ATTENTION        

        1.  CONSUMER ALERT!!   WATER PURIFICATION SALES     Recently a police report was filed against Ron Snyder, representative of Pure Choice Conditioned Water of San Benito, Texas. According to the complainant, who lives in Southgate Woods, he entered into a deal on March 6 with Mr. Snyder to install a water purification system at his residence. As of May 11, no work has been done. The complainant prepaid Snyder $500 for the system.
      Interestingly, the Better Business Bureau has an extensive list of complaints against Mr. Snyder. During the last 36 months, 29 complaints have been received about this company. The company received an "F" from the Better Business Bureau.
      The water purification company is supposedly located at 2365 Kilgore, San Benito. One listed telephone number is (956) 399-1155. Also listed is (956) 561-6581. Another address found in Harlingen is 2020 Duvall #25 or PO Box 1351, Harlingen.
      All residents are reminded to be cautious about door-to-door sales people who try to sell something to you. Check out the individual (ask for references) and look at the Better Business Bureau website. Always insist on a contract and NEVER pay the entire amount up front.

     2. There are several women with children who have been targeting elderly women and stealing from them. They will knock on the door and ask to use the bathroom or give some other reason to gain entry to the woman's house. While one distracts the homeowner, another finds a purse or other valuables and steals them. One recent instance occurred on South Nevada Street to an 83 year old woman. She was lucky, losing only $10 cash and 2 purses, and ID information.
          A more recent theft occurred to an 88 year old woman on Cedro Street. In this case, the take was one purse, ID info, and $400. 
          One suspect is in her 40s, accompanied by a younger female. They left in a gray car.
           If you have any idea who these predators are, call Weslaco Crime Stoppers at (956) 968-8477 or leave a tip on this website. An arrest makes you eligible for a cash reward and you may remain anonymous.

      3. A SCAM that recently surfaced in January has to do with a letter announcing that the recipient is a sweepstakes winner. The winner is asked to call a contact person who is actually a real person. In this case, the name he used was Bruce Peters. He advises the person to deposit a check into their own bank account and then send, by Western Union,  a portion of the money to an address. Then shortly, this same crook tried to get the victim to send him more money. That caused the victim to get suspicious. The check deposited was worthless, the victim was out $1,500, and Bruce Peters is nowhere to be found. Don't fall for these unsolicited "get rich quick" schemes. Any time you are a winner, you should not have to fork over your own money to receive your prize or your personal information, such as a bank account number. Tell them to send you the money by Western Union.   
      Click on this link for scam information:     www.oag.state.tx.us/consumer/scams.shtml

    4. ATTENTION LADIES - Time after time, when criminals break into vehicles, they steal ladies' purses if they are there. It doesn't make any difference if the purse is slid under the seat; the crook will find it. It will be a little safer in the trunk. And ladies, DO NOT keep Social Security cards, birth certificates, and large amounts of cash in your purses. You can lose your cash and you also may become a victim of identity theft.