The 12 Crimes of Christmas

While most of us are getting ready for Christmas, there are those lacking the holiday spirit. With the added stress of the holidays, the parties, and shopping online or in the mall, there is a lot more opportunity for crooks to ply their trade. During the season, there are several crimes in particular that everyone should be on the alert for and take some extra measures to protect against.

1.     Robbery

With all the activity, shopping malls and parking lots can become a feeding ground for someone looking to steal from others. Shoppers with their arms full of bags and packages can easily become a target for a robbery. Suspects can lurk about undetected in busy crowds or unseen by distracted passers-by. A quick grab of a victim's packages and a run to a waiting car is all that is needed for this kind of strong arm robbery. A suspect using a gun or other weapon makes it more dangerous.

               Tip - Avoid overloading yourself with packages and walking alone through parking lots. Be alert to anyone sitting in cars in the parking lot or loitering about watching shoppers. Don't try to fight an armed suspect for property - only if your life is in danger. Don't forget the risks at ATMs.

2.     Identity theft

Christmas season is a great opportunity for identity thieves. Hiding in the crowds, it becomes easier to get passwords as people shop online at Wi-Fi spots or even use a cellphone to take a photo of a credit card to use the number online.

               Tip - Be wary of people using cellphones around you in lines or at Wi-Fi locations. Instead of texting they could be videotaping your card number, account user name and passwords. Check your credit card accounts for accuracy and report any suspicious activity right away. Same with bank accounts. If suspicious activity is reported right away, your loss is limited, generally to $50. Stay away from debit cards as a suspect can drain your account before you find out and then you have to work with the bank to even get your money back so the potential loss is greater, at least at first.

               Beware – most identity thefts occur by people we know – roommates, friends and relatives. These are the people in our homes who have easy access to credit cards and other ID information.

3.     Theft

Just as with robberies, it is easy to get distracted and leave items unattended or at least not closely watched. Where force or threats are used in robberies, thefts involve stealing something without the confrontation. Leaving a purse or package in a shopping cart and walking a short distance away is another example.

               TIP - Do not leave items unattended - ever!

               Did you know? The most commonly stolen items anymore are smartphones and tablets, such as iPads and iPhones. Keep a close eye on those electronic items.

4.    Phishing

With all the shopping including online, it is easy for crooks to send out blanket emails to potential victims, pretending to come from well-known online stores. An unsuspecting victim could respond to a believable email and respond to a convincing request to confirm account details. In short order, the suspect has the victims account details and can quickly get online to do their own shopping - at your expense.

               Tip - Even if an email appears to come from an account or online merchant that you have used, be wary that the email actually comes from the store. Check the link included in the email by hovering the mouse over the link. If the links do not match or do not appear to be from the vendor, do not click on it. Better to search for a phone number and contact the vendor directly to check for any problems.

5.     Burglary

This time of year there are a lot of reasons to be away from home. Christmas parties, work parties, family gatherings and shopping, not to mention vacations, keep us away from home more often than normal. But Christmas gifts probably sit under the tree, right by a front window, as part of the decorations. Burglars know this and are looking for signs that no one is home to break in and help themselves to your valuables.

               Tip – When leaving, be sure to set timers to turn on lights and keep gifts and other potential items of interest out of the view from windows. If you have Christmas lights, make sure that they come on even when you are not at home to give the appearance that someone is there. Nothing is more inviting to a burglar than a dark house and decorations turned off. Don’t let mail or newspapers pile up if you are out of town and have a neighbor shovel snow and even park in your driveway to give the appearance someone is home.

               The # 1 way burglars break into a home is through unlocked doors and windows – lock up before leaving!

6.    Vehicle trespass (car break-ins)

When running errands or picking up gifts, it is easy to make multiple stops and leave gifts in the car while inside another store. Crooks love window shopping too and will definitely look for items to steal.

               Tip – Keep valuables out of sight and in the trunk of your car. Try to time your stops so that little will be left in the car at any one time.

7.     Car jacking

Instead of a sleigh full of goodies, some crooks will look for a car loaded down with gifts.

