What to do if you're a victim of fraud
Microsoft July 26, 2006
When you use a credit card, you can be vulnerable to fraud, whether you pay online, over the phone, or even in person at your neighborhood grocery store.
If you think you've been the victim of fraud or a scam, immediately follow these steps. The faster you contact the proper authorities, the more likely you are to minimize the damage a scammer can do to your identity, your credit, and your bank account.
Step 1: Close any affected accounts
Contact the genuine company or organization if you believe you've given sensitive information to an unknown source masquerading as that real company or organization. If you contact the real company immediately, they might be able to lessen the damage to you and others. Then:
Home Security Has Come A Long Way In The Past Century
by: Ralph Winn
Having top-notch home security can mean the difference between feeling vulnerable and feeling in control of your home and family. Home security has come a long way in the past century; as burglars have become more sophisticated, so have the means to repel them.
The Garza family of Houston, Texas thought their home was secure. They locked their doors. They lived in a good neighborhood. What more home security should they need? But one Friday afternoon they came home to a broken window and a ransacked house. Their TV, other electronics, even the kid’s bikes, were gone. “How could this happen in broad daylight?” Asks Ed Garza. “The criminals are getting braver.”
Residential Crime Prevention Starts With Taking The Proper Steps
by: Ralph Winn
Common sense dictates us to lock our doors at night and when we are away from home, but residential crime prevention comes in many other shapes and sizes. Effective residential crime prevention depends on everything from properly fitted doors to stopping your mail delivery when away on vacation.
The Basics
Residential crime prevention starts with taking the proper steps to secure the outside of your home. Basic residential crime prevention measures include installing outside floodlights, keeping your yard clutter free, pruning shrubbery so it doesn't hide windows and doors and cutting tree limbs back from upper-level windows.
Child Safety Tips
by: Ralph Winn
When protecting your family, the safety of your children is likely your number one concern. Child safety is important at all times, inside or outside the house. Here are a few ways to maintain child safety in your life.
Child Safety Tip #1: Arm Against Strangers
You can’t be with your children all the time. If your children are old enough to play in the yard alone, or ride bikes around the neighborhood, you must protect them from dangerous strangers. When it comes to child safety, protecting your child from people who mean to do them harm is parents’ number one concern. Pepper sprays can effectively disarm a criminal and give your child time to run and scream for help.
Personal Safety
Personal safety is of the utmost importance these days. But all the police and firemen and EMS workers in the world can’t be there to protect you 24/7. So taking charge of your own personal safety is the first step to keeping yourself out of danger. The Home Security store offers a number of devices that help increase your personal safety, but simple common sense behavior is the best place to start.
Personal Safety on the Street
•Sling your purse across your body and hold it to your chest so it cannot be snatched.
•If you can’t do that, be prepared to let go of your purse immediately if someone grabs it, lest you be pulled to the ground and hurt.