FTC Received 7.1 million Do-Not-Call Complaints in FY 2017

(Click on the image for more Federal Trade Commission information)

From Gizmodo: in 2017 the FTC received 7.1 million complaints, which is 1.8 million more complaints than it received the previous year and twice as many complaints as it received in 2015. Out of the 2017 complaints, 2.5 million were about human spammers, while 4.5 million were about robocalls. The FTC is now averaging more than 375,000 complaints about robocalls per month. [Not everyone reports violations so these numbers are on the low side.]

Criminal’s to do list:

1. Break into car in airport long-term parking. Use registration to locate vacant home. Use garage door opener to open home.
2. Break into car parked at football game. Steal garage door opener and portable GPS. Use GPS to locate home vacant for the duration of the game.
3. Steal woman’s handbag from car while she is pumping gas. Use cellphone to text her husband to get her debit card PIN. Immediately withdraw money.
4. Steal wallet from purse in grocery cart seat. Call victim later and tell her you are store security and have her wallet, come get it at the store. While she goes to get it, break into her house and take what I want.
5. Enjoy the good life!

Reporter's 75 Year-Old Dad Scammed Out of $800

(Click on the image for the 7 On Your Side report)

This can happen to anyone, at any age. Don't let it happen to you!

New year, new law: Maryland smoke alarm law takes effect Jan. 1

(Click on the image for  Kathy Stewart's WTOP report)

• A new smoke alarm law intended to save more lives is taking effect on Jan. 1, 2018 in Maryland. It’s part of a nationwide trend to transition from old smoke detectors powered by 9-volt batteries to new smoke alarms that have a 10 year life span.
• Maryland is the most recent state to require the more modern alarms which are tamper-resistant and last for 10 years without the battery needing to be replaced.
• Starting New Year’s Day, Maryland residents will be required to replace 9-volt battery operated smoke detectors that are 10 years old with the new smoke detectors.
• An old Maryland law that took effect on July 1, 2013 required the old smoke detectors to be replaced when they were 10 years old. The date the smoke detector was manufactured should be on the back of the unit. If a date can’t be found on the unit, then the smoke alarm is most likely more than 10 years old.
• In 2013, the Maryland General Assembly basically amended and updated a 38-year-old smoke alarm law in order to take advantage of the newer technology.
• Even though the new law contains some of the same language as the 2013 law, which states 10-year old smoke alarms should be replaced, lawmakers say that was on purpose in order to re-publicize the message to replace 10-year-old smoke alarms.
• While hard-wired smoke alarms are not effected by the legislation, their efficiency is also affected by age. Hard-wired smoke alarms that need to be changed cannot be changed to any battery-operated system, so it’s important to check the home’s requirements.

Vision Zero aims to end Cleveland traffic fatalities

How Many Traffic Fatalities Are Acceptable?

"What is the acceptable number of traffic deaths," asks Andy Young, a truck safety attorney in Cleveland. "How many fatalities are acceptable."
Young says if you consider family, there is no acceptable number other than zero.

See the WKYC-TV (Cleveland) report here.

News from Your Department of Environment (DoE)

Previously there was no limit on the number of trash bags. You are encouraged to use additional containers rather than a bag.

Note there will be no yard trim/Christmas Tree collections New Year's Day. Yard trim collection resumes on January 8, 2018.

How to Avoid Becoming a Victim of Gift Card Fraud

(Click on the image for Susan Hogan's News4 report)

Thank You

Thank You

For Driving Carefully😊

A year after opening, MGM casino resort mostly lives up to expectations

(Click on the image for Luz Lazo's Washington Post report)

"For the most part, the casino has lived up to expectations, according to county officials and residents. The $1.4 billion resort in suburban Washington quickly became Maryland’s most profitable casino, bringing 6 million visitors, thousands of jobs and pumping millions of dollars into the local economy."

Have Your Chimneys Swept and Inspected at Least Once Every Year

(Click on the image for Darcy Spencer's News4 report)

Missing brick caused $200,000 in damages on Braemer Circle.
"A fire was burning inside a fireplace about 2:30 a.m. at the home on Braemer Circle in Fort Washington and the missing brick allowed the fire to spread, Prince George's County Fire Department spokesman Mark Brady said on Twitter.
The fire reached the inside walls and the attic, causing $200,000 in damages before firefighters quenched the flames, Brady said.
Photos showed what looked like a massive fireball come out of the top of the house.
The homeowner escaped unharmed."

Are You a Good Driver?

A good driver uses good judgment to keep out of situations requiring superior skills.

AAA: Speed Cameras Should Be an Adjunct to Stepped Up Police Enforcement, Not a Replacement

"AAA supports automated enforcement when the proper safeguards are in place and they are multiple, as outlined in federal, including the FHWA & NHTSA, and state guidelines. AAA believes that the deployment [of] automated enforcement systems (AES), when and where warranted, should be used as an adjunct to, not a substitution for stepped up enforcement of traffic laws by police officers. There are many legal, safety, ethical, engineering and economic factors to weigh."  [John Townsend]

(Click on the image for the video)

From a 2009 Montgomery County report:

Among the report's recommendations:

• Ensure that public outreach and community involvement remain core aspects of the program.
• Require that revenue and expenditure data related to the Safe Speed program are readily accessible to the public on the County's website and in annual budget documents.

