Beyond the goofiness..

It continues to amaze me just what people call the police department for, which is why I started posting monthly summaries from the police report.

Clearly some people are hopeless -- or helpless -- I haven't decided.

There is, however, another side to the police reports.  Public service reminders.

Each police report includes a list of scams that people are trying to pull on residents.

For example, ruse burglaries -- Quite simply, A ‘ruse burglary’ is a crime in which someone distracts the homeowner while a second person enters the home and looks for things to steal.  Now you may be thinking -- why would anyone let a stranger in their house under the ruse  (hence the name, ruse burglary) that they were doing work outside and needed to check something inside.  Bottom line -- if it looks strange, it probably is -- don't take the chance.

The same holds true for people calling claiming you are needed for jury duty.  According to police reports "The caller claims to be a jury DUTY coordinator. If you protest that you never received a summons for jury duty, the Scammer asks you for your Social Security number and date of birth so he or she can verify the information and cancel the arrest warrant. Give out any of this information and Bingo, your identity was just stolen." Bottom line -- if its sounds strange, it probably is -- don't take the chance.

So here's what the police suggest you do -- as taken from the police report:

•  Do not let anyone into your home that you do not know or does not have an appointment 
•  Do not give any personal information to someone at your door or on the phone. Your bank will never call or send an email asking for personal information. 
• Do not send money to someone who says you are the beneficiary of a man in Nigeria … or a serviceman in the Middle East. No one is going to send you six or seven or eight million dollars. If I had all of the millions that were promised to me through emails, I would be able to pay off Illinois’ 15 billion dollar debt. 
•  Do not send money to someone who calls and says he is your grandson in jail in Guatemala (or anywhere else in the world). 
• If you have doubts about a call or visit, or if you want to report a scam, please call 9-1-1 immediately.

 There are other scams that unfortunately the police have not addressed yet. For example:

• If someone calls and offers a chance to get in touch with your inner self  through regular tranquility by becoming a Village Board member – it’s a scam.
• If you are offered free tickets to an exciting night at a school board meeting – it’s scam.
• If someone gives you a chance to be part of the next Rob Sherman Bible revival followed by a pig roast, it’s a scam.

And finally, the most serious scam facing the community comes in the form of either an email or phone call in which the recipient is guaranteed a solid and stable business opportunity in athletics by becoming general manager of the Chicago Bears – needless to say, it’s a scam.

So hey, let's be careful out there.