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4 Crestwood Adviser July 2021 Number 532 Who is Your Crestwood EMA? The Crestwood Emergency Management Agency (EMA) is trained to respond to a wide range of emergencies and non-emergency events, either assisting primary emergency responders or operating independently in times of natural and manmade disasters. This dedicated group of professional members exists to provide a properly equipped, trained and ready unit to assist Crestwood residents and the public safety agencies that serve them. During the spring and summer months, the unit will activate during severe weather watches and warnings to serve as weather spotters, providing notification of tornado activity. Members of the unit are trained by the National Weather Service as storm spotters and deploy in marked vehicles to various areas of Crestwood to monitor storm activity. In addition, the unit provides the Village with an extra set of eyes during the summer months, and each emergency services vehicle is able to talk via two-way radio directly to the Police Department to report suspicious activity. When requested by the Police Department, the Emergency Management Agency is able to assist in traffic control, scene security, emergency scene lighting, first aid services, clearing of storm damage from roadways, manpower assistance, and numerous other tasks. The performance of these types of duties allows public safety agencies to free up their personnel for other responses quicker. The Crestwood EMA, through a variety of mutual Aid Agreements, including Suburban Mutual Assistance Response Team (S.M.A.R.T.) and the State of Illinois Emergency Management Agency will also respond to other communities’ requests for emergency and non-emergency assistance. Thinking about becoming a member? We offer: • Emergency Services Training • Severe Weather Monitoring • Traffic Control • Neighborhood Patrol • Special Community Events • Communications • Emergency Scene Lighting • Emergency Operations Center Support • Emergency Preparedness Education All members will be trained, issued uniforms and an Identification badge, and will be utilized for preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation efforts. Our meetings take place at 13755 Lamon Ave. on the fourth Thursday of the month @7:00pm. Contact Tim Stoffregen at tstoffregen@crestwood.illinois.gov. Join us today and make a difference for our Village! As the athletes of Special Olympics sat on the sidelines, unable to compete because of COVID, the drivers of the Five-O and the police officers that raise money every year to ensure that the athletes can practice and compete were also left idling. After losing an entire season to COVID, we are happy to announce that on July 24th, the Crestwood Police Department will be returning to the Dirt Oval at Route 66 Speedway for the 4th annual “Five-O at the Dirty O for Special Olympics.” The concept of this event is to have police officers from all over the state race cars that represent their department’s patrol car paint and decal scheme to raise money for Special Olympics Illinois. Each officer will be required to raise money to participate. The pole position (lead car) will be the department who raises the most amount of money. In 2019, with 25 drivers in the race, the competition was fierce. However, with several new towns joining the race this year, this race promises to be more exciting than ever. New to the race so far this year are Buffalo Grove, Bloomington and Flossmoor. Other local departments returning are Midlothian, Oak Forest, Bridgeview and many more. This is a family event that starts out with a Public Safety Car Show, with all types of police specialty vehicles such as S.W.A.T Trucks, Command Vans and much more. On the racing agenda for the evening will be several rounds of Team Demolition Derby and then the Five-O take to the track to see who the fastest cop in town is. Be sure to come out for an evening of fun and cheer on the Crestwood Cops as they compete to take the checkered flag. We are now asking if you would be interested in sponsoring our department in this event. In exchange for a donation toward Special Olympics, we will display your business/company logo on one of our race car, as well as on other event material. If you are interested in making a larger donation, contact us about advertising space available on the car. All other donations are greatly appreciated and will receive an honorable mention. All donations are tax deductible. You can see more on this event at LETRFiveORacing.com or on the Crestwood Police Department’s Facebook page. You can make an online donation to our team at https://soill.donordrive.com/ index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&participantID=71130 or you can send your tax-deductible donation, payable to Special Olympics Illinois, to: Crestwood PD: Community Alert The Crestwood Police Department is encouraging citizens to be vigilant while patronizing local businesses and to always be aware of one’s surroundings. Crestwood, along with many surrounding suburbs, recently has investigated crimes against persons who were victimized while out of their cars, even for a short time. As we are living in a time that requires all citizens to be careful of their surroundings and are asked to report any suspicious activity to your local police department. Please be vigilant and don’t give the bad people opportunities. Please lock your vehicles at all times. This includes while you are at the gas pump or just “running in” somewhere. Never leave your vehicle running unattended. Always secure or hide valuables that are left in your vehicle. Don’t leave your purse unattended while shopping with a cart. The harder you make it for the bad people, the better chance that they will move on and not victimize you. This alert is merely a reminder that we all must be careful, and we want to remind you that living and shopping in Crestwood is still very safe, as it has been for many years. Please be careful. Respectfully, Crestwood Police Department Crestwood Cops Return to Racetrack for 4th Season Crestwood Police Department Attn: Detective Soderlund | 13840 Cicero | Crestwood, IL 60418 If you have any questions, or want to forward your company logo, contact Detective Chris Soderlund at (708) 371-4800 or csoderlund@crestwood.illinois.gov
