City of Marengo - Police Department

The Marengo Police Department has become aware of a phone scam that is going around McHenry County. The caller identifies himself as a dispatcher from an unspecified law enforcement agency, the caller advises that there was a car accident involving several subjects and that they need to call Sergeant __________ at *72-###-###-####. When the victim dials the *72 part of the number, it activates the call forward to the rest of the phone number. The offender now can receive collect calls and third party calls without paying for them because the bill goes to the victim's phone number. This is just for informational purposes only. Should you receive a call from the Police Department, they will not have you call back a number beginning with *72. If you need further information, you can contact Detective Brian Christian at the Marengo Police Department at 815-568-7231

Press Release - Solicitor Scams

On January 17 and 18 between the hours of 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. three elderly females were approached at their residences by solicitors. On one occasion a male Caucasian approached the residence and informed the woman he would clean her gutters of ice and debris for $20.00. The woman was told he wanted four $5.00 bills and he would not take the money until the work was done. The male subject entered the residence and made several trips to the basement with the woman and on one occasion she left him upstairs. When the woman started to get upset about his request for equipment he advise he would get his own, he left the residence and did not return. The male gave the name of “Kuwolski”, he was about 5’10 dressed in dark clothing and had a blue baseball cap on. There was a newer black hatchback car parked in front of her residence when she first encountered him. The male was on his cell phone while he was in the residence. Nothing appears to have been taken at this time.

In the other incident two elderly females were approached at their residences by two men who were well dressed and carrying clip boards. They advised the woman they were soliciting for cancer. When the women did not see a solicitors permit they closed the door. There was a small red car that was parked in the area but neither woman observed the men get into it.

Remember, if you do not feel comfortable answering the door for someone you don’t know, don’t answer it. Keep the front of your residence well lighted during hours of darkness and make sure all the doors and windows are locked.

The City of Marengo requires a permit prior to going door to door for soliciting in residential areas. The solicitor should have a copy of the permit with them at all times. If you should have any questions or concerns about a solicitor please contact the Marengo Police Department at 815-568-7231 or 9-1-1 in case of an emergency.

IDENTITY THEFT – A PROBLEM ON THE RISE

Stealing your Social Security Number, insurance data or other personal information has become one of America’s fastest-growing crimes. Between 500,000 and 700,000 citizens become victims annually. There are many ways your identity can be stolen and used for fraudulent means by the criminal element, such as insurance fraud (staged car accidents), fraudulent medical billing and outright theft of the identity for running up charges against the legitimate victim’s credit, just to name a few. Often times, the innocent victim is not aware of the identity theft until months later, after the thief has moved on and is using someone else’s now stolen identity. By the time you find out, you could have your credit ruined, not to say the problem left for you to correct the unauthorized charges to your accounts or in accounts opened in your name. Your driver’s license number, Social Security Number and credit card numbers are the most sought after. With the rapid increase in the use of the Internet and E-Commerce, to make purchases, your personal information is becoming easier to obtain by the criminal. Many legitimate information provider companies exist that will sell your data for a fee. The laws have gotten more stringent in the recent years, but the data is still very easily obtainable.

STEPS TO HELP PREVENT OR LESSEN YOUR CHANCE OF YOUR IDENTITY BEING STOLEN:

1. Do not give your Social Security Number out unless it is absolutely necessary, because it is the major key to your credit..
a. Don’t print your SSN or driver’s license number on your checks.
b. If your state, such as Indiana uses your SSN as your driver’s license
number, apply to have it changed if your state allows it.
c. Order your Social Security Earnings and Benefits Statement once a year to check for fraudulent use of it. Example: Criminals may use your identity for the purpose of working or obtaining unemployment, etc. under an assumed name (yours). My nephew had his SSN used for such fraudulent use, by an illegal immigrant to get work.

2. Reduce the number of credit cards you use. If you don’t use it, cancel it (don’t just cut it up, actually cancel it, then cut it up).
a. Keep a list or photocopy of your credit card information. If fraudulent charges appear, call the CONSUMER CREDIT COUNSELING SERVICE at (800) 388-2227 for help to clear false or incorrect claims from your accounts.
b. If you receive credit applications in the mail, as we all do daily, shred it to make sure the blank form does not fall into the wrong hands. If a criminal gets a hold of it, they may take it and apply for a card in your name. Plus, some of these forms may have personal information on them that you do not want known to others.
c. Be aware of merchant fraud on the Internet. Remember, you usually don’t personally know who is operating that web page where you make your purchases. Use only ones that you are reasonably sure of.
d. Order your credit report once a year, to also check for possible fraudulent accounts or charges placed on it. There are three major credit reporting bureaus (listed below), and each may have different information or no information on you.

3. If you want to reduce the amount of unwanted telemarketing calls and/or junk mail you receive, call Direct Marketing Association’s (DMA) Mail Preference Service at P.O. Box 9008, Farmingdale, New York 11735-9008. You may request that they remove your name, along with your home address from all of the mailing lists. For unwanted telephone solicitation, contact DMA’s Telephone Preference Service at P.O. Box 9014, Farmingdale, New York 11735-9014.

Note: When you call any of the 800, 888 or 900 numbers, your name, address and telephone number may be captured electronically by the company you are calling. Dialing *67 before any call should, in most states conceal your identifiers.

The DMA exemption requests are only good for five (5) years. At the end of that time period, you will have to repeat the process, with another removal request. DMA only accepts "written" requests, however, they have a General information number of (212) 768-7277 that you can call.

For more information about identity fraud/theft or if you have been a victim and wish to
file a complaint, you can contact the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-IDTHEFT or
on line at "www.consumer.gov/idtheft".

The above information was obtained from different sources and is being passed on as a community service to help the public protect themselves. These are only recommendations and are no guarantee that you may not still become a victim. However, prudent efforts on your part should greatly help reduce your odds of becoming victimized, enabling you to better protect yourself and your family.

Information provided by Marengo Police Department as a public service announcement.

Police Department - Alerts on Scams and Crimes

IDENTITY THEFT – A PROBLEM ON THE RISE