CAMPUS WATCH: Below is a summary of campus activity reported to or observed by the University Police Department patrol officers between Thursday, 02-15-07 and Friday, 02-16-07. COLORADO APARTMENTS, 2501 Lake Austin Blvd Theft: A silver Specialized Rock Hopper mountain bicycle was stolen after being secured to a rail with a self-locking cable lock. Loss value: $200.00. Occurred: between 2-10-07, at 6:20 PM and 2-15-07, at 12:12 PM. PARKING LOT 104, 1900 Block North IH-35 Assist Outside Agency: A blue Acura was observed parked in the parking lot with the engine running. During the investigation, the officer discovered that the vehicle was occupied. As the investigation continued, the officer learned that the driver had two outstanding outside agency warrants. The driver was taken into custody and transported to Central Booking. The female passenger left the area in a cab. Occurred on: 2-16-07, at 2:45 AM. PETER T. FLAWN ACADEMIC CENTER, #2 West Mall Theft: A UT staff member signed out a Dell D600 laptop computer from ITS on 2-12-07. The next day he reported that he had loaned the computer to a non-UT subject. The staff member stated that the computer was then stolen. Loss value: $800.00. Occurred on: 2-13-07. Spring Break is around the corner. Time for planning a trip is running short. College is a very stressful time in a person’s life. Year after year college students relieve their stress with a trip over spring break. But, sometimes these college students receive a burn before they even see the sun. This is caused by students being taken in by companies that subject the students to fraud. The most common scams are: • Companies adding extra fees that were not originally agreed upon. • Companies not providing the accommodations they may have promised. • Worst case scenario: students were sold packages that did not exist and the “company” disappeared with the students money. There are some key ways to avoid becoming a victim when booking your trip. • Book your trip through a company you are familiar with or that someone else has used and referred you to. • Get a contract in writing that states what you have agreed upon verbally. • Always read the fine print. • Be cautious in believing what you are told. If it seems to good to be true, it probably is. • Make sure the dates you want to travel are the dates the tickets are issued for. • Don’t pay in cash; instead pay using a credit card. If you use your credit card to pay and the services you contracted for are not provided, you may not be liable for the charge on your card. • Watch out for vouchers - steer clear on companies which ask you to redeem vouchers or certificates. CAMPUS WIDE: Non-Criminal Calls: In addition to the above criminal cases, The University of Texas Police Department responded to 28 alarm calls, 3 suspicious activity calls, 2 suspicious persons calls, and 3 unsecured buildings between 02-15-07 and 02-16-07. Contact UT Police at 471-4441 if you have any information regarding any of the above incidents or call 911 regarding suspicious persons, suspicious activities or crime. Your call may help solve or prevent a crime. Campus Watch comments should be directed to Officer Darrell Halstead at 512-232-9634 or Darrell.halstead@austin.utexas.edu . Prepared by DWH To subscribe or unsubscribe, visit http://www.utexas.edu/police/campuswatch/subscribe.php
