Page 24 - July 2020 Board Meeting Agenda_Neat

AWG

Newsletter

June 5th, 2020

In the news…

Headline: San Diegans warned of ongoing auto
theft, extortion scam

A San Diego auto theft team warned
residents of a scam; wherein, the suspects place an
advertisement looking for a Spanish speaking
driver to transport large sums of money. Once the
victim calls the listed telephone number, a meeting
place is arranged and upon arrival, the victim
surrenders their vehicle for it to be loaded with cash somewhere else. The vehicle, as
expected, is never returned.

Some of the victims were contacted after the ordeal and told they could get their
vehicle back if they wire money to the perpetrators. In the instance where the victim
wires cash, they not only lose they car but also their money.

Analysis

This is a new play on an old scam, but the key takeaway is that auto theft
teams and organizations world-wide must keep the public aware. If they are
knowledgeable about crime in their area, the public is less likely to fall prey to the
scam.

Article
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Headline: Shootings, burglaries and auto theft surging in NYCHA complexes
during lockdown

According to the article, “Auto thefts surged 38% in
the four weeks ending May 10, and shootings and
burglaries each increased 17%.”

Analysis

Numbers can be tricky. In this case, showing a 38%
increase in auto thefts doesn’t necessarily mean there
is a massive leap in auto thefts. It’s critical for
analysts to study the data and make the stakeholders aware of the real data.
Comparing the May 2020 auto theft stats to May 2019 might show that auto theft
numbers are down.
Article
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