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Don’t fall for these scams:
1. An alert resident in village 10 who moved to Lincoln Hills in July received a postcard indicating it was the final notice for a parcel on hold. No company name is shown on the card. The phone number to call is 925 278-5938 which is an East Bay Area number.
The resident did not call the company but I was able to find stories online about others who did call. They were offered a $25 gift card to a restaurant–after completing a test of their water. The salesman insisted on both homeowners being present. The hard sell is for whole house water purifying systems which cost in the thousands of dollars. One account said that the salesman played the husband and wife against each other by accusing one of party of not caring enough about the other to make their water safe.
The scam is targeting new homeowners who won’t know about the water quality and might believe they did not receive notices due to the move.
2. Another alert resident in village 14 received a letter in the US mail stating that the factory warranty on the vehicle has expired and to call within 5 days to obtain coverage of “mechanical breakdown insurance“. There was no mention of the vehicle’s manufacturer or the date of the
TIP : When a postcard or letter comes through the US Mail, a complaint should be made to the Postal Inspector at 877 876-2455.vehicle’s manufacture. Only an 800 number to call urgently.
3. The flooding in North and South Carolina will produce scammers who claim to be collecting donations to help the victims.
If you are interested in donating to individuals affected by the flooding, please make sure you are donating to a reputable charity. Unfortunately there are scammers who are attempting to take advantage of this crisis and scam generous citizens. Here are some things to keep in mind:
• Donate to charities you know and trust with a track record of dealing with disasters
• Be alert for charities that appear to have sprung up overnight
• Never click on links or attachments from emails claiming to be involved in charity work
• Do not assume that charity messages on social media are legitimate
• If you are not sure about the legitimacy of a charitable organization, visit Charity Navigator or Charity Watch
https://www.charitywatch.org/home
https://www.charitynavigator.org
This advice also applies to all telephone solicitations. Tell callers you will contact the charity directly.
The short list:
Phone: HANG UP
Email: DO NOT click on links & DELETE suspicious email
Online: Look for “https” at the beginning of the address and/or a padlock 
At home: Deny opportunities for theft by FULLY closing garage door & locking
Suspicious Activity: Observe & report to LPD. 9-1-1 emergency, 916-645-4040 non-emergency doors & windows
Mary Cranston
Alerts Program Coordinator