A home burglary occurs every 8 seconds in the United States alone.
That means each and every day, 10,800 families will find themselves victims of a home break-in.
Is there something you can do to protect your home and family and reduce the odds of this ever happening to you? Home burglaries are typically crimes of opportunity.
Burglars are looking for an easy target.
By taking simple steps and precautions outlined in our book you will present an "obstacle" to the common thief.
Thereby causing them to give up and move on to an easier target.
Hello, I'm Chris Grace.
As a former victim of home intrusion and a retired private security professional, I have much valued information for your personal protection.
In my article you can also find tips, which I will try to add a new tip every week.
The United States continues to experience hard economic times; businesses continue to close there doors, gas prices continue to climb, and unemployment remains at an all time high...
including the rise in crime A bad economy contributes to a rise in crime! During times like this, many people become desperate, and home break-ins occur.
Fortunately, there are ways to protect yourself and your loved ones.
My tips will provide information on how to protect yourself and loved ones from scams, information on basic home safety, safety for seniors, camera systems, and much more.
Tips Seniors Tops scams that target seniors: If it sounds too good to be true, it most likely IS! It's hard to believe people would steal from seniors, but crooked criminals do.
I break down some of the top scams that target seniors and how to prevent you or a senior loved one from becoming a victim.
Some particularly evil criminals try to make a living stealing from senior citizens..
While some take a more obvious route by committing a home burglary or stealing a purse, others steal and cheat seniors with some pretty creative scams that often leave the elderly broke and confused.
Below I break down some of the top scams that target seniors and how to prevent yourself or a senior loved one from becoming a victim.
Telemarketing Scams - These often involve offers of bogus prizes, low-cost vitamins and travel offers and target people over the age of 60, especially women.
Telephone scammers often promise "free" or "low-cost" goods and get-rich-quick schemes.
Here are a few common telemarketing scam 'pickup lines': "You must act now or the offer won't be good," "You've won a free gift, just pay for shipping and handling," "You can't afford to miss this high-profit, no-risk offer.
" Don't get scammed: Just say "no," and hang up the phone if you hear those lines or something similar from a telephone salesperson.
You can also register for the federal government's Do Not Call Registry by calling 1-888-382-1222 from the phone you want to register.
Medical Equipment Fraud - Equipment manufacturers offer "free" products.
Insurers are then charged for products that were not needed and/or may not have been delivered and fraudsters often gain access to Medicare numbers.
Don't get scammed: Never sign blank insurance claim forms or give your insurance/Medicare identification to anyone who has not provided you with medical services.
Remember to ask your medical providers what you will be expected to pay out-of-pocket and keep records of all health care appointments and insurance benefits statements.
Grandchild in Trouble Scam-This crime especially targets senior citizens and is perpetrated when the scammer calls and says something like, "It's me, grandma.
" The grandparent responds, thinking it's one of his or her grandchildren.
These scammers tell their 'grandparents' they are in trouble and need money; they often instruct the grandparent to wire the money and "please don't tell mom.
" The grandparents obligingly send the money, thinking they're helping a grandchild.
Investigators say it works more than you might think.
Don't get scammed: If you ever receive a call from someone claiming to be a grandchild, ask "who?" even if you only have one grandchild-your real grandchildren won't mind clarifying.
Most importantly, never wire money to anyone over the phone; call the police to report suspicious calls immediately.
A good rule of thumb: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
If you ever have doubts about a sales offer, phone call or email, contact the Better Business Bureau or local police department for help.
As more and more seniors are living in homes longer these days, creating a safe and risk-free home environment for our elderly loved ones is very important.
As more and more seniors are living in homes longer these days, creating a safe and risk-free home environment for our elderly loved ones is very important.
Seniors want to enjoy the independence of living in their own homes - they just need a little extra attention around the house.
There are many things you can do to improve a senior's safety in their home.
A good place to start is by walking through the home to access the safety level.
Things such as cracked stairs or loose electrical cords are high-risk and should be fixed immediately.
According to The State of Home Safety in America™ (2004) conducted by the Home Safety Council, falls are the leading cause of unintentional home injury deaths.
In fact, falls account for an average of 5.
1 million injuries and nearly 6,000 deaths each year.
Although accidents are unintentional, there are still many things we can do to prevent them from occurring and promote seniors' safety.
Here are some tips on how to prevent falling in the home: • Install handrails on both sides of the staircase.
Make sure that handrails run the entire length of stairs from top to bottom.
• Keep the stairs and open areas clear.
Don't leave clutter lying around.
• Use double sided tape to keep small rugs down.
• Have a non-slip rug in the bathtub and/or shower.
• Install grab bars in the shower.
• Clean up all spills as soon as they happen.
Never leave anything wet on the floor.
• Regularly inspect railings for support and sturdiness.
• Fix any broken or chipped steps, tiles, or flooring.
