KNOXVILLE COMMUNITY CLEANUP

Knoxville received 1/3 of a major cleanup from city forces June 6. City Councilman Bruce Kraus told some 50 attendees at the Upper Knoxville Block Watch's June 17 meeting that two more cleanups are scheduled for this community.

They will take place July 11 and August 1.

The July 11 cleanup will extend from Bausman Street to Suncrest Street, and the third will cover the remainder of Knoxville, meaning the area from Suncrest Street to Wilbur Street.

"The first cleanup removed six tons of garbage and trash," Kraus told the Block Watch members, "and 40 wolunteers came to help." See map below for locations of cleanups.

Block watch leaders passed on some important tips:

Cell phone numbers go public next month. This means you will get piles of sales calls and YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS. To avoid this call the following number from your cell phone:

888-382-1222

This is the national "Do Not Call" list. Your call to this number blocks your number for five years. You must make the call from the cell phone you want blocked.

Another warning: Watch out for a new credit card scam. Someone will phone you and after telling you a lot of lies, will ask for the numbers on the back of your credit card. They won't ask for your card number, or anything else (they already have that!) but the numbers on the back of your card. DON'T GIVE THEM ANYTHING! Hang up to avoid these scammers putting a big charge on your card!

Here's the map showing locations of the Knoxville cleanups. The first one, in red, has already taken place.

HOW NOT TO BECOME A VICTIM OF IDENTITY THEFT

Joseph E. Wolf, Postal Inspector

Q. What is identity theft? A. It's when someone you don't know has a lot of fun spending money, and you get to pay for it. Q. I don't want to do that -- I mean, pay for someone else's fun! How can I avoid it? These are the questions answered by Joseph E. Wolf, U.S. Postal Inspector, at the recent meeting of the Upper Knoxville Block Watch. Wolf explained to the 40-some residents attending the meeting that identity theft is a growing variety of crime. Why? Because it is rather easy to do, and even if the thief is caught, penalties are often not too severe --"often less severe than robbing a bank or even a convenience store," Wolf said. Often, American citizens are the victims of organized crimes in other countries -- Russia and Nigeria, for example. While Pittsburgh may not yet be a prime center for identity theft, some 50% of residents of California and Washington DC, for example, have experience some kind of identity theft or attempted identity theft.

Wolf pointed out that identity thieves seek honest peoples' social security numbers, addresses, vehicle registration numbers and other personal data. With this information they create another "person," using the victim's name, social security number, address, etc. The thief sets up a credit card for this fictitious person -- who has the same name, etc., as the victim. The thief spends as much money as possible from the fictitious person's credit card, then disappears. The victim ends up paying. Wolf defined identity theft as "unauthorized acquisition of key pieces of personal information for unlawful purposes." What kind of personal information? Your name. Your address. Your date of birth. Your social security number. Your credit card number, and bank account numbers. Your mother's maiden name (useful for proving that the thief is you.) How to avoid being a victim? "Dumpster diving is a good place for thieves to find information about you," Wolf said. He recommended shredding your trash so that thieves could not find your important information in your garbage or trash can. How to guard against identity theft? 1. Empty your purse or wallet of extra credit cards or ID cards. 2. Photocopy everything that is in your wallet and keep in a safe place in case your wallet is stolen. That way you can quickly notify all your credit and banks so they can stop any theft from your accounts. 3. Memorize your PIN numbers -- don't use your birthdate, house number or Social Security numbers for a PIN. 4. Never give out personal information over the phone or on the Internet to people or organizations you don't know. 5. Promptly remove your incoming mail from your mailbox, before someone has a chance to steal it to get your information.

Retired District Justice Anne Scharding visited the Block Watch and was greeted with an enthusiastic round of applause. She agreed with Wolf, saying "If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is!"

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