25 of Americas Most Dangerous Neighborhoods

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What’s the point in even knowing what the most 25 dangerous neighborhoods are? For one thing, if you live in one, you may already have a sense of it, but it would be good to know you’re considered high risk and might want to take the extra precautions and batten down the hatches. Plus for those of you who think it can’t happen to you it may be one more reason you should LOCK YOUR DOORS.

If you plan to move, it is always good to understand the crime climate of the environment you are considering. Checking this list and also contacting the local authorities will help give you an idea of what is going on.

Another great way to determine crime climate is the police blotter. If the police blotter mentions lots of violent crimes vs. another town that mentions lots of cats stuck in trees then you know what to expect. For example in Wellesley Massachusetts, a few towns over from where I live the headline in the police blotter is (and I kid you not) “Escaped cow takes to Wellesley streets” Nice.

Otherwise if you travel on business or plan to send a kid to college, knowing the crime climate of any given neighborhood is a good idea.

Chicago took the number one spot. Cleveland second. Then a couple in Vegas, and Atlanta took 4 places and Ohio a few more. So that being said see the 25 Of Americas Most Dangerous Neighborhoods all HERE.

Every family must have a plan for home security and a home security alarm.

Consider a trained German shepherd as a protection dog as well.

Another consideration is a home safe-room also known as a “panic room” where families can hide out in a relatively bullet proof, well stocked room equipped with wireless communications and wait for law enforcement to show up.

Never talk to strangers via an open or screen door. Always talk to them through a locked door.

NEVER let children open the doors. Always require an adult to do it.

Install a 24-hour camera surveillance system. Security cameras are a great deterrent.  Have them pointed to every door and access point.

Robert Siciliano personal security expert to Home Security Source discussing home invasions on the Gordon Elliot Show. Disclosures

7 Ways to Combat Scareware

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You may have seen this before, it goes like this: a pop-up pops and it looks like a window on
your PC. Next thing a scan begins. It often grabs a screenshot of your “My Computer” window
mimicking your PCs characteristics then tricking you into clicking on links. The scan tells you
that a virus has infected your PC. And for $49.95 you can download software that magically
appears just in time to save the day.

From that point on if you don’t download and install the software, your computer goes kooky
and pop-ups will invade you like bedbugs in New York City.

Web pages may be infected or built to distribute scareware. The goal is to trick you into clicking
on links and download their crappy software.

Information Week reports those behind a new fake antivirus software have added a new social engineering element — live support agents who will try to convince potential victims that their PCs are infected and that payment is the cure.

The rogue software comes equipped with a customer support link leading to a live session with the bad guy. Real scammers on the other end of chat have the ability to offer live remote access support instructed by support to click a link initiating remote access to their PC.  Once connected remotely, the scammer can potentially retrieve documents to steal your identity.

Another new twist on the scam involves a popup in the form of a browser with a warning that looks like what your browser may present to you when you visit a page that might have an expired security certificate, malware warning or be a potential phishing site. The page is usually red with a warning: “Visiting This Site May Harm Your Computer” then it provides you with a link, button or pop-up that gives you the option of downloading security software or to update your browsers security.

The software is sometimes known as “AntiVirus2010” “WinFixer,” “WinAntivirus,” “DriveCleaner,” “WinAntispyware,” “AntivirusXP” and “XP Antivirus 2010” or something like “Security Toolkit”. These are actually viruses or spyware that infect your PC, or just junk software that does nothing of value.

What makes the scam so believable is there is actual follow through of the purchasing of software that is supposed to protect you. There is a shopping cart, an order form, credit card processing and a download, just like any online software purchase.

Protect yourself:

#1 Use the most updated browser. Whether Internet Explorer 8, Chrome or Firefox, download the latest and greatest. At least download whatever security updates there are for your exiting browser.

#2 Usually by default, a pop-up blocker is turned on in new browsers. Keep it on. No pop-ups, no scareware.

#3 If you are using another browser and a pop-up –pops-up, shut down your browser. If the pop-up won’t let you shut it down, do a Ctrl-Alt-Delete and shut down the browser that way.

#4 Never click links in pop-ups.  If the pop-ups are out of your control, do a hard shutdown before you start clicking links.

#5 Persistence counts. Shutting off this pop-up is often difficult and any buttons you press within this pop-up could mean downloading the exact virus they warned you of.

#6 Employ the most recent versions of anti-virus and keep it set to automatically update your virus definitions.

#7 Never click on links in the body of a “WARNING” webpage that is suggesting to download updates for your browser or suggesting to download security software. Just hit the little red X in the upper right corner.

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

10 Very Stupid Criminals

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Dumb Criminals are performing stupid crimes all the time.  Here is a list of 10 stupid criminal stories.

#1 Firefighters said it can’t get more ironic than this — an arsonist breaks into a convenience store, steals scratch-off lottery tickets, tries to cover his tracks by setting a fire, and in the process, sets himself on fire.

