PERSONAL

This Topic deals with areas where you, not someone else, can keep
your family from being at risk. All of the items shown are considered
as your own Red Flags.  

• Don't store sensitive data on your mobile phone

• Don't post current location or future travel dates on Social Media

• Don't post children's names and photos on Social Media

• Use a password on your cellphone especially if used for banking

• Smart Phones with GPS may allow you to be tracked

• Scrutinize permission requests on an app for questionable requirements.

• Don't always go with the lowest estimate for a job

• When a sales person tells you , not to worry Worry!

• Never buy the first version of anything

• An infomercial is an oxymoron

• At a free seminar ask how long your money will be tied-up, and never sign anything at the seminar

• Leave quickly if they say that the investor is not charged a commission

• Always use privacy controls on Social Media

• Use Anti-Malware, Virus protection and Firewall programs

• Keep tabs on what your children are posting on Social Media

• Read the fine print, it may take away what you are given in large print

• Be especially aware of your surroundings at times when you may be less alert and more vulnerable to an attack (e.g., during periods of stress) when you are upset or sick, or if you have been drinking.

• Use discretion and caution when taking shortcuts through isolated parts of the campus.

• If you must be in an isolated area (e.g., working or studying alone in labs or offices) lock the doors and tell a friend or the Police Department where you are and when you plan to leave.

• Check the inside of an elevator before entering. Wait for the next elevator if you are unsure of the people inside.

• When riding an elevator, stand by the control board. If you feel in danger, press all the buttons and get off the elevator as soon as possible.

• Have the door key in your hand so you can open the door immediately when you return home.

• Try Not to go out alone at night.  Avoid unfamiliar areas, if possible.

• Use caution in parking lots, and don't walk in poorly lighted areas, or dark doorways, or near shrubbery.

• Don't accept rides from strangers, and don't respond to comments from strangers on the street.

• Don't hitchhike

• If suspect someone is following you, cross the street and walk into an open business.

• Watch your surroundings and be alert for suspicious persons, especially around banks, stores, streets, and your car or home.

• When meeting a new friend, exchange phone numbers only, not addresses.  On a first date, let family and friends know where you are going. Consider a daytime meeting rather than a night meeting, for a first date, and meet in a public place.

• It is never a good idea to go to a nightclub alone, but if you do, provide your own transportation.

• Don't allow alcohol or drugs to impair your judgment.  If you haven't already set a few social standards, do so and stick to them.  Don't allow an overly aggressive pursuer to change your mind.

• Don't take drinks from an open can/bottle.

• Do not look like an easy target; look and walk strong and confident. Most aggressors will back down if you maintain eye contact and are not intimidated by them. You lose your appeal as a target if you can identify them.

• If someone is coming toward you and you feel threatened, hold out your hands in front of you and yell STOP! or STAY BACK! If you are carrying a safety whistle, blow it now to sound an alarm. Remember, he is looking for an easy target, not someone unafraid to make noise or fight back.

• Always carry a personal protection product and a safety whistle with you at all times.

• While exercising outside it is important for to know options, have a dog, a whistle, cell-phone. Try not to go out alone.

• Change your routes and routines on a regular basis to avoid predators from being able to track your movements or actions.

• While walking or jogging make mental notes of safe houses or safe places that can be used if the need arises.

• Pick routes with sidewalks with good lighting and clear visibility.

• Plan a safe walking route to school or the bus/transit stop.  Choose the most direct way with the fewest street crossings and if possible, with intersections that have traffic controls.

• Pedestrians should make eye contact with drivers when crossing busy streets to ensure they have been seen.

• Pedestrians do not have the right of way when crossing mid-block.  Cross streets only at street corners or marked crosswalks or intersections.  Crossing at locations that have traffic signals helps motorists see you.

• Do not run across a dark street to catch a bus, cross at crosswalks or intersections.

• If a car is parked where you are trying to cross, look for drivers who may pull out and not see you.

• Remember: Telephone poles, utility boxes and parked vehicles block on-coming drivers ability to see you if you are walking.

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