Triad meeting addresses safety
Sarah Day — Staff WriterWINNEBAGO - About 60 residents of the Winnebago area gathered Wednesday at City Hall for the first Triad meeting.
Triad is an effort started by the National Sheriff's Association that works to reduce crimes against the elderly and unwarranted fear of crime.
In March, surveys were sent out to all households in Winnebago and Huntley to see what the concerns were of all of its citizens.
Questions centered on different areas of safety such as financial, physical, emotional, community and home, along with other topics.
The biggest concerns were community lighting and financial safety.
Wednesday brought the first round of public meetings and the topic was financial safety and identity theft.
Police Chief Bob Toland told those gathered that their goals are to find out what the community's needs are, and he wants senior citizens to feel safe in their own homes.
Officer Chris Vasvick has been organizing the project, but was unable to attend the meeting.
Toland had people write down how often they'd like Triad meetings and what topics they want addressed.
Kari Eastman, with the Winnebago Ambulance Service, handed out yellow refrigerator clips with informational sheets. The residents were to write their information on the sheets including emergency contact, living will, medical history, medications, allergies and surgeries.
Eastman said it's an ongoing problem with emergency situations where the responders need that kind of information from a person, and either can't get it or have trouble getting it.
"First of all we know your information is in it, and second of all we don't have to bother you when you're having trouble breathing, having a lot of pain or whatever," she said.
Kathy Dressen and Joanne Hoffman from First Financial Bank in Winnebago gave them information they should know to protect their identity and bank accounts.
"Identity theft is a big hot topic right now," Hoffman said. "Identity theft means someone is using your personal information to rob you of your financial reputation."
She said criminals know how to gather that information and can do it in many ways, including by stealing a wallet or purse, bank statement or credit card offer; obtaining a credit report by posing as a person's employer; buying information from a third party; or from using "pretext" calls - where they call already having most of your information and ask for more vital pieces.
Dressen gave tips on how to avoid identity theft. They included:
o Always protect your purse/wallet.
o Think about what you're carrying and don't carry unnecessary items.
o Keep copies of receipts. If there's a discrepancy, the receipt is your ticket to winning your argument.
o Be aware of your surroundings - don't use an ATM if others are too close.
o Shred, tear up or burn documents with personal information on them instead of throwing them directly in the garbage or recycling.
o Choose unique pin numbers, don't have the same one for every account.
o Don't carry the pin number with the card.
o Don't give information over the phone unless you initiated the call.
o Know your billing cycles and when to expect your statements.
o Retrieve mail as soon as possible.
Hoffman said there are three major credit reporting agencies that have to provide a free report each year. She said it's important for everyone to check their credit report and watch for unusual activity.
"Identity theft can still happen," Dressen said. "So it's important to take action immediately."
She said if someone suspects fraudulent activity they should contact the fraud department of the three major credit bureaus, call all their creditors and explain the situation - even creditors where no fraudulent activity has taken place - and make a police report where the identity theft occurred.
"You need to be patient and you need to be very, very persistent," Dressen said.
Toland said if they have any questions or need help determining which police department to talk to, they can call the Winnebago Police Department.
Toland said many of the complaints they receive locally are cases where deposit slips have been stolen or cases where a person got a call about winning the Canadian lottery.
"The old saying, 'If it's too good to be true,' it's too good to be true. Stick with that," Toland said. "For goodness sakes, don't let anybody pressure you into giving personal information. If you're uncomfortable with the questions that they're asking over the telephone, you tell them you need to speak with somebody in person. If you're getting harassed by a person day after day, please call us. Working together is the only way we can stop these kinds of crimes."