#2 Robber walked in to a store with duct tape wrapped around his head to conceal his face. The store manager had some duct tape of his own. He had a wooden club wrapped with duct tape that eventually sent the suspect fleeing the store. A store employee chased Duct Boy to the parking lot, tackled him and held him in a choke position until police arrived.

#3 Burglar breaks into a home and rifled gems from a jewelry box and helped himself to a check book, but the vodka and valium he had already downed that morning was taking its toll. And when the stunned homeowner came upstairs, she found him fast asleep under her bed.

#4 A woman stepped out of her car to talk to an officer about a crime she witnessed. While her back is turned, a man in a black cap carrying a big stick walked past her and and jumped into her car. The officer banged on the hood – to try to get the man to stop, but he got away. He was caught the next day.

#5 A policeman and his drug sniffing dog were invited to a Boy Scouts meeting for a demonstration. One of the boy’s mothers was arrested for having marijuana in her purse.

#6 Robber holds up a liquor store and demands all the money. Clerk gives him the money then the robber demands a bottle of scotch. The clerk refuses unless the robber shows him ID to verify his age. Robber showed his ID.

#7 Woman’s car is stolen with her mobile phone in it and she reports it to the police. Police call the thief on the phone saying they were responding to a news paper ad to buy the car. Thief shows up to sell the car.

#8 Two robbers enter a store and one screams “Nobody move or I’ll shoot!” His partner moved, he got shot.

#9 Guy breaks out of jail and goes to his girlfriend’s house. He accompanied her to court the next day on a charge she faced.  While at court he went outside to smoke a cigarette, she couldn’t find him and had him paged. Two cops recognized the name and arrested him.

#10 Bank robber stuffed a bag of money down his pants. The teller put an exploding dye pack in the bag. The dye pack exploded.Ouch! He didn’t make it out the door.

Robert Siciliano personal security expert to Home Security Source discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

Telemarketing Scams Target the Elderly

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We hear it over and over how the elderly are often targeted by scammers. Elderly are simply “elders” and no smarter or dumber than anyone else. If anything, they are wiser. However, as we age we often get feeble, weaker in the mind. That slightly weaker state of mind is when the scammer strikes. You one day may be part of a telemarketing scam.

The psychology behind the success of these scams might have to do with the nature of the scam. Often they put a degree of pressure on the victim in regards to losing something or gaining something, but inevitably, it’s the pressure put on them that makes the victim act. Often the plan to scam money will involve something the victim is aware of, but doesn’t have a good understanding of. The scammer often does their best to speak in a way that is basic, but at the same time slightly over the head of the victim. They lead the victim down a rabbit hole that they can’t pull themselves out of.

In Ohio and all over the country, tried and true lottery scams are emptying bank accounts. In one scam a man loses $500,000 and in another $250,000.

“U.S. postal inspectors say they’re seeing fresh reports about these old-fashioned scams: Senior citizens from Cleveland, Youngstown, Toledo, Mansfield and Madison have recently reported losing hundreds of thousands of dollars apiece. The newest phone scams follow an old-fashioned formula: Scammers promise huge lottery winnings and then string victims along by inventing some problem — taxes, a customs problem, and a legal fee — that requires victims to send a sizable chunk of cash to free up their winnings. The recent victims are elderly and, for the most part, widowed, childless or estranged from family. They may have medical or other issues that cloud their judgment.”

Once the bad-guy locks in on them, they won’t let go until the bank account is beyond empty. Victims have been known to pull all the equity out of their houses as well.

In our day to day affairs with life so hectic and busy, it’s easy to forget those in our lives who are older and who may not be an immediate family member. These are people who the scammers often prey upon.

Who in your life could use some checking in on?

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

Condo, Apartment Neighborhood Watch Safety Is Key to Peace of Mind

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In New Jersey, a condo board president was instrumental in launching a neighbor watch program which has received the attention of city officials.

The condo association has taken the extra steps of installing home security cameras too. The local police approved on the idea of using camera security and agree that every layer of protection is a good one.

“A neighborhood block watch, which residents can initiate through local police, bands together an educated public to work with police on safe neighborhoods. But it is just one of many ways an apartment or condo resident can help to improve security. Other protections run the gamut from doormen to alarms and surveillance cameras.”

A home surveillance system is effective in 2 ways. The best way is for it to be monitored by a human who can call the authorities if they detect something suspicious. The second best way is to incorporate a digital video recorder that records around the clock. Each method should include software that detects motion and sends an alert. This alert can trigger a human to interact with a non-monitored system and allow for a call to the authorities when necessary.  The recording by itself is a reactive way to catch the bad guy or to at least keep tabs on what goes on around the property.

Recently my own home security system caught an altercation between two neighbors. One neighbor was clearly the aggressor which helped the other neighbor build a case against him.

Sometimes you never know what those cameras will pick up. My neighbor who was assaulted is now making his own investment in home security cameras. Sometimes adverse situations can help people learn to proactively more forward.

Robert Siciliano personal security expert to Home Security Source discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.