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The following Crime Watch notices have been forwarded to the Woodruffs by Deputy Walter Wolf of the Lake County Sheriff's department. He can be reached as follows:
Deputy Walter Wolf
Community Services Unit
Lake County Sheriff's Office
Ph. 352-343-9500 (Cell Ph. 352-267-3655)
7/20/10 I just wanted to warn everyone to be
extra cautious and warn your children not to pick up any bottles just laying
around. If you should find any plastic or glass bottles (usually soda
bottles) with any liquid and any shiny material inside of the bottle call
law enforcement imminently do not touch it. We have unfortunately had two
more incidents in the Clermont area of two plastic soda bottles exploding
after being placed outside of two separate residential homes. The explosions
were minor and no one was hurt, Please report any suspicious items to law
enforcement. As this is a active criminal
investigation I am limited to the information being sent out. 7/6/10 This e-mail is in regards to the e-mail
that I sent out to everyone June 21,2010 warning about a e-mail that was
circulating warning of homemade explosive soda bottle bombs. In my e-mail I
stated that I was concerned about the e-mails advising of the ingredients
and basically how to make them. Well unfortunately we have had an incident
in the Clermont area where a mail box was blown apart with what appears to
have been a homemade soda bottle bomb. Thank God it was a isolated incident
and no one was injured. If you should see any bottles that appear to have
liquid and any shiny objects(tin foil or aluminum foil) inside of it do not
touch it. Call Law Enforcement so it can be checked out. We have had several incidents in Lake
County were twenty dollar counterfeit bills have been passed. In the Lake Mack area we have had
several cases were air conditioner units have been damaged to get the cooper
wire. In several of the incidents a white van pulling a black trailer was
seen. Now for this ---In the last thirty days
we have had 107 vehicles broken into and guess what ???????? 96 were
unlocked. Please pass the word to lock your vehicles. In the very south end of the county we
had a white male approximately 30-35 years old driving a newer black van
approached two young girls and tried to engage them in conversation
then exposed himself to them. Please warn your children and grand children
to never approach strangers and to report any strange activity. You also may
want to talk to them about safe houses in your neighborhood that they can
run to in a emergency. Just for your general information we are
working on having the next Sheriff’s Town Hall Meeting in Umatilla
sometime in August. 6/24/10 Just wanted to advise everyone that with
school out we are seeing an increase of various types of vandalism around
the county. Most of what we are seeing other than being a pain are
relatively harmless(unless it’s your yard that has been toilet papered).
However this week mainly in the City of Eustis we have had a very large
number of vehicle tires being slashed. Please report any suspicious activity
immediately to your local Police Department or the Lake County Sheriff’s
Office. As I have repeatedly said we would much rather you call us and it be
nothing then not call us and something happens. Also please double check your vehicles
whenever left unattended (especially at night) to make sure that
they are locked.
6/22/10 First of all I would like to thank those
of you that attended the Sheriff’s Town Hall meeting last week, and to the
many of you that e-mailed me advising me of how much you learned about
the Sheriff’s Office and how much you enjoyed the meeting, thank you. Next I have had several inquiries
regarding an e-mail that is currently circulating advising of a explosive
homemade soda bottle bomb. Unfortunately it is not a hoax or rumor, its true
however it’s not a widespread threat, actually there have only been a
couple of isolated cases nationwide (none locally). One however is one to
many. The device is known as a “works
bomb” usually the device is made with a plastic soda bottle filled with
two ingredients that when mixed becomes very explosive. What worries me
about the e-mail is not the warning, it’s that they not only tell you all
about it they tell you the ingredients so that anyone after reading the
e-mail could make a very dangerous device. What makes the device so
dangerous is the chemical reaction when the two ingredients are mixed. The
reaction is not immediate, it does take some time for the gas build up. This
can be greatly sped up by movement of the bottle. I do not feel comfortable advising both
ingredients that make the device work however if you should see a soda
bottle or any bottle that appears to have aluminum foil inside it along with
a liquid do not touch or attempt to move it. Move away from it and call law
enforcement. If you have any concerns or questions
about this e-mail, e-mail me with a phone number that I can reach you at
and I’ll call you.
5/13/10 For those of you that are not aware of
it Sheriff Gary Borders has since becoming Sheriff of Lake County in 2006
held a Sheriff’s Town Hall Meeting once a month. Each month a
meeting is held at a different community within Lake County. After a 10
minute video overview of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office operations
Sheriff Borders introduces his command staff. Each member then explains
their specific duties within the Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Borders feels
that this way if you ever have to contact a command member for whatever
reason you can put a face to the name. After introductions Sheriff Borders
talks briefly about all the various services that your Sheriff’s
Office provides to all citizens of Lake County, then opens it up for
questions and answers. Normally meetings have been held in either community
centers of some of the larger communities or for several communities that
have not got a community center the meetings have been held at various local
churches. These meetings have been so well received that several communities
have invited us back for a second town hall meeting. In the past all but the
meetings held at the local churches the attendees have pretty much been from
defined communities (such as Plantation or Kings Ridge ect: ect:). The
reason for this e-mail is that we will be holding our next Sheriff’s Town
Hall Meeting on Tuesday June 15, 2010 at 6:30 PM. The meeting will be held
in the gym at Faith Lutheran Church and School located at 2727 South Grove
Street Eustis Florida. This location is one block East of SR 19 at the
corners of Old Mount Dora Road and South Grove Street. This meeting is for
anyone living in Lake County. I have a lot of crime watch communities in and
around Eustis so I am inviting all of you to join us for what you will find
to be both informative and entertaining. If at all possible the meeting is
for adults, however Faith Lutheran has offered to provide a care area for
any children that you may have to bring. Refreshments will be provided after the
meeting. Walter 4/28/10
Here is another "TalkFusion" from
the sheriff's department. I had a little trouble viewing it but that
may be because I screwed it up. Hope you can view it just fine.
