LOCAL PROBLEMS

DON'T MAKE IT EASY ...

Vehicle Burglaries ~ Most vehicle burglaries occur because a vehicle was left unlocked.  NEVER, EVER leave your car unlocked when parked in the driveway or in front of your home.  Rarely is a window broken to gain entry; these are crimes of opportunity.  Do not leave anything in your car that you do not want stolen. And be aware that vehicles that have a 3rd bench seat are also being targeted - mostly vehicles parked in commercial areas.

Identity Theft ~ This is nothing new. If you can, get your mail as soon as it is delivered.  If you cannot do that, consider getting a locked mailbox.  Do not give any personal or financial information over the telephone unless you are the one that initiated the call.  These people are good and are very convincing.  Plus the web scams look like the real thing. If in doubt, hang up and call your financial institution. If you receive an email asking for private information or passwords with threats of dire things happening - be smart!  Call the company.  Generally, companies DO NOT ask for this type of verification or information online.

"I'm in a jam and need money" scam ~ If you receive a telephone call (or email) from someone who says they are a relative or friend and they have been in an accident (generally they are not in the country) and need you to wire money immediately, DO NOT DO IT.  Call that person or a family member first to make sure this is true. The caller (or sender of the email) will have a lot of personal information about you and the person they are supposed to be.  Again, these people a very good and very convincing.  Especially if they are relying on your relationship with the person in supposed trouble.

Curb Painting ~ On occasion our area is inundated with a notice to paint house numbers on the curbs in reflective paint.  As you are probably undoubtedly aware, this usually is a scam.  People who paid did not get their curbs painted but their checks were cashed.  Both Neighborhood Watch (this is a good reason to belong to Neighborhood Watch) and City Hall have had many complaints from people who paid for the service and never received the painting.  If you are going to get your number painted, do NOT pay until the number is on the curb.

Soliciting Changes ~ The information below was
extracted from the City's website:

AN OVERVIEW OF SOLICITATION STANDARDS
IN THE CITY OF RANCHO PALOS VERDES

On March 20, 2007, the first reading of an ordinance revising the City’s Solicitation Ordinance was heard by the City Council. The second reading took place on April 3, 2007 and the Ordinance became effective on May 4, 2007. Some of the most significant aspects of the Ordinance include:

• A "Letter of Authorization" is no longer required for solicitation in the City of Rancho Palos Verdes.
• Nonprofit organizations, as defined in Section 5.28.040 of the City’s Municipal Code, will not be required to obtain a business license related to solicitation.
• All commercial solicitors, as defined in Chapter 5.28 of the City’s Municipal Code, will still be required to obtain a business license prior to solicitation.

The Ordinance states that all solicitors must abide by the standards for solicitations made in the City. These standards are enumerated in detail in the Ordinance, however, they include the following:

• Solicitors must not solicit any residences that prominently display a "Do Not Disturb" sign.  (Emphasis added)
• Solicitors must not "forcefully" solicit any individual who states that they do not wish to be solicited.
• Solicitors must not drop, throw, scatter, or cast any newspaper, handbill, pamphlet, circular, leaflet, or any other advertising sheet to any residential property without the express consent of the owner or occupant. All flyers or handbills must be secured to the property in such a way as to eliminate the hazards of randomly scattered litter.
• Solicitors cannot solicit before 8 a.m. or after 8 p.m., unless they are specifically invited onto the property.

DISCOURAGING DOOR TO DOOR SOLICITORS

The City frequently receives complaints about door-to door solicitors. Although this is a nuisance for some residents, the City cannot prohibit this activity. However, the City does have an ordinance that imposes certain restrictions. For example, solicitors can operate only between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., unless they are specifically invited onto the property.

To discourage solicitors from knocking on your door, you may want to post a "Do Not Disturb" sign near your door. Free "Do Not Disturb" signs are available at City Hall. We also posted a replication of the "Do Not Disturb" sign that you can print and display near your door. To download the web version of the sign, click here.

Successful enforcement of this Ordinance requires a great amount of community support. Your efforts to report violations of this ordinance will aid the Sheriff’s Department and the City of Rancho Palos Verdes in identifying those organizations that are not following the requirements of the Ordinance. For more information about the Solicitation Ordinance, or to report identified violations of the Ordinance, please contact the Sheriff’s Department at (310) 539-1661 or the City of Rancho Palos Verdes Finance Department at (310) 377-0360. For your convenience, you may also send an email to solicitation@rpv.com.

Itinerant Scam Artists ~ Every few years these people show up and rip off some of our citizens. Their target is usually trusting elderly people. Their technique is to approach the victim in his front yard, and start talking about doing some work at the victim's neighbors. One suspect "needs" to go into the rear yard to do measurements or check something and asks the victim to follow him. The other suspect goes into the residence and steals whatever is handy. These people may use different ruses to get into your house; i.e., pretending to be roofers, plumbers, gardeners, etc. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT ALLOW ANYONE TO LURE YOU OUT OF YOUR HOME SO THAT A SECOND SUSPECT CAN BURGLARIZE YOU. ALSO, DO NOT EVER ALLOW A STRANGER INTO YOUR HOME. If you see any suspicious people of this sort, please try to get a license number and call the Sheriff's Dept. right away - 539-1661.