Monday, July 12, 2010
VIN# Car Thieves
Here is info worth the price of your car....WHAT WILL THEY THINK OF NEXT?
Seems that car thieves have found yet another way to steal your car or truck without any effort at all... The car thieves peer through the windshield of your car or truck, write down the VIN # from the label on the dash, go to the local car dealership and request a duplicate key based on the VIN # . My friend didn't believe this, so she called Chrysler-Dodge and pretended she had lost her keys. They told her to just bring in the VIN #, and they would cut her one on the spot, and she could order the keyless device if she wanted. The Car Dealer's Parts Department will make a duplicate key from the VIN #, and collect payment from the thief who will return to your car. He doesn’t have to break in, do any damage to the vehicle, or draw attention to himself. All he has to do is walk up to your car, insert the key and off he goes to a local Chop Shop with your vehicle . You don't believe it? It IS that easy. Snopes said it was true.
To avoid this from happening to you, simply put some tape (Electrical tape, duct tape or medical tape) across the VIN Metal Label located on the dash board. By law, you cannot remove the VIN, but you can cover it so it can't be viewed through the windshield by a car thief. I urge you to forward this to your friends before some other car thief steals another car or truck. I slipped a 3 x 5 card over the VIN NUMBER. This can also be done when you have parked your car for the day at a shopping mall, hospital, or work place parking lot!
Cindy Burdette
Crime Prevention Specialist
Sacramento Sheriff's Department
North Central Division
916-876-5717
http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/vin.asp
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Great Personal Safety Advice
Pretty neat idea.
Never thought of it before.

Put your car keys beside your bed at night
Sure sounds like great advice. It's worth a try those whose bedrooms are close enough to the car to active the alarm.
Tell your spouse, your children, your neighbors, your parents, your Dr.'s office, the check-out girl at the market, everyone you run across. Put your car keys beside your bed at night.
If you hear a noise outside your home or someone trying to get in your house, just press the panic button for your car. The alarm will be set off, and the horn will continue to sound until either you turn it off or the car battery dies.
This tip came from a neighborhood watch coordinator. Next time you come home for the night and you start to put your keys away, think of this:
1) It's a security alarm system that you probably already have and requires no installation. Test it.
2) It will go off from most everywhere inside your house and will keep honking until your battery runs down or until you reset it with the button on the key fob chain....
3) It works if you park in your driveway or garage. If your car alarm goes off when someone is trying to break into your house, odds are the burglar/rapist won't stick around.
After a few seconds all the neighbors will be looking out their windows to see who is out there and sure enough the criminal won't want that.
And remember to carry your keys while walking to your car in a parking lot. The alarm can work the same way there. This is something that should really be shared with everyone. Maybe it could save a life or a sexual abuse crime.
Please pass this on even IF you've read it before. It's a reminder.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Very Good Information
DO wear a pair of sunglasses.
GOOD VISION IN A DOWNPOUR
How to achieve good vision while driving during a heavy downpour.
We are not sure why it is so effective; just try this method when it rains heavily.
This method was told by a policeman friend who had experienced it and confirmed it.
It is useful, even driving at night. Most of the motorists would turn on high or fastest speed of the wipers during heavy downpour, yet the visibility in front of the windshield is still bad.
In the event you face such a situation, just try your SUNGLASSES (any model will do), and miracle! All of a sudden, your visibility in front of your windshield is perfectly clear, as if there is no rain.
Make sure you always have a pair of SUNGLASSES in your car, as you are not only helping yourself to drive safely with good vision, but also might save your friend's life by giving him this information.
Try it yourself and share it with your friends!??? Amazing, you still see the drops on the windshield, but not the sheet of rain falling.
You can see where the rain bounces off the road. It works to eliminate the "blindness" from passing semi's spraying you too. This warning is a good one!
NEVER DRIVE IN THE RAIN WITH YOUR CRUISE CONTROL ON
A 36 year old female had an accident several weeks ago and totaled her car.
A resident of Kilgore, Texas she was traveling between Gladewater & Kilgore. It was raining, though not excessively, when her car suddenly began to hydroplane and literally flew through the air. She was not seriously injured but very stunned at the sudden occurrence!
When she explained to the highway patrolman what had happened he told her something that every driver should know - NEVER DRIVE IN THE RAIN WITH YOUR CRUISE CONTROL ON. She thought she was being cautious by setting the cruise control and maintaining a safe consistent speed in the rain.
But the highway patrolman told her that if the cruise control is on when your car begins to hydroplane and your tires lose contact with the pavement, your car will accelerate to a higher rate of speed making you take off like an airplane. She told the patrolman that was exactly what had occurred.
The patrolman said this warning should be listed, on the driver's seat sun visor - NEVER USE THE CRUISE CONTROL WHEN THE PAVEMENT IS WET OR ICY, along with the airbag warning. We tell our teenagers to set the cruise control and drive a safe speed but we don't tell them to use the cruise control only when the pavement is dry.
