Crime Prevention Tips

• Bank Fraud
• Credit Card Fraud
• Procedures to be followed by The Shopkeepers
• Land Grabbing
• Awareness on Cyber Crime and Mobile Phone
• Awareness for Internet Users
• Entrustment Fraud And Cheating
• Job Racketing
• Passport Forgery
• Rowdy Activities
• Cheating By Chits And Chit Funds
• Video Pirate Cases
• Advice to the women and aged persons who are Alone at home

Bank Fraud

• The cheque holders should not issue signed blank cheque to any person.
• While applying for bank loan, don’t submit the documents through brokers or intermediaries.
• Don’t accept stranger’s offers, who come forward voluntarily to give collateral security.
• Don’t inform your bank account number and Password to anybody.
• If you receive any e-mail as sent from the bank, confirm with the bank manager on the genuiness of the mail. If not, it is a phishing e-mail by which, money from your account will be transferred.
• Bank officers should verify the genuineness of the document before issuing loans.
• Care should be taken while withdrawing huge amount from the bank. A particular vehicle and the same route shall not be used for withdrawing the amount.

Credit Card Fraud

• Furnish correct information of your residential address, salary particulars, ID card, Phone number, to obtain credit card.
• Credit card should be kept in your safe custody and the PIN number should be kept confidentially.
• Back side of the credit card should be signed by the customer.The credit card should not be lent to any person for their personal usage.
• Don’t inform to any person seeking information through E-mail, or phone, about credit card number and CVV number.
• Xerox copy of your credit card should not be given to any body.
• Xerox copy of your credit card should not be given to any person who claim themselves as the agent of the bank. If you receive credit card without your wish or knowledge, tear it in four pieces and return it to the concerned bank.
• Customer should use their credit card for booking train /air tickets in person. Don’t disclose your pin number, credit card number or CVV numbers to the booking agencies while booking the tickets.
• Unoccupied premises and newly constructed buildings should be watched, for suspects and the same should be intimated to police.
• Don’t expose or show your credit card numbers while withdrawing amount from ATM. If you have any problem while withdrawing at ATM, don’t call for assistance from the standbyer and don’t believe the people who come forward to assist you voluntarily.
• Withdrawal of amount or purchase of goods by using credit card shall be used only for your need. The purpose of credit card will be useful only, if the amount is reimbursed within 30 days.
• The credit card holder should be with the shopkeeper while he swipes after purchase. Credit card holder should be vigilant that his PIN number should not be noted or Xeroxed or swiped twice.

Procedures to be followed by The Shopkeepers

• Compare the photo and the signatures, of the credit card holder whether they are one and the same.
• If the credit card holder is a foreigner or foreign cards are used, Passport copies should be obtained from the person.
• Don’t give money without actual purchase by way of bill.
• If you suspect any person, contact the nearest police station or dial 100 to the control room for assistance immediately.
• Check whether the name and credit card number are same in the charge slip.

Land Grabbing

Public should be aware of the following points while purchasing properties like Flats, Plots, and apartments.

• Compare and check the sale deed with parent documents.
• Encumbrance Certificate should be obtained for 20 years on the property and checked for any encumbrance.
• Copies of chitta and patta should be compared and checked with Revenue office records.
• Confirm whether the District town planning (DTP) and Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority’s (CMDA) approval is obtained.
• Check up and confirm whether name change was entered in the Thasildar office and obtain a copy of the same.
• On registration of sale deed confirm whether photo of buyer and seller were affixed.
• During registration, PAN CARD number should be entered when the purchase of land value exceeds Rs. 5,00,000/-.

Don’ts

• Don’t enter into any agreement with the power holder before ascertaining his antecedents.
• Don’t purchase the property before ascertaining the real owner of the property.
• Don’t register the land through brokers or intermediaries.
• Don’t make the brokers sign as witnesses in the sale deed document.
• Don’t go for registration, unless the consent of legal heir is obtained, if it is ancestral property.
• Don’t purchase the property by seeing the photocopies submitted by the broker, original document should be verified before purchase of land.
• Don’t register the land, if any civil case is pending before the court.
• No objection certificate should be obtained from the bank, if the property is mortgaged.
• Minor’s property should be purchased only after proper direction of the court.
• Don’t purchase the poromboke land or Government owned/occupied land.

Cheating By Forgery Document

• Don’t believe the person’s words that under Government Housing Scheme, free land and Housing plots will be distributed, they will create fabricated forged documents.
• Don’t be cheated by the words of the person that they will get an auto loan in subsidy rate from Rotary association or Government.
• Don’t be cheated by the words of the person that they will secure good marks for the failed candidate through revaluation. They may give forged mark sheet.
• Don’t believe the words of the agent or brokers, that they will arrange passport or visa for foreign countries, quickly on payment. They may give fake visa and passport.
• Don’t be cheated by the thugs or brokers in the Tahsildar office, on their words that they will arrange and get community certificate or legal heir certificate for money.

Awareness on Cyber Crime and Mobile Phone

• Compare and check the sale deed with parent documents.
• On purchase of mobile phone, demand guarantee card and cash receipt. When you loose your mobile phone, immediately prefer complaint with IMEI number to the nearest police station.
• If you want to know your Mobile phone IMEI number dial *#06#.
• When you loose your cell phone, immediately prefer a complaint to the service provider to deactivate.
• Don’t keep your cell phone blue tooth in activation mode always.
• Don’t give your cell phone to the strangers.
• When you hand over the cell phone to service centre, remove the sim card and memory card.
• All mobile users should install anti-theft software in their cell phone which will facilitate to trace the lost phone.