Chief Stawinski Takes “Chief On The Go” To The Children for the Holidays

Every month, Chief Hank Stawinski takes his office out into communities across the county for a day.   The “Chief On The Go” events are spent meeting neighbors and answering your questions.  The events also serve as a great opportunity for residents to meet their district police station command staff.  This month, the Chief is going to do things a bit different in the spirit of the holidays.  The Chief will spend time with area children.
In December, we are hosting two major holiday events, the Cora Rice Christmas Party for Deserving Children and Toys for Tots where the Chief will rub elbows with our younger residents, answer their questions, and deliver too many hugs to count.  For grown ups who would like to participate as volunteers at either of these events, please reach out to Sgt. Dadzie at 301-909-7127.

You can donate a toy at the District VII station or any fire station in the county up until Christmas Day. Thank you so much! We hope to bring smiles to lots of faces this holiday season.

And Here's Another PayPal Phishing Scam You'll Want to Avoid

(Click on the image for the report)

Never login or provide any information to a website that you reach by clicking on a link sent to you by email, no matter how official or authentic it seems. If you get an email warning you about a security issue, pop open a new tab, manually type the company’s URL in yourself, and proceed from there. Treat all links sent to you by email—as well as files, for that matter—with the utmost suspicion, always. 

MD-210 Construction Update

Her Name is Hope: A Good Cop Story

(Click on the image for the CNN report)

Police officer adopts homeless mother's opioid-addicted newborn.
Police officers will often tell you there's no such thing as a routine call when you're patrolling the streets.
But when Albuquerque police officer Ryan Holets responded to a possible theft at a nearby convenience store, it had all the hallmarks of a mundane assignment he could quickly clear from the call log.
It didn't turn out that way.
As Ryan left the convenience store on September 23rd, he noticed out of the corner of his eye a couple sitting on the grass against a cement wall. It appeared the man and woman were shooting up heroin in broad daylight behind the convenience store.
Ryan turned on his body camera and approached the couple but he wasn't prepared for what he saw. The woman was in the middle of injecting a needle into her companion's arm. Then he noticed the woman was pregnant.

Warming Up Your Car in the Cold Just Harms the Engine

(Click on the image for the Popular Mechanics article)

In the thick of winter, the common wisdom is that when you are gearing up to take your truck out in the cold and snow, you should step outside, start up your engine, and let it idle to warm up. But contrary to popular belief, this does not prolong the life of your engine; in fact, it decreases it by stripping oil away from the engine's cylinders and pistons.

Package Thief Caught on Home Surveillance Camera

(Click on the image for the video)

The holiday season is here. Many of us are buying presents and having them delivered to our homes. Unfortunately, this can be a busy time for thieves who steal packages from porches – often in broad daylight. In this home surveillance video, a suspect drives up, walks to the front door of a home and then helps himself to the box that had been delivered there. This happened on November 15th at a home on Westridge Place in Camp Springs.
Here are some suggestions to help stop these types of thieves:

• If possible, pick up the ordered item at the store
• Ship the item to your workplace
• Have a neighbor keep an eye out for the item if you know you won’t be home during the delivery window
• Have the item sent to a friend or family member who is home during normal delivery hours
• If possible, ship the item to an Amazon Locker, UPS Office, FedEx Office or Post Office
• Require a signature at the time of delivery

Anyone with information in the theft highlighted in the video is urged to call the Prince George’s County Police Department’s Regional Investigation Division at 301-794-5064. Callers wishing to remain anonymous may call Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477), or go online at www.pgcrimesolvers.com, or use the “P3 Tips” mobile app (search “P3 Tips” in the Apple Store or Google Play to download the app onto your mobile device.)

Tech Support Scams

(Click on the image for the Federal Trade Commission report)

Some scammers call and claim to be computer techs associated with well-known companies like Microsoft or Apple. Other scammers send pop-up messages that warn about computer problems. They say they’ve detected viruses or other malware on your computer. They claim to be “tech support” and will ask you to give them remote access to your computer. Eventually, they’ll diagnose a non-existent problem and ask you to pay for unnecessary – or even harmful – services.
If you get an unexpected pop-up, call, spam email or other urgent message about problems with your computer, stop. Don’t click on any links, don’t give control of your computer and don’t send any money.
Refund Scams
If you paid for tech support services, and you later get a call about a refund, that call is probably also a scam. Don’t give the person any personal or financial information.
The refund scam works like this: Several months after a purchase, someone calls to ask if you were happy with the service. If you say “No”, the scammer offers a refund. Or, the caller says the company is going out of business and giving refunds. The scammer eventually asks for your bank or credit card account number, or asks for access to your bank account to make a deposit. But instead of putting money in your account, the scammer takes money from your account.
Also see the FBI advice on ‘Ransomware’ Locks Computers, Demands Payment.

What to Know Before Signing Up for a Bundle Deal

(Click on the image for the News4 report)

You order phone, internet, and cable at a good price but when the bill arrives it's much higher.
Learn how you can prevent this from happening to you by watching the News4 report.
The FCC Consumer Complaint Center is here.