Thanks, Susan
Subject: Crime Watch Scam's
Click
here if you are unable to view this image.
4/21/10 Just wanted to re-warn everyone of all
the different type of scams that are being sent out daily by the thousands.
As I have stated in the past there are just too many different type scams
out there for me to be able to address all of them. There is one that has
just recently surfaced in Lake County were you may receive notification
that your name has been drawn in an annual consumers promotional
drawing. They tell you that you are entitled to the primary prize of
$250,000.00 payable by a certified check that will be delivered to you by
courier. They will enclose a check drawn on Bank of America payable from
Allstate Life Insurance Company. The check in the amount of $4,970.00
represents the mandatory non Canadian residential tax, insurance, and
delivery charges. The letter will state that this check is being sent to you
so that you will not have any out of pocket expenses. They will tell you
that after cashing the check you will need to send them back $4,770.20 by
way of money gram or western union. They also tell you that the difference
in the amount that they have sent you and the amount that you send them is
yours to do with as you please. They tell you once that is completed they
can process your check for they $250,000.00. (I took one of the checks to a
bank of America and asked them if a customer of theirs would of brought the
check into them to cash what would they do? They ran it through their
system and no red flags popped up at that time. They said that they would
have deposited the check into your account. The bank said that it would have
taken from three days to a couple of weeks for it to come back as it
actually being a bad check. Your bank would then debit your account
the $4,970.00. If you had done what the people wanted and sent them the
money or used any of it you would be responsible to the bank for that
amount. As I have said if you ever receive any unsolicited correspondence
stating that you have won something or they need certain private information
to complete something check it out as many ways possible and even then it
still could appear legitimate and not be. I will be putting out a Talk
Fusion Video E-Mail in a couple of days addressing this). We have also seen a increase of trailer
thefts and atv thefts in the past couple of weeks. It’s been in all parts
of the county but more of an issue in the Groveland, Clermont area. Still a
lot of unlocked cars being broken into all over the county. In the Astor
area we have had several cars that were parked at recreational areas or
fishing areas with the windows down and things of value in plain sight being
taken out of the vehicles. No matter where you are, please always
secure your vehicle whenever you leave it unattended.
4/1/10 Good day everyone, I just wanted to
bring everyone up to date on several issues. First of all regarding vehicle
burglaries in various unincorporated Lake County from January 1, 2010
through March 27th 2010 we have had 169 vehicles broken into. Out
of the 169 vehicles 144 were unlocked and 25 were locked and had a window
broken to gain access. That’s 85% of all the vehicles in unincorporated
Lake County were left unsecured. Of the 25 that had the windows broken 23
had things of value in plain view. GPS systems were the leading item of
things taken from all vehicles. It’s amazing to me the number of people
that leave wallets, purse’s, large sums of cash, and weapon’s in
unsecured vehicles or they take the time to lock their vehicles but leave
those items in PLAIN view. Believe me it does help to secure your vehicles
and not leave things of value in plain view (unless you have bears in the
area). I also wanted to warn every one of a
scam involving Facebook. You may get a e-mail that appears to be from
Facebook saying that your password has to be reset for security reasons. The
bogus message informs you that you can find or reset your new facebook
password in an attachment. Opening the attachment launches an executable
file that triggers the download of a virus that allows others to take
control of your computer and steal personal information. This scam actually
first appeared in the latter part of 2009. As with a lot of scams,
rumors, and hoaxes you can check them out on Snopes.com . I plan on putting out a talk fusion
video this week readdressing issues regarding some of the more resent scams
that have recently surfaced in our area. As most of you know I’m now in my
sixth year as the crime watch coordinator with the Lake County Sheriff’s
Office. I personally feel that this is and has been one of the most
rewarding job’s that I have done in my forty two years in law enforcement.
Over the years as the crime watch coordinator I have addressed or talked to
literly thousands and thousands of people at various crime watch or safety
meetings that I have conducted. I also have done numerous informational TV
messages on various local TV news stations as well as news articles in all
the local newspaper’s. In saying that when I’m out and about quite often
someone will recognize me and come up to me and engage me in conversation (
I really enjoy it). This past Saturday I was shopping at a local store when
a gentleman came up to me and with several senior ladies within hearing
distance stated “Hay aren’t you that crime guy”? Well I knew what he
was referring to, so I stated yes sir I’m the crime guy. Before I could
say another word one of the ladies walked up to me and as serious as she
could be said “ You ought to be ashamed of yourself committing crimes
against honest people like us. Well if looks that I got from those ladies
could have killed I wouldn’t be here today. I actually had to show the
group my badge to convince them that I was really a good guy. So if you
should see me out and about feel free to say howdy but please don’t call
me the crime guy!!!!
3/28/10 Good day everyone, I just wanted to
bring everyone up to date on several issues. First of all regarding vehicle
burglaries in various unincorporated Lake County from January 1, 2010
through March 27th 2010 we have had 169 vehicles broken into. Out
of the 169 vehicles 144 were unlocked and 25 were locked and had a window
broken to gain access. That’s 85% of all the vehicles in unincorporated
Lake County were left unsecured. Of the 25 that had the windows broken 23
had things of value in plain view. GPS systems were the leading item of
things taken from all vehicles. It’s amazing to me the number of people
that leave wallets, purse’s, large sums of cash, and weapon’s in
unsecured vehicles or they take the time to lock their vehicles but leave
those items in PLAIN view. Believe me it does help to secure your vehicles
and not leave things of value in plain view (unless you have bears in the
area). I also wanted to warn every one of a
scam involving Facebook. You may get a e-mail that appears to be from
Facebook saying that your password has to be reset for security reasons. The
bogus message informs you that you can find or reset your new facebook
password in an attachment. Opening the attachment launches an executable
file that triggers the download of a virus that allows others to take
control of your computer and steal personal information. This scam actually
first appeared in the latter part of 2009. As with a lot of scams,
rumors, and hoaxes you can check them out on Snopes.com . I plan on putting out a talk fusion
video this week readdressing issues regarding some of the more resent scams
that have recently surfaced in our area. As most of you know I’m now in my
sixth year as the crime watch coordinator with the Lake County Sheriff’s
Office. I personally feel that this is and has been one of the most
rewarding job’s that I have done in my forty two years in law enforcement.
