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OPD declares April Fraud/ID Theft/Scam Awareness Month

 

OXNARD POLICE DEPARTMENT

NEWS RELEASE

 

INCIDENT: Oxnard Police Department declares April Fraud/Identity Theft/Scam Awareness Month
DATE/TIME: 04-08-17
LOCATION: Oxnard Police Department, 251 South “C” Street, Oxnard
PREPARED BY: Detective Crystal Walker
CONTACT PERSON AND  CONTACT INFO: Detective Crystal Walker, 805-385-7668 or crystal.walker@oxnardpd.org

DETAILS:

Your Oxnard Police Department is declaring April 2017 to Be Fraud/Identity Theft/Scam Prevention Month. During the month of April, Oxnard Police Department will be disseminating crime prevention information regarding these three topics.

Saturday’s SHRED-IT event is the beginning of this month long initiative.  As the public is aware, identity theft has become a big problem in our society.  On a daily basis our Financial Crimes Investigator is notifying victims that their information was compromised and recovered on a suspect arrested for crimes ranging from narcotics offenses to vehicle theft.  Many victims were not aware that their information was in the hands of criminals who intended to use it for fraudulent purposes.  Many victims report that they did not shred their paperwork for a variety of reasons.  The recent arrest of Tamara Lynn Hill aka Frazier for using a victim’s information to fraudulently receive benefits from the State of California in excess of $10,000 is an example of how complicated fraud crimes can quickly become for victims.

“Shred” events are one method of preventing identity theft in our community. It allows those that do not have personal shredders to shred their documents securely and not risk them landing in the possession of those who would use the information to obtain goods and services. Because paperwork can build over a period of time, it is recommended to go paperless through secure online services such as from your banks or other financial institutions.  Here are some other tips to help you avoid becoming a victim of identity theft:

  • Do not leave anything containing your personal identifying information in your car or anyplace where someone could take it.
  • Do not leave any mail clipped to a mailbox or in an unsecured location.
  • Do not throw away unopened mail especially if it comes from a financial or credit institution – get a shredder.
  • Obtain a credit report annually and check all existing accounts monthly.
  • Activate all online bank account services so that you can control them or de-activate them as appropriate so that criminals are unable to access your accounts through online open doors.  Use anti-virus/malware and secure banking features with your online browsing software.

During Saturday’s Community Shred-It Event we collected over 26,000 lbs. in personal documents for shredding and a few hundred pounds of e-waste!  This guarantees that those documents will not be used for identity theft or fraud!

Thank you to all who participated in this event and especially “THANK YOU” to those directly involved: Krispy Kreme’s, Tresierras, SHRED-IT, City of Oxnard Environmental Resources, Oxnard Police Department VIPS, Oxnard Police Department Community Affairs Office, Oxnard Police Department Traffic Unit and the Oxnard Police Department Property Crimes Unit/Financial Crimes.

DATE / TIME PREPARED:  04-08-17/1706