Many families choose the summer months to get in some well-deserved vacation time.  Whether you are leaving your home for days or weeks, remember to lock up and make your house look like someone is home.

May is Bicycle Safety Month, a great time to remind bicyclists and motorists of helpful tips to stay safe and share the road.  In California the law requires motorists to proceed past bicycle riders with at least a 3 foot of clearance…

What is the vehicle title scam?  It can happen when you’re selling a vehicle and the potential buyer asks you to produce a vehicle history report. The request, in itself, is not all together unusual…

There are numerous reports of a robocall being made in which a voicemail is left urging you to call a number in the 310-area code.  The message states that the call is from the IRS and threatens you will be arrested if you don’t take urgent action by calling 310-742-7135...

If you use MyFitnessPal to help you track your weight, fitness and diet activity, you should be aware that the company experienced a breach in data security, and information on its 150 million users has been accessed by an unknown party. 

If you’re selling or buying items through online classified ads, you should consider meeting the other party in a very public and well-lit place.  Some police departments are now partnering with “OfferUp” and displaying “MeetUp Spot” signs in their parking lots. 

When your Uber or Lyft driver arrives to pick you up from a location, are you sure to check the license plate number, type of car, and photo of the driver as provided by your ride-hailing service?  It’s imperative to your safety to do so

When a medical emergency strikes, often the patient and/or his relatives are unable to give paramedics a brief and accurate medical history including medications, illnesses, and allergies.  That’s why people, especially the elderly and the ill, are encouraged by many local agencies to have a “Vial of Life.” 

Valentine’s Day is a day many of us celebrate with flowers!  We send them to our sweetheart, our parents, our children, our grandparents and our friends.  With the convenience of purchasing bouquets online, sending flowers has never been easier.  But will the flowers you send arrive looking like the ones you ordered?

This is Tax Identity Theft Awareness Week, a time when the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) work to educate citizens about tax identity theft, how to recognize it, prevent it, and report it.

Both the Contra Costa County and Fresno County Sheriff’s Offices are reporting a recent uptick in complaints about bogus phone calls being made to residents in an effort to collect fines or fees for warrants and/or missed jury duty.

With all the scams that take place these days via electronic devices, it can actually be an eye opener, to once again, read about extortion scams arriving in your postal box. The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office is reporting that one of its residents recently found a blackmail letter in his mailbox.  The letter (see below) obtained information that can be obtained through the internet, but had one glaring error – the recipient isn’t married. 

New year resolutions often include buckling down on the debt in our financial lives.  Unfortunately, scam artists are aware of this and will often target individuals who are desperate to find a way out of their mounting pile of bills.

Home for the holidays, or not, be sure to protect your place from those who might want to break in and take what’s yours. 

You don’t have to venture beyond a local police department’s facebook page to note that thieves have pushed their illegal activity into hire gear this holiday season.   For example, the Ventura Police Department reports, that in just seven days it took reports on:

There seems to be no question.  The number of people traveling this Thanksgiving holiday will be higher than we’ve seen in the past 12 years!   AAA predicts 51 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home...

Netflix customers beware! Scammers are sending emails that look like they are coming from Netflix and asking customers to update their payment information. 

In this day of convenience and easy bill payment methods, some consumers are being tricked into parting with their hard-earned cash by crafty scammers on the phone who call on the consumer to pay utility, tax, hospital, or debt collection bills over the phone by way of credit or gift card.

Halloween is approaching and while the parties may begin this weekend, October 31st is the evening we need to be especially aware of children out trick- or-treating.  Below are some safety reminders for kids, parents, and motorists.