5

 

NPR:

https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/takeaway/segments/9-8-8-americas-new-mental-health-hotline

 

PREVENTING CRIME – Walk Your Dog

Crime Prevention Officers frequently encourage people to walk around in their neighborhoods. The idea is to have eyes and ears out in the neighborhood to detect crime or suspicious activity.

Some citizens take this seriously, “patrolling” regularly, maybe even setting up a patrol schedule with some neighbors. While neighbors might start out with a good faith effort, patrols can fall off after things die down and there is nothing more to report.

A better strategy is to go for a walk, not just to patrol, but to get some exercise. This is an activity that anyone in the neighborhood can participate in when they want, in the morning, afternoon, or evening. Go for the exercise. But be aware of your surroundings. If you see any suspicious activity or a crime in progress call 911 on your cell phone.

And walking your dog helps lower crime in neighborhoods according to one study. A study out of Ohio State University showed that neighborhoods with more dogs had lower rates of homicide, robbery and, aggravated assaults compared to neighborhoods with fewer dogs. So, walking your dog can help make a safe neighborhood.

The study also ties neighbors who trust each other to lower crime rates. With dog walking and high trust comes lower crime.

This makes sense. If people are out walking, with or without their dogs, there is more opportunity to say hi and from time to time to chat on the sidewalk. Dogs often create attention and opportunities to chat and for neighbors to get to know one another. Building trust.

With high trust comes a higher likelihood that neighbors will help each other when a threat is present.

The study also found that with more dogs, fewer property crimes, such as burglaries, occurred in the neighborhood. The physical presence of dogs and the attention that barking provides act as a deterrent to the property crimes.

The lesson is to get some exercise. Get to know your neighbors. Give your dog some exercise. While you are out be aware of your surroundings. Don’t keep your eyes buried on the screen of your cell phone. Enjoy your neighborhood while you keep it safe.

 

 

 

Phys.org:

https://phys.org/news/2022-07-dogs-neighborhood-crime.html

SNOHOMISH COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE – Vacation Safety- Protecting Yourself on Your Trip

The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office has posted the latest issue of its crime prevention newsletter, “Partners in Crime Prevention.” This issue focuses on how you can protect yourself from crime while you are having fun on your vacation.

 

Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office:

https://www.snohomishcountywa.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/6874

WASHINGTON STATE PATROL – Missing Indigenous Person Alert System (MIPA)

Washington State is adding missing indigenous persons to its Endangered Missing Alerts System. The system has included AMBER Alerts for missing children, SILVER alerts for missing seniors, and ENDANGERED MISSING PERSON Alerts for endangered missing adults.

The Missing Indigenous Person Alert System (MIPA) will send notices of missing indigenous persons to law enforcement agencies and the public through the WSDOT informational signs and the highway advisory radio system, among other methods. Eventually, the alerts will be sent to cell phones in the state.

Indigenous persons go missing at a higher level than the general population. The Washington State Patrol’s (WSP) Missing and Unidentified Persons Unit (MUPU) reports 128 missing indigenous persons in Washington State as of June 13. According to the Urban Indian Health Institute in Seattle, indigenous women are more than four times as likely to disappear than white women in the state of Washington. There can be jurisdictional issues that hamper an investigation and search for a missing indigenous person. The MIPA system is an attempt to alleviate some of these issues and give publicity to missing indigenous persons that other classes of missing persons have been receiving.

WSP emphasizes that if a friend or family is missing to report the fact that they are missing immediately. In the State of Washington there is no wait time to report a missing person. Report the missing person to the law enforcement agency where they were last seen.

An alert will be activated if

·         An indigenous person is missing due to unexplained, involuntary, or suspicious circumstances and/or is believed to be in danger because of age, health, adverse weather, or other circumstances and is believed to be unable to return to safety without assistance.

·         There is enough descriptive information available that could reasonably assist with the safe recovery of the person such as: photos, height, weight, age, hair color, distinguishing physical characteristics, clothing, etc.

·         The incident has been reported to and is being investigated by law enforcement.

 

 

 

Washington State Patrol:

https://www.wsp.wa.gov/2022/06/30/state-launches-m-i-p-a-missing-indigenous-person-alert-system/

 

            Missing & Unidentified Persons Unit-

https://www.wsp.wa.gov/crime/alerts-missing-persons/

 

Missing Person Reporting- This brochure gives simple steps to take if your friend or loved one is missing,

https://www.wsp.wa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/323007_Missing_Person_Reporting_7-21.pdf

 

Seattle Times:

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/law-justice/wa-launches-first-in-nation-missing-indigenous-person-alert-system/#Echobox=1656689755-1

 

KING TV:

https://www.king5.com/article/news/community/facing-race/missing-indigenous-person-alert-washington-state/281-5409b732-e65a-432a-8583-354d54f12468

 

The Herald:

https://www.heraldnet.com/news/washington-launches-new-indigenous-missing-person-alert-system/