The only person the accident victim found, who knew this (besides the patrolman), was a man who had a similar accident, totaled his car and sustained severe injuries.
NOTE: Some vehicles (like the Toyota Sienna Limited XLE) will not allow you to set the cruise control when the windshield wipers are on.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Halloween Tips

Just in case you have forgotten the "rules" for a safe and Happy Halloween:
1. When it appears that you have killed the monster, NEVER check to see if it's really dead.
2. Never read a book of demon summoning aloud, even as a joke.
3. Do not search the basement, especially if the power has gone out.
4. If your children speak to you in Latin or any other language that they should not know, shoot them immediately. It will save you a lot of grief in the long run. However, it will probably take several rounds to kill them, so be prepared. This also applies to kids who speak with somebody else's voice.
5. When you have the benefit of numbers, NEVER pair off and go it alone.
6. As a general rule, don't solve puzzles that open portals to Hell.
7. Never stand in, on, or above a grave, tomb, or crypt. This would apply to any other house of the dead as well.
8. If you're searching for something that caused a loud noise and find out that it's just the cat, GET THE HELL OUT!
9. If appliances start operating by themselves, do not check for short circuits; just get out!
10. Do not take ANYTHING from the dead.
11. If you find a town that looks deserted, there's probably a good reason for it. Don't stop and look around.
12. Don't fool with recombinant DNA technology unless you're sure you know what you're doing.
13. If you're running from the monster, expect to trip or fall down at least twice. Also note that, despite the fact that you are running and the monster is merely shambling along, it's still moving fast enough to catch up with you.
14. If your companions suddenly begin to exhibit uncharacteristic behavior such as hissing, fascination for blood, glowing eyes, increasing hairiness, and so on, kill them immediately.
15. Stay away from certain geographical locations, some of which are listed here: Amityville, Elm Street, Transylvania, Nilbog (you're in trouble if you recognize this one), the Bermuda Triangle, or any small town in Maine.
16. If your car runs out of gas at night on a lonely road, do not go to the nearby deserted looking house to phone for help. If you think that it is strange because you thought you had half of a tank, shoot yourself instead. You are going to die anyway, and most likely be eaten.
17. If you find that your house is built upon a cemetery, now is the time to move in with the in-laws. This applies to houses that had previous inhabitants who went mad or died in some horrible fashion, or had inhabitants who performed satanic practices in your house.
Prevent Swine Flu - Good Advice
While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps, not fully highlighted in most official communications, can be practiced (instead of focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu):
1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications).
2. "Hands-off-the-face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (unless you want to eat, bathe or slap).
3. Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don't trust salt). H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/ nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.
4. Similar to 3 above, clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti (very good Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.
5. Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (Amla and other citrus fruits). If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.
6. Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can. Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
How to Lock Your Car and Why
I locked my car --- as I walked away I heard my car door unlock I went back and locked my car again three times. I looked around and there were two guys sitting in a car in the fire lane next to the store. When I looked straight at them they did not unlock my car again.
How to lock your car safely
The police say that there is a device that robbers are using now to clone your security code when you lock your doors on your car using your key-chain locking device.
They sit a distance away and watch for their next victim. They know you are going inside of the store, restaurant, or bathroom and have a few minutes to steal and run. The police say to manually lock your car door-by hitting the lock button inside the car, that way if there is someone sitting in a parking lot watching for their next victim it will not be you.
When you hit the lock button on your car upon exiting...it does not send the security code, but if you walk away and use the door lock on your key chain - it sends the code through the airwaves where it can be stolen. Something totally new to us...and real.
Be aware of this and please pass this note on...look how many times we all lock our doors with our remote...just to be sure we remembered to lock them....and bingo someone has our code...and whatever was in the car....can be stolen.
Snopes Approved.
Please share with everyone you know.... Good information!!!
Wasp Spray
You no longer need to keep your .45 or AK-47 sitting out on the coffee table... a can of wasp spray will do!
A receptionist in a church in a high-risk area was concerned about someone coming into the office on Monday to rob them when they were counting the collection. She asked the local police department about using pepper spray and they recommended to her that she get a can of wasp spray instead. The wasp spray, they told her, can shoot up to twenty feet away and is a lot more accurate, while with the pepper spray they have to get too close to you and could overpower you. The wasp spray temporarily blinds an attacker until they get to the hospital for an antidote. She keeps a can on her desk in the office and it doesn't attract attention from people like a can of pepper spray would. She also keeps one nearby at home for home protection. You could also keep it in your car and it's perfectly legal.
Watch a news video about it here:
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvg/story?section=news/local&id=6650350
On the heels of a break in and beating that left an elderly woman in Toledo dead, self-defense experts have a tip that could save your life.
