Stay safe and don’t fall into these common traps
Don’t just assume your family members know about the tricks fraudsters often employ.
Just like we have to know a few clever ingenious tricks to complete our daily tasks, whether it’s preparing for a meeting or cooking a meal, criminals also have a few tricks of their own.
Linda Reeder, Fidelity ADT community development manager, said it is worth ensuring everyone in the family, including all domestic staff, take a few moments to familiarise themselves with safety procedures.
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“Unfortunately, we cannot always take things at face value and it is far better to be cautious and check out credentials and signs than be left in a dangerous or compromising situation.
“Most importantly never ignore your sixth sense,” said Reeder.
She provided the following useful list of do’s and don’ts:
| DO NOT | DO |
| Don’t just assume your family members know about the tricks fraudsters often employ. | Get them together and discuss safety with your family, not to scare them but to empower them. Especially young children that have not been exposed to these tricks. |
| Don’t go out when someone shouts for help or rings your bell to say that they have been hurt. | Phone the police, your security company and/or CPF to alert them of the incident. |
| Don’t just go outside onto the pavement to check your electricity box if the electricity suddenly goes off. | First check if there is an area power outage. If not it may be safer to contact an outside contractor. |
| Don’t go outside if there is a tap running for no reason. | This could be a ploy to entice you outside to open up your home. Rather contact your security provider to check your premises. |
| Don’t just open the door for unannounced people that are selling something, for service providers or job seekers. | They could be impersonators. Always ensure a formal appointment has been made. |
| Don’t just presume everyone has all the correct emergency numbers. | Take time now to check that you have all the correct up-to-date numbers you need for an emergency and if your children are old enough for cellphones, make sure they have the emergency numbers as well. They should be kept visibly on the fridge or somewhere centrally. |
| Don’t go out without activating your alarm. | No matter how short the period is, take time to secure your home first. |
| Don’t talk on your phone when approaching your home. | This is where you need to be on high alert for someone who may be following you. Criminals generally don’t just come out of nowhere. |
| Don’t just assume your panic button and alarm are working. | Test these regularly at least once a month in non-peak hours. |
| Don’t relax when there is a power outage. | Stay alert and have a plan of action in case of an emergency. Keep your panic button close. |
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