MOORPARK : Police Faxes Keep Businesses on Alert
For Ed Tumbleson, the fax machine is a crime-prevention tool.
Tumbleson, the community service officer for the Moorpark police, has organized a free fax service to keep the city’s business community informed about local crime.
The Fax Alert Network began operation several weeks ago. Already, 82 business people have signed up to receive reports on crime-prevention techniques and scams that could affect their businesses. Those receiving the reports are encouraged to share them with others.
“I’m hoping this creates some networking between the businesses and their neighbors about crime,” Tumbleson said.
Last week, Tumbleson sent subscribers word of a check-cashing scheme that has hit several Moorpark businesses. Someone has been using checks that were thrown in the trash by an area resident who had just closed her account.
The report gave suggestions for protecting against check fraud and asked subscribers to call police if they spot someone trying to cash the checks.
The idea, Tumbleson said, is to make business owners more vigilant in preventing crime. “This way, we’ll keep them on their toes,” he said.
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