Val Glinka teaches self-defense to students at Sylvania Southview High School. For decades, he's suggested putting a can of wasp and hornet spray near your door. Glinka says, "This is better than anything I can teach them."
Glinka considers it inexpensive, easy to find, and more effective than mace or pepper spray. The cans typically shoot 20 to 30 feet; so if someone tries to break into your home, Glinka says "spray the culprit in the eyes". It's a tip he's given to students for decades. It's also one he wants everyone to hear.
Over the weekend someone broke into the Austin Street home of 83-year-old Cecilia Sobecki. The suspect robbed and beat Sobecki, breaking her hip and wrist. Sunday, Sobecki died. The suspect is still on the loose. If you're looking for protection, Glinka says look to the spray. "That's going to give you a chance to call the police; maybe get out." Maybe even save a life.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Be Careful When Using Your Credit Cards
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SCENE 1
People sure stay busy trying to cheat us, don't they?
A man went to the local gym and placed his belongings in the locker. After the workout and a shower, he came out, saw the locker open, and thought to himself, "Funny, I thought that I locked the locker.”
Hmm! He dressed and just flipped the wallet to make sure that all was in order. Everything looked okay - all cards were in place.
A few weeks later his credit card bill came - a whooping bill of $14,000!
He called the credit card company and started yelling at them, saying that he did not make the transactions, but the customer care personnel verified that there was no mistake in the system and asked if his card had been stolen.
"No," he said, but then took out his wallet, pulled out the credit card, and yep - you guessed it - a switch had been made.
A similar expired credit card from the same bank was in the wallet. The thief broke into his locker at the gym and switched cards.
Verdict: The credit card issuer said that since he did not report the card missing earlier, he would have to pay the amount owed to them.
How much did he have to pay for items he did not buy?
$9,000! Why were there no calls made to verify the amount swiped? The answer is that small amounts rarely trigger a "warning bell" with some credit card companies. In his case, all the small amounts added up to big one!
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SCENE 2
This scenario you may have already read.
Another man at a local restaurant paid for his meal with his credit card. The bill for the meal came, he signed it, and the waitress folded the receipt and passed the credit card along.
Usually, he would just take it and place it in his wallet or pocket. Funny enough, though, he actually took a look at the card and, lo and behold, it was the expired card of another person. He called the waitress and she looked perplexed. She took it back, apologized, and hurried back to the counter under the watchful eye of the man.
All the waitress did while walking to the counter was wave the wrong expired card to the counter cashier, and the counter cashier immediately looked down and took out the real card. No exchange of words --- nothing! She took it and came back to the man with an apology.
Verdict:
Make sure that the credit cards in your wallet are yours.
Check the name on the card every time that you sign for something and/or the card is taken away for even a short period of time because many people just take back the credit card without even looking at it, "assuming" that it has to be theirs and that attitude of trust is what the perpetrator wants.
For your own sake, develop the habit of checking your credit card each time that it is returned to you after a transaction!
- - - - - - - - - -
SCENE 3
The other day, a person went into a pizza restaurant to pick up an order that he had called in. He paid by using his Visa Check Card which, of course, is linked directly to his checking account.
The young man behind the counter took his card, swiped it, and then laid it on the counter as he waited for the approval, which is a pretty standard procedure. While he waited, he picked up his cell phone and started dialing.
The man noticed the phone because it was the same model that he had, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Then he heard a click that sounded like his own phone sounds when he takes a picture.
The young man then gave back the card but kept the phone in his hand as if he was still pressing buttons.
Meanwhile, the customer was thinking: “I wonder what he is taking a picture of?” In fact, he was oblivious to what was really going on. It then dawned on him that the only thing there was on the counter was his credit card, so then he started to pay close attention to what the pizza guy was doing.
He set his phone on the counter, leaving it open.
About five seconds later, the customer heard the chime that tells the cell phone operator that the picture had been saved.
Now the customer was standing there, struggling with the fact that this boy just took a picture of his credit card.
Yes, he played it off well, because had the customer not had the same kind of phone, he probably would never have known what happened. Needless to say, he immediately canceled that card as he was walking out of the pizza parlor. In addition, he called the police to report what had happened so that the pizza guy would not do the same thing to another unsuspecting customer.
All I am saying is for you to be aware of your surroundings at all times. Whenever you are using your credit card, take caution and do not be careless.
Notice who is standing near you and what he or she is doing when you use your card.
Be aware of cell phones because many have a camera phone these days.
When you are in a restaurant and the waiter or waitress brings your card and receipt for you to sign, make sure that you scratch the number off.
Some restaurants are using only the last four digits, but many of them are still putting the whole thing on there.
Question: How can you safeguard yourself if you are phoning an order for a take-out. You can still pick up your order and pay on the spot, but can you trust the restaurant or pick-up place if you give out your credit card number?