               Tip – Keep valuables out of sight, in the trunk of your car and keep your doors locked. Always watch for anyone lurking about as you walk to and from your car and pay attention to any cars following you – yes, it does happen so if in doubt drive a few extra blocks to be certain no one follows you.

8.    Credit card fraud

Crooks get credit card information in many different ways. Going through the trash is one very low tech way. Meth addicts have been known to use their extra hours awake to reassemble shredded documents for ID theft, including all the mail with the credit card offers. A high tech way to get credit card info is to use skimmers, small devices that record account information. Make sure that card readers at gas stations or other locations work normally and if there is a problem, look for any unusual devices on the reader itself. Crooks sometimes put their own skimmers on and can be very hard to detect.

               Tip – As with other forms of ID theft, keep a close eye on all accounts. Ideally, never let the card out of your site. Even wait staff at a restaurant could keep a skimmer in their pocket to record your credit information.

9.    Family violence

This time of year we think of spending it with our families. Sometimes, that includes the crazy uncle or eccentric aunt. It can also mean violence from others you are around. The added stress of the holidays can contribute, especially if someone has a history of violence.

               Tip – If you have any concerns about others at parties or other gatherings, let family members you trust know beforehand. Limit alcohol and if someone does become threatening or violent, ask them to leave or even call police if necessary.

10. DUI

Speaking of alcohol, there is certainly a bit more this time of year with eggnog and holiday drinks and holiday parties. 

               Tip – When driving, watch the cars around you and keep your distance from cars weaving or driving erratically. When starting from a red light, check to make sure no one is running the light in the cross traffic.

11.  Road rage

 The stress of the holiday can really show itself on the highways as people are rushing back and forth and that can lead to some anger management issues behind the wheel.

               Tip – Do not get into pointless arguments on the road. If someone is flipping you off, ignore it and keep driving. Let aggressive tailgaters pass and if you are being followed, head to a crowded, public location, such as a busy grocery store. Use your cellphone to call police and pay attention to where you are and what street you are on.

12.  Vehicle theft

Our cars are one of our biggest and most valuable assets and we take them everywhere. And they could be a crook’s getaway car or a way to get extra spending money at your expense.

               Tip – Never, ever leave a car running unattended or with your kids inside to run a quick errand or warm up the car. Don’t leave the keys in the car. Park in well-lit areas; avoid isolated parking.

Seasons Greetings

From Business Karate

Eric Smith, CPP is the leading authority on organizational self-defense.  He has extensive experience in law enforcement as well as security management.  Eric is available for staff education and security awareness training as well as business coaching to help organizations provide safe workplaces.  To learn more email eric@businesskarate.com.

 

 

If you would like to reprint this post, please contact Eric at eric@businesskarate.com. 

Six Critical Steps to Follow When Domestic Violence Comes to Work

               Scott Dekraai sat on the beach contemplating life – his own, as well as that of his ex-wife.  He was apparently upset over the custody issues with his son and had just lost a court request to change the custody orders.  He was worried, as his son would come home from stays with the ex-wife with bruises.

               Sadly, his meditations led to a series of wrong decisions leaving eight dead and one person in critical condition, Dekraai in police custody and his son in protective care.

               Dekraai got up and went to the hair salon where his ex-wife worked.  He promptly shot and killed her, then shot a co-worker and friend who had helped her through the divorce.  A manager tried to stop Dekraai by charging him with a pair of scissors and he was also shot and killed.

               The suspect continued to fire at others and later told police that they were “collateral damage.”  As he left, he shot another male sitting in his car, as he believed that the victim was an off-duty police officer reaching for a gun.  He later surrendered to police without a fight.

               Fortunately, domestic violence does not always end up at a victim’s workplace in such a deadly manner.  It is, however, common for suspects to search out their victims at work, as that may be the only place they can find the victim.

               After a domestic violence situation, the aggressor is likely going to be taken into custody if any crime has been committed due to mandatory arrest laws.  While the suspect goes to jail, the victim may be offered the chance to move into a safe house or may leave to stay with relatives or friends.

