Safety Corner: Shop Safey Online This Holiday Season

Online shopping is easy, convenient, and can save you time and money, but identity theft or fraudulent charges can put a damper on an otherwise happy holiday.  Follow the below recommendations based on PCMag.com’s “11 Tips for Safe Online Shopping” to help protect yourself when making cyber purchases.

1.  Use Familiar Websites

Begin your shopping at a trusted retail site of your choice, rather than with a search engine.  Search results can be rigged to link to decoy sites.  In particular, beware of sites that have a misspelling or that use an alternate domain (for example, .net instead of .com).

2.  Look for the Lock

NEVER use your credit card to make a purchase from a site that doesn’t have SSL (secure sockets layer) encryption.  The payment pages of sites with SSL will start with HTTPS:// (instead of just HTTP://).  You’ll also see an icon of a locked padlock, generally in the status bar at the bottom of your browser or in the address bar next to the URL.  NEVER provide your credit card information by email.

3.  Don’t Tell All

No online store needs your social security number or your birthday.  Don’t provide them.

4.  Check Statements

During the holiday season, check your credit card, debit card, and checking accounts online regularly, rather than waiting until the end of the month.  If you find any fraudulent charges, report them immediately.

5.  Inoculate Your PC

Protect yourself against malware by installing and regularly updating an anti-virus program.

6.  Use Strong Passwords

Be sure your existing passwords are unique and hard to crack and keep the same in mind when shopping and creating new online accounts.

7.  Think Mobile

Comparison shopping on mobile devices is becoming increasingly popular.  When doing so, be sure to use apps provided directly by the retailers (e.g. Amazon, Target, etc.) to find what you want and make the purchase.

8.  Avoid Public Terminals

Avoid public computers when shopping online, but if you insist on using one, be certain to log out when you’re finished.

9.  Privatize Your Wi-Fi

Only shop over a Wi-Fi connection if you’re accessing the Web over a virtual private network (VPN) connection.

10.  Count the Cards

Each year gift cards are the most requested holiday gift.  Buy them from the source retailer.  Scammers tend to auction them off on sites like eBay with little or no funds.

11.  Know What’s Too Good to Be True

Many scams attempt to offer you a free product with purchase – e.g. an iPad or another highly desirable item.  If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is and you should be wary.

Staying Safe & Having Fun at the Child Safety & Wellness Fair

Nothing is more important than keeping your family safe. To make sure that you are doing all that you can to ensure the safety of your loved ones, come to the Child Safety & Wellness Fair on Saturday, October 8^th. The fair will be in the parking lot outside of the St. Charles Town Center food court parking lot from 10am-3:30pm.

Badges for Baseball

Charles County Sheriff’s Office teamed up with Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation and the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs and provided local youth free baseball lessons last Friday. Sheriff Rex W. Coffey, CCSO School Resource officers and members of the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation had a meet and greet with 100 Charles County kids for the county’s second annual Badges for Baseball camp. The program offers local youth free baseball instruction from the pros and allows an opportunity to work alongside sheriff’s officers.

St. Charles Residents to Gather with Police to Celebrate National Night Out 2011

Every year the first Tuesday of August is National Night Out, an opportunity to show neighborhood spirit and strengthen partnerships with local police. For Charles County is the biggest block party of the year and neighborhoods throughout St. Charles celebrate in style. The Charles County Sheriff’s Office is partnering with residents of every neighborhood in St. Charles.Each community puts a personal touch to their event. At Sheffield, there is music and food at the neighborhood center, and inflatable rides for kids; Hampshire sets up games and booths around the lake; Bannister, Wakefield and Huntington each hold catered parties at the swimming pool with expanded offerings for kids; and Dorchester and Lancaster hold their celebrations at the neighborhood center and pool. All neighborhoods encourage residents to turn on porch lights to signal their support and participation. The Sheriff’s Office will also host its annual coloring contest for NNO participants between ages 4 and 12.

Safety Corner: Swim Safely This Summer

There’s nothing quite as refreshing as jumping into a pool to cool off on the hottest days of the year.  Many of us will spend our free time this summer playing or relaxing at a swimming hole.  If you have a pool or spend time at or near one, remember that they can pose serious dangers, especially for children.  Follow are some suggestions from the Home Safety Council to help keep your family safe this swim season:

• If a child is missing, check the pool area first.

• Always keep gates closed and latched. Never prop a gate open.

• Stay out of the pool during severe weather and thunderstorms.

• Remove pool and spa covers completely before anyone gets in.

• Keep spa and hot tubs covered and locked when not in use.

• Teach children the “rules of the pool.”  Remind them often.

• Never leave toys in or around the pool when you are not there.

• The pump in a pool or spa creates powerful suction at the drain which can trap a swimmer underwater. Teach children to stay away from drains, grates and filters.

• Tie up long hair before swimming. Pool drains should have a cover. For added protection, consider purchasing a safety guard to install over the drain.

• Learn how you would save someone in trouble. Learn First Aid and CPR. Make sure that anyone who cares for your children learns CPR.

Safety Corner: Click It or Ticket to Save Lives

This May 23 through June 5, Charles County Sheriff’s Office will crack down on motorists who aren’t buckled up as part of the national Click It or Ticket campaign to encourage seat belt usage.  In 2009, 23,382 motorists were killed in traffic crashes.  53 percent of fatally injured occupants were NOT wearing seat belts at the time of the crash. High-visibility enforcement efforts, including the Click It or Ticket campaign, have been highly successful in raising awareness and saving lives.  As a result, the seat belt usage rate has increased from 58 percent in 1994 to 85 percent in 2010. Even though seat belt usage rates are up, there are too many motorists who still aren’t wearing this life saving device.