Scam Emails, Phone Calls, etc

Hi,

Some of you have received, or may receive in the future, an email (or phone call) that goes something like this:

“I’m writing this with tears in my eyes. I came down here to London, United Kingdom for a short vacation. Unfortunately, I was mugged at the park on my way to the hotel. All cash, credit card and cell were stolen off me but luckily I still have my passport with me.

I’ve been to the embassy and the police here but they’re not helping issues at all, and my flight leaves in less than 3 hrs from now. Am having problems settling the hotel bills and the hotel manager won’t let me leave until I settle the bills. I am freaked out at the moment”

The signature name is a friend, neighbor or family member of yours.

**************

If you reply, they thank you profusely and tell you to wire via Western Union a specific amount of money (in one case $1,900) to help them. The person, because they are your friend, neighbor, family member, promises to pay you back as soon as they get home. That may cause you to think this is legitimate. It is not!

This is a Scam! Many variations of that email or similar phone calls continue to come in to our computers and homes. Another variation might be, “I’ve been arrested and I’m in jail in Canada” (or some other country).

Once you wire money in these cases, it is gone! You will not get it back. These are very difficult to investigate; local law enforcement agencies can’t because the money went out of the country.

Here are some tips from BPD detectives and our IT (computer) unit:
1. Create 2 personal email addresses. One is strictly for online purchases, downloaded music, etc. The other email address has your contact list.
2. When you send/forward emails to more than one person, send them as bcc (blind copies).

If you receive one of these Scam emails:
1. Don’t reply; don’t wire them money!! Call your friend, neighbor, family member (signee of the Scam email) and tell him/her so they can follow tips 3 – 6.
2. Add the scammer’s email address to your Blocked File.
3. Change your email address.
4. Contact those on your contact list and inform them you now have a new email address. Per IT, the Scammers only have the names/email addresses on your list; they cannot read the emails unless someone replies.
5. Place your “old” email address in the Blocked/Junk Mail.
6. Notify those on the contact list to place your “old” email address in their Blocked/Junk Mail.

I hope these tips save you and others the grief of thinking your friend or family member is in trouble in another country (and you didn’t even know they’d gone there), and the financial loss of wiring money to a Scammer.

Stay safe!

Charlene Miller

Charlene Miller
Crime Prevention Unit
Boise Police Department
333 N. Sailfish Place
Boise, ID 83704
208-570-6070
cmiller@cityofboise.org

Prescription Drug Take-Back Event / Community Shred-It Day: Saturday September 25th

Do you have old prescription bottles in your medicine cabinet and don’t know what to do with them?   Do you paperwork that needs to be shredded?     On Saturday, September, 25th you can bring in old prescriptions and boxes of paperwork and get it all done at one location.
See the attached pdf’s for more information.
Stay safe,
Charlene

Charlene Miller
Crime Prevention Unit
Boise Police Department
333 N. Sailfish Place
Boise,   ID  83704
208-570-6070

Capital High Cheer Squad needs your help to go to the Holiday Bowl

BOISE – Members of the Capital High Cheer Squad are asking for your help to send them to a bowl game.

The squad has been invited to perform at the 2010 Holiday Bowl in San Diego on December 30th.

They are hoping to march in the Holiday Bowl Parade as well.

There’s just one thing.  They haven’t raised enough funds yet, and the deadline is coming up soon.

So the squad is asking for the public’s help.

If you’d like to donate, send an email to Cheer Advisor Dena Amanati at dena.amanati@boiseschools.org

Credit: http://boisebench.kboi2.com

Neighborhood Crime Bulletins

 

Below are links for crime information.   The first is the current Neighborhood Crime Bulletin for each area of the city.   
 
http://www.cityofboise.org/Departments/Police/NeighborhoodServices/NeighborhoodCrimeStats/index.aspx
 
 
This 2nd link is to view a map of the reported crime in your area.   Simply type in your address and click on the crime types.
 
http://www.adaweb.net/mapping/
 
Thank you, and stay safe!
 
Charlene Miller
 
 
 
Charlene Miller
Crime Prevention Unit
Boise Police Department
333 N. Sailfish Place
Boise,   ID  83704
208-570-6070
cmiller@cityofboise.org

McMillan Road & Mitchell Street Intersection

The Ada County Highway District (ACHD) is planning a change to the intersection of McMillan Road and Mitchell Street. The change will remove the stop signs on McMillan, leaving the intersection controlled by the stop sign on Mitchell. The T-intersection is currently allway stop-controlled.

Why change the current intersection configuration?

The change is due to the reduction in the number of vehicles using Mitchell Street since the Maple Grove Extension project was opened in 2007.

Earlier this year ACHD examined whether all-way stop-control was still needed at this intersection. The existing conditions and impacts of removing the stop signs on McMillan Road were analyzed, looking closely at intersection delay and safety.

While traffic volumes on McMillan have remained fairly constant, the volumes on Mitchell have dropped roughly 50% since the new connection.

Look for the change over on Monday, September, 27th

Related Documents
McMillan_Mitchell_Conversion_West_Bench

McMillanMitchelll_Int__Conversion_Newsl