Local News

If you want to avoid becoming a victim of crime — you can never be too careful.

At least that’s how Bryan Roquemore, a retired criminal justice professor, sees it.

Roquemore now leads the Crime Prevention Task Force of Florida, a community service organization developed by former law enforcement officers.

The group seeks to expand public awareness on criminal threats in today’s society and to show effective measures to counter them.

The criminal justice expert was the featured guest speaker at the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce monthly luncheon at Plantation Palms in Land O’ Lakes.

He started off by saying the No. 1 crime in the Tampa Bay area is identity theft — which involves someone using your personal or financial information to make purchases, get benefits, file taxes or commit fraud.

Anyone is susceptible to becoming a victim, Roquemore warned. Even him.

In fact, it happened to him eight years ago when fraudsters racked up charges of over $120,000 and compromised his 401K.

There were also six warrants for his arrest, as his identity was being used in illicit activities.

All that occurred within a single month.

“When somebody steals your identity, they’re being you in another part of the country. That changes everything,” Roquemore said.

Turns out, Roquemore’s personal information was stolen from old mail in his garbage can — otherwise known as dumpster diving.

Dumpster divers often rummage through trash searching for pre-approved credit card offers and used prescription pill bottles, from which they can steal large amounts of personal information.

“Your garbage is one of the most important things that (people) never keep safe,” he said.

Roquemore noted many people tend to rip up forms with their personal information and toss them in the garbage.

But, that’s not enough.

Instead, anything with your personal information should to be shredded first, he advised.

“You need to destroy that return to sender envelope with everything pre-approved. It has all your credit card information on it,” Roquemore warned.

To keep tabs on any possible instances of identity theft, Roquemore urged people, especially seniors, to sign up for credit monitoring and annual crime reports.

Identity theft is just the tip of the crime iceberg, however.

Roquemore also informed the crowd that there are more than 47 active scams occurring locally.

The biggest scam is what’s known as the “grandkid scam.”

This scheme involves an imposter calling — pretending to be your grandchild and claiming to need money for something urgent, such as money for bail or medical bills.

To make the scam seem legitimate, callers often gather information about people off the Internet and social media sites so they can know nicknames and other details about their potential victims, Roquemore said.

His key piece of advice? Ignore any incoming phone calls, emails or texts that appear strange or out of the ordinary.

“If it comes into you, just hang it up,” he advised.

The IRS isn’t calling
Another prominent scam is known as the “IRS imposter scam,” he said.

That’s when someone calls saying they’re from the IRS and claims you owe “back taxes” or payments to the government. The caller then threatens to sue, arrest, deport, or revoke your license, in lieu of immediate payment.

It’s important to know that when the IRS initially contacts you, they do it by mail, not telephone. The actual IRS also will not ask for a credit card over the telephone.

Roquemore noted that young adults are most at risk for being victimized by the IRS scam.

“Eighteen-to-25-year-olds have not had a history of dealing with the IRS, so that’s who gets attacked most,” he said.

Besides identity theft and various scams, the speaker mentioned auto theft is one of the region’s top crimes.

He also said that it’s more common during this time of year because of the influx of snowbirds and out-of-state visitors.

He talked about a group called “sliders,” who pull up alongside a car getting fuel at a convenience store gas station and steal whatever they can.

Sometimes it’s a purse or an electronic device.

Sometimes it’s the entire car.

“They do it in 3 (seconds) to 4 seconds,” the speaker said.

To avoid sliders, Roquemore said when you exit your car, you should lock the doors and then be sure to have key fob panic alarm handy.

“Your key fob is a weapon. Instead of somebody rolling up on you, you scare them (with the alarm),” he said.

Roquemore also offered up other personal safety and self-defense tips during the presentation.

Women, he said, should have all their belongings ready by the time they step out of the car. They also should carry their purse or bag in their hand — and not around their neck (to avoid being dragged) — to reduce the risk of a purse snatching.

Men, he said, should carry two wallets. They should keep one in their front pocket and the other in their back pocket, in case a robber approaches demanding money.

It’s also a good idea for everyone to carry police-strength pepper spray at all times, he said.

In a situation where pepper spray must be used, Roquemore said it’s best to aim for the stomach area, as its strong enough to pass through three layers of clothing.

Said Roquemore: “If you want to use weaponry that’s not lethal, pepper spray is most effective. “Every single police officer has what? Pepper spray. It works. One shot incapacitates a person.…

“Once it hits a person’s skin, they’re going to want to scream.”

He also offered this piece of advice: “If you carry a gun, keep carrying a gun.”

Published January 16, 2019