Police Report Jump in ATM Skimming

CENTRAL DIVISION PRESS
FORT WORTH POLICE DEPARTMENT
APRIL 2016 NEWSLETTER
PAGE 1 OF 7
Police Report Jump in ATM Skimming
Be sure to use caution when withdrawing from automated teller machines, especially in convenience stores and
gas stations. Police departments have reported an increase in skimming devices on ATMs.
How the Scam Works:
You need cash, so you stop at a gas station with an ATM. You head to the back of the shop and insert your card
into the machine. You may not notice anything strange, but scammers have attached a skimmer to the card
reader. These devices "skim" your card's information off the magnetic strip. Many times, scammers may set up
a camera nearby. It's pointed at the ATM in order to capture the user typing their PIN into the machine. With these
two pieces of information, scammers can access and withdraw money from your account.
Many police departments are reporting higher than normal cases of ATM skimming. The spike may be tied
to banks rolling out new chip cards, which have encryption technology to make them much more difficult to hack.
Until the new technology is fully implemented, scammers are taking full advantage of the current situation.
Protect Yourself from an ATM Skimmer:
Use ATMs at banks whenever possible. Avoid ATMs in a low traffic or low light areas. It is typically more
secure to use ATMs at banks rather than standalone machines.
 Protect your PIN. Place your hand or a piece of paper over the keypad when entering your number.
 Look for signs of skimmers. Tape is often used to attach the skimming devices; if something looks odd,
wiggle it to make sure it doesn't come loose.
 Be wary of strange signs. Some con artists attach signs to ATMs providing alternate instructions, such as
telling users to swipe their card on a separate reader first. If something looks out of place, find a different ATM
and report it to the bank or store manager, or to the police.
 If someone offers to "help" you use the ATM, immediately decline and leave. If you feel uncomfortable
with the individual, go somewhere well lit or lock yourself in your car and call the police emergency number.
 Be cautious of ATM failures. If the machine doesn't give you money, or gives you an immediate message
that the machine malfunctioned, call the financial institution and let them know.

Report any problems. Only call a number you know is real, such as the one on the back of your card. Don't call
a number posted next to the ATM, it could be part of the scam. If you aren't sure, call the police non-emergency.
Newsletter Published By:
Eartha Pitre, M.A.
Crime Prevention Specialist-Central Division
501 Jones Street, Fort Worth, TX 76102
Office (817) 392-3997 eartha.pitre@fortworthtexas.gov
APRIL 27th
Administrative Professionals Day
I am happy to
celebrate 19
years as a City
of Fort Worth
Employee
this month.
DONATIONS FOR OFFICER
MATT PEARCE
Donations to assist Officer Pearce can be
submitted to the Fort Worth Police Officers
Awards Foundation website at:
http://fwpoliceawards.org/
On the online donation form there is a radio button
for “In Honor/Memory of an Officer”
and when you click it, it brings up a box to
fill in the Officer’s name. Any donations
received in his name will be forwarded
to the Pearce family from this site.
The photos below were taken at the Code Blue COP Appreciation Luncheon 2016
Congratulations Jerry Lemunyon, Central Division’s Patroller of the Year.
Central Division’s 25 Year Code Blue Honorees : Imogene Collins and Fernando Flores.
Article Posted in City News
Earlier this year more than 400 volunteers and about 100 members of law enforcement canvassed
Tarrant and Parker counties to count the homeless population.
Their results showed there are approximately 1,985 people experiencing homelessness, an increase
of 71 people, or 3.7 percent. The homeless population continues to shrink as a percentage of the
overall population and remains below 1 percent.
While homelessness on the western side of the Metroplex continues to be concentrated in Fort Worth,
increases were identified this year in both Arlington and Parker County. Totals for 2016 below:
Fort Worth, 1,846, up 24 percent.
Arlington, 346, up 24 percent.
Parker County, 6, up 500 percent.
Northeast Tarrant, 113, down 24 percent.
This year, the three most often cited reasons among homeless men are:
Unemployment, Inability to afford rent, and Addictions/substance abuse.
Among women were: Inability to afford rent, Unemployment, or Family/personal illness.
Giving Spirit
Darlene M. is a Central Division
Code Blue COP Captain who
volunteers weekly as a Dental Assistant
at Travis Ave Baptist Church’s Mercy
Clinic. She gives of her time and talent.
APRIL AUTO ETCHINGS IN
NORTH DIVISION
ALL EVENTS ARE 10am to 2pm
APRIL 6th
Walmart
8520 North Beach
APRIL 13th
Carnival Food Store
102 NW 28th St
APRIL 20th
Walmart
8520 North Beach
Neighborhood Police
Officer Tony Salais
displayed his personal
classic vehicle last
month at the Cops and
Rodders Car Show.
Photos show Officer Salais standing near his
vehicle. He explained; “it’s a Red 1973 Chevy
Camaro RS/LT, aka..“ Red Tiger”. It is in the
Classic Muscle Car Category.”
“It also has a brand new
V8 crate engine 355 ci
and New Tremec TKO
600 5 speed manual
transmission. “
Drop off your unused and expired medications for safe disposal during
Take Back Meds Day, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. April 30, 2016.
Storing unwanted and expired medications in the home presents a risk for drug abuse or
overdose for children and pets. Improper drug disposal can contaminate soil and water.
The National TakeBack Meds Day is a partnership with the Drug Enforcement Agency
(DEA), Walgreens and area cities to allow residents to bring expired, unused /unwanted
over-the-counter and prescription drugs, veterinary medicines, samples, vitamins and
herbal supplements for safe disposal -- no questions asked.
Medications are accepted at the following Walgreens locations:
3809 E. Belknap St.
4324 Golden Triangle Blvd.
2400 Jacksboro Highway
9625 White Settlement Road
3100 McCart Ave.
6205 Westcreek Drive
6346 Camp Bowie Blvd.
4200 E. Lancaster Ave.
8600 S. Hulen St.
Medications will also be accepted at the following partnered city collection sites:
City of Hudson Oaks 130 N. Oakridge Drive
City of Aledo, Vandagriff Elementary School 408 S. FM 1187
Richland Hills Fire Department 3201 Diana Drive
City of Weatherford 1007 S. Main St.
City of Keller 330 Rufe Snow Drive
What’s Accepted
Prescriptions/over-the-counter, Veterinary meds, Vitamins, minerals, samples.
What’s Not Accepted
Oxygen tanks
Inhalers or nebulizers
Needles or other sharp objects
Thermometers or IV bags
Before you arrive
Keep medicines in original containers
Mark through personal information
Stay in your vehicle at all times
Article Posted in City News
In Texas, there is no such thing as state licensing for roofers, and insurance is not required. Anyone can hang
up a shingle and call themselves a roofing company. When storms hit North Texas, it’s not uncommon to see an
influx of out-of-town roofers/“storm chasers” who may leave town not long after the storms do. As a homeowner,
how can you determine if you are hiring a legitimate, experienced roofer.
Here are some important questions the North Texas Roofing Contractors Association recommends asking about
any roofing company you may be considering:
Are they in good standing with the Better Business Bureau?
 Are they a member of a roofing association that holds its members to high standards, such as the North
Texas Roofing Contractors Association, the National Roofing Contractors Association, the Roofing Contractors
Association of Texas or the Midwest Roofing Contractors Association?
 How many years of experience do they have as a roofing contractor in North Texas?
 Are they insured? What type of insurance coverage do they have and what and how much does it cover?
Don’t hesitate to ask a roofing contractor for a certificate of insurance and make sure the coverage is in effect
throughout your project. You do not want to be liable for accidents that occur on your property (and you will be
if the contractor is not properly insured).
 Who will supervise your roofing project? How much experience do they have? How can you contact that
person?
 Where is the roofing company located? Has your prospective contractor just come to town with the storms?
Drive by and check out their business address. You probably don’t want to hire a roofer who is operating out of
his pickup truck or a temporary post office box.
 What is the roofing contractor’s warranty on labor? What is the manufacturer’s warranty? Get warranty
information in writing. Consider how long your contractor has been in business and where they are located when
looking at their labor warranty.
 Do they have credit references? Ask for a list of local suppliers, and call them to ensure the roofing contractor
is in good standing. You don’t want to be left footing the bill for roofing materials.
 Do they have customer references they can provide? Get a list of previous customers and call them.
 Will they give you a detailed, written proposal with complete descriptions of the work, start and completion
dates and payment schedule?
 Is the contractor going to obtain the appropriate City of Fort Worth permits?
 Are they asking for money upfront? End users should beware of paying before the job is complete. A partial
payment for materials, however, after they have been delivered to your project location, is not unusual.
 Which roofing manufacturers are they certified to install? You can go to the manufacturer’s website to see
which roofing contractors are certified to install their roofing system.
 Is the roofer offering to “take care of” or “eat” your insurance deductible? Talk directly to your insurance
company to ensure that any “deal” is legitimate and not insurance fraud.
 Are they claiming they are licensed? If so, where? Ask to see their license.
 If the bid is significantly lower than their competitors, why? If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Price is only one consideration when selecting a roofing contractor. Also, a price that is significantly below other
contractors’ costs is an indicator that the roofing materials being used may be stolen goods, a growing problem in
North Texas that is a federal offense.

