Woman Hit With Frying Pan In Home Invasion

/in /by

We’ve gone over this at least a thousand times, lock your doors at night while you sleep, lock your windows and install a home security alarm.

Why? Because strange men who have murdered in the past and have been incarcerated as a teenager eventually get out of jail and then invade a person’s home at 3 am and hit the home owners daughter in the head with a cast iron pan. That’s why.

In Portland at 15 years old this guy pleaded no contest to murder. He eventually got out in 2006. Then at 26 years old he decides to break into someone’s house and fracture their skull. I have a cast iron frying pan and they are fantastic to make blackened fish and fajitas. And I can see how one to the skull could do some damage. His dad says drugs aren’t the problem but his son might have mental health issues. I’m no doctor, but I’d have to agree.

What he was after and why he broke in is not known. He didn’t have much time to steal anything because the father of the girl stabbed the home invader multiple time as the criminal was running out the door.

Understand that there always have been criminals, there are criminals now and there will always be criminals. And you Harry Homeowner need to recognize this and take steps to prevent becoming a criminal’s target.

Frankly, all that blood all over the house makes quite a mess and is just so unnecessary. A simple screaming home alarm in many cases could prevent the whole stabbing, frying pan, home invasion and waking up at 3 am thing from happening in the first place.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to Home Security Source discussing Home Invasions on Montel Williams. Disclosures

Facebook Commenting Only Keeps the Honest, Honest

/in /by

You’re probably familiar with the comments sections of blogs and online newspapers. It’s where people write nice, harmonious, agreeable comments about the article, the article’s author, and the President. No, wait that must have been a dream I had.

I have always felt that a lack of accountability in the commenting process unfortunately brings out the worst in people. Today, anonymous Internet commentary is similar to prank phone calls prior to the introduction of caller ID.

Of course, what is or is not appropriate depends on one’s political, social, and economic perspective, and in many cases, anonymous comments can influence the direction of an online dialogue. Some commenters rely on their anonymity to avoid angering their employers. But most do so in order to freely post awful comments, because they themselves are not so nice. Writers put themselves out there every day, exposing themselves to the world, subject to every person’s inner mean side, cloaked in cowardly anonymity.

Facebook has rolled out a tool that allows any website to attach faces to comments, which would create a certain degree of accountability.

According to InfoWorld, “TechCrunch, which implemented Facebook Comments as an experiment, reports that while the total volume of comments is down significantly, the comment nastiness quotient is approaching zero – except, apparently, for nasty comments about their new commenting system.”

I see this as a positive. There is enough nastiness in the world and we all need to tone it down. Do your research on this issue. There are plenty of colorful opinions on what Facebook Commenting may mean. Many are for it, and many more are against.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to Home Security Source discussing social media identity theft on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

Home Alarm System Aids Tornado Victims

/in /by

The ADT Pulse alarm system I have has a “Panic” button in case we are in an emergency situation where we need help. I’ve always visualized situations such as home invasion or maybe medical or fire emergency as its intended function.

Well one ADT customer Jarod Stice and his fiancé Jessica Bennett — along with their dog – were huddled under two sheets of plywood and a tarp in the basement of their new Joplin, MO home, while one of the deadliest tornados in U.S. history wreaked havoc overhead.

After emerging from the rubble where his home once stood and uninjured, Jarod climbed up the basement stairs reaching for the control panel of the ADT Pulse home alarm system mounted on one of the few remaining walls. He pushed the emergency button knowing that the system –which uses cell-phone technology – would dial out automatically and relay the need for help to an operator at one of ADT’s Customer Monitoring Centers. The signal was immediately received by Customer Care Representative.

Within minutes help was on the way. Jarod credits ADT for helping to get emergency aid quickly to several seriously injured people whom he and other neighbors had pulled from the rubble and shepherded into his basement for safety.

“The EMTs were able to get within three houses of our home,” he said. “They had to be responding to the alarm because there’s no other reason they would come this close. We were one of the first in the neighborhood to get help.”