We Watch, We Call! Mayor Presta and the Board of Trustees have heard the requests of many to report crimes in our Village. Working with our Police Department, a compiled snapshot of a month’s reporting will be shown here in the Adviser. Our intent is to inform the public in order to protect and be vigilant in calling upon our Police. The Mayor urges all to stay tuned in to your neighbors’ well-being and property. Call our police, report suspicious activity, be aware. (911 or Dispatch non-Emergency 708-385-5131). Each month we continue to remind residents about all the scams that are occurring. Please remember that if anyone contacts you for any reason — overdue taxes, warrant for your arrest, allegations of illegal activity on your accounts — and offers to allow you to settle the matter by purchasing gift cards, IT IS A SCAM! Do not give anyone on the phone your personal or banking information. Do not allow anyone over the phone or via email or link to access your computer. If you have any doubts at all, please contact the police department for advice. Senior Service Office Tom Dawson or any other police officer will be able to assist you in determining if it is a scam. Our officers are here 24 hours a day and would rather respond to assist you in preventing a scam then to have to take a report where you have been scammed out of thousands of dollars. Deceptive Practice **SCAM ALERT** 05-07-2021: A resident reported being called by an individual who identified as an agent from the Social Security Fraud Division. The caller advised that the resident’s name and Social Security number was used in connection with federal drug trafficking. The perpetrator explained how the victim could rectify the case without going to court, which involved her going to purchase (2) $500 gift cards while remaining on the call. The victim proceeded to Target and purchased the gift cards, providing the caller with the gift card’s information. The caller then demanded the victim go to another store to purchase additional cards, but the victim became suspicious and requested assistance from a Target associate. Theft 05-04-2021: Unknown suspects entered a vehicle and stole several items from a vehicle in the 5300 block of Waterbury Lane. 05-05-2021: Unknown suspects entered a vehicle in the 5300 block of Waterbury Court and took several items, including a Sony Bluetooth Audio System. 05-10-2021: Unknown suspects entered a vehicle in the 140th block of Walter Drive and took several gift cards. Criminal Damage to Property 05-05-2021: A vehicle was broken into and the interior damaged as it was parked in the XSport Fitness Parking Lot. July 2021 Number 532 Crestwood Adviser 5 Police Warn of Recent Scams Residents have recently reported that they have been in contact with asphalt contracting scammers. This type of scam is also referred to as a Gypsy Scam, in that these individuals will hit a specific area or neighborhood and once they have worn out their efforts, they pick up and move to the next town or state. This group of people approach a home and smooth talk the homeowner into allowing them to reseal their asphalt driveway. These people are very persuasive and typically target the elderly population. Their sales pitch can include telling the homeowner that they will give them a ‘cut rate price’ just for today; or they were working in the area and saw that your driveway needs resealing. This group usually uses cut-rate products and also asks for payment before they begin in the way of cash or a check made out to cash. Here are some other things to consider: • If you did not personally call a seal coating contractor, do not hire one that comes to your door. • Always sign a contract and do your homework to be sure the contractor is reputable. Just because they may have appropriate work clothing, a truck with a name on it, and sealcoating equipment does not make them reputable. • If these people come to your door, do not engage in conversation, just shut the door. • If you have elderly relatives or neighbors, please take the time to school them regarding this scam. The reason these individuals target the elderly is because they can be easily persuaded into trusting them. • If you see something, say something! Report any suspicious trucks or vehicles in your neighborhood to your local police department. The term “gypsy” as it pertains to gypsy scams in law enforcement refers to people who travel in small groups across the country perpetrating crimes of fraud, theft, and burglary. Gypsy scams are incidents that occur in daylight hours, in which the suspect will walk right into someone’s home for the purpose of stealing jewelry or money, often with the homeowner home or near the home. They are typically non-violent in nature and usually run from the residence if discovered. If discovered, they will often make up an excuse for why they are there. The best way to prevent this type of theft is to lock your doors and install security cameras. Popular gypsy scams include driveway seal coating scams, lawn care and contractor fraud. Gift Card Scams Someone might ask you to pay for something by putting money on a gift card, like a Google Play or iTunes card, and then giving them the numbers on the back of the card. If they ask you to do this, they’re trying to scam you. No real business or government agency will ever insist you pay them with a gift card. Anyone who demands to be paid with a gift card is a scammer. Read on to learn more about gift card scams. What Gift Card Scams Looks Like Gift cards are