Campus Watch: Below is a summary of campus activity reported to or observed by the University Police Department between Monday, 03/28/11 and Tuesday, 03/29/11. SCAM ALERT Texas businesses should be alert that an old office supply scam – the “phoner toner” scam – has resurfaced in recent weeks. Several Texas Attorney General’s Office employees have reported that they received unsolicited telephone calls at work from office supply scam artists. Educating employees is a business’ best first line of defense to these scams. Businesses should consider alerting all employees about office supply scams – not just those who work in accounting and billing departments. Business owners should also consider training employees not to authorize the ordering of any office supplies and not to schedule equipment maintenance or support services. New employees should be taught which departments or individuals are authorized to make purchases and know that they should avoid revealing any information about the company’s office equipment – even if the caller seems to be familiar with the company or other employees. Texas businesses that receive bills for goods or services that they did not order are not obligated to pay – even if the product was delivered. Generally, these items can be considered a gift. Businesses that receive fraudulent invoices and supplies that were not ordered, or are subjected to bogus collection threats should file a complaint with the Texas Attorney General’s Office at (800) 252-8011 or online at www.texasattorneygeneral.gov. Businesses may also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission or the Better Business Bureau. All UT staff members need to be aware of this scam since it is making a comeback. If you receive any of these types of telephone calls please notify the UT Police Department and report the suspicious activity. GREGORY GYM, 2101 Speedway Theft of Service: Two non-UT subjects entered into the building without purchasing a guest pass. During the investigation, the officers located the subjects playing basketball. The subjects informed the officers this was their first time at the facility and were unaware they were required to purchase a day pass. As the investigation continued, the Rec Sports staff informed the officers both subjects had been instructed to purchase a pass on a previous visit. Both subjects were escorted from the building after the staff declined to file charges. Occurred on: 3-28-11, at 5:09 PM. JESTER WEST DORMITORY, 201 East 21st Street Theft: A black mountain bicycle was reported stolen after it was secured with a self-locking cable lock to a tree located on the west side of the dormitory. Loss value: $50.00. Occurred between 3-28-11 at 7:00 PM and 3-29-11, at 12:01 AM. PERRY-CASTANEDA LIBRARY, 101 East 21st Street Theft: A black backpack containing a Cricket cellular telephone and an electronic dictionary was stolen after being left unattended and unsecured. During the investigation, the officer learned the subject had gone downstairs to purchase a cup of coffee and when he returned he discovered his property gone. Loss value: $351.00. Occurred on: 3-28-11, between 9:25 PM and 9:29 PM. 200 BLOCK EAST 24th STREET Graffiti: Words written in black spray paint were discovered on the exterior wall of the Service Building. Estimated Repair: $100.00. Discovered on: 3-28-11, 4:00 PM. 800 BLOCK EAST DEAN KEETON Assist Outside Agency: UT Police Officers responded to the area on a report of a suspicious person walking around in the area aimlessly. During the investigation, the subject informed the officers he was looking for a friend. The officers soon discovered the subject had an outstanding Outside Agency arrest warrant. The subject was taken into custody for the warrant and was transported to Central Booking. Occurred on: 3-28-11, at 9:46 PM. 800 BLOCK EAST DEAN KEETON Driving While Intoxicated: A UT Police Officer observed a white Nissan commit several traffic violations. During the traffic investigation, the officer detected a moderate odor of alcohol on the non-UT driver’s breath. The driver insisted he had not consumed any alcohol, but was having a difficult time locating his driver’s license inside his wallet. The driver did admit later that he had consumed several beers earlier in the day. The officer administered the Standardized Field Sobriety tests to the driver and observed several clues that indicated he was intoxicated. The driver was taken into custody for Driving While Intoxicated and was transported to Central Booking. Occurred on: 3-28-11, at 8:59 PM. CAMPUS WIDE: Non-Criminal Calls: In addition to the above criminal cases, the University of Texas Police Department responded to 24 Alarm Calls, 2 Welfare Concern, 1 EMS Calls, 2 Suspicious Persons Reports, 2 Malfunctioning Lights, and 5 Unsecured Door Reports between 03/28/11 and 03/29/11. To view a map of the campus visit: http://www.utexas.edu/parking/maps/index.html Are you a Fan of the University of Texas Police Department? Come join us on Face Book at: http://www.facebook.com/#!/utaustinpolice Online property registration. Items with a serial number such as laptops, MP3 players, cell phones, electronics, and bikes are eligible. Registering your property is very helpful in theft investigations and in returning lost property to its rightful owner. Without identifying information, recovering stolen property is virtually impossible. Logon to https://www.utexas.edu/police/property/ to register your property today. 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 via e-mail to darrell.halstead@austin.utexas.edu Prepared by DWH To subscribe or unsubscribe, visit http://www.utexas.edu/police/campuswatch/subscribe.php