Thanks to the quick response from the paramedics, all of those hurt survived the injuries. According to Jared, no one in his immediate neighborhood was among the more than 130 people killed by the tornado.

Become familiar with your alarm control panels panic button. It may save your life or the life of a loved one.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to Home Security Source discussing ADT Pulse™ on Fox News. Disclosures

3 Incredible Reasons Why Security Cameras Rock

/in /by

Reason 1: In Pittsfield Massachusetts a minor league baseball team was reeling after continual theft from the team’s locker room. And to help solve the problem they I installed a single video surveillance camera.

The 42 year old thief was recently caught on camera and arrested for stealing cash from the lockers of the team during a ball game. He of course pleaded not guilty. The video states otherwise. Video doesn’t lie. In this scenario the team players should have locked the locker room up or at least locked their lockers.

Reason 2: A guy named Eddie was labeled a geek by his home invaders who believed he wouldn’t put up a fight. The where right, he is a geek and didn’t put up a fight. Geeks, in general, are smart though, so he installed a security camera. The thieves broke into his home and stole money and vowing to not let that happen again he went out and bought a surveillance camera.

The next day young teens came to his unlocked home and held him at knife and gun point and robbed him, all caught on tape. All 4 teens were caught and now face prosecution.

Eddie should lock his doors and get a home security system.

Reason 3: This story doesn’t have a happy ending, but hopefully it will. In Oakland California a woman was robbed but then sexually assaulted. Amazingly she caught the whole burglary part on tape on her mobile phone.

The video is clear and crisp and will hopefully bring this man to justice.

In the future I’d recommend NOT busting out your mobile video but instead using that same phone to call 911 as you run out of the home to safety. There are many things wrong with this situation but manly that the victim didn’t need to be a victim.

I’m a big fan of video, but a bigger fan of RUNNING.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to Home Security Source discussing ADT Pulse™ on Fox News. Disclosures

The Consequences of a Teacher’s Facebook Comments

/in /by

We should all know by now that nothing you post on Facebook is private. You may have gone through all the privacy settings to thoroughly lock down your profile, but even so, you can never be sure that your posts will remain hidden. Facebook alters their privacy settings so frequently, you never know when or how the defaults will change. No matter how strict your privacy settings are, accepting a friend request from a stranger (who may be a human resource officer, for example) allows him or her to see your private comments, which can always be easily copied, pasted, and shared with the world.

The New York Post reported, that a Brooklyn NY teacher said some bad stuff regarding her fifth-graders referencing the death of a 12-year-old Harlem school girl who drowned on a class trip.

While on a field trip, the teacher used her Blackberry to post, “After today, I’m thinking the beach is a good trip for my class. I hate their guts.” When a Facebook friend asked, “Wouldn’t you throw a life jacket to little Kwami?” she wrote back, “No, I wouldn’t for a million dollars.”

Yikes!

Normally, this is when I would explain that it is never a good idea to announce to the world how much you hate your boss, neighbor, students’ teachers, or spouse, and that you’d like to boil a bunny on the stove to teach them a lesson. I guarantee that even if you are kidding, someone will be offended. Everything you do on the Internet lasts forever.

However, I’d rather encourage anyone with a position of authority and responsibility for others to please, go ahead and post your feelings, thoughts, and motivations as loudly and as clearly as possible. We want to know who you really are. It’s best that you come out of the closet now, so you can be removed from your position if necessary.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to Home Security Source discussing sharing too much information online on Fox News. Disclosures.

Three Dead and One Shot in Home Invasion

/in /by

Not all home invaders invade to steal. Some are simply mentally ill and violent and seek a victim or in this case, victims. Here is an unfortunate example of why you should have a home alarm system and security cameras.

Imagine living into your 80’s only to be taken down by the neighbor from down the street in a fit of rage. With no signs of forced entry the 27 year old with a history of mental illness committed a random act of violence by stabbing a husband, wife and their son before being shot and killed by the son.

