Free Document Shredding in Lower Mac Saturday

Get personal documents shredded at no cost to help prevent identity theft.

To help prevent identity theft, state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-134) will host a free document shredding event from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Lower Macungie Municipal Building parking lot, 3400 Brookside Road.  “Identity theft is one the fastest growing crimes in America, and it can have devastating financial consequences for its victims,” said Mackenzie. “One of the greatest precautions we can take to protect our identity is to properly dispose of documents containing sensitive and personal information, such as Social Security numbers and credit card statements.” Documents that should be shredded include those with credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, medical information and bank account information. In order to ensure that …

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12 Ways to Protect Yourself Online

A cyber security expert who spoke at Northampton Community College offers tips for protecting yourself from identify theft and other online dangers.

Kristina Dorville, director of cybersecurity awareness programs for  the Department of Homeland Security, spoke at Northampton Community College recently. One in five Americans has fallen victim to a cyber crime, she said. Read a detailed story about Dorville's presentation here. Dorville's tips are: For more information about how to stay safe online, check out Homeland Security's site at www.dhs.gov/stopthinkconnect.

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Pennsylvania State Police Reports

Identity Thief Fraudulently Opens Phone Account, Police Say

Upper Milford Township man is the victim of an account initiated with Verizon, troopers report.

AT&T? Verizon? The thinking must have been, "Who cares what phone company you choose when you're working with someone else's money?" In this case, someone chose Verizon as the provider in which to open a cell phone account in the name of an Upper Milford Township man, according to state police at Fogelsville. And, as you have no doubt suspected, that someone was not the true account holder. David B. Sebring of John Street was the victim of the fraud in which someone racked up a bill of $382.04 in his name on a Verizon account, police said. The incident was reported on Feb. 22.

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Pennsylvania State Police Reports

Credit Card is Swiped in More Ways Than One

State police say that someone made eight purchases using Upper Milford woman's numbers for a total of $265.35.

Fortunately for an Upper Milford credit card owner, the thief who stole her numbers was dishonest but didn't have overly expensive tastes. Someone used the credit card information of Rose Harris of 3568 Lenape Lane eight times between Oct. 16 and Nov. 22, according to state police at Fogelsville. Those purchases totaled $265.35. The incidents are being investigated as identity theft, police said. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 610-395-1438.

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Pennsylvania State Police Reports

Police: ID Thief Spends Big at Home Depot

Police say someone stole Lower Macungie man's personal information and charged $2,300 at the local home center store.

A Lower Macungie Township man recently made an online purchase from Home Depot. One would think he was quite satisfied with what he bought, or at least enough so that he was willing to pay the $2,307.31 bill that he had rung up. And he might have been. The problem was that Christopher Brophy was not the buyer, according to state police at Fogelsville. Oh, it was his card that made the purchase on Oct. 26, all right. Or at least his personal information. But police say this was a case of access device fraud or identity theft. So, frankly, whether the purchase was a pretty good-sized pile of two-by-fours, many gallons of paint or wallpaper, or a heck of a lot of nails, Brophy isn't enjoying the use of any of it, according to police. Instead…

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Pennsylvania State Police Reports

Police: Identity Thief Steals Local Man's Debit Card

Purchases are made from Delaware to Georgia in nearly two-week span, troopers say.

A local man learned that his credit card unfortunately made the rounds from state to state -- from Georgia to Delaware -- without him for about a two-week period, according to police. Ralph M. LaSalle, 66, of 2204 Stonewall Drive, Lower Macungie Township, was the victim of debit card cloning, according to state police at Fogelsville. Cloning is essentially the copying of debit or credit card information. It can occur in different forms, but one of the most common is for a thief to use a device on an automated teller machine that copies your personal information. The thief can now withdraw money or charge merchandise using your information. Another form of cloning includes spam emails that are sent with the intention of gaining victims' …

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Pennsylvania State Police Reports

Identity Thief Gets Credit Cards in Upper Milford Man's Name

Someone opened four accounts in the name of an Upper Milford resident earlier this month, troopers say.

An Upper Milford Township man had no trouble opening not one, but four credit cards earlier this month. Well, there was one small problem, it turns out: He didn't actually apply to open the accounts, according to state police at Fogelsville. Confused? Actually, so was he. Jonathan Albert Peters, 36, of the 3600 block of Lenape Lane reported to police that four credit card accounts had been opened without his knowledge or authorization. The accounts were opened between Oct. 1 and 9, police said. Police did not say whether charges were made against the accounts or whether Peters would be responsible for any such charges.

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Identity Thief Tries to Steal $6,500 from Emmaus-Area Man

After one successful withdrawal, man is denied on second attempt, police say.

An Emmaus-area man suddenly acquired a spending habit he didn't even know he had. Fortunately, electronic bank records put a stop to it. As it turned out, someone stole the identity of the 53-year-old, according to state police at Fogelsville. Were it not for banking procedures, the man or his bank could have been out $6,500. Trouble began with a successful $3,000 withdrawal Aug. 1 from an unspecified Wells Fargo Bank branch, police said. A false Pennsylvania driver's license was used by a man described as being 35-50, black, about 6 feet tall with short hair and wearing glasses. The next day, the same man attempted to withdraw $3,500 from the same bank account but at a Wells Fargo Bank in Bala Cynwyd, Montgomery County, police said. This …

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Pennsylvania State Police Reports

Upper Milford Man Allegedly Punched Woman

Incident escalated from pushing to punching, police say.

An Upper Milford Township man recently was charged with punching a woman at his home, according to police. Donald Mark Brown, 45, of Shimerville Road pushed the woman and punched her about 9:05 p.m. May 31, said state police at Fogelsville. Police gave few details about the incident. They did not say whether she was injured or what initiated the dispute. Brown was charged with harassment, police said. In another Upper Milford incident, Linda Mondin of 4502 Shimerville Road reported to police that someone stole her credit card information, police said. Her credit card was used to purchase $130 in video games on May 22, police said. Anyone with related information is asked to contat Cpl. Louis P. Gober at 610-395-1438.

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Pennsylvania State Police Reports

Burglar Smashes Window to Enter Upper Milford Home

Another township resident reports identity theft, police say.

A burglar smashed a window to break into an Upper Milford couple's home recently and took unspecified items, according to police. State police at Fogelsville said David and Connie Bean of 5211 Wheatland Drive reported at 9:30 a.m. March 5 their home was entered. They said several items were stolen, but those were not identified by police nor was a value given. In another Upper Milford incident, police reported a case of identity theft. Police said someone named Michelle illegally used a Social Security number to obtain cash advances. The alleged crime was reported on March 7 by the victim, Lindsay Ann Canceliere of 6613 St. Peters Road. Police did not say whether they know who Michelle is or how much money was obtained.

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