Crime Watch
More Identity Thefts Plague Neighborhood
More Upper East Side residents became the latest victims of the identity thefts that have been plaguing bank and credit card account holders in ever greater numbers. Here are the latest identity theft reports from the 19th precinct:
? At 12 noon on Thursday, March 6, a 66-year-old man received a call from TransUnion advising him that two credit cards had been opened in his name in New Jersey. In addition, unauthorized charges of $4,647 had appeared on the cards, which he had never ordered and never received.
? A 33-year-old man received a call from TD Bank at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 6, questioning four charges that had been made to his debit card, totaling $1,520. The charges were unauthorized, as the man still had the debit card in his possession.
? On Wednesday, March 5, a 55-year-old woman got a call from Dell Financial Services stating that multiple cards had been opened in her name, using her personal information and Social Security number. The victim told police that she had no idea how the perpetrators had gotten hold of her personal information.
Out of Line
A woman ran off with a moviegoer's wallet. At 5 PM on Wednesday, March 5, a 61-year-old man was paying for a ticket outside a movie theater on East 86th Street, when he dropped his wallet on the sidewalk without realizing it. Someone else on the ticket line alerted him to the fallen wallet, when a woman in the line grabbed the wallet off the ground and ran away with it. The wallet contained the man's driver's license and a number of credit cards.
COMMUNITY ALERT!
Safeguard your apartment and home. Recent burglaries have occurred in the neighborhood. Be alert for suspicious activity. Perpetrators are gaining entry by:
? Forcing locked doors, mainly the front, due to inadequate locks.
? Front doors left open and unsecured.
? Unlocked rear windows.
? Fire-escape windows.
Remember to:
1. Lock all windows and doors ? even when you will be away from home only for a few hours, even if you live in a doorman building.
2. Install and lock secondary locks.
3. Do NOT leave your electronics (laptops, iPods, etc.) near your windows in plain view.
4. Install only FDNY-approved safety gates on fire-escape or ground-level windows.
PROTECT YOUR HOME: Your local precinct Crime Prevention Survey consists of a walk-through of your home and a list of security recommendations to help prevent your chances of being burglarized. Call your local precinct and ask the crime prevention officer for this FREE service.
If you have any information regarding any burglaries, please contact your local precinct detective squad.