Electrical Main Explosion
Prompts Street Closure, Evacuation
An underground explosion of a utility main prompted
the evacuation of businesses and a street closure on West Chestnut Avenue
between Fifth Avenue to Monterey Avenue this morning. The Monrovia Fire
Department received a call at 8:35 a.m. on Thursday morning of steam coming out
of a four-foot opening on the street. World Vision, at 800 West Chestnut
Avenue, was temporarily evacuated. No residential units were evacuated, and
the freeway remained open.
Southern California Edison arrived on scene at 8:45
a.m. and determined that electrical wiring in the vault exploded. Edison
isolated the circuit at 9 a.m. and allowed occupants back to their businesses.
The street closure on West Chestnut between Fifth Avenue to Monterey Avenue
will remain in effect until further notice. Commuters and residents are asked
to take alternative routes to avoid delay.
Attempted Burglary
February 19 at 3:48 a.m., officers responded to a
burglary alarm at an elementary school in the 900 block of East Lemon Avenue.
They found an open window in the administration building. The same window was
the point of entry for a burglary that occurred the previous night at the
school. The suspect did not gain entry this time. The investigation is
continuing.
Tip
of the Week
Identity
Theft Prevention
Identity thieves take your personal information and
use it without your knowledge; they purchase merchandise, run up dept, and even
commit crimes. The following tips can help you lower your risk of becoming a
victim of identity theft and safeguard your Identity:
Protect Your Social
Security Number - Do not carry your Social Security
card in your wallet or purse. Do not give your social security number to
anyone unless you are the one that contacted them, and they are entitled to it.
Don't be the
Victim of a Scam - Scam artists pretend to be
banks, stores, or government agencies. They do this over the phone, in emails,
and by mail. Don't respond to a request to verify your account number or
password. Legitimate companies will not request information in this manner.
Don't Trash
Your Personal Information - Shred papers with personal information on them
before you throw them in the trash. Shred credit card offers and
"convenience checks" that you don't use.
Protect Your Mail - Lock
your mailbox or rent a locked post office box. Deposit outgoing mail in blue
post office boxes and retrieve your mail from your mailbox as soon as
possible.
Be Careful Where You
Click - Check out websites before shopping online
and entering your credit card number or other personal information. Read the
privacy policy and look for opportunities to opt out of information sharing. If
there is no privacy policy, beware! Shop elsewhere. Enter personal
information only on secure web pages with "https" in the
address bar and a padlock symbol in the lower right corner (Internet Explorer
and Mozilla Firefox programs). This
shows that your information will be encrypted or scrambled, protecting it from
hackers.
Protect Your
Computer From Viruses and Spies - Protect your
personal information on your home computer. Use strong passwords with at least
eight characters, including letters, numbers, and symbols. Avoid writing down
the password. Use a firewall and virus protection software that you update
regularly. Steer clear of spyware; download free software only from sites you
know and trust. Do not install software without knowing what it is. Set your
Internet Explorer browser security to at least "medium." Don't
click on links in pop-up windows or in spam email.
Control Your Personal
Financial Information - Federal law requires your
bank and other financial institutions to get your permission before sharing
your personal financial information with outside companies. You also have the
right to limit the sharing of your personal financial information with
affiliates of your financial institutions. Write to the companies that you
want to "opt-out" of sharing your personal financial information
with their affiliates. (Contact the Direct Marketing Association at www.dmaconsumers.org).
Always Check Your
Bills and Bank Statements - Open your credit card
bills and bank statement right away. Check carefully for any unauthorized
charges or withdrawals and report them immediately to the fraud department of
the bank or credit card company. Call the company if bills don't arrive
on time or if there is unauthorized account activity.
Ask Questions
- Whenever you are asked for personal information that seems
inappropriate for the transaction. Ask how the information will be used and if
it will be shared. Ask how it will be protected. Explain that you're
concerned about identity theft. If you're not satisfied with the
answers, consider going somewhere else.
Check Your Credit
Reports - for Free - One of the best ways to
protect yourself from identity theft is to monitor your credit history. You
can get one free credit report every year from each of the three national
credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. You can request all three
reports at once (so you can compare them). Or, be your own credit-monitoring
service and spread out your request, ordering from a different bureau every
four months (so you can keep track of any changes or see new information on
your credit history).
Order your free
annual credit reports toll-free at (877/322-8228) or online at www.annualcreditreport.com.
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