Next week I'll cover Home Security Tips for Seniors.
That means each and every day, 10,800 families will find themselves victims of a home break-in.
Is there something you can do to protect your home and family and reduce the odds of this ever happening to you? Home burglaries are typically crimes of opportunity.
Burglars are looking for an easy target.
By taking simple steps and precautions outlined in our book you will present an "obstacle" to the common thief.
Thereby causing them to give up and move on to an easier target.
Hello, I'm Chris Grace.
As a former victim of home intrusion and a retired private security professional, I have much valued information for your personal protection.
In my article you can also find tips, which I will try to add a new tip every week.
The United States continues to experience hard economic times; businesses continue to close there doors, gas prices continue to climb, and unemployment remains at an all time high...
including the rise in crime A bad economy contributes to a rise in crime! During times like this, many people become desperate, and home break-ins occur.
Fortunately, there are ways to protect yourself and your loved ones.
My tips will provide information on how to protect yourself and loved ones from scams, information on basic home safety, safety for seniors, camera systems, and much more.
Tips Seniors Tops scams that target seniors: If it sounds too good to be true, it most likely IS! It's hard to believe people would steal from seniors, but crooked criminals do.
I break down some of the top scams that target seniors and how to prevent you or a senior loved one from becoming a victim.
Some particularly evil criminals try to make a living stealing from senior citizens..
While some take a more obvious route by committing a home burglary or stealing a purse, others steal and cheat seniors with some pretty creative scams that often leave the elderly broke and confused.
Below I break down some of the top scams that target seniors and how to prevent yourself or a senior loved one from becoming a victim.
Telemarketing Scams - These often involve offers of bogus prizes, low-cost vitamins and travel offers and target people over the age of 60, especially women.
Telephone scammers often promise "free" or "low-cost" goods and get-rich-quick schemes.
Here are a few common telemarketing scam 'pickup lines': "You must act now or the offer won't be good," "You've won a free gift, just pay for shipping and handling," "You can't afford to miss this high-profit, no-risk offer.
" Don't get scammed: Just say "no," and hang up the phone if you hear those lines or something similar from a telephone salesperson.
You can also register for the federal government's Do Not Call Registry by calling 1-888-382-1222 from the phone you want to register.
Medical Equipment Fraud - Equipment manufacturers offer "free" products.
Insurers are then charged for products that were not needed and/or may not have been delivered and fraudsters often gain access to Medicare numbers.
Don't get scammed: Never sign blank insurance claim forms or give your insurance/Medicare identification to anyone who has not provided you with medical services.
Remember to ask your medical providers what you will be expected to pay out-of-pocket and keep records of all health care appointments and insurance benefits statements.
Grandchild in Trouble Scam-This crime especially targets senior citizens and is perpetrated when the scammer calls and says something like, "It's me, grandma.
" The grandparent responds, thinking it's one of his or her grandchildren.
These scammers tell their 'grandparents' they are in trouble and need money; they often instruct the grandparent to wire the money and "please don't tell mom.
" The grandparents obligingly send the money, thinking they're helping a grandchild.
Investigators say it works more than you might think.
Don't get scammed: If you ever receive a call from someone claiming to be a grandchild, ask "who?" even if you only have one grandchild-your real grandchildren won't mind clarifying.
Most importantly, never wire money to anyone over the phone; call the police to report suspicious calls immediately.
A good rule of thumb: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
If you ever have doubts about a sales offer, phone call or email, contact the Better Business Bureau or local police department for help.
As more and more seniors are living in homes longer these days, creating a safe and risk-free home environment for our elderly loved ones is very important.
As more and more seniors are living in homes longer these days, creating a safe and risk-free home environment for our elderly loved ones is very important.
Seniors want to enjoy the independence of living in their own homes - they just need a little extra attention around the house.
There are many things you can do to improve a senior's safety in their home.
A good place to start is by walking through the home to access the safety level.
Things such as cracked stairs or loose electrical cords are high-risk and should be fixed immediately.
According to The State of Home Safety in America™ (2004) conducted by the Home Safety Council, falls are the leading cause of unintentional home injury deaths.
In fact, falls account for an average of 5.
1 million injuries and nearly 6,000 deaths each year.
Although accidents are unintentional, there are still many things we can do to prevent them from occurring and promote seniors' safety.
Here are some tips on how to prevent falling in the home: • Install handrails on both sides of the staircase.
Make sure that handrails run the entire length of stairs from top to bottom.
• Keep the stairs and open areas clear.
Don't leave clutter lying around.
• Use double sided tape to keep small rugs down.
• Have a non-slip rug in the bathtub and/or shower.
• Install grab bars in the shower.
• Clean up all spills as soon as they happen.
Never leave anything wet on the floor.
• Regularly inspect railings for support and sturdiness.
• Fix any broken or chipped steps, tiles, or flooring.
Next week I'll cover Home Security Tips for Seniors.