Apparently the son had come home to his parent’s home and walked in on the stabbing. He quickly ran upstairs and grabbed a gun and shot the suspect a bunch of times.

There were no signs of forced entry where the attack occurred. Investigators found one unlocked door between the garage entry and main house.

I’ve seen studies published declaring as much as 50% of all people suffer some form of mental illness. Not all are violent, but the ones who are, are all around us. For your own safety, develop a personal security mindset. This means thinking proactively by asking “what if” questions and visualizing possibilities. By predicting and then preventing bad things from happening, you are actively involved in your personal security and that of your families.

When you do this, develop a strategy to that ensures your families security. Lock your windows, bolt your doors and install a home security system.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to Home Security Source discussing ADT Pulse™ on Fox News Live. Disclosures

ATM Scammers’ New Tactic: Glue

/in /by

You can almost hear the scammers’ “Eureka!” moment in their evil dungeon lair: “We don’t need no stinking $5000 high-tech remote access Russian-built skimmer – we just need Elmer’s!” And then a crime is committed and history is made.

The San Francisco Examiner reported, “thieves glued down the ‘enter,’ ‘cancel’ and ‘clear’ buttons on the keypad and wait until the customer goes into the bank for help before withdrawing money from their account. The robbed customers have already punched in their PINs when they realize the keypad buttons are stuck. The unwitting customers either do not know that they can use the ATM touch screen to finish their transaction, or become nervous when the keypad isn’t working and react by leaving the ATM.”

Once the customer has gone into the bank to alert a manager or teller, the scammer walks up to the ATM and uses the touch screen to complete the transaction.

Amazing. Even more amazing is that if a criminal were caught gluing ATM keys, he would most likely only receive a misdemeanor vandalism charge, as opposed to a larceny, which would put him in jail. The law has yet to catch up with this new and brilliantly simple crime.

So if you happen upon a glued ATM remember that you can finish your transaction using the touch screen. Once you’ve done so, alert the bank manager as soon as possible so nobody else gets scammed!

When using an ATM, pay close attention to the machine and be alert for anything that seems out of place. Wires, double sided tape, odd configurations or skimming devices on the face of the ATM, or a card that gets stuck in the reader are all red flags.

Don’t necessarily use the first ATM you see. Choose ATMs in secure locations, and be on your guard, even when using an ATM at a bank branch.

Above all, check your bank statements at least once every two weeks, and refute unauthorized transactions within 30 days.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to Home Security Source discussing ATM skimming on Extra TV. Disclosures.

5 Online Security Using PayPal

/in /by

Sometimes home security begins online. Many millions use and rely on PayPal for convenient and secure ecommerce transactions. But is it safe? The short answer is “yes”. The longer answer is “it depends”.

PayPal has numerous redundant measures of protection in place to protect their user accounts. PayPal falls under many of the same rules and regulations as banks and retailers.  They don’t have a choice to be secure or not, they have to be.

But PayPal is just like everyone else, they are under constant attack.

Most security issues with PayPal aren’t actually with PayPal at all, but with its users.

1.    Don’t click links in emails that come from PayPal. The emails may not be from PayPal but from scammers trying to phish your information. Always directly log into PayPal to access your account.

2.    Don’t link your bank account to PayPal. If your PayPal account is compromised then the money stolen will be from your bank account opposed to your credit card account. There are many more layers of security in your credit card connected to PayPal.

3.    Keep your PC security updated. Your PC is a path to PayPal, your bank or any other online accounts you have. Many of those accounts are only as secure as your PC. Make sure you have updated anti-virus, firewall, spyware detection/removal etc.

4.    Use a trusted PC. I would never use anyone else’s computer to login to my bank or PayPal

5.    Use a trusted internet connection. Banking online or using PayPal from a free internet café invites trouble. Your best bet is a hard wired connection from home.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to Home Security Source discussing home security and identity theft on TBS Movie and a Makeover. Disclosures

Beware of Wedding Crashers This Season

/in /by

Here is why home security video systems are essential. In the movie “Wedding Crashers” actors Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson crashed weddings in pursuit of women and wine. Their antics were perceived as relatively harmless because they were two fun guys injecting their lively fun attitudes into the party.