for gifts, not for payments. But they’re popular with scammers because they’re easy for people to find and buy, and they have fewer protections for buyers compared to some other payment options. They’re more like cash: Once you use the card, the money on it is gone. Scammers like this. 1. If someone calls you and demands that you pay them with gift cards, you can bet that a scammer is behind that call. Once they have the gift card number and the PIN, they have your money. Scammers may tell you many stories to get you to pay them with gift cards, but this is what usually happens: 2. The caller says it’s urgent. The scammer says you have to pay right away or something terrible will happen. But you don’t, and it won’t. 3. The caller usually tells you which gift card to buy. They might say to put money on an eBay, Google Play, Target or iTunes gift card. They might send you to a specific store — often Walmart, Target, CVS or Walgreens. Sometimes they say to buy cards at several stores, so cashiers won’t get suspicious. And the caller might stay on the phone with you while you go to the store and load money onto the card. These are all signs of a scam. 4. The caller asks you for the gift card number and PIN. The card number and PIN on the back of the card let the scammer get the money you loaded onto the card. And the scammer gets it right away. How Scammers Convince You to Pay With Gift Cards Scammers pretend to be someone they’re not to convince you to pay with gift cards. They want to scare or pressure you into acting quickly so that you don’t have time to think or talk to someone you trust. Here’s a list of common gift card scams and schemes: • The caller says they’re from the government — maybe the IRS or the Social Security Administration. They say you have to pay taxes or a fine, but it’s a scam. • Someone calls from tech support, maybe saying they’re from Apple or Microsoft, saying there’s something wrong with your computer. But it’s a lie. • You meet someone special on a dating website, but then he needs money and asks you to help him. This romance scammer makes up any story to trick you into sending him gift cards. • The scammer pretends to be a friend or family member in an emergency and asks you to send money right away — but not tell anyone. This is a scam. If you’re worried, hang up and call your friend or relative to check that everything is all right. • Someone says you’ve won a prize but first, you have to pay fees or other charges with a gift card. Remember: No honest business or agency will ever make you pay with a gift card. But also — did you even enter that sweepstakes? • The caller says she’s from your power company, or another utility company. She threatens to cut off your service if you don’t pay immediately. But utility companies don’t work that way. It’s a scam. • You get a check from someone for way more than you expected. They tell you to deposit the check, then give them the difference on a gift card. But that check will be fake and you’ll be out all that money. What To Do If You Paid a Scammer With Gift Cards If you paid a scammer with a gift card, tell the company that issued the card right away. Amazon • Call 1 (888) 280-4331. • Keep the Amazon card itself and your receipt for the Amazon card. • Learn about Amazon gift card scams and how to report them. Go to their website and click on “Contact us.” eBay • Chat with eBay customer support, or have a representative call you back. • Keep the eBay gift card itself and your receipt for the eBay gift card. • Learn more about scams using eBay gift cards and how to report them. Google Play • Report the gift card scam to Google. • Keep the Google Play card itself and your receipt for the Google Play card. • Learn about Google Play gift card scams and how to report them. iTunes • Call Apple Support right away at 1 (800) 275-2273. Say “gift card” to connect with a live representative. • Ask if the money is still on the iTunes card. If so, Apple can put a freeze on it. You might be able to get your money back from them. • Keep the iTunes card itself and your receipt for the iTunes card. • Learn about iTunes gift card scams and how to report them. Steam • If you have a Steam account, report gift card scams online. Click the “Purchases” option, then click “I have charges from Steam that I didn’t make.” Then click “Contact Steam Support.” • Keep the Steam card itself and your receipt for the Steam card. • Learn about Steam gift card scams. MoneyPak • Report gift card scams to MoneyPak. • Keep the MoneyPak card itself and your receipt for the MoneyPak card. • Learn about MoneyPak gift card scams. Don’t see your card on this list? Look for the company’s contact information on the card itself, or do some research online to find out how to reach the card issuer. If you can’t find the contact information or the card issuer doesn’t want to talk to you, report it to the FTC. Safely Buying and Using Gift Cards Remember that gift cards are for gifts, not for payments. So if you buy gift cards to give away or donate: • Stick to stores you know and trust. Avoid buying from online auction sites because the cards may be fake or stolen. • Check it out before you buy it. Make sure the protective stickers are on the card and that they do not appear to have been tampered with. Also check that the PIN number on the back isn’t showing. Get a different card if you spot a problem. • Keep your receipt. This or the card’s ID number will help you file a report if you lose the gift card. Report Fraud If someone asks you to pay them with gift cards: Report it to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud. ftc.gov. Report it even if you didn’t pay. Your report helps law enforcement to stop scams. You can also report it to your state attorney general. If you lost money, also report it to local law enforcement. A police report may help when you deal with the card issuer.
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