The content of this section will be periodically updated to inform and update the citizens of Oregon about crime trends that are occurring in our neighborhoods.  With this information citizens may be able to be more alert, take necessary precautions, and possibly provide the Oregon Police Division with helpful information.  

Citizens of Oregon are encouraged to check our website often for updates.

The Oregon Police Division is currently investigating a rash of home Burglaries that occured over the period of January 17 - 19th.  Several homes were affected, specifically in the Bleeker/Arthur area of the City.  Suspect/s appear to have gained entry to homes by looking for unlocked windows or they actually forced open a window.  In some cases the residents were asleep during the invasion.  Suspects have been taking flat screen televisions, game systems, lap top computers.  The police division wants to remind you to watch your neighborhood and your neighbors house.  If something looks suspicious, call the police.  They will gladly respond and check the area.

If you have any information that might help detectives investigating these burglaries, please call the Oregon Police at 419-698-7064 or the Oregon Detective Bureau at 419-698-7057.

Early in the month of January, the Oregon Police Division solved several house Burglaries that had occured in the South Shore area of the City.  At this time three adults that resided in the area have been arrested and are currently in custody.  The investigation continues. 

December 2009

Burglaries continue to plague the South Shore Area.  I you have information that might be useful please call the Oregon Police Division.

The police division expects thefts from vehicles to increase as the holiday season approaches.  Try to avoid leaving your purchased items  and other valuables in your vehicle.  At least attempt to conceal them by putting items in the trunk or covering them up in the vehicle.  Don't be afraid to report suspicious activity in parking lots to the Oregon Police.

 Counterfeit Money

Many area businesses have continued to receive counterfeit bills.  Generally, the counterfeit bills have been in the denomination of twenty dollar bills.  Many times the bills that were passed had the same serial numbers.  Take precautions.  If the money feels different look more carefully.  You should be able to see a watermark on the bills as well as a visible security strip.  If you suspect that you received a counterfeit bill, try to take note of the suspects description and/or the type of vehicle they used.  Report this activity as soon as possible.

The following website links have valuable information on how to spot counterfeit money.

http://www.secretservice.gov/money_features.shtml

http://www.secretservice.gov/money_detect.shtml

Vehicle Break-in's

The Oregon Police Division has been experiencing a number of vehicle trepass situations during the overnight hours in several neighborhoods.  Avoid leaving valuable items in your vehicle. 

The City of Oregon, as well as other neighboring communities have also experienced a number of vehicle break-in's at local business establishments.  This is a crime of opportunity where the intruders can easy spot valuables left inside your vehicle.  If you must leave items in your car, try to hide them outside the site of others or put them in your trunk.

In many instances, responding Officer's are finding that several victim's of this type of crime have left valuables such as purses, laptop computers and jewelry in plain site.  It only takes an intruder seconds to gain entry to your vehicle and leave the area.

One of the most prevalent crimes that the police division has been investigating is Identity Theft.  The following information may be helpful if you become a victim of these types of crimes.

 What is Identity Theft?

Identity theft is a criminal offense that occurs when a person knowingly transfers or uses, without lawful authority, a means of identification of another person with the intent to commit or to aid or abet any unlawful activity that constitutes a violation of federal law or that constitutes a felony under any applicable state or local law.*

*Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act, 18 USC 1028 [a][7]

Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in America.  Last year more than $49 billion was lost by financial institutions and businesses and individuals lost an estimated $5 billion.  An estimated 8.4 million Americans were victim of Identity theft.

http://www.usps.com/postalinspectors

Common Types of Identity Theft.

•  Phishing: Pretending to be legitimate financial institutions or companies and sending email spam, spoof websites or pop-up messages to get you to reveal your personal information.
•  Dumpster Diving: Rummaging through trash looking for bills or other paper with your personal information on it.
• Old-Fashioned Stealing: Stealing wallets and purses; mail, including bank and credit card statements; pre-approved credit offers; and new checks or tax information. Stealing personnel records, or bribe employees who have access.
•  Phoney Prize Promotions and Foreign Lottery Schemes: Letters, phone calls or emails stating you have won the lottery or a prize in another country; Foreign lotteries are illegal in the United States; Be wary of anything that promises winnings in exchange for your advance payment, donation or investment.
•  419 Nigerian Scams: An email or letter stating they are looking for someone, for their deceased client, who will transfer funds into their account for a cut of the total; you will be asked to put up money in advance to pay for "taxes", "attorney costs" and "fees"; in reality, you will never receive any money.

Other Scams

•  Auction Fraud: The most common type of auction fraud is failure to deliver the purchased item.
•  International Auction Fraud: Legitimate auctions or legitimate seller's identities are taken over by scammers to sell items, usually high dollar, to unsuspecting buyers where the item is never delivered; Most often the scammers are in European countries; They ask for money to be transferred via Western Union, bank transfer or money order which are untraceable.

• Counterfeit Check and Money Order Scams: The scammer purchases something you are selling using a cashier's check or money order. By the time you have sent the product, you have realized the check is counterfeit. In other scenarios, the buyer will send you too much money and ask you to send back the balance, along with the merchandise. You are responsible for the full refund amount to the bank.

Tips to Protect Youself from Identity Theft:

•  Guard your information:

 Trash doesn't always end up in the dump.

 Stolen wallets and purses can become stolen identities.

 Purchase a shredder.  

•  Don't respond to email or phone calls asking for your account information:

 Phishing emails.

 Spoof websites.

 Unsolicited Phone calls from customer service centers requesting sensitive personal information.

•  Stay Alert:

 Get free security help using a credit alert.

 Monitor your accounts frequently.

 Shop on only secure online sites.

 Act quickly if you think you have been scammed or your identity used.

 Law entitles you to one free report a year from each of the nationwide credit reporting agencies if you ask for it.

Online: http://www.annualcreditreport.com/; by phone: 1-877-322-8228; or by mail: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281 

If You Think You're a Victim of Identity Theft:

• Contact the local police.
• Follow the victim contact procedure document at the bottom of this page.
• Call the fraud units of the three major credit bureaus and have a fraud alert placed on your credit file.
• Order copies of your credit report.
• Contact your financial institution and ask them to flag your account and report any unusual activity.
• Equifax: 1-800-685-1111 (general) or 1-800-525-6285 (fraud); PO Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374; http://www.equifax.com/
• Experian: 1-888-397-3742 (general and fraud); PO Box 2002, Allen, TX 75013; http://www.experian.com/
• TransUnion: 1-800-888-4213 (general) or 1-800-680-7289 (fraud); PO Box 2000, Chester, PA 19002; http://www.transunion.com/

Victim Contact Information

If you call an officer to report a case of identity theft, the following forms will be helpful to assist the investigating detective.  The more information that you provide increases our chances of successfully identifying a suspect.  It is much less time consuming  for the victim to gather this necessary information than it is for the investigating detective.

  victim contact procedure.doc

  opt_out infor.doc

Helpful Websites

 http://www.ftc.gov/

 http://www.ic3.gov/

 www.usps.com/postalinspectors/

 www.consumer.com/idtheft/

 http://www.onguardonline.com