Beware of potential scams through mail
The Dearborn Police Department reminds the public to be suspicious of unusual or “too good to be true” offers sent through the mail.
Letters indicating that you will receive offers of free trips, airline tickets, or cash if you provide your personal information may be an attempt to steal your identity. They may also say you have won a lottery and they need your account number to transfer the funds.
There are many variations of this scam designed to obtain your personal information in an effort to make electronic withdraws from your bank account or assume your identity to obtain fraudulent credit accounts.
The public is cautioned not to give out their personal
information. People should contact their bank or credit card company directly using the number provided on their credit card or bank statement to determine if they are legitimately trying to make contact. Never use phone numbers listed in the letters, as they will be fraudulent as well.
Package delivery safety tips.
Residents need to be on the alert for suspicious vehicles and people in their neighborhoods.
Police departments throughout the country receive a number of reports about UPS, FedEx and U.S. Postal Service packages being stolen from mailboxes and doorsteps.
Thieves often will target their victims by following behind UPS, FedEx and USPS trucks (known as “tailgating”) and watch for deliveries where packages are left in open areas. Once the delivery person has left the package, the thieves will go onto the property and steal these packages.
Here are a few safety tips you can take to better protect yourself if you are expecting a package delivery.
• Always retrieve packages (and mail) as soon as it arrives.
If you are not going to be home to receive the package:
• Send the package to the residence of a trusted friend or relative who you know will be home. Be sure that the friend is ready and waiting to retrieve the package when the doorbell rings and be on the lookout in case the doorbell doesn’t ring.
• Ask the package delivery company to hold the package if you will not be home. (Many have local delivery centers.)
• Request that your package is marked “signature required.” This requires the delivery person to stand by and wait until you’re available to retrieve the package.
• Leave special instructions with the delivery company on where to deliver the package. A good place is on the side or back of the house, so that the package is out of sight from the road.
• Use a company that provides a tracking service and check online to see when it is scheduled to arrive.
• Have the items shipped to the nearest store for “in-store pick up.”
Dearborn residents are asked to be vigilant and report suspicious activity to the Dearborn Police Department at 313-943-3030. If you see a crime in progress, call 911.
City has no role in mailing from insurance company
DEARBORN – Homeowners here may have received information in the mail from a company selling insurance to cover the costs of emergency repairs of water service lines on private property, a rare occurrence, city officials say.
The city has no relationship with the private insurance
company. The city does not make recommendations regarding the purchase of insurance policies.
Homeowners may be interested to know that out of the 33,000 households in Dearborn, only two to four a year are affected by water service line emergencies that require extensive repairs.
A water service line is the pipe on your property that brings fresh water into your home from the city’s water line, which is usually in the street. Homeowners, not the city, are responsible for repairs and maintenance of the water service line on their property.