To learn more, contact Karen Vermaire Fox, executive director of the North Texas Roofing Contractors Association, at 817-480-1060
Craigslist Abounds with Rental Scams
Planning to move this spring? If you are hunting for an apartment on Craigslist,
watch out for rental cons. A new report from New York University explores just
how common these scams are. Spoiler alert: they are everywhere.
How the Scam Works:
You are looking at Craigslist apartment listings for a new place to live. You know
that scams are common on the site, but just how prevalent are they? Very,
according to the NYU researchers. Craigslist fails to identify more than half of
rental scam listings, and suspicious posts linger for as long as 20 hours before
being taken down.
Researchers reviewed more than 2 million for-rent posts and found 29,000 fake
listings in 20 major cities. Of those, there were three key types of scams. In the
first, a fake post instructs a would-be tenant to purchase a credit report. The
scammer gets a commission from the credit reporting site, even though there
is no property for rent.
In another scheme, con artists duplicate rental listings from other sites and post
on Craigslist at a lower price. Prospective renters pay a deposit via wire transfer.
Another pervasive scam is "realtor service" companies. Targets are asked to
pay fees to access listings of pre-foreclosure rentals or rent-to-own properties.
In the majority of cases, the companies leading the scams have no connection
to the properties listed.
How to Spot a Rental Scam:
 Don't wire money or use a prepaid debit card: You should never pay
a security deposit or first month's rent by prepaid debit card or wire transfer.
These payments are the same as sending cash - once you send it, you have
no way to get it back.
 Watch out for deals that sound too good: Scammers lure in targets
by promising low rents, great amenities and other perks. If the price
seems much better than offered elsewhere, it may be a scam.
 See the property in person: Don't send money to someone you've never met
for an apartment you haven't seen. If you can't visit an apartment or house
yourself, ask someone you trust to go and confirm that it is what as advertised.
 Don't fall for the overseas landlord story: Scammers often claim to be out of
the country and instruct targets to send money overseas.
 Search for the same ad in other cities: Search for the listing online.
If you find the same ad listed in other cities, that's a huge red flag.