Don't let the Grinch steal Christmas, local residents warn

By Eliza Ridgeway, Town Crier Staff Writer

Kathy Rice of Los Altos examines the items from a backpack stolen from her car that were found a few days later at Pomponio Beach near Pescadero.

Los Altan Kathy Rice’s backpack made a solo voyage from city to sea last week after disappearing from her car in the night. When she drove out to reclaim it, the sodden bag, filled with sand, was lacking some essentials: Rice’s credit card and cash.

Rice left her backpack overnight in a car she thought she had locked and woke up to find it gone.

A few days later, a state beach ranger called her saying he had found her backpack at Pomponio Beach near Pescadero.

“My mom and dad and I ended up having a really nice outing to the beach,” Rice said. “Ranger Dave laid out all my stuff in the back of his pickup.”

Piles of sand surrounded her library cards and family pictures. Her niece’s graduation picture was scribbled over with a ballpoint pen.

“He spread out all this other stuff, and I saw my neighbor’s driver’s license, and someone’s on Yerba Santa (Avenue),” Rice said. “I thought … it was like Halloween for them in Los Altos - it was easy picking.” She said the ranger told her he finds dumped belongings washed up on the beach all the time.

Rice’s experience should serve as a warning: Los Altos neighborhoods and the downtown have begun to experience a seasonal increase in car break-ins, according to crime prevention officer Rod Sayre.

“People know that during the holiday season there are going to be more things in cars,” he said. “They’ll walk down the street and look in windows as they go.”

Late at night in residential areas, and in broad daylight in downtown parking plazas, opportunists watch for swanky shopping bags or visible purses and backpacks. Sayre said that the break-ins typically are impulsive and motivated by a search for valuables, but they could also result in identity theft.

Rice said that after her backpack was stolen, “There’s always this nagging feeling. In the back of your mind, you ask, ‘Have I canceled everything?’ You also have to go to the credit bureaus and report a fraud alert.”

Sayre recommends everyone request a yearly credit report and look for unusual activity on his or her accounts. Holiday shopping on the Internet also offers an open season for fraud. Cupertino consumer security company Proofpoint offers pointers to guard against high-tech identity theft this season. Be aware of basic security practices - never give out personal information over e-mail, and remember that legitimate sites should never ask for it. Don’t click Web site links in an e-mail, which can be misleading; instead, open a new browser window and type the desired Web address.

As for theft problems in Los Altos, Sayre said vigilance is necessary, especially when busy residents are shuttling from soccer games to holiday parties to home. “If you want to keep your stuff, keep it out of sight,” he said.

“Make a copy of the front and back of anything you have in your wallet and put it in a really safe place,” Rice said. “Don’t leave anything of value in the car. If you go to the beach, it shouldn’t be to meet Ranger Dave.”

Steve Garcia, the public safety officer for Los Altos Hills, has scheduled a burglary prevention presentation from 7-8 p.m. tonight at town hall. The Los Altos Police Department has scheduled a meeting on crime prevention and holiday safety tips Thursday at 7 p.m. at Hillview Community Center.