Over the years as the crime watch coordinator I have addressed or talked to
literly thousands and thousands of people at various crime watch or safety
meetings that I have conducted. I also have done numerous informational TV
messages on various local TV news stations as well as news articles in all
the local newspaper’s. In saying that when I’m out and about quite often
someone will recognize me and come up to me and engage me in conversation (
I really enjoy it). This past Saturday I was shopping at a local store when
a gentleman came up to me and with several senior ladies within hearing
distance stated “Hay aren’t you that crime guy”? Well I knew what he
was referring to, so I stated yes sir I’m the crime guy. Before I could
say another word one of the ladies walked up to me and as serious as she
could be said “ You ought to be ashamed of yourself committing crimes
against honest people like us. Well if looks that I got from those ladies
could have killed I wouldn’t be here today. I actually had to show the
group my badge to convince them that I was really a good guy. So if you
should see me out and about feel free to say howdy but please don’t call
me the crime guy!!!!
3/16/10
Just wanted to let everyone know about a false rumor that
has just started circulating in our area. There are many versions of
this rumor e-mail that you may receive, the two most popular being about
a serial killer or serial rapist. The towns and description as to what
happened also change. The e-mail will generally start out with a warning
usually to women about being weary about any stranger approaching you
and advising you that you had just dropped some money. He will then hand
you a bill (a one, five, ten, or a twenty). The suggestion in the
e-mail is that this is how a serial killer or rapist is gaining the
confidence of women in a certain town.
Not a bad idea for anyone to be
cautious, but this is a false rumor that first started surfacing dating
back to July of 2003. You can go to snopes.com and type in dropped money
for the information on this particular rumor. 2/19/10 Another
bit of important information I wanted to pass onto everyone. Here are common-sense warnings about our common
census about to begin: Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner
Charles H. Bronson urges state residents to avoid falling prey to scam
artists intent on stealing your identity who may pose as U.S. Census
workers. Approximately 134 million households will be mailed
census forms on March 1. The form includes 10 questions about your
age, date of birth, race and whether you own or rent a home. It does
not ask for your Social Security number or information about your taxes or
income. If you do not return a completed census form by
April 1, it is likely that a census taker will either call or come to your
door to obtain the information. Bronson is urging residents to observe the following
safety tips: Do not provide your Social Security number or any
financial information, including credit card or bank account information, to
anyone claiming to represent the U.S. Census Bureau. Never invite a census taker into your home. All census takers carry official government badges. Census workers are supposed to provide you with a letter
from the Census Director on official letterhead. The Census Bureau will not contact you by e-mail, so any website that pops up disguised as a census survey is fraudulent. The Census Bureau does not solicit information over the Internet.
This was brought to my attention by one of our investigative assistant’s Lynn Dewitt. I just want to pass it onto all our crime watch people so that you can pass it onto your friends and neighbors. ORLANDO, Fla. -- Online
users who socially network their whereabouts could soon become victims
thanks to a new Web site called PleaseRobMe.com. VIDEO: Web
Site's Motives Questioned The Web site sucks data from social
messaging services, such as Twitter and Foursquare, and displays information
which it says thieves can use to break into homes when it appears no one is
there. The site also provides a map to the person's past or present
location. The site's creators said they're not
trying to help people burglarize homes but instead want the site to be a
wakeup call for people ignorant of their personal security habits. Local 6 News reporter Jessica D'Onofrio
put the site to the test. "So I'm here at Piper's in downtown
Orlando and I've come to find this guy who says that he's here at the sports
bar and grill," D'Onofrio said. "I went inside to find him and he
had no idea he was on PleaseRobMe.com." The man did not want to talk on camera,
but others did. "If people want to give out their
information and tell the robbers out there when they're not home, let those
people have at it and get their stuff stolen," Brian Repple said. But many believe that instead of
exposing these dangers, the site is a menace in its own right. "I think it's assisting criminals
in getting into people's homes, and I think the person who created it should
be prosecuted," Sean Devries said. "I think these people put their
information out there for social reasons or for networking or work purposes.
I don't think they put it out there so they can get robbed," Shelby
Norwich said. "So the bottom line is if you're on
Twitter and Foursquare don't be surprised if you wind up on PleaseRobMe.com,"
D'Onforio said.
2/10/10 I hope you enjoy this TalkFusion video #4 regarding vehicle burglaries. Any questions or problems please call 352-267-3655 or email me at walter.wolf@lcso.org
2/7/10 Greeting’s just want to bring everyone
up to date on several issues. First of all I want to thank all of you that
have contacted me with the positive comments regarding the four video
e-mails that we have sent out using the talk fusion program. As I have stated in the past we are very
excited about this program. As we learn and become more familiar with the
system the better the quality of the videos will become. Hopefully within
the next week I’ll be sending out a questioner asking you questions
pertaining to any problems that you may be or are having with the program
either in receiving, openining, or forwarding the video . One thing that is
very important is that I need to know as soon as possible of any changes in
your e-mail address. I not only have to change it in my crime watch data
bank, but I also have to change it in the talk fusion program. Also as a
note if for some reason the talk fusion video should go to your spam folder
you will not be able to receive any of the videos until I get a e-mail from
you stating that it was not intentionally sent to your spam folder and that
you would like to receive the video e-mails that we send out through talk
fusion. Talk fusion takes the spam e-mail very serious. I plan on doing two video’s next
week, one readdressing the scam’s and fraud’s and the second on vehicle
burglaries. Speaking of vehicle burglaries so far
this year(January 1 through February 6th) in unincorporated Lake County we
have had 68 vehicle burglaries. 57 were unlocked and 11 had a window broken
to gain access That’s 84% of all vehicles that were burglarized in
unincorporated Lake County were unsecured.. All 11 vehicles that the windows
were broken had things such as purses, wallets, GPS systems, IPODS, lap top
computers, and other things of value in PLAIN VIEW. We have made several juvenile
arrests in the Minneola, Clermont, and Grand Island areas regarding vehicle
burglaries. In several of those arrests they were made possible by citizens
such as yourself that reported suspicious persons or activity in the area. Regarding scams, as I have said over and
over no one will just out of the blue offer you something for nothing. Greed
will do you in every time. But there are scams out there that do not involve
greed. These scams will play on your kindness and willingness to help your
fellow human beings. I would caution you to always be cautious when dealing
with individuals or groups of people and thoroughly check them or their
organization out. Anyone can become a victim of a scam.
