Police Urge Vigilance for Uptick in Crime During Holidays

It's the time of year when Merrimack Police are reminding residents and business owners to remain vigilant throughout the holiday season.

It's a time of year when plow and mail or package thefts increase and police remind business owners to also keep a closer eye for counterfeit money and flim flam scams as holiday crowds create a more frenzied pace at stores. 

Be on the lookout for the following crimes and report any suspicious activity to police:

Plow thefts: Plows are easily stolen by trucks already equipped with plow mounts, and plow owners should take steps to secure their plows when stored and not in use. They should also mark their property with unique identifying marks that can not be removed as easily as decals displaying their serial numbers. The season in not unique to plow thefts, equipment such as snowblowers and generators are commodities and the same precautions should be exercised.

Mail/package thefts: This is the time of year that there is an uptick in mail and package delivery thefts, along with thefts from motor vehicles. Please be alert for strange people or vehicles following delivery vehicles, going through mailboxes or retrieving packages from your neighbors home. Valuables should not be left in vehicles, and if there is no other option, steps should be taken to secure the vehicle and keep the items out of sight.

Internet crime: Internet crimes are always a concern, you should never provide your personal information to someone that you don't know, didn't solicit on your own or that you are familiar with as a reputable business. Job offers, lottery winnings, offers to pay higher than your asking price for merchandise you are selling online, requesting you send a small portion of money back in return are common fraud practices. Always ask questions, ask for contact and return call information that can be verified will often turn away these scammers. Dating and relationship sites are also utilized to take advantage of people, never send funds to someone you don't know requesting money to travel or assist them in a predicament of some sort. Another known scam is receiving a call from alleged law enforcement authorities,  looking for bail money for a loved one that is alleged to have been arrested in another state or even another country. Again, you should request contact information and if you are unable to directly contact the allegedly jailed loved one, contact your local authorities to further investigate. If a loved one is in actual police custody, that can be confirmed with any legitimate agency.

Counterfeit money/flim flam scams: Businesses should be alert for counterfeit currency and flim flam artists, that take advantage of busy clerks during the holiday season passing these counterfeit bills and confusing clerks asking to exchange smaller or larger bills ending up providing more change than money that was paid to make the original purchase.

Police are on the alert taking steps to combat these situations, however, they cannot do it alone and count on the community to help them apprehend these perpetrators that would seek to take advantage of the residents here. Many crimes are solved by alert citizens that provide descriptions of suspects, vehicles and registration numbers that appreciably assist us in our endeavors. Merrimack Police can be reached at (603) 424-3774 and anonymous tips can be submitted online and by phone. Call Merrimack Crimeline anonymously at (603) 424-2424, or web tips can be submitted on line through Merrimack Police and Crimeline web sites, http://www.merrimacknh.gov/onlinecrimetips, or http://www.merrimackcrimeline.org/

For crimes in progress or to report suspicious activity you should either call the main police number, or 911 in the case of an emergency, and that the Crimeline phone number and Web tip application are for reporting past tense crimes or information on potential future crimes.