               The suspect will not be in jail forever, perhaps only overnight.  When he (yes, typically he, not she, but not always) gets out, he often wants to get in touch with his wife or girlfriend right away.  If she is in a safe house, he may not have a way to contact her.  But, of course, she will still go to work and he likely knows where that is.  He may have visited frequently, knows how to get in, knows where she parks and knows when she leaves and arrives.

               According to an article in Security Director Report, domestic violence was most likely to happen at the start or end of a victim’s workday, often in the parking lot as they come or go.

               An organization that has employees (and most do) runs a risk of dealing with domestic violence issues at work.  The larger the organization, it is arguably more likely that a victim’s manager or department director will not know about the situation.  If the victim does not tell anyone at work, the business cannot do anything to help look after the victim or others.

               What should be done at the workplace to help the affected employee and protect both them and other colleagues, customers and visitors from a potential attacker?  Fortunately, there are a number of basic steps that any organization should follow to help prevent and respond to violence when it spills over from the home into work.

1. Encourage employees to share with human resources when they are involved in a domestic violence situation.  The written policy should spell out that the case will be reviewed to assess the best steps to protect everyone exposed.  It also needs to be clear that the company will not hold it against an employee or retaliate against them in any way for reporting the problems.  The policy must address the individual’s privacy while ensuring that the issue is only relayed to those who ‘need to know.’
2. Take all domestic violence situations seriously.  Even law enforcement takes these types of family disturbances very seriously and understand the great risks and potential for violence.  When responding to a DV call, police will check for past incidents at the address.  Officers understand that these types of calls are extremely dangerous as emotions run very high and they always respond with cover officers.  Jealousy or loss of control over a loved one can push someone to violence very quickly.
3. Find out if there is a restraining order involved.  Even victims are often confused about whether a restraining order is in place.  Often victims are told that the suspect is not allowed to contact them, but that is due to bond conditions when the suspect gets out of jail.  These stipulate that the bond will be revoked if the suspect contacts the victim, but are different from a restraining order, which is a court order signed up a judge restricting access.  The RO must be served to the suspect if they are not in court.  Get copies of any RO.  This can help facilitate police response if the party does try to contact the victim at work, even by phone, email or through a third party.
4. Protect the victim.  A few simple steps can help keep the affected employee safe.  Changing their work shift even a half an hour from normal can make it harder for the suspect to catch them in the parking lot or as they come or go from work.  It also makes it more likely that the suspect will attract attention or be seen as suspicious if forced to wait in the area longer.  Moving the victim’s parking area is a great option if available as well.  If not, be sure that they are not going to or from their car alone.  Screen phone calls to limit contact by the suspect.
5. Review and assess any domestic violence case.  Find out if there are past acts of violence or threats.  Does the suspect have access to weapons?  What do they have to lose if they become violent, meaning are they at wit’s end or feel like they have lost everything?
6. Involve others.  The victim may not want anyone to know and his or her privacy should be respected.  A few details should be passed on to screeners such as security or lobby personnel to be on the lookout for the suspect.  Ask the victim for a photo and description of the suspect, as well as a vehicle description to help the ‘gatekeepers’ identify the right person.  If the victim wishes to remain private, a general alert can be passed on to keep appropriate personnel alert to suspicious activity or tighten access control measures.

               This is a general overview.  Details need to be adjusted for your specific organization and work environment.  When violence spills over from home into work, it can be very dangerous.  Following these basic steps can help keep everyone safer.

Your biggest risks may not be your biggest worries.  About 33% of small businesses fail after becoming victims of crime.  Ordinary, everyday criminal acts – not high profile terror attacks or disasters. 

Get real solutions for real problems.  Contact eric@businesskarate.com to learn about security coaching and how to help your organization thrive.

Sleeping With the Enemy?

               Not long ago, I was preparing a talk on personal safety and security and I came across an interesting statistic.  This tidbit of research stated that only 12% of violent crime occurred at the hands of strangers.  So according to that study, most victims of violent crime knew their attacker, knew the suspect, rather than being attacked by an unknown stranger.