For example there is one elaborate scam that has recently surfaced called
the “collection Scam”. This scam target’s U.S. and Canadian Law firms
and as in the vast majority of scams has Nigerian connections. How it works
is that the suspects have access to mass produced counterfeit negotiable
instruments, mostly in the form of certified or corporate checks. The target firms will be contacted by an
individual claiming that their company wishes to engage the firm for
collection efforts. After agreeing to represent the client a person from the
law firm will then contact the person supposedly owing the debt (an
accomplice) at which time they will agree to pay the amount or an amount
over what was due. They will then send a check that is usually sent via UPS,
FedEx, Canada Post Office and in some cases, U.S. mail. The instrument will arrive and to all
will appear to be legitimate, and in most cases even examination by the bank
fails to detect the counterfeit. These checks are stolen from real companies
and altered so that only the name of the payee is changed. It is not until
the check returns to the legitimate company and an audit is performed that
the counterfeit is detected. The paying bank will often only check to see if
the funds are available and that the account that the check was drawn
against is in good standing. In these cases it may be several months before
the scam is discovered and even then only by the real company itself during
account reconciliation. In the meantime the law firm will have
deposited the false check into their account and issue a check to the client
after taking out their fee. In several cases law firms were bilked out of
thousands of dollars. So as you see any one can become a
victim even under the best of circumstances. I would also caution you when doing
business with any person or company that uses pressure tactics in trying to
sell you a product or service. If you have any doubt or concerns never sign
a contract. Tell them you would like to think it over and further check out
their contract terms and their company. If they continue to get pushy call
law enforcement so that they can be checked out. This advice is more
for the unsolicited sales person that just shows up at your door (by the way
they are required in most cases to have a County solicitation permit issued
by the Clerk of the Court). And last but not least is the numerous
types of scams that are generated via e-mail. There are literally thousands
of them. Unfortunately some of them have become very demanding and in some
cases threatening. The problem with these type scams is that they are
usually very aggravating, but usually untraceable the way they are set up.
And even if they could be traced in most cases no crime has been committed
unless you fall for whatever they are trying to obtain from you. Then as far
as jurisdiction goes it would be almost impossible to prosecute under most
situation’s (Not that it would never be prosecutable it would depend on
the circumstances, every case is different). I know that this was a little long, but
wanted to get this information out. 1/16/10 Just wanted to let everyone know that
last week we made an arrest of a young fellow in the Clermont, Minneola area
for vehicle burglaries. He stated that the only vehicles that he was
targeting were vehicles that were left UNLOCKED. Sometime this week I will be sending out
a crime watch questionnaire so that I can update my crime watch data bank. I
also want to see how many of you are having difficulty with the talk fusion
video e-mails. Speaking of talk fusion we are working
on and hope to have out this week a video e-mail regarding meth labs and
what you need to be aware of. 1/11/10 Guess what I’m going to discuss?
UNLOCKED VEHICLES. In just the county area not counting the individual
cities we have had 71 vehicle break-ins from 12/11/2009 through 1/10/2010.
Since the first of the year 1/1/2010 through today January 10th
we have had 35 vehicle break-ins in unincorporated Lake County. The sad
thing is that out of the 35, 31 were unlocked 2 had their windows broken to
get the purses that were left on the front seat, and 1 had its widow
shattered to get the wallet and GPS that were in plain view. 1 vehicle we
are not sure how they got in, it was possibly someone who had access to the
vehicle keys. Out of the unlocked vehicles there were
at least 3 purses taken, 1 wallet, 1 lap top computer, and a IPOD. The
most serious thing taken out of the unlocked vehicles was a hand gun. I have said it many times over I just do
not understand why anyone would leave there vehicle unlocked. Please pass
the word onto your neighbors and friends to please lock their vehicles and
as a precaution never leave anything of value in your vehicle (locked or
unlocked ) that you would like to still be there when you return. If you do have to leave something in
your vehicle at least try to secure it as best you can. Never leave anything
of value in plain view. 12/21/09
First
of all I would like to wish everyone a merry X-mas. Hopefully you will not
have any problems opening this talk fusion video. If you have any
questions e-mail me at walter.wolf@lcso.org
and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
Walter
12/14/09 Sorry that I have not sent out the first
talk fusion video message, but I have been out of town for the past week and
a half due to a family emergency out of state. I will be playing catch up
for the next couple of days, but will try and get the first test video out
this week. In checking the service calls it looks
like trailer thefts are still an issue. I will probably address this and
show several types of trailer locks during the first test video. One of the community crime watch
coordinators sent me an e-mail regarding a possible problem when using your
credit or debit cards. When using your card always check the receipt and
make sure that if you have not asked for cash back that it has not somehow
either accidently or on purpose been added to your charges. I have not been
able to verify that this is happening on a wide scale, but better safe then
not. It only takes a few minutes to check your receipt before leaving the
checkout line. Also if you have e-mailed me and I have
not gotten back with you please re-email me. I once again had some computer
problems just before going out of town. I now have a new computer with
updated programs that I’m trying to get used to, so please bare with me
while I learn some of the newer programs.
