North Texas is becoming a target for sophisticated international fraud rings which use cashier's checks to steal money from consumers. The scam uses legitimate businesses to gain victims’ confidence.

By BYRON HARRIS / WFAA-TV

http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/localnews/investigates/stories/wfaa080925_lj_harris.aea4e6ae.html

If you have ever shopped for a security system for your home or small business, I am sure you have heard the phrase “Basic System”, “Basic Package” or something similar. Ever wondered – “What is a basic security system?” or “Why would I want a basic system?” – then this article is for you.

As its name implies, this is usually the base level of protection offered by the company. Most often the basic security system will include the:

• Alarm Control panel

• Interior siren

• Battery backup

• Power supply (transformer)

• 2-3 door / window contacts

• Interior trap (usually a motion detector)

• Hardwired or wireless options
  

Although this may sound like a lot, in the words of Karen Carpenter; “We’ve only just begun…”  The Chinese proverb states that the journey of a thousand miles begins with just one step. Protecting your family or property does not have to be a thousand mile journey, it should not stop at the first step either.

First, let me say that there are exceptions where, financially, the basic system is truly all that you can afford.  Certainly, a basic security system is better than nothing; HOWEVER, that is the exception not the rule.

You would not lay a foundation for your home then move your furniture in, nor would order your next car without air conditioning (at least not in Texas).  Why then would you want to stay with the base level of security?  Why are there so many basic systems “protecting” businesses and families? In some cases the alarm company was focused more on making a sale than protecting the property. Enhanced security protection requires more experienced alarm companies whose employees are knowledgeable enough to design and install more than just the basics. Other times, a consumer may be mislead into believing the base system will provide adequate protection. In either case, please join me next time as we review how to customize your system, to provide your essential level of protection.

Protecting your family from burglary and home invasion with a home security and fire alarm monitoring system is just one piece of the home security puzzle.

Another step you should consider is a complete home inventory report to account for all of your personal belongings in your home as part of a comprehensive disaster recovery plan.

A personal home inventory report can help you account for your household items after a fire has been extinguished or help you recover your items after a burglar has been apprehended. It can also help you provide proof of property ownership after a tornado, hurricane, or flood.

A home inventory is also good for: 

• Insurance
• Taxes and valuation
• Estate planning
• And moving

You can take inventory yourself or have a professional home inventory service do it for you at a remarkably affordable cost. The benefit of having a professional take inventory of your home items is that they can provide digitized photos and video recording, provide remote storage of your report, and even apply asset tags with DNA-embedded invisible UV markers and/or invisible ink to identify your belongings.

There are a number of stories from people who have lost everything during a disaster who have had to fight an insurance company for repayment. If that has happened to you, I’d like to hear about your experience. I’d also like to hear from anyone who has been able to reclaim lost property or had a successful insurance claim on account of a comprehensive home inventory report.

If you’ve thought about taking inventory of your personal belongs and just haven’t had the time to follow through, please don’t delay. It’s very easy to do, and you never know when disaster may strike.

FORT WORTH, Texas --

An intruder attacked a Fort Worth woman inside her garage after she had come home from dropping her children off at school, police said.

Visualize a birds-eye-view of your home. Mentally draw a circle around your home. This circle represents where your home security system starts. Here are 5 tips to prepare your home to help prevent a hostage situation like the story above:

1. Walk around the perimeter of your home. Trim bushes or remove / modify structures that provide a good hiding place for an potential attacker.
2. Do the sides or back of your home offer a place for an intruder to conceal himself from the street? Use motion activated lighting on all sides of your home.
3. Get a home security system from a reputable company, and place yard signs and window stickers around the perimeter of your home. This is your first line of defense from an intruder.
4. When purchasing a security system, request to have the overhead garage doors included. This helps protect you from forgetting to close your garage doors and in the case of the home intrusion above, could have notified the police earlier of the emergency.
5. Request to have a remote panic button. This will help you in and around your home should an emergency occur. In many cases the remote "key fob" will accommodate several functions including arming and disarming your system.