               At first, this may strike you as unlikely.  After all, the news always seems to be full of the attacks on the innocent person walking to their car, or the abduction by stranger.  But as happens all too often, our risk antenna is focused on the wrong threat or in the wrong direction. 

               Throughout my time in law enforcement, the majority of assaults were between people who knew each other.  Of course, there was the usual bevy of bar fights between relative strangers, but most assaults and disturbances were related to domestic violence or between roommates, neighbors etc.

               The same is true of many other crimes, such as identity theft.  Often, those closest to us are the ones who have access to our credit cards, check books or other identifying information and are the ones who carry out some form of ID theft.  And, of course, it is those close relationships that can build up the kind of tension that can lead to violence in some people.

               So how does this affect your personal safety and security?  It means that to really protect yourself, you need to look beyond the usual crime tips and look at those closest to you.  Locking your doors or windows won’t help if the person you should fear already has the key. 

               Your personal security needs to start with a close risk assessment or look at the people around you, as well as the some of the external factors that could impact your safety.  I like to think of three areas to look at for your individual risk assessment, your IRA so to speak.  The first is about your lifestyle and that includes the people closest to you and those closest to them.  This also includes some of your ‘lifestyle’ choices or the things that you do.  The next is the environmental factors around you, your neighborhood crime rates, for example.  The last is work.  We spend a large part of our lives at work and cannot ignore the risk related to work, from the crime around our work locations as well as industry or job-related risks.

               The first area is lifestyle.  Start by looking at the potential for violent behavior of those around you, including relatives.  You’ve heard commercials for mutual funds or other financial products and the announcer always includes a statement to the effect that past performance does not guarantee future results.  However, with violent individuals that is not the case.  Past violent behavior is a very clear indicator that there will be future violent behavior.  It is very rare for someone to “just snap” and suddenly become violent without warning.  Police officers use this concept daily, when responding to calls or dealing with suspects.  If an individual or a location is known to police due to past violence, they will go into those scenarios at a higher state of alert and with cover officers.  Dispatchers use software to track previous calls to a location and radio previous disturbances to responding officers so they don’t walk into a violent situation unawares. 

The next factor to consider is substance abuse, either drugs or alcohol.  This is another leading dynamic that adds to the risk of violent behavior.  Mental health issues are yet another factor that increases the risk of violent behavior.  Within the healthcare industry, there is a higher risk of being a victim of an assault than many other professions and the risk increases dramatically when dealing with mental health patients.  ER staff faces the greatest risk due to the firsthand contact with intoxicated or high suspects, who, too often, end up in the ER because of their own violent behavior and the related injuries.

Your IRA should focus around the following questions.  We could score the answers and tally up a number to rate your risk, but that could be misleading as any one risk might be so severe or dangerous that a low score could be misleading.

1.      Within your household, including spouses, parents, siblings or even children, is there anyone who has a history of violent behavior?  What about substance abuse?

2.     Think of the visitors or neighbors or close friends who are routinely around your household.  Do you know of any violence by any of them, including violence against pets or animals?  And substance abuse?

3.     Expand your perimeter a bit and think about the friends of friends, especially the spouses or boyfriends and girlfriends of your closest friends.  Note any violence there or substance abuse.  Sometimes, it may not be obvious, but aside from visible injuries, warning signs could include changes in personality or increase in illnesses or absences from work.

4.     Aside from the people, the things we do can increase risk.  Review your own activities and lifestyle.  Do you travel to or through isolated areas alone or do things like go jogging alone, especially at night?  It sounds obvious, but too often people do ignore those risks and expose themselves to attackers, especially, in these cases, attacks by strangers.

This is a good start to a better understanding of personal security and safety and some of the danger signs right around us that are so easy to justify or ignore.  In a future post, we will look at the other two areas, environmental factors and work-related dynamics. 

The key to security is to increase your personal awareness to threats around you.  Conducting a review may get you thinking about people or circumstances that you’ve overlooked in the past or ignored.  Stay aware to stay safe.