Crime Prevention Tips
TSTC Police periodically provide crime prevention
tips to the Colleges they serve, including:
Walking Tips
- If your purse or backpack is being snatched, don't fight it.
There is nothing in it that can't be replaced or is worth getting
hurt over.
- Avoid walking alone as much as possible. Having other people
nearby is a great defense.
- Be alert when you're alone. Be aware of who is around you.
- Walk confidently, directly, and at a steady pace. Attackers
look for someone who appears vulnerable.
- Walk near the curb, avoiding shrubbery or other places of concealment.
- Avoid isolated or poorly-lit places and unpopulated areas,
alleys, vacant lots or buildings.
- Do not hitchhike.
- Be careful when people in a car stop and ask you for directions.
Always reply from a distance; never get too close to the car.
Elevator Safety
- Always stand near the control panel.
- If you suspect trouble or are attacked, push the alarm button
and as many floor buttons as possible so that the elevator will
halt quickly, probably at the next floor.
- Respond to instinct, intuition or gut reactions. Don't get
on an elevator with someone who makes you feel uneasy.
- If other passengers get off, leaving you with a person(s) who
make you feel uneasy, get off with other passengers and wait for
the next elevator.
- Allow other passengers to push the buttons for their floors
first.
Telephone Tips
- Never list your address in the phone book.
- Use your first initial and last name in the phone book.
- When not at home, use an answering machine. Have it answer
that you cannot come to the phone, not that you are not at home.
Turn the ringer down so it cannot be heard from the outside.
- In cases of emergency, know what number to dial (911) and what
to say when calling.
- Don't give any personal information out if called about surveys,
contests, subscription drives, purchases or deliveries until the
source of the call has been verified. Ask for a number they can
be called back at and confirm with what is listed in telephone
book.
- Never give your name, address, or phone number to someone you
don't know.
- Never give any information to "wrong number" callers,
ask for the number they are trying to dial.
- Always give the impression you are not alone.
- If they ask for someone who is not there, say they can't come
to the phone and ask for a name and number.
- When you first realize the caller is obscene or harassing,
hang up immediately. Do not listen to them or show any type of
emotional response. Report continuing incidents to the telephone
company and police.
- A blast from a whistle should not be used to discourage obscene
or harassing phone calls.
- If all else fails, change your phone number and make it unlisted.
A New Telephone Scam
Being scammed is just a phone call away--a phone
call to area code 809. This popular scam could cost you more than
$100 for a few minutes of your time.
The scam plays something like this: You receive
an e-mail message, a message on your answering machine or on your
pager urging you to immediately call an 809 area code. The message
may tell you to call to avoid the cancellation of your e-mail account,
to get information on a relative in danger or to claim a prize.
If you call from the United States, you may be charged as much as
$25 per minute.
What lies on the other end of the receiver varies
from a person speaking broken English to a long recorded message,
both aimed at keeping you on the phone as long as possible. The
809 area code is located in the Bahamas and can be used as a "pay-per-call"
number similar to a 900 number. But unlike 900 numbers in the United
States, 809 area codes do not have to conform to laws set up to
avoid scams like this one.
U.S. regulations require that you be warned of
charges and rates involved and that the company provide a time period
during which you may hang up without being charged. In addition,
many U.S. phones have 900-number blocking, but this is not available
for the 809 area code.
The chances of getting the charges dropped are
slim, according to the internet Scam busters. In a message sent
out over the Internet on October 23, Scam busters warns that both
your local phone company and your long distance carrier may say
they were simply providing the billing for the foreign company.
The foreign company can argue it has done nothing wrong, and you
may still be stuck with the bill because you made the call. The
easiest way to avoid this hassle is not to return any calls with
the 809 area code until you have investigated further.
Telephone Harassment
Repetitive hang-ups, anonymous obscene phone calls
and threatening e-mail messages are all examples of harassment,
the most common of which is telephone harassment.
Harassment is defined as an offense with the
intent to harass, annoy, alarm, abuse, torment or embarrass by telephone
or writing. Harassment is also a communication which is obscene
or threatening.
- What can you do? Individuals who receive harassing, annoying
or threatening telephone calls are encouraged to contact the TSTC
Police for assistance.
Harassment is a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $2,000 and/or up to 180 days in jail.
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