11/25/09 First
of all I would like to wish everyone a Safe and Happy Thanksgiving Holiday.
During the past month we have seen an increase in the theft of both vehicles
and utility trailers from all areas of the county. For whatever reason we
have seen an above higher then average number of the utility trailers that
have been stolen are being taken from the north end of the county. We have
also started seeing the typical holiday scams start to surface for this time
of year. I would suggest that any time someone comes to your house trying to
solicit for money or trying to sell you something I would ask them for a
photo ID. I would also suggest writing down there name and date of birth
along with any identifying ID number on the document. A driver’s license
would be great. If they don’t want to show you any ID I would suggest just
saying no to them. Any time that you don’t feel that everything is proper
I would suggest you call law enforcement so that they can check them out. Some
good news regarding the talk fusion video e-mails that I have been talking
about in past e-mails. I hopefully will be sending out the first video
e-mail next week. It
may be necessary to add the following address to your e-mail address book so
that the e-mails will not be treated as spam. Set your e-mail to allow the
receipt of mail from Video EmailDelivery@talkfusion.com.
You are authorized and requested to forward the e-mail to all persons that
have an interest in obtaining the crime watch notifications. You may need to
remind the recipient to also add the e-mail address just referenced so it
does not go to spam. This
is an effort by our office to stay current with the latest technology using
the best techniques to keep our citizens fully informed as to current
methods to protect against crime and the many new scams that are occurring.
It is well recognized that the better informed that our citizenry is, the
easier our job is in protecting you and keeping you and your families safe
and secure. The
videos will occasionally also include text attachments, so do not forget to
check for that. If
you have any questions or concerns about our new advancement, or if you may
become interested in the talk fusion program please feel free to contact me.
11/9/09 Wanted to let everyone know that we are still seeing a lot of trailer thefts from all areas of the county. We are seeing a higher number in the Sorrento area then normally. We have also started seeing the theft of travel trailers. Take that extra precaution if you own a trailer and use a trailer lock of some sort. I also wanted to let everyone know that in the very near future I hope to be using a new program called Talk Fusion. This program will allow me to send out video messages where I can actually show you any of the devices that I talk about. This is an effort by our office to stay current with the latest technology using the best techniques to keep our citizens fully informed as to current methods to protect against crime and the many new scams that are occurring. It is well recognized that the better informed our citizenry is, the easier our job is in protecting you and keeping you safe and secure. Prior to us starting actual usage of the program I’ll send out an informational e-mail explaining it more in depth. If you have any questions or concerns about our new advancement, please feel free to let me know.
10/24/09 Just
wanted to advise everyone of a new scam that has recently surfaced. You will
get an e-mail from someone portraying themselves as having an incurable
disease and only have a few months to live. They go on to state that they
have researched you threw various internet search methods. They go on to
state that they are very wealthy and want to leave there estate to you when
they die. They then advise you that you will have to contact there attorney
and furnish them with certain information so that they can start setting up
an estate account in your name. They then will give you a name and e-mail
address so that you can contact there supposed attorney. Remember as I have
said over and over no one is going to contact you and give you something for
nothing, especially money. They are trying to get personal information so
that they can commit ID theft. We
are still seeing a lot of trailer thefts from various locations from around
the county. The other big thing that we are seeing is an increase in
vandalism. With halloween and the holidays please be alert to what is going
on in your neighborhoods and report suspicious activity or persons as soon
as possible so that we hopefully can get to them before they get a chance to
do anything.
9/27/09 Just
wanted to re address a growing problem of frauds and scams. Don’t get
stung; con artists are not always easy to spot. They are in some case’s
smart, extremely persuasive, and aggressive, they invade your home through
the telephone, computer, and the mail. They advertise in reputable
newspapers and magazines, and come to your homes in person. Most people
think that they’re too smart to fall for a scam. But con artists rob all
kinds of people – from investment counselors and doctors to teenagers and
the elderly of billions every year. It’s up to you to say no. Use common
sense and learn about old and new scams. Don’t let greed overcome your
common sense. Be wary of high pressure sales, demands for cash only,
pressure for quick decisions, secret deals, and no risk high yield
investments. Get a second opinion from someone you trust, and remember: if
it sounds too good to be true, it probably is! We
have seen several bank type scams that look like they have come from
legitimate banks. They are e-mail that has what looks like the banks logo on
them. They are usually addressed as (Dear NAME OF BANK member) this should
be a warning because they do not have your name. Then they go on to say that
some one else has logged onto your online banking account and they need to
re-confirm your account information to them by a certain date. They even
provide what appears to be a legitimate bank e-mail address for you to send
the information to. It’s all a fraud to get your bank account information.
If you ever get any unexpected correspondence from your bank always contact
them in person for verification. 9/16/09 Last
night in the Mt Plymouth/Sorrento area we had 18 vehicles burglarized and
GUESS WHAT --- all 18 were unlocked. Need I say more? 11/21/08
Just wanted
to report several things. As I have stated we are entering the time of
year that we see more scams and frauds then normal. Please be cautious of
any one that offers you a deal that sounds to good to be true. Trust
me it will turn out not to be true.
We have received
several reports from the 441 Mall area, and the 473 Bassville Park area of
a couple of young men approaching homes and portraying themselves as
working for Comcast. In a couple of incidents they engaged the home owner
in conversation and requested entry into the residents so that the could
check the Comcast equipment. One time they were reported as driving a
older green car and in another they were driving a older dark blue car,
and in yet another they were possibly in a white pick up. A check
with Comcast reveled that Comcast does not send people out to solicit
business and if they are in a neighborhood doing any type of repair work
they will be in a marked Comcast vehicle. When in doubt call Law
Enforcement and never let anyone into your home unless you have
called for a certain type of service and are expecting them.
