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Safety Tips

Child Safety Tips

Travel Safety

Home Safety

  • Take a picture of your child with your phone camera (if you have one) every time you go out.  This will give you a current photo that will also show the clothing your child is wearing in case your child gets lost.
  • If a stranger asks to to use your phone, offer to make the call while they wait outside.  Do not let them know if you are home alone. If they ask to speak to your Mother or Father, tell them they are napping.  Never admit you are home alone.
  • Give your child your business card or an index card with your home and cell number. 
  • Try to get hotel rooms between the 4th and 10th floors. Above the 10th most fire departments do not have a ladder truck that can reach. Rooms below the 4th are more open to robbery because they offer the robber easy access to escape routes. 
  • If traveling outside the United States, be sure to review the law and customs of the country you are visiting.
  • Not all countries use 911.  Be sure to know what number system they use for emergency calls. ie Police, Ambulance
  • Double-cylinder are recommended for if your door has a glass insert or a glass panel next to it.
  • Locks must be used to be effective.  Be sure to use them even when you are home.
  • Alarms must be used to be effective.  Like locks, you should use them when home as well as when you are away.

Workplace Safety
Automobile Safety
Domestic Violence
  • Get training for your employees in how to identify possible workplace violence issues and how to handle them.
  • Offer security awareness training.
  • If you have a purse, be sure to lock it in your desk or file cabinet if you leave your desk.
  • When approaching your vehicle, check your car from the passenger window for someone hidden in your car.
  • As soon as you are in your vehicle, lock the doors.  If you have an electronic key use it to look them.
Resources for individuals victimized by, or concerned about domestic violence or stalking include the organizations listed below.
 
  • The National Domestic Violence Hotline
  • National Organization for Victim Assistance
    • 800-879-6682
  • The Stalking Victim's Sanctuary

 

To Avoid Charity Scams, the follow The Federal Trade Commission (FTC)s Charity Checklist!

              

FTC Charity Checklist

Thinking about donating to a charity? The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation’s consum­er protection agency, recommends taking these precautions to ensure that your donation dollars benefit the people and organizations you want to help. They’re sensible practices whether you’re solicited by an organization’s employees, volunteers, or professional fundraisers by phone, mail, email, or in person.

  • Don’t be shy about asking who wants your money. Some charities hire professional fund­raisers for large-scale mailings, telephone drives, and other solicitations rather than use their own staff or volunteers, and then use a portion of the donations to pay the fundraiser’s fees. If you’re solicited for a donation, ask if the caller is a paid fundraiser, who they work for, and the percentage of your donation that will go to the charity and to the fundraiser. If you don’t get a clear answer — or if you don’t like the answer you get — consider donating to a different organization.
  • Call the charity. Find out if the organization is aware of the solicitation and has authorized the use of its name. If not, you may be dealing with a scam artist.
  • Ask for written information about the charity, including name, address, and telephone number.
  • Contact the office that regulates charitable organizations and charitable solicitations in your state to see if the charity or fundraiser must be registered. If so, check to make sure that the company you’re talking to is registered. For a list of state offices, visit the National Associa­tion of State Charity Officials at www.nasconet.org/agencies. Your state office also can verify how much of your donation goes to the charity, and how much goes to fundraising and man­agement expenses. You also can check out charities with the Better Business Bureau’s (BBB) Wise Giving Alliance (www.bbb.org/charity) and GuideStar (www.guidestar.org).
  • Trust your gut — and check your records if you have any doubt about whether you’ve made a pledge or a contribution. Callers may try to trick you by thanking you for a pledge you didn’t make. If you don’t remember making the donation or don’t have a record of your pledge, resist the pressure to give.
  • Be wary of charities that spring up overnight in connection with current events or natural disasters. They may make a compelling case for your money, but as a practical matter, they probably don’t have the infrastructure to get your donation to the affected area or people.
  • Watch out for similar sounding names. Some phony charities use names that closely resemble those of respected, legitimate organizations. If you notice a small difference from the name of the charity you intend to deal with, call the organization you know to check it out.
  • Be cautious of promises of guaranteed sweepstakes winnings in exchange for a contribution. According to U.S. law, you never have to give a donation to be eligible to win a sweepstakes.
  • Be wary of charities offering to send a courier or overnight delivery service to collect your donation immediately.
  • Know the difference between “tax exempt” and “tax deductible.” Tax exempt means the organization doesn’t have to pay taxes. Tax deductible means you can deduct your contribution on your federal income tax return.
  • Do not send or give cash donations. Cash can be lost or stolen. For security and tax record purposes, it’s best to pay by credit card. If you’re thinking about giving online, look for indicators that the site is secure, like a lock icon on the browser’s status bar or a URL that begins “https:” (the “s” stands for “secure”).

For more information about making your donations count, visit www.ftc.gov/charityfraud.

The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters consumer complaints into the Consumer Sentinel Network, a secure online database and investigative tool used by hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.