Michigan Cyber Summit 2013, October 25th, 2013, The Suburban Collection, Novi MI

Michigan Cyber Summit 2013

On October 25 2013, the Michigan Department of Technology's Cyber Initiative Team will host the 2013 Cyber Cyber Summit at the Suburban Collection Showcase in Novi Michigan.   If your a member of CPAM  and all of our partners this is a must attend presentation. The last one that I attended the networking with experts in the field of cyber security for businesses, home and personal use was amazing. At the last summit was the first time that I heard the term "BYOD" - Bring Your Own Device "Smartphones" in the workplace and home.  Scams, fraud, phishing attacks are more clever than ever and the average user will not know when they've gone to a fake website or responded to an email that has malware or a trojan that will harvest thier email, security codes, and financial information.  The one day workshop costs $35.00.   Rich Coleman, PSCC, Pittsfield Twp. D.P.S., Legislative Liaison, CPAM

CPAM 2013 Conference - Celebrating 40 years of Partnership 1973 - 2013-

The Crime Prevention Association of Michigan will start its 40th annual conference this week and as we celebrate "Putting Yourself and Your Community Into Action Through Prevention" we encourage our partners to join in making this a reality.   The 24 hour news cycle can be frightening with reports of crime and violence in our communities our goal as crime prevention practitioners is to help teach, and empower with the tools to decrease the opportunity to become a victim.  We'll capture the conference with interviews and comments from those in attendance. 

Play an active role in your community to help fight crime, be the "eyes and ears" and report suspicious persons and activities.  Contact your local agency for assistance from a Community Patrol Officer or a representative to speak at your Homeowners Association, Apartment, and Business watch meeting. 

DoorDevil- Home Security product to help make "Home Invasions" a challenge!

The CPAM 2012 conference had great speakers and vendors that shared their products and resources with those in attendance. We had an opportunity to interview a representative from DoorDevil to demonstrate the companies product and how to install the DoorDevil. 

Check their website:  http://www.doordevil.com

Click on the link to see the interview.
Prevention Corner TV Show on Vimeo

9/10/13, Michigan State Police Trooper Paul Butterfield remembered for being a hero

On behalf of the Crime Prevention Association of Michigan members and partners we express our sincere condolences to the family of the late Trooper Paul Butterfield who was lost in the line of duty on September 9th 2013.   Trooper Butterfield joined the Michigan State Police in 1999 and graduated as a member of the 118th Trooper Recruit School. He served at the Manistee and Hart posts. Our prayers are also with the Michigan State Police Troopers who lost one of their one. God's speed Trooper Butterfield.

 

 

Safe Kids World Wide: Take Action to Prevent Distracted Walking:

Teenagers under the age of 19 account for half of all pedestrian deaths among kids. Injuries among older teens have increased 25 percent over the past five years. The reason: Distractions. Help stop these tragedies from happening. Get the facts, spread the word and take action today. Raise awareness about the dangers of distracted walking by participating in the “Moment of Silence Campaign”. Our goal is to get parents to educate teenagers to put devices down when crossing streets. Please take a pledge to make it happen and keep our teenagers safe. Will you help? Click on the link below for campaign details.

 

 

SafeKids

National Safety Council - Back to School Safety Tips:

As summer draws to a close, back-to-school season is approaching fast. Safety should be a priority for every family as children return to classrooms this fall. It’s very important for parents to stay up to date on proper safety measures. Keeping children from harm with good information regarding their safety is essential. For more “back to school” safety tips click on the image below.

National Safety Council

2013 National Night Out, August 6th 2013, Join the celebration and participate in being the "eyes & ears" to report crime!

     August 6th 2013: National Night Out is coming to community near you!

The 30^th Annual National Night Out is designed to heighten crime and drug prevention awareness; generate support and participation in local anti-crime programs; strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships, and lastly send a message to criminals to let them know that your community, your neighborhoods are organized and fighting back. 

2013 National Night Out (NATW)

State of Michigan Health Website Breached - "50,000" individuals from MI Cancer Consortium- reported on July 5th 2013

July 5^th 2013, The Michigan Department of Community Health's cancer section was utilizing a password-protected portion of the Michigan Cancer Consortium website, hosted by a private company, to post cancer test reports, according to a statement provided by an MDCH spokesperson.
Hackers were able to access a portion of the website, but it's unknown if the reports were accessed, the spokesperson said.
The compromised information includes names, birth dates, Social Security numbers, testing results and testing dates.
Impacted individuals were notified of the breach and were provided information about protecting against identity theft, the MDCH spokesperson said. It's unclear whether the department is providing impacted individuals with complimentary credit monitoring services.

*The MDCH nor the MCC has posted an update as of 7/8/13. This breach is being reported on the Gov In Security and website and WWJ News Radio 95 in Detroit MI.