Also we are
still seeing a rather high number of vehicles being burglarized
especially in the Clermont, Clermont South areas. Vast majority of the
vehicles are UNLOCKED.
If you
suspect that someone has entered into your vehicle but can not find
anything missing, just that your vehicle has been ransacked still call us
for a report. This will give us a better idea as to what may be happening
in certain neighborhoods.
Last year we
had a rather high number of vandalism to Christmas decorations reported, I
hope that it does not continue this year.
Happy
Thanksgiving to everyone and have a happy and safe holiday.
11/14/08
Hello folks,
I had a call from Judi C.
tonight and it's a bit disturbing. A condensed version is that
yesterday she filled up her car and made note of the odometer reading.
She estimates she drove about 16-20 miles thereafter and returned home.
This morning when she went out to go to work her car's odometer was down
and she estimates about 5 gallons of gas are unaccounted for. This
has apparently happened once before to them. While not 100% positive
she feels pretty certain her car was locked. She has the type of gas
tank lid that you pop from inside the car so she called the dealer and he
told her that they are certainly not full-proof and if someone had some
knowledge it would be possible to get the lid opened.
She just wanted everyone to
be aware of a possible situation going on in our own neighborhood.
If this is happening the creepiest part is someone is roaming our
neighborhood late into the night/early mornings. If you have a
vehicle you have to leave out you might want to consider a "lock
w/key" gas tank closure and they are available at the new parts store
in town. Despite the security system and the locking of vehicles
Judi figures they will now install motion lights out on the driveway.
It's a sad situation we are experiencing but I guess we shouldn't be too
surprised. Deputy Walter is constantly harping on just this type of
thing. So heads up! Thanks, Susan (See
additional info below)
11/15/08 (Related to above above Alert)
Hi everybody,
I just needed to clarify something. It
wasn't my odometer ... we have a separate milage gauge in my car.
When I fill the car, it tells me how many miles I can go on that
particular tank of gas. Between 10:00 on Thursday night and 7:00 on
Friday morning the gauge showed I had used approx. 90 miles that I really
hadn't used. If I figure that out, it is approx. what a five gallon
can would take. There was also dirt around my gas cap. The
dirt part happened once before about a month ago, but I didn't figure it
out really pay too much attention to it. What got my eye this time
was the milage gauge. If Paul's car had been outside we never would
have missed 5 gallons unless we were checking milage manually. He
doesn't have a gauge.
This is just a wake-up so we all keep our eyes
real wide open ........
Judi
11/5/08
Just wanted
to remind everyone that as we enter into the holiday season its that time
of the year that we see certain scams resurface . One in particular that
we have already started seeing is the paving scams. If any one comes
to your house trying to sell you a paving job (beware) Ask to see there solicitation permit.
This permit is required in Lake County to solicit door to door. If they
have not got a permit call Law Enforcement.
10/22/08
Just wanted
to clarify a question that was asked of me recently. When a specialty
law enforcement unit shows up in a certain community (i.e.-swat team,
bomb squad, ect: ect:) I am in most cases not at liberty to pre warn any
community of there pending arrival or in most cases what they are even
doing there. In some cases even I am not aware of what is going on.
If its something that is a threat to the community some one from
law enforcement will alert the residents as to the emergency.
Good news
Bad news-Bad news we are still seeing an awful lot of vehicles being
broken into county wide (I'm not even going to tell you that they
are being left unlocked). Good news is that in the Bassville Park area
we are about to arrest four juveniles for braking into unlocked vehicles
(over twenty). As I have said this type of crime is usually a crime of
opportunity. Please don't help a good kid go bad lock your doors.
10/12/08 we are seeing a rather high number of vehicles in the Clermont area being broken into. Almost all were left unlocked and the few that were locked had things of value in plain view and a window was broken to gain access.
Several
trailers taken from various locations around the county (None had any type
of trailer locking device).
The hot
spot for home break-ins is still the very south end of the county were
they are targeting the vacation rental homes.
We are still
seeing a rather high number of weapons being taken out of both homes and
vehicles after they are broken into. Please if you do have weapons go that
extra step to secure them or make it more difficult to find them if
they do get into your home or vehicle. (Not being in plain view would help
especially inside your homes).
Also just as
a reminder to a previous alert I recently sent out. This is the time
of year that we normally see an increase in various types of scams
and frauds. Just be cautious a scam can be either in person, by mail,
or e-mail.
10/6/08 Wanted to mention several items. We are still seeing trailers taken from various locations around the county. We are having unlocked vehicles still being broken into (also various areas of the county). I would like to ask all of you that have young children to periodically talk to them about not talking or approaching strangers. We may have had a case this past Friday were a elderly gentleman may have tried to lour a couple of young children to his vehicle in the Mount Dora area. We are not for sure of his true motives as there was also a elderly female also in the vehicle. Never less please make sure to talk to your young-ones about the dangers of someone trying to possibly pick them up. Also with Halloween approaching make sure to pick a save area to trick or treat (such as a school or church).
9/19/08 Just want to let everyone know that in the last couple of days we have had gas stolen out of a large number of boats and recreational vehicles that were parked at storage areas. So far the thefts have mainly been in the Clermont area of the County. In one storage area alone gas was taken from eight boats
9/8/08
Just wanted
to let everyone know especially the very south end of the county that we
are seeing a rather high number of homes being broken into and electronic
equipment especially big screen TV's are being taken. So far most of the
brake-ins have been mainly the vacation retail homes. We are still seeing
lot of vehicles being broken into that are being left unlocked.
8/26/08
We have had
several cars broken into in the area east of Clermont towards the county
line. One vehicle was also stolen guess what all the cars were left
unlocked and the vehicle that was stolen had the keys in the ignition. All
the vehicles were parked in the driveways or on the street in front of the
homes. As I have said over and over lock your doors, remember a lot of the
vehicle and home break ins are crimes of opportunity. Take away the
opportunity and you may not become a victim.