Awareness for Internet Users

• Don’t believe the e-mails, stating that you have won a prize or lottery.
• Use your credit card numbers only in the trusted website.
• Send information to the websites or e-mails only after verifying.
• Don’t engage in bank transaction from internet centre.
• Use password with special characters and numbers.
• Don’t disclose your e-mail and bank account number to any body.
• It is a punishable offence if any threat message / abusive, obsessive pictures are sent to others.
• Avoid using your name, phone number, photos and other personal details in internet site.

Entrustment Fraud And Cheating

• If any MLM (Multi-level marketing) company approaches you, kindly verify the integrity of the company whether any complaints on the company exist, whether the company was registered appropriately etc. before investing.
• You may be induced by advertisement that NRI loan will be arranged in crores for lower interest and ask to pay for processing charge. Don’t believe in such advertisements, you will be cheated.
• Don’t lend your money on faith and without proper evidence.
• Know the integrity of the person with whom you have business transaction.
• Don’t believe the advertisements offering attractive gifts and prizes.
• Don’t believe in the inducement / words of the strangers who contact directly or through phone.

Job Racketing

• Before applying for the job on basis of Advertisement in dailies for job opportunity in foreign countries and within India, the job seekers should verify the authenticity of the firm with Protector of Emigrant (044-24891337) and then consider.
• It is prohibited to go for employment with tourism visa.
• Don’t receive the visa from the agents in last minute at airport.
• Before boarding the flight clear your doubts with the immigration officer and get confirmation with visa.
• Don’t give money for visa before verifying its genuineness.
• Verify about the employer before you pay them through E-Banking, Bank Account, and E-mail.
• Don’t pay to the individual persons or unregistered agent as they promise that they will arrange jobs.

Passport Forgery

• Online registration procedures system which was newly launched shall be used, to get new passport or renewal of the old passport. In online registration they will specify the date on which the application should submitted at the Regional Passport Office. So, avoid engaging agent or brokers to get passport.
• The person who returned from foreign countries or those whose validity date of passport has expired should not give their passport to others. They may forge the passport by changing the photos and put you in trouble.
• The persons who required ECNR (Emigration Check Not Required) clearance in their passport should approach directly to office of the Protector of Emigrants, Ashok Nagar, Chennai. If the passport is handed to the brokers or agents they may affix forged stamp and put you to inconvenience.
• Employment Visa can be obtained from the consulate by applying with legally received work permit and appointment order. Otherwise, if you apply with the documents given by the brokers or agents, it will be forged and fabricated letter documents.
• No changes or alteration, shall be made to rectify any pages in the passport when it is damaged or worn out.

Rowdy Activities

• Activities of Rowdies and Anti-social persons shall be informed to the nearest police station or informed through phone by dialing 100. The name of the informant will be kept confidential.
• Immediately inform to the police without hesitation, about the persons who extort money. Otherwise it will encourage the anti social persons to commit further extortions.

Cheating By Chits And Chit Funds

• Don’t be cheated by depositing your amount in the unregistered chit.
• Don’t deposit your money in the funds in name of Deepavali fund, Pongal fund, you may be cheated.
• Don’t pay for the chits on believing their inducement / words and lucrative advertisements.
• Don’t pay on their inducement / words that only least amount is payable on a monthly basis after deduction, which my be helpful for education or marriage expenses.

Video Pirate Cases

Manufacture of pirated V.C.D., Selling, hiring, is punishable under Copy Rights Act.

Things to be remembered on Purchase of V.C.D. by the Public

• Check for the superior quality of paper on the compact disc.
• The printed letters and the pictures on the cover of compact disc will be clear and legible.
• The quality of printing will be superior.
• The logo of the company is embossed clearly.
• The name of the producer and the address is printed clearly.
• The name and address of the copy right holder is printed legibly.
• The censorship board certificate is printed clearly.

The Compact Discs are said to be original, when the above features are found.

Advice to the women and aged persons who are Alone at home

• Install lens on the entrance door. Iron grill gate should be fixed before the wooden door.
• When they are alone at home, the entrance door should be locked from inside before engaging in their work.
• The women should not invite new friends to their home, whom they meet during shopping. Don’t disclose to the persons that you are staying alone and male members of your family are out of station.
• Young woman should learn defensive martial arts to protect themselves.
• Before appointing a person as servant, driver or cook in your house kindly get their name, address and the photo of the employee and enquire their antecedents.
• Where the aged people alone stay in the houses, keep the valuables in the bank locker instead of keeping them home.
• The aged person residing in the flats and apartments should befriend their neighbours, so that they offer help, at the time of emergency.
• Don’t allow the person like astrologer, magicians, jewellery polishing persons, old cloth buyers into the house where the aged persons are alone staying.
• The name of the milk man, paper vendor, vegetable vendor, cable T.V operator, gas supplier and Dhobi should be noted down. They should not be allowed inside the house.
• In apartment types of residence, appoint a security guard. Visitors name and address should be noted and prior permission should be obtained from the resident ,whom the visitors intend to see.
• In every house, the telephone number of the jurisdiction police station and fire service station should be noted and kept near the telephone.