Centerville Police Department warns of scammer

Kettering, Ohio – The Centerville Police Department is warning area residents of a scammer. Centerville Police say that an unknown individual has been calling area residents claiming to be a Centerville Police Officer. The caller claims that he needs to speak to the individual regarding “a confidential legal matter”. The individual has been leaving voice mails with a call back number that the Centerville Police Department says is not a Centerville Police Department number.

The Centerville Police Department says that if you receive a call claiming to be from the Department that you are suspicious of you can call their dispatch center at 937-433-7661 to verify the authenticity of the call.

The Centerville Police Department is also warning area residents about the possibility of scammers and thieves being the holiday grinch. Centerville reminds residents to be vigilant for thieves when you are out holiday shopping. In particular, Centerville is reminding residents to “Lock It Don’t Leave It” when in parking lots at retail establishments. Centerville’s advice about locking your cars when you have purchases inside follows their general crime prevention strategy of deny, deter, delay, and detect. The general idea is to make it as difficult as possible for thieves to make you a victim of crime.

Law enforcement also warns residents to be careful about “porch pirates”, people who steal packages from front porches, this time of year. The Kettering Police Department recently asked for the public’s help in identifying a porch pirate, who they were able to subsequently locate.

The Kettering Police Department offers several suggestions on how you can protect your packages from porch pirates this holiday season. First, they say video doorbells and security cameras can be a huge deterrent for thieves. The Department also recommends requiring signatures for all package deliveries so that you actually receive packages in hand rather than having them sit on your porch for an extended period of time. The Department also says that residents can potentially limit their exposure to package theft by signing up for electronic notification of package delivery so that you can get the package from your porch quickly after delivery. Finally, Kettering says that maintaining a good relationship with neighbors is a good way to keep an eye on your property when you cannot be there.