8/20/08
Just to let
everyone know we have had multiple vehicle burglaries in the following
areas. The 473 area, old 441 in the Tavares, Mount Dora areas, Howey in
the Hills and Yalaha areas, Clermont South areas, and the HWY 27 and HWY
19 areas. Oh ya guess what ? 96% of the vehicles were left unsecured--(NOT
LOCKED). Recently I had a crime watch meeting in the Sorrento area and
prior to the meeting I road around the neighborhood as I usually do. This
time I stopped at several different residents and checked 10 vehicles that
were either parked in the driveway or on the road in front of the house. I
found 4 of the 10 unlocked!!!!!!!!!!
We have had
several homes in the HWY 27 South of Leesburg area buggerized.
We are still
having trailer thefts from various locations around the county.
We have had
two boats taken one in the Leesburg area and a boat and trailer in the
Astor area.
8/5/08
I would like
to ask all of you to do me a favor. Please pass the word around to your
friends and neighbors to please lock their car doors when leaving it
unattended no matter where it may be located at. I know that this sounds
like a broken record on my part, but we are seeing a unusually high number
of unlooked cars being broken into from various locations around the
county. The scary thing is that several of these cars had firearms in them
that were taken.
We are also
seeing a higher then usual number of homes being broken into in the
northeast part of the county.
7/25/08
Just want to
remind everyone to please make sure to secure your vehicles at all times,
and don't leave things of value in plain view. Also if you have a weapon
in the vehicle always make sure to at least lock it in the trunk or glove
compartment when leaving the vehicle, and never leave it in the vehicle
overnight. We have had several vehicles that have had weapons taken out of
them after being broken into. Also we have had several RV type vehicles
broken into while parked at storage areas. If you have vehicles parked at
storage areas you may want to occasionally check them to make sure that
they are still secure.
6/16/08
Just wanted
to alert everyone to a problem that we are starting to see mostly in the
rural areas of the county. What is happing is that thieves are stealing
the coils and copper tubing from outside home air conditioner units. Just
be alert to what is going on around your neighbors homes.
We have had
several home break-ins from various locations around the county but with no
apparent pattern to them.
We have had
several cars broken into in a couple of different neighborhoods in the
very south end of the county. What they are doing is breaking out the
windows to get items that are being left in plain view in locked cars.
We are
having the same problem in the Sorrento area except they are breaking into
unlocked cars. Please don't leave things of value in your cars and lock
the doors.
We are seeing
a higher then normal theft and attempted theft of coins from coin machines
at launder mats from all areas of the county.
On a nicer
note I have most of the photos from the awards at the Crime Watch BBQ. I
will start this week getting them to you. It may take me awhile but I will
get them all done (by the end of the year)--Just joking. One of the
problems is that as I'm getting older I still recognize most of you, but
putting a name to a face is getting harder and harder to do. I will
also be delivering awards to several of you that I talked to and were not
able to attend the BBQ. Just for everyone's information we had over 450
people at the BBQ with 125 award's being given.
5/09/08 Just wanted to remind every one for the _______time please lock your vehicles when parked at your homes. We have had several vehicles in the Montverde area broken into that were left unlocked. Another weapon is on the street because it was left in a unlocked vehicle. Please remind your neighbors and friends to lock there vehicles and never leave things of value in them especially overnight. 5/08/08 We are still seeing gas being taken from vehicles from various areas of the county(lock gas caps will help). We have had several trailers taken from the central part of the county(trailer locks will help).Once again we have had several homes broken into in the highway 27 area south of Leesburg and north of the turnpike. If you have home alarms I would suggest activating them when you leave for any length of time. Remember call us with any suspicious activity as soon as possible.
Its looking very
good for the BBQ, I hope to have a supply of crime watch signs on hand for
those communities that have requested them.
Also just a
reminder if you change your e-mail address when you notify me please include
the name of your community, it makes it easer for me--Thanks.
4/30/08
Hello neighbors. I received this from a
concerned neighbor and thought it important enough to pass on. Just
yesterday I was asked if any of these current break-ins are happening to home
that are locked. It appears so. We now know the neighborhoods
surrounding SRV have been hit. Please stay safe. Susan
...We have had another burglary in The
Plantation. It happened yesterday, Wednesday,
4/23, this time in Riverwalk. The home backs up to the 18th fairway
of Otter Creek. The burglary happened
between 11:10 am - 5:10 pm. The homeowner told me that he and his wife were out playing golf when it occurred. Someone got in through the unlocked lanai door then broke the lock on one of the sliders to gain entry into the home. he family pet, an Irish Setter, was in the lanai at the time. Silverware was taken. It appears that the burglary is a smoker because cigarette ash was found in the house. The front door was found unlocked (the burglar may have gone out the front door or unlocked it for a quick exit in case the homeowner arrived). A number of similarities to the Nottoway burglary: golf front property; entry through the back; items taken; time period of burglary.
PLEASE STAY ALERT for any
suspicious people and KEEP
YOUR DOORS LOCKED! 4/24/08 Just wanted to bring up a subject reference paper deliveries. As I have stated over the years never leave your newspaper in your driveway for more then a day. If you are going to be gone for any length of time either stop delivery or have someone pick up your paper. Leaving the paper in your yard is an indicator that you are not at home. In saying this something has been brought to my attention that I feel should be brought to everyone's attention. Approximately four weeks ago a local advertisement paper due to budget issues started home delivery of there free advertisement paper rather than mailing them out. The issue is that a lot of our seasonal citizens have gone back to there summer homes and these papers are starting to accumulate in there yards. Once again this is a sign that no one is at home. I have talked to a editor of one of these papers and they advised me that if someone will call the papers in question and request that the paper not be delivered to a certain address they will delete that address from there delivery list. No reason need be given other then the paper is not desired at this time. If you have a neighbor that has gone back up north you can do this for them they do not have to be the one to call. 4/21/08
Just wanted to
remind everyone to make double sure when leaving your homes to make sure that
you are locking your doors. We are seeing a very high number of home break-ins
where it appears that the homes were left unlocked.
