Monday, August 28, 2006

Protecting Your Dollars

You may already be an unwitting recipient of counterfeit dollars – or have been refused a purchase when handing over a $50 or $100 bill.

With new and advanced counterfeit dollars streaming into the marketplace, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to separate the real bills from the fakes. Of course, that’s the reason why large bills are eyed skeptically in so many shops.

The best thing to do is protect yourself, your business and your money.

Check to make sure bank notes are genuine when you receive them, just as you would count your change or verify your receipts. Recognizing genuine Canadian bank notes is quick and easy.

Here are some useful tips:

Feel the note: Touch the raised surfaces on your money. The ink should feel thick to the touch on the large denomination numeral, the words BANK OF CANADA/BANQUE DU CANADA, the Coat of Arms, and on the portrait.

Look at and Look through the note: Hold the Canadian Journey notes to the light to see a watermark, a windowed security thread, and the see-through number.
Tilt the note: Look for the changing colours.

Our Smart Car Community Patrol spent the weekend in Kerrisdale handing out various Counterfeiting Information packages to local businesses so that they may be better aware of what to look for when dealing with bills that they may be suspicious of.

The packages contained posters, pamphlets, cue cards and a magnifyfing glass that is attached to a keychain which holds assorted “bills” and tells of their security features.

We will in the future be dropping more of these packages off and encourage any business owner who wants one to simply call our office and we will have it delivered to you by our Community Patrol.

For more detailed information regarding Counterfeiting, visit: www.bankofcanada.ca

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Notification & Authorization

While reading the Shift Reports of our Mobile and Community Patrol Guards, I have began to observe a trend relating directly to homeowners on vacation and the various people who have access to their home while they are away.

Several times this month our Guards have had situations occur whereupon people who are authorized to enter a residence while the homeowner is away have done so without any knowledge of the correct access code to disarm the alarm system.

Upon arrival, our personnel are also discovering that the homeowner has not notified us of their departure and that the people they have let access their homes are not on our notification or authorization listings.

In order to ensure that your friends, relatives and contractors have unobstructed access to your business or residence while you are away I would like to suggest that you do the following before leaving:

1. Notify our office of your vacation departure/return date and we will immediately review your authorization/notification list with you to ensure its accuracy.

2. Talk to the people who have the authority to enter your home about the
proper procedure for arming and disarming your alarm system.

For your safety and protection we consider every alarm to be an actual intrusion and regardless of what the actual circumstances are, Genesis will dispatch their response team to your location.

Monday, August 14, 2006

Courtesy Closes

In some of our community patrols, we noticed open windows and open garage doors – when nobody is home.

During this hot summer season, it’s easy to forget to close your windows and all of your doors when you go out – even for a quick coffee or a short walk. But leaving them open also makes your home an easy target for potential burglars.

For your safety, please remember to close all of your windows when you leave the house.

And as a courtesy – while on their community patrol, Genesis guards will be closing garage doors that they notice are open (when nobody is home, of course).

This courtesy close is just another value-added service provided as part of our free, 24/7 Community Patrol Program.

For any questions/concerns, please give me a call at 604-669-0822 or email Camil@genesissecurity.com.

Have a safe and happy summer!

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Trust Your Gut

I can’t say this often enough to my patrol guards or to my clients: Trust your gut. If something doesn’t seem right, it probably isn’t. You’re better off questioning it than dismissing it – for the safety of your family and for those around you.

Case in point: The other night on a routine community patrol, one our guards saw a suspicious-looking individual in the Kerrisdale area moving some lumber from a local lumber and rental equipment store.

Since the scene didn’t quite look right to this guard, he – fortunately – trusted his gut and questioned it.

He approached the Caucasian male – about 17 to 20-years-old – who was moving decking material towards the north side of the store.

After asking the individual what he was up to, the guard asked for some identification. The individual refused, and ran into the woods and disappeared from sight in seconds.

In checking the store’s perimeter, the guard found more of the same materials farther up the block behind a lamp post. After immediately phoning the Vancouver Police Department (VPD), the guard moved all the materials back to the store.

After the VPD arrived, together they searched for this individual – but to no avail. He’s still out there. Though we will be increasing our patrols to this area, at the request of the local police, in hopes of finding this suspect.

The lesson here: If something doesn’t look right, then it probably isn’t. It’s worth picking up the phone and making a call – to 911, to Genesis Security or to both.

Most of all, though, remember to trust your gut.

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Top 10 Home Safety Tips

Top 10 Tips to Keep Your Home Safe:

As we’re fully in the midst of the glorious summer season, here are a few helpful tips in keeping your home safe while you’re away on your long-deserved weekend getaway or long-awaited summer holiday:

1. Light it up
Leave your outside lights on at night and leave one or two well-placed lamps on inside your house when you're not at home. A programmable timer is an excellent investment for lighting up your home during certain hours of the day or night while you’re away.

2. Lock it up
Reliable dead-bolt door locks and sturdy window latches help prevent break-ins.

3. Over the hedge
Tall hedges provide convenient hiding places for potential burglars. Keep yours trimmed so they're no higher than your windowsills.

4. Don’t note
Never leave notes on your door (even when you're at home).

5. Make noise
Turn the radio on to your favorite station when you leave the house. To a burglar it means that someone's home.

6. No access
Close and lock garage doors to protect valuables stored there, and to prevent access to your house.

7. Park it
If possible, park an additional car in your driveway or ask a neighbor to park there. It gives the appearance that someone's always home, and prevents burglars from backing a van into the drive for easy loading.

8. Spare keys
If you leave a spare key outside, be creative. Burglars routinely check under flowerpots and welcome mats, as well as window ledges.

9. Home watch
Ask a neighbor to collect flyers and mail when you're away (a free service to Genesis clients). Also remember to do a “vacation cancel” for any newspapers you receive. And if you’re gone for an extended period of time, consider hiring someone to take care of your lawn or even house-sit.

10. Be involved
If you haven’t already, team up with your neighbors and form a crime watch program. Your local police can help you get started, or contact Genesis to find out how we may be able to help.

Final tip: If you don’t already, consider getting a home alarm system to keep your home and family safe at all times.