MCC

Michigan 2012 Fireworks Law Amended / National Fire Prevention Assoc. Fireworks Safety

Michigan's Fire Works Law- Amended to provide local government controls

On June 12^th 2013, the Michigan legislature amended the 2012 Fireworks Safety Act. The proposal would allow any city, township or village to enact an ordinance banning overnight "ignition, discharge or use" of consumer fireworks on the day before or after a national holiday. Local units of government already have the ability to limit usage on other days of the year. Smaller communities (townships and villages) will be able to prohibit use from 1 a.m. and 8 a.m. around all national holidays. A maximum civil fine of $500 could be imposed on violators.

The National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) has posted information on the dangers of fireworks and a video interiew with personnel from a New Hampshire CT. fire department and a family that was attending an event and became the victim of a fire due to fireworks.

Patrick and Marci Foy, and their daughter, Olivia, were attending a family celebration in Pelham, NH, on July 3, 2012. They were among the more than dozen people injured during a consumer fireworks incident. Watch as the Foy’s give a first-hand account of their experience and the impact it continues to have on their lives.

Click on the link below to see the video posted at the NFPA website:

NFPA- Fireworks Safety Video

FBI Warns of Spear-Phishing Attacks: Be careful of responding to emails from financial institutions

Cyber Criminals Continue To Use Spear-Phishing To Compromise Computer Networks

On June 25^th 2013, the FBI reported that spear-phishing attacks continue to rise. What is spear-phishing? The phisher deploys a web site, which mimics portions of a legitimate financial institution or other e-commerce websites. The phisher then creates an e-mail message that appears to be from the organization represented on the phishing website. The e-mail message notifies a potential victim of a problem with their account and instructs them to login to the phishing site where the account information will be "verified". Utilizing spam, the phisher sends this e-mail to hundreds and thousands of potential victims. If the victim falls for the scam, they end up compromising their account, their credit card, and potentially could become a victim of other identity theft crimes. For more details on the current spear-phishing, attacks click on the image below.

Scam Alert – Unsolicited telephone calls offering “free” Med Alert device

5/30/13
Residents across the country are receiving telephone calls from telemarketers selling a device called “Med Alert”. The target audience for this scam are seniors who potentially will respond for the “free” device and provide their banking information for the service not knowing it is a health care product scam.

If you know of someone who has been a victim of this type of crime and provided “financial” information please have them contact their local police department to file a report. If you just received the telephone call or email, do not respond, there is no crime unless a financial transaction has occurred.
You can block the telephone number and put the email address in your spam folder to stop receiving unsolicited offers from that email address.

Information published in the Consumers Digest has been provided on these scams. Please pass this information to your neighbors, friends and especially seniors.

Telemarketers targeted seniors in medical-alert scam
Federal Trade Commission exposed another company for allegedly ripping off senior citizens.

FTC says telemarketers for Instant Response Systems pressured seniors to purchase medical-alert services.
In some cases, FTC alleges that seniors who declined the offer were sent a medical-alert device anyway, so Instant Response System could try to shake down those seniors for payment.

According to the complaint, Instant Response Systems created bogus billing invoices and threatened seniors with legal action if they didn’t pay for the device.

At FTC’s request, a U.S. district court ordered Instant Response Systems to cease operations. Instant Response Systems also does business as Response Systems, B.B. Mercantile, Medical Alert Industrial and Medical Alert Services, FTC says.

The regulatory agency charged Instant Response Systems with making illegal misrepresentations and violating the Unordered Merchandise Statute for sending consumers products that they didn’t order.

FTC’s complaint is the latest example of why seniors must be on guard against the threat of scammers at all times, as we reported in “The Fleecing of America’s Elderly” at Consumers Digest.com.

FTC - Scam Alert "Med Alert' free device

MI Senate Bill # 374 -May 21st 2013 ~ Create Statewide School Violence Okay-2-Say "Hotline"

The MI Senate has introduced a bill focusing on creating a "hotline" for reporting of any potential harmful or dangerous act. The MI Attorney General, Lt. Governor and the MI State Police are working together to create a frame work for this proposal.

Attached is the language defining the bill and a link to the MI Attorney Generals press release on the hotline.


2013 Senate Bill 374: Create statewide school violence “hotline”

• Introduced in the Senate on May 21, 2013, to require the Attorney General and the State Police to create a “hotline” manned 24 hours a day all year long to collect “confidential reports of unsafe, potentially harmful, dangerous, violent, or criminal activities.” These could include cell phone camera and video images. While the bill does not limit the hotline to school related threats, other parts of it require the information to be shared with local law enforcement and school officials.
• 
  
• Referred to the Senate Education Committee on May 21, 2013.
• MI Senate bill #374

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, Lt. Governer Calley, MI State Police Commander Etue's press release promoting the "Ok-2-Say" hotline.

