How to handle phone scams and prevent vehicle burglaries

If you receive a call from someone claiming to be from a utility, business, government or police and is asking you for money, hang up immediately. Do not confirm any personal information such as your name or address and do not answer any questions.

If you are concerned you may owe money, call the official telephone number for the organization, business or utility before taking any action. If someone says that you owe money to an organization or business that you’ve never heard about, then follow the same steps previously mentioned and hang up.

A legitimate company will take a credit or debit card and will not ask you to pay with gift cards such as iTunes cards or prepaid cards. Do not agree to meet up with anyone saying they can take your payment in person. Block any number that is attempting to solicit money from you and report it to your telephone company. Thieves want to steal your hard-earned money — but don’t let them.

We are seeing an increase in vehicle burglaries throughout the valley with one thing in common – the vehicles were left unlocked with valuables inside. We cannot stress enough the importance of locking your vehicles every night. And please, remove all valuables including the garage remote.

There are many options available to have your garage controlled by your phone or a keypad. We recommend some other option so you don’t have to program the garage code into your vehicle or have the physical controller inside. Never leave valuables in your vehicle, but if you must … lock them up and keep them out of sight. Always park in well-lit and heavily traveled areas and if at home, park in the garage if possible. As always, report suspicious activity to the police.

Thursday, 3. Traffic: The juveniles were enjoying quite the night until the red and blues showed up at 1:32 a.m. in the area of Newport Drive and Laguna Lane.

Accident w/Injury: One vehicle rolls over and involves a second vehicle shutting down the entire roadway for about a half-hour at 11:16 p.m. in the area of Katzenbach Lane and U.S. 93.

Thought for the day: The dreaded curfew strikes again.

Friday, 4. Suspicious: The patient signed a medical release and is outside the facility calling for a rescue to transport him somewhere he can get prescribed the narcotics he desires at 5:39 a.m. in the 900 block of Adams Blvd.

Family Disturbance: The couple are in separate vehicles and one party just won’t leave the other alone after a disagreement alongside the roadway at 9:02 p.m. in the 1600 block of Foothill Drive.

Thought for the Day: Another day of domestic bliss.

Saturday, 5. DUI: The traffic stop takes a familiar turn when the vehicle, or the driver, appear to be under the influence at 12:29 a.m. in the area of Railroad Ave. and Date St.

911: The inebriated female seems to think the emergency number is her personal complaint line at 7:21 p.m. in the 700 block of Nevada Way.

Thought for the Day: Substance abuse can get you in trouble in more ways than one.

Sunday, 6. Suspicious Vehicle: The white limo with bull horns mounted to the front appears to be sporting a jersey paint job and a for sale sign at 1:14 a.m. in the area of VMD and US93.

Assist Other: Several callers report a male with no shirt walking in the middle of the roadway waving and scaring drivers at 2:23 a.m. in the area of mm 48 on U.S. 95.

Thought for the Day: The disoriented young man from the roadway was reunited with his worried family and another agency can remove a missing person from their files.

Monday, 7. Suspicious: The caller states the group of males trying to get in the house are gone but now an old man and a child have a blowtorch outside at 12:13 a.m. in the 1000 block of Adobe Circle.

Welfare Check: The male insisted he was fine after he fell off the scooter but he is now sleeping on the sidewalk at 9:14 p.m. in the 1000 block of Industrial Road.

Thought for the Day: Don’t ya just hate those pesky blow-torch issues.

Tuesday, 8. Assist: The male believes he is in Massachusetts and wants someone to call 911 at 6:57 a.m. in the area of St. Jude’s and U.S. 93.

Disturbance: Several visitors are whooping it up and it appears that it has caused some dissention at 11 p.m. in the 700 block of Nevada Way.

Thought for the Day: The parents are glad to retrieve their son and will be getting him some needed TLC.

Wednesday, 9. Suspicious: The place for a romantic encounter is not in a vehicle in the middle of the neighborhood at 10:28 a.m. in the 900 block of Dianne Drive.

Civil: Once again, the kids are the subject matter of an argument over custody and control at 9:19 p.m. in the 1400 block of Marita Drive.

Thought for the Day: Kudos to those out there that manage to behave like adults in the midst of troubled times because some just don’t.

Call(s) of the Week: 911: This 911 call originated from the lobby of the Police Department with a transient wanting to report all sort of atrocities including another City’s attempt to ‘extract his thoughts’ leaving him without any. I feel your pain buddy – it was a ‘thought extraction’ kinda day for us here, too, at 5:14 p.m. in the 1000 block of Arizona St. on 5/3/18.

Tina Ransom is a dispatcher with Boulder City Police Department. She is coordinator of the Boulder City Citizen’s Academy.