Suggested Safety Tips for Seniors
Consider these common-sense precautions:
- Be Alert When Out and About
- Go with friends or family, not alone.
- Carry your purse close to your body, not dangling by the straps.
- Put a wallet in an inside coat or front pants pocket.
- Don't carry credit cards you don't need or large amounts of cash.
- Use direct deposit for incoming checks.
- Whether you're a passenger or driver, keep car doors locked.
- Be particularly alert in parking lots and garages.
- Sit close to the driver or near the exit while riding the bus, train, or subway.
- If someone or something makes you uneasy, trust your instincts and leave.
Find out more about protecting your home.
- Make Your Home is Safe and Secure.
- Install good locks on doors and windows. Use them! Don't hide keys in mailboxes, planters or under doormats.
- Instead, leave an extra set of keys with a trusted neighbor or trusted friend.
- Ask for photo identification from service or delivery people before letting them in. If you are the least bit worried, call the company to verify.
- Be sure your street address number is large, clear of obstruction, and well-lighted so police and other emergency personnel can find your home quickly.
- Consider a home alarm system that provides monitoring for burglary, fire, and medical emergencies.
Find out more about frauds and cons.

- Watch Out for Con Artists
- Don't fall for anything that sounds too good to be true - a free vacation, sweepstakes prizes, promised medical assistance, a low-risk-high-yield investment scheme.
- Phone call with claims of a family member in danger and needs financial assistance.
- Never give your credit card, phone number, Social Security, or bank account number to anyone over the phone. It's illegal for telemarketers to ask for these numbers to verify a prize or gift.
- Don't let anyone rush you into signing anything - an insurance policy, a sales agreement, a contract. Read it carefully and have someone you trust and/or your attorney check it over.
- Beware of individuals claiming to represent companies, consumer organizations, or government agencies that offer to recover lost money from fraudulent telemarketers for a fee.
- If you're suspicious, check it out with your local Law Enforcement Agency, the Better Business Bureau, or local consumer protection office. Call the National Consumers League Fraud Information Center at 800-876-7060.
Find out more about neighborhood action.
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Get Involved in the Community.
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Report any crime or suspicious activities to law enforcement.
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Form a neighborhood watch to look out for each other and help Law Enforcement.
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Work to change conditions that hurt your neighborhood.
- The DeSoto County Sheriff's Office can provide a Crime Prevention Presentation for your group or organization upon request. To set up a Crime Prevention Presentation please contact the Sheriff's Executive Assistant Shaneka Coone at 863-993-4700 ext: 2246 Monday through Friday during normal business hours.