MI Attorney General's, MSP PR on proposed - MI Okay-2-Say hotline

FDIC Consumer News Spring 2013 - Protecting Your Plastic from High-Tech Criminals

FDIC Spring 2013 Newsletter to Consumers:

The FDIC has issued an alert regarding the Internet "hacking" of financial institutions websites.  The banks and credit unions across the country are dealing with a daily barrage of malware and virus attacks of their websites. Consumers are inconvenienced as well as concerned that they may fall victim to a scam / fraud with accessing their accounts. When the banking site is under attack it is taken off line and consumers are left out wondering what now?    Before you response to a phishing email, mobile device message or telephone call to give your bank account numbers "Hang up, don't reply" call your financial institution to advise that you've been contacted. Your bank will not email or call you requesting your personal information if you have not initiated a call.  Forward the email(s) and give as much information about the attempt as you can to your banking site so they can track and help stop the fraud before someone falls prey to the attempts.


FDIC: FDIC Consumer News Spring 2013 - Protecting Your Plastic from High-Tech Criminals

FTC:How to Make Sure Oklahoma Tornado Victims Benefit From Your Donation

Law enforcement agencies across the state are receiving inquiries from residents about suspicious phone calls and emails regarding donating to the Oklahoma Tornado Disaster Relief efforts.

These type of calls and emails should be handled with caution when asked to provide credit card and banking account information. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has put an alert out regarding the Oklahoma Tornado relief efforts and how to find reputable charity organizations.


Click the link below to the FTC’s website for the information. Thanks
FTC - Oklahoma Tornado Disaster Relief Scams

Washtenaw Area Council for Children - Free local Workshop "Cyber Safety Initative Tweens & Teens Camp"

We're proud to promote the outstanding work of our Washtenaw County Area Council for Children. The service they offer to our local schools and community groups has been amazing!   If you are looking for a free workshop being offered June 24th - 28th, '13, here in Washtenaw County click on the link below for the details.

If you are interested in bringing this program to your community contact 734 434-4243 for information on costs.

Rich Coleman, PSCC, Pittsfield Twp. DPS

Special Events | Washtenaw Area Council for ChildrenWashtenaw Area Council for Children

National Missing and Exploited Children: Take 25 Conversation Starters

Take 25 is a grassroots safety initiative created in honor of National Missing Children’s Day. Annually honored on May 25^th, this day serves as a reminder to the nation to make child safety a national priority. Designed to raise awareness of the issues surrounding missing and exploited children, the Take 25 Campaign encourages parents, guardians, educators, and others to take 25 minutes to talk to children about safety. Use these Conversation Starters to help begin the discussion. Click on the “Take 25 “ image below for the “conversation starter tips”.

NME - Take 25 Conversation Starter Tips

National Police Week 2013 will be Sunday, May 12th through Saturday, May 18th

In 1962, President Kennedy proclaimed May 15th as National Peace Officers Memorial Day and the calendar week in which May 15th falls, as National Police Week. Established by a joint resolution of Congress in 1962, National Police Week pays special recognition to those law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection of others.  Please consider attending events hosting in your community to honor those officers who gave the ultimate sacrifice in protecting our communities.

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund: National Police Week

City of Westlands Fire Department: Fallen Firefighter Brian Woehlke Chairty Fund

On behalf of the Crime Prevention Association of Michigan we extend our  condolences to the City of Westland, it's  Fire Department personnel and the family of fallen Firefighter Brian Woehlke. The Westland Firefighters have setup a fund to assist the family.  Our hearts and prayers are with the Westland Fire personnel and families.

A link has been provided to their website.

Support for Westland's Fallen Firefighter Brian Woehlke

National Privacy Week April 28th - May 4th '13

April 28^th  through May 4^th  is Privacy Awareness Week, and to mark the occasion, the FTC and other members of the Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities (APPA) are teaming up to talk about why privacy matters and what individuals and businesses can do about it in today’s digital world. The FTC has a number of resources to protect important information. Click on the image below for more resources.

FTC- National Privacy Awareness Week 2013

The FTC has released a great report worth reading. See the article caption and link below.

R. Coleman, CPAM

Fraud harms 25.6 million people: Anyone you know?

• By Bridget Small
• April 23, 2013 - 2:05pm

The FTC is always working to know more about the types of fraud being committed and who spends money on them.  Periodically, we survey consumers and ask them to share details about their recent marketplace experiences and a bit about themselves.  Our most recent survey found that nearly 11% of U.S. adults — an estimated 25.6 million people — paid for fraudulent products and services in 2011.
There were an estimated 37.8 million incidents of fraud because some respondents, especially those who bought bogus work-at-home programs, made multiple purchases.  The survey report has rich details about the financial circumstances and demographics of consumers surveyed, including how they found and paid for fraudulent products, and how shopping and payment methods have changed since 2005.


Click the link to the FTC site for the report.FTC Fraud Survey Report 4/23/13