But in the real world a wedding crasher is a thief. They either steal a meal or more than likely steal the newlywed’s gifts.

In one of my past lives between bartending, barroom bouncing, pipefitting and beginning a security business I was a wedding DJ. Never be a wedding DJ if you don’t want to go head to head with a bridezilla and her mother.

At the end of one wedding I worked, the bride and groom along with a few from the wedding party were frantically scouring the room looking for the bag of envelopes. At one point the bride came up to me with her voice raised and accusatorily asked me if I knew where the bag was. Her husband quickly apologized and whisked her away. All I could do is feel bad.

Unfortunately for them the facility had no surveillance cameras and the gifts were located at the opposite side of the room from me and near the entrance/exit. Someone easily walked in and out and ruined and chance achieving a storybook wedding.

Outside of Boston two women were recently caught on video surveillance stealing over $2800.00 and several stolen items from a wedding. Both women dressed for the occasion, mingled, and eventually made their heist. Once the fraud was discovered the couple quickly called security and the police were notified. More than likely the thief’s car was identified on camera leaving the parking lot and the police got a plate number because they were able to go directly to the thieves homes and recover the lost goods.

In this case security video saved the day. In the future it would also make sense to have signage informing potential thieves they are on surveillance. This added layer of protection will stop many thieves.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to Home Security Source discussing scammers and thieves on The Big Idea with Donnie Deutsch. Disclosures.

10 Covert Ways to Hide Your Valuables

/in /by

Even though you have a home security system installed…right? You should still hide and lock up your stuff.

Burglars are generally aware that a woman’s jewelry is either in her jewelry box on top of her dresser or in her underwear drawer. For men, it’s in a similar place or sitting in a little dish next to the bed. These methods aren’t exactly covert.

A safe is your best bet. Wall and floor safes can be hidden and other heavy box safes can be bolted to the floor.

Here are some options:

1.    Buy or build a “Book Safe”. A book safe is a carved out book containing your most valuable valuables. Here is a DIY security book safe or do a search online and buy one.

2.    Hollow out an appliance. If you are mechanically inclined and have nothing more than a screw driver and wire snips you can gut anything from a power strip to a blender to a coffeemaker.

3.    Install a fake wall electric outlet or switch. This is also a buy or build.

4.    Use an air vent. If your home has “forced air” and you have air blowing for heat or cooling then any one of your horizontal vents can be a hiding place. Just make sure it’s a vent that doesn’t immediately lead to a drop.

5.    Can Safes. This is a buy or build. Mostly a buy. These are regular looking soda or aerosol cans that have a removable top or bottom. They are cheap enough to buy. But be careful with this because they can be mistaken as something you may not need and thrown away.

6.    Use your freezer. The best way to accomplish this is to freeze a smaller plastic bowl with nothing in it within a larger plastic bowl surrounded by tomato sauce. If a burglar looks in your freezer they see gravy.

7.    Hollow out a pillow. If you sew, this is an easy one.

8.    Make false inner pockets in clothing. Designate an older suit or dress that you don’t wear and put pockets in it.

9.    Use lamps or ceiling mounted lights. Lamps often have an hole  to insert anything. You may need a ladder for ceiling mounted lights so only put things in there you don’t access often.

10. Shoes. It’s easy enough to slide something in a pair of shoes then put a sock in there to contain it.

The key to improvised home security through obscurity is NOT to hide anything on the fly. Meaning designate a spot now and always use it. The day you quickly hide something in a lamp before you go on vacation is the day you lose what you hid because you will spend 6 months looking for it and think the house cleaners stole it. Yes, I know this from experience.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to Home Security Source discussing ADT Pulse™ on Fox News Live. Disclosures