Incident Date:
Sunday, April 27th, 2014
The next community meeting at Ingleside Station will be held on May 20, 2014. Thank you.
Fraud Alert: We have noticed a dramatic rise in a specific type of fraud case over the past four week period.
A person calling San Francisco residents identifying himself as a San Francisco deputy sheriff tells victims that he called regarding some sort of violation unknown by the victim and required money immediately to remedy the situation. For example, on numerous occasions, the “deputy” stated he worked in the warrants division and required several hundred dollars from residents to clear up old warrants or else another deputy would arrive at the residents’ address to arrest them. The “deputy” required victims to go to a local drug store, such as CVS, Walgreen’s, etc. to obtain a GreenDot MoneyPak (a pre-paid debit card used for in-store or online purchases) and load the card with several hundred to several thousand dollars. The “deputy” told residents to call back once they obtain the pre-paid debit card, scratch off the gray box to reveal the access codes then read the code to the “deputy” over the telephone.
As time went on over the past four weeks, we noticed that the amount “required” by the “deputy” increased from a couple of hundred dollars to several thousands of dollars. As the caller tested the local response, he became more confident in this scam.
We have also received similar reports with the caller identifying himself as an agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The “FBI agent” states that victims need to send him pre-paid debit card information via telephone or else victims will be placed under arrest.
Related to these crime, but with a much wider scope, are people identifying themselves as Internal Revenue Service employees. These “employees” claim that victims owed massive sums of money in back taxes and required immediate funds – again, through use of pre-paid debit cards – to remedy the situation or face immediate arrest. In one instance, the “IRS employee” required the victim to purchase an $8000 Reload it pre-paid debit card and provide the card’s access information via telephone.
These are all illegal confidence schemes. The callers are confidence men, better known as con artists.
If you receive any such solicitations via telephone, please do your best to note the phone number used, time of day, the name the caller identifies him/herself as, and anything distinguishable about his or her voice.
Be advised that neither the Sheriff’s Department nor federal government solicit funds related to criminal justice matters via telephone calls and any outreach regarding such matters would be made in person or through post office correspondence.
If you feel that you were the victim of such scams, please contact the police immediately. While being duped out of money by fear of arrest can be embarrassing to admit, this is happening to your families, friends and neighbors. Do not be a silent victim.
Our Fraud unit is aware of – and investigating – this ongoing scam. The Fraud unit can be reached at 415-553-1521 Monday thru Friday during normal business hours.
Please contact the police at 415-553-0123 if you have received a phone call from such a con artist. You can also contact the Federal Trade Commission for IRS-related scams at http://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov.
The San Francisco Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (NERT) is free training from the San Francisco Fire Department in how to help yourself and your neighbors prepare for and respond to a disaster by working together. The 20-hour training, taught by First Responders, includes personal preparedness, light search and rescue, disaster medicine, shutting off your utilities, and how to participate as a member of a neighborhood response team. NERT also offers continuing training for graduates and activities that support building robust neighborhood teams. For more information, visit the NERT website at http://sfgov.org//sffdnert, or contact Lt. Erica Arteseros at (415)970-2022 or sffdnert@sfgov.org
Are you someone who is interested in disaster preparedness and wants to help out your community while working hand in hand with law enforcement? Then the ALERT program is for you!
What is the A.L.E.R.T. Program?
The San Francisco Police Department has developed a volunteer citizen disaster preparedness program. The Auxiliary Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT) is modeled after and works in partnership with the San Francisco Fire Department's Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (NERT). The ALERT program will train members of the public to assist law enforcement in essential tasks after a major disaster. Such tasks may include: traffic control, foot patrol of business and residential areas, and reporting criminal activity. Volunteers must be at least 16 years of age and live, work, or attend high school in San Francisco.
Three steps to becoming an
A.L.E.R.T. volunteer:
1. Complete NERT training and receive certification. To register for NERT training courses please visit www.sfgov.org/sfnert
2. Once NERT certified, forward a copy of your NERT ID card to the ALERT program. sfpdalert@sfov.org
3. After clearing a basic background check the individual is eligible to register for ALERT training.
The next training class has been scheduled for May 3rd, 2014, from 8:00am – 5:00pm. This class will be held at the San Francisco Police Academy, in the parking lot bungalow.
Heat wave: Many residents are leaving their windows and doors open in an effort to keep cooler as the temperature increases during these gorgeous sunny days. Be extra careful, especially when you leave your home, paying attention to secure the windows and doors when you leave. Burglars are always looking for the easiest way inside your home. Don’t give them the opportunity for the easy access. Make sure to secure these entry points and leave them locked when you are not around. A third of all the burglaries committed in the Ingleside district during the month of April were due to open garages and unlocked or open windows. Also, remember to keep hydrated with lots of water!!
Crime Alert: As of the start of April ‘2014 there has been an increase in auto boostings in the Noe Valley, Glen Park and Bernal Heights Area. Ingleside officers have stepped up patrol in these areas but, we ask you that you do your part to prevent from being a victim. Take extra precautions to avoid a criminal from window-shopping inside your car. Never give them a reason to break into your car and steal your belongings. Try to park in a well lit area and always lock your doors and secure your windows. Never leave possessions in plain view and never leave important documents inside your car that contain personal information. Remember, if a criminal is unsuccessful and is not benefitting from his criminal activity, the thief will move on, thus making your neighborhood less of a target.
Arrests:
6:38pm Unit Blk Ocean Robbery
Ingleside officers were on the lookout for three suspects who robbed a bank customer of $800 at an ATM machine the day before. While on routine patrol in the vicinity of the bank, Ingleside Officers Archilla, Yuen, Elliston and Conway spotted the suspects in the area. One suspect was stopped by Officer Archilla as he walked on Persia towards Mission Street. The other two suspects were arrested while standing near the bank ATM machines. The robbery victim positively identified one suspect as the man who pushed him away from the bank ATM machine and stole $800 from his account. The other suspects were seen on surveillance video acting as lookouts for the ATM robber. At Ingleside Station the officers recovered several hundred dollars in cash, all in $20 bills, from the pockets of two of the suspects. One suspect was wanted on a U.S. Marshall’s warrant for his arrest and one other suspect was on felony probation out of San Francisco. Report number: 140347011
Serious Incidents:
4:11pm 4900 Blk Mission Attempted Robbery
A Safeway customer decided to stock up on meat without paying for the food. The store’s security personnel told Ingleside Officers Paras and Shugars that the man placed several items in his clothing and left the store after walking quickly by the cash registers. When confronted outside, the suspect dropped the items from his clothing and briefly fought with the loss prevention agent before running away. Report number: 140349631
Vehicle and Other Incidents:
12:00am Unit Blk Cortland Vandalism to Property
12:05am 1500 Blk Dolores Stolen Vehicle
9:00am 200 Blk Moscow Stolen Vehicle
10:30am Unit Blk Duncan Theft from Vehicle
1:00pm Sunnydale/Hahn Assault
3:00pm Unit Blk Brookdale Vandalism to Property
6:38pm San Jose/Kingston Traffic Collision
6:00pm 1500 Blk Dolores Recovered Vehicle
8:00pm 100 Blk Avalon Stolen Vehicle
8:40pm Norton/Mission Stolen Vehicle
9:50pm 3300 Blk Mission Warrant Arrest
11:00pm 300 Blk Prospect Burglary
Burglaries with suspect description:
No Incidents to Report.
