COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Ted Fling, Chair
954-467-6160
City of Ft Lauderdale Police Department
Emergency 911
Non-Emergency (954) 828-5700 ext 6
Detective Bureau (954) 828-5497
We are now aware of 20 Victoria Park residents victimized by "Hellen" in the northeast area
of the neighborhood. "Hellen" (tall, slender with long dark straight hair, late 20's) walks a tan-colored pit bull
called "Zeus"; usually around 2:00 AM. She looks for neighbors who appear to be vulnerable. One victim had been
saying goodnight to guests after her husband's birthday party when she was approached. The female told the victim that her
husband was away so she had to take the dog for a walk and had accidentally locked herself out. She claimed to be in need of
$75.00 to pay a locksmith to come and let her in. The neighbor lent her the money and has never seen her again. Another victim
was observed as she was working on her computer near a window; the female knocked on the door and went inside the home. Letting
a stranger into your home is a very dangerous thing to do. To top things off she actually drove the young woman and dog to
her ATM and withdrew $100.00. It is nice that we want to assist a neighbor with a problem; however, this is a scam artist.
Thank goodness no one has been hurt yet. Please keep your eyes open and your money in your pocket or bank. Please tell your
neighbors to be aware of this situation.
As far as we know, "Hellen" and her live-in boyfriend "Gregg" reside at 908 -
Rear NE 17th Avenue. He drives a GMC6000
tow truck with Florida wrecker license E2873C. Police have been notified. If you have any information, please contact
Fort Lauderdale Police @ 911, and then notify
Ted Fling
Small, seemingly unrelated, thefts are occurring across Victoria Park. As Pat Mayers reports in
the May edition of the Victoria Park News:
There is another situation that is occurring. People are coming onto private property and taking
personal belongings. One of my neighbors had two 150 lb. urns taken from her front entrance, at the same time as her next
door neighbor had a child's bike removed from the back yard. The very same day I had placed a white wicker table on my carport,
up by the door. I wanted to paint it and there was a threat of rain. I had to leave and go to my mothers; upon my return the
table was gone. So please beware and keep your eyes open, for your neighbors also, for people that do not belong. The key is if they look like they do not belong they probably
don't. Call the police 954-928-5700 ext. 6 and make a suspicious incident report, give them the best description possible.
Also, the following email thread has been working its way through the neighborhood.
"Hello Friends and Neighbors -
I know many of you are out and about here in the hood and I am asking for a personal favor. The two large
pots/planters/urns in front of my house at the entrance of the driveway were stolen recently while I was out of town. Best I
can determine, it must have been Sunday, April 15th. Nothing else seems to have been bothered. The dirt and plants were dumped
out right onto the sidewalk. These were made of concrete, large, and heavy. So far, the neighbors that I have spoken to with
dogs did not even notice anything was even missing. they even took the bricks I had in the bottom for weight and filler.
My feeling is that someone has been by my house before (maybe often) and has noticed these. They are very
unusual. I suspect they noticed my truck in the driveway and little activity for a couple of days and decided to make their
move in the night. Sure it is not wise to have anything near the street of value, but I was trying to make it look nice. I
suspect it was someone who either lives or works in VP.
Also while talking with neighbors, I found that in the recent past
one had their solar landscaping lights all stolen, another had a vehicle egged and writing on it as well. I am sure I will
find more stories as I knock on doors. Please keep an eye out for these. They may even end up on the terrace of a
townhouse or out back by someone's pool. But they are unusual, so I thought I'd ask you all to keep them and me in mind if
you should seen anything like them. There is a reward for their safe return to 1620 NE 5th Ct."
The City of Fort Lauderdale has compiled the following tips on preventing home invasion to raise
awareness and promote safety among area residents.
When residents are home they should always remember to keep their doors locked and not open their doors
for strangers. Home invaders tend to plan their actions ahead of time and give careful consideration to potential targets.
They can use convincing reasons to try to gain access to your home, claiming they are making a delivery or investigating a
potentially dangerous condition, such as a gas leak. The following is a sample of possible tricks a home invader may use,
and what you should do to thwart his plan.
Here are some important phone numbers residents should keep on hand in the event that they need to
contact the City of Fort Lauderdale Police Department.
Emergency 911
Non-Emergency (954) 828-5700
Detective Bureau (954) 828-5497
Persons will come to your door and tell you that they are investigating a leak in the area and that
they need to come into your house to check for the leak.
If there is a leak in your house, you would probably know about it. Also, the gas companies will be
concerned with leaks they are responsible for, which would be the equipment and lines outside of your home.
DO NOT LET THEM IN
Ask for identification, the name of their company and the name of their supervisor
Look up the phone number of the company, DO NOT use the number that the man or woman provide
If you discover that there is no such company or
the company denies knowledge, CALL THE POLICE
The Electric Company Repairman
Florida Power & Light is the only supplier of electricity in our area and their repair persons do not
look for electrical problems inside of privately owned property. If you have an electrical problem in your home, you must
call an electrician, in which case you will know they are coming and what company they are from.
If someone knocks at your door claiming to be from the electric company and needs to get in, and you did
not call for repairs, something is wrong.
DO NOT LET THEM IN
Ask for identification (FP&L employees carry photo identification cards)
Call the FP&L repair number in your phone book
If FP&L denies knowledge of the person or his actions
CALL THE POLICE
If a delivery person is knocking on your door and you have not ordered anything and there is no logical
reason for the delivery (i.e., Mothers Day, your birthday), then you should stop and think before you do anything. Typically,
a delivery person will want to leave the package at your door and continue on with their other deliveries.
Only those persons delivering large or heavy objects must enter your home. If any other delivery person
insists that they have to enter your house, stop and think.
DO NOT LET THEM IN
Ask them for identification or at least their name
Ask what company they are from and look the company up in the phone book
CALL THE COMPANY to confirm the delivery
If there is no such company or the company denies knowledge of the delivery,
CALL THE POLICE
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