Stay safe when shopping online

This week I offer some safety information on buying and selling items on the internet.

Many police departments have designed a designated internet exchange “meet-up” spot at or near the police station. At the present time, Boulder City does not have this, but residents are welcome to meet near the station in the available parking lots for safety reasons. Many of these lots have video surveillance that is not specifically monitored, but the feeds are viewable live and recorded.

Officers will not mediate or participate in exchanges but will respond if needed for criminal or suspicious activity.

Arrange for the exchange during daylight hours. Always meet in a visible, public area, preferably with recorded surveillance. Avoid transactions at your home and never allow strangers into your home, and do your research to know the value of items being bought or sold. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Bring a friend along or tell someone else where you will be and how long you are expected to be there. If the person is not willing to meet at the police station, the transaction probably was not meant to be.

In regards to online shopping, it’s not wise to give your personal information unless you are absolutely sure that it is safe. This means, where possible, not giving out your full name, your address, your phone number, your credit card number, your tax ID number or information on your family and friends. If you must give a name to register or log in to a forum or for some other online purpose, use a nickname or alias where possible.

Sometimes you’ll want to give personal details, including your credit card number, for shopping on the net. This is OK, as long as the online seller is reputable and has secure shopping facilities.

Secure site pages will have addresses starting with https rather than http. This information will be useful during the holidays as well as the rest of the year.

Thursday, 6. Suspicious: The caller is returning from the store and a suspicious male dressed in dark clothing runs away as she approaches at 2:41 a.m. in the area of Gingerwood Mobile Home Park.

Burglary: The alert neighbor sees a subject jump the fence then speed away in a nearby vehicle at 10:51 a.m. in the 200 block of Wyoming Street.

Friday, 7. Assist: The clerk is calling for an inebriated customer wanting to report an auto theft although no one observed her arrive in one at 11:54 a.m. in the 800 block of Nevada Way.

Fraud: The resident used an internet sales site to make some quick cash selling items and finds they have been given counterfeit currency at 9:10 p.m. in the 600 block of Avenue C.

Saturday, 8. Civil: The caller states the roommate is locked inside their room cursing, yelling, and causing a disturbance at 10:07 a.m. in the 1400 block of Nadine Way.

DUI: The caller states the other vehicle is all over the road and the driver appears impaired at 10:14 p.m. in the area of Sandra Drive and Della Court.

Sunday, 9. Suspicious Vehicle: The call begins with an unknown vehicle on private property and ends two traffic stops later with an officer and suspect engaged in hand-to-hand combat on the ground at 10:24 a.m. in the area of Adams Boulevard and River Mountain.

DUI: The pickup crosses the bots-dots, nearly takes out the center k-rail but the field sobriety tests indicate why at 9:46 p.m. in the 300 block of Roma Lane.

Monday, 10. Suspicious: The male and female keep going back and forth to a parked vehicle and it looks suspicious at 2:21 a.m. in the 1600 block of Nevada Highway.

Suspicious Person: Male dressed in black clothing is walking back and forth across the road and in between vehicles (JDLR) at 5:11 a.m. in the area of Wyoming Street and Northridge Drive.

Tuesday, 11. Vehicle Burglary: The contractor’s vehicles appear to be missing numerous work tools at 10:01 a.m. in the area of Buchanan Boulevard and Quail Drive.

Disturbance: The male subject pushing a shopping cart is screaming and cursing at 3:54 p.m. in the 1000 block of Nevada Way.

Wednesday, 12. Accident: with Injuries: Three people have serious injuries after an accident of an off-road vehicle where no restraints were in use at 2:20 p.m. in the area of mile marker 50 on U.S. Highway 95.

Suspicious: The caller states she sees several people inside a local building with long rifles and handguns at 7:38 p.m. in the 900 block of Nevada Way.

Call(s) of the Week: Animal: The intoxicated caller advises that he is mounted on his bicycle trying to herd the sheep back to the Park but there are just too many for one man and one bike at 10:50 a.m. in the area of U.S. Highway 93 and Ville Drive on 12/6/18. He requests backup … STAT!

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