The areas of
concern are mainly Clermont South, the highway 27 area South of Leesburg
to highway 19, and the areas North East of Umatilla.
Also as a
reminder when possible I try not to name the communities by name that are
having issues, but rather use a area of concern. Please don't be upset if you
don't see the name of your community as having problems in my alerts (there is
a reason for this).
I would also
suggest that you put your jewelry in a heavy lock safe or some place
other then the common areas such as your top dresser drawer or the closet in
the master bedroom.
4/18/08
This information was forwarded to us by another
village's crime watch coordinator. Hopefully you'll find it important
enough to check your doors and windows when leaving the house. Thanks,
Susan
...On
Sunday, 4/13 there was a burglary in Nottoway Village. I spoke with the
homeowner and here is the information I received: The burglary occurred between 10 am and 5:30 pm (daylight hours). It appears that entry was made through the lanai and sliding glass doors into the house. The homeowner could not remember if the lanai door or the sliders were locked. There does not appear to be any forced entry. A gun cabinet was forced open on the one side. There were two guns in there, a bb gun and an old 20 ga shotgun. Both guns were not touched. The other side to the cabinet was not opened. Jewelry and a complete set of silverware were taken. A purse with wallet, cash and credit cards was untouched. A camera and binoculars in plain sight were also not touched. So the thief/thieves just took items that were easily hidden. Lake County Sheriffs were notified and responded. The detective believed that this burglary is part of a professional ring that has been hitting hard in Royal Highlands. Most of the burglaries there occurred to homes along the golf course. 4/17/08
Just wanted to
alert every one that we are seeing a higher than usual amount of car
break- ins from various locations around the county. In the south
end we have had well over a dozen UNLOCKED cars entered and items of value
taken. Last week there were several locked cars that were broken into
while parked at both the Lowes, and Wal-Mart in Mount Dora. Door locks were
popped in to gain entry. Only cars that had items of value in plain view were
broken into. The good news is that three individuals form South Florida were
caught and charged. Please lock your vehicles and don't leave anything of
value in your vehicle or at the least not in plain view.
3/26/08
Just wanted to
alert every one to a scam that may be surfacing in our area. You will receive
a phone call from a person representing themselves as being with Social
Security/Medicare. They will inform you that there will be an additional
amount added to the benefits that you currently receive, but that they
need your banking information so that they can verify that they have the
correct information to process your additional funds. Remember never give
any of your personal information over the phone especially to some one
that you do not know.
3/25/08
Just wanted to
let every one know that we have seen an increase in boats being broken into
both while at storage areas and in a couple of cases from boats docked at
marinas and private homes. What they are taking is mostly fishing gear, and in
at least two cases trolling motors.
We have had three
golf carts reported stolen in the Lady Lake area.
Two ATV's were
reported stolen, one in the Okahumphka area and one in the Eustis area. We
also had a new dirt bike reported taken from a business in the Mount Dora
area.
We have also had
several unsecured trailers taken from various locations around the
county. As I have said so many times over the last couple of years please if
you have a trailer at least attach a trailer lock to it when its not in use.
It does not mean that they will not steal it, but it will make it a lot more
difficult and may be the difference in them taking the trailer or not taking
it.
We have had
several cars in the south end of the county broken into (NOT LOCKED) and
various items taken. Also in the south end of the county we have had two
vehicles that had a window broken out to get a purse that was left in the
vehicle. Again as a reminder do not ever leave your wallet or purse in a
unattended vehicle locked or unlocked.
3/1/08
Wanted to let
everyone know that we have had several reported incidents of gas being
stolen from recreation vehicles, and boats that are being parked in
storage areas from various locations around the county. We also have
had gas taken from boats stored or located on various lakes mainly
in the Leesburg, Tavares areas. I'm afraid that with the cost of gas
increasing we are also going to see a increase in gas type thefts.
Also just as a
reminder to a alert I put out several months ago every now and then just
check the tag on your vehicles to make sure that you have the correct tag
for that vehicle. We have had cases in the past were the criminals will steel
a vehicle to use in crimes then switch tags of similar vehicle. They will
put the tag from the stolen vehicle on the other vehicle, thus if the police
run the tags the one on the stolen vehicle will come back ok. If your car is the
one that they put the one from the stolen vehicle on and your vehicle is
checked yours will come back as a stolen vehicle.
(Information
Only) There have been several reported incidents in other areas of the
state were a couple of gentleman working as a teem will show up at a
home. One of the subjects will with different stories convince the home
owner to come out of the house. Once out of the house the second person will
sneak into the home and take purses or wallets or any smaller items of
value then leave. He is not in the house for more then just a minute or two.
In the cases where this happened the victims did not realize that
anything was missing for a while, then did not link the incident of the
missing object with the person who came to there house.
If you change
your e-mail address when you notify me please also include the name of
your community. With over 500 crime watch contacts it just makes it easer
for me to locate you and make the changes.--Thanks
2/28/08
I just wanted
to bring every one up to date on a couple of problems that we are seeing in
Lake County. We are starting to see a lot of what we call scam pavers. This
is a group of people that are going around and attempting to sell you some
sort of a re-paving job. First of all any one that is soliciting in Lake
County is required to have a Home Solicitation Permit issued by the Clerk of
the Court, and if in a city they must also have a city permit. If some one
approaches you and try's to sell you a service that you did not make the
initial contact yourself or through a second party and they
approach you they are required to have this permit. If they do not have this
permit call us or your local police.
And remember
there are hundreds of hundreds of different fraud type scams out there.
please never give any of your personal information to any one that you did
not initiate the contact for a legitimate service. Remember, no one is going
to give you something for nothing especially a stranger.
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