West
New threat facing homeowners whose properties are featured online
Burglars once lurked around neighborhoods and scanned obituaries to determine whom to target. Now, with free services easily available online, they can plan potential robberies from their computers or phones.
Although hard data on burglar’s methodologies is hard to come by, California’s Riverside Police Department has seen a number of criminals using these online means after they are arrested for prospective burglaries, or after completing one successfully.
The revelation comes as roving international crime gangs have victimized communities in California, Michigan and Arizona, according to Fox News Digital coverage earlier this year.
“Our detectives confiscate digital devices and things like that [after they arrest suspects] and we try to get search warrants to get into those devices,” Public Information Officer Ryan Railback told Fox News Digital. “That’s where you’re finding internet history. Our detectives have gone on their Google Maps and found that they’re searching certain addresses, that they were on Zillow or Redfin.”
Google shows high-definition aerial footage of 36 million square miles via Google Earth and Google Street View footage on 10 million miles of road worldwide, telling CNET that it has mapped out the streets in 98 percent of places where people live.
PROTECT YOUR PRIVACY: HOW TO REMOVE YOUR HOME’S PHOTOS FROM ZILLOW, REDFIN AND REALTOR.COM
Ring video shows burglars prowling in a victim’s backyard at night with flashlights.
Meanwhile, Zillow, one of the most popular real estate sites in the country, reported approximately 130 million listings in the U.S. as of July 2024. Sites like Zillow, Redfin and Realtor.com often show detailed interior photos of homes, and they stay on the website even after the home is sold in some cases.
“Right now you metaphorically case the joint out by going on these platforms with a cup of coffee in the comfort of your chair, and you gain more relevant data and intel than you ever did with [binoculars] and a vehicle outside the home,” former NYPD detective and security expert Pat Brosnan told Fox News Digital. “You really get the inside baseball.”
Brosnan said that prospective sellers can protect themselves by limiting what they include in their online home profiles.
“If you’re going to sell your home, of course you’re going to want to get your best foot forward,” he said. “The balance is to submit accurate, telling and professionally taken photos, but you don’t have to give a boatload. And I would always advise against doing a 360 video, really common with sales.”
‘BURGLARY TOURISM’ PLAGUES SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AS UNVETTED FOREIGNERS RAID LUXE HOUSES
Sue Ellen Gutierrez Saez, 20, Johan Salvo Alacon, 21, and Manuel Eduardo Fuentes Gomez, 25, were arrested in Phoenix for allegedly committing an estimated 111 home burglaries as part of a South American criminal gang. (Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office )
Brosnan said that videos like these can be paused and enhanced, allowing criminals to “know every crack and crevice of the home, including windows, cameras and locking systems.”
“You can identify alarm systems and ways to get around them,” he said. “You can identify secondary and third points of entrance and egress.”
Sharon Polsky, president of the Privacy & Access Council of Canada, said that Google Maps imagery is also a useful tool for prospective car thieves.
“Car thieves can get a good idea of the type and number of vehicles at an address. A home with children’s toys scattered in the yard might be an unlikely place to get a high-end sports car; but a house with flags used as window coverings might be more likely to have an older vehicle — with lower value and therefore lesser criminal charges,” she told Fox News Digital.
“Anyone who steals cars to order can use Google Maps to see if a vehicle on their shopping list is in the driveways, and use that information to ensure they bring the appropriate software to be able to program blank key fobs needed to steal the vehicles,” Polsky said.
In listing photos on realty service websites, Brosnan suggested, avoid including photos of your security cameras, locks, security systems, gates, windows and doors whenever possible.
Members of a Chilean crime gang are pictured breaking into an upscale Oakland County home in Michigan. (WJBK)
He also advised against showing photos of the home at night that reveal where any motion-activated spotlights are located.
Former FBI agent and cybersecurity professional Bill Daly advised those selling their homes to make sure that any valuable furniture or artwork is stashed away before taking photos for a real estate listing.
Polsky said that when working with realtors, hopeful home sellers should “build it into the contract that the house number must not be revealed in the listing or photos.
“Doing that makes it only a bit less convenient for tire-kickers and potential renters/buyers who have to contact the realtor to get the address, giving the realtor an opportunity to talk to each person and build their own contact list). More importantly, not revealing the house number makes it a lot less convenient for thieves.”
GANG OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS TARGET HIGH-END PHOENIX-AREA HOMES IN BURGLARIES, AUTHORITIES SAY
Photos on real estate websites can show entrance and egress points, camera locations and other elements that could help criminals hatch a plan to burglarize your home. (Fox News)
Railsback advised homeowners to put prominent security cameras and signage for alarm systems outside their homes, and to befriend their neighbors.
“If a criminal wants to get into my house, with all my safety measures, I want to make him at least think about the risk he may be taking,” Railsback said.
Brosnan also suggested having your home blurred on Google Maps Streetview, which can be done by finding your home on the service and clicking “Report a problem,” which gives you a short form to fill out.
A Google spokesperson told Fox News Digital that it generally takes their team about a week to blur out an address after a request, and that once an address has been blurred, the change is irreversible. The spokesperson noted that the company uses AI technology to blur license plate numbers and faces in Streetview images.
A Zillow representative also told Fox News Digital that their service makes it “quick and easy” to take ownership of home listings. The option can be accessed by finding your home on the site and clicking “More options,” which reveals the “Claim ownership” function. After proving that they own the home in question, homeowners can remove photos or the entire listing.
“We take privacy and security very seriously,” the spokesperson said. “The photos on Zillow come from sources like the multiple listing service that real estate agents use to market homes for sale. We always encourage homeowners to claim their home on Zillow, which allows them to change or remove photos and edit their home facts.”
ELITE MIGRANT CRIME RING TARGETING MICHIGAN HOMEOWNERS ON SPRING BREAK: SHERIFF
Single-family homes in a residential neighborhood in Aldie, Virginia, on Wednesday, May 22, 2024. (Nathan Howard/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Redfin, Realtor.com and Google could not be reached for comment at press time.
Brosnan said it is also important to limit what you post online about your own whereabouts.
“Unless your social media is very private, and your followers are those that you personally know and trust, don’t post about your vacation on social media,” he said. “If I see anyone on social media, and they’re on vacation in Mexico somewhere, where are they not?
“You have to look at your settings every so often – these platforms update their settings,” he continued. “Update your settings, keep them updated, and ask your close friends or neighbors to drive by your house or give them access to your cameras when you are away. Don’t advertise when you’re not home.”
Those who must upload their vacation photos online, he said, should wait until they’ve returned home to post.
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Global entertainment company Webtoon is returning to the hallowed halls of San Diego Comic-Con with a larger-than-life slate of panels featuring top talent and fresh announcements.
They will be shining the spotlight on some of today’s most engaging webcomic creators, including Derek V. Song (Fantasy High) and Punko (Cinderella Boy).
Let’s take a look at their schedule:
Thursday, July 23 – 10am – Room 29AB
Creature Craft: Visionaries of Horror Comics Share Their Secrets
This panel features Punko, creator of Stagtown and Cinderella Boy on WEBTOON; Cullen Bunn, creator of Ripcord and Deluge for Ignition Press; and Cat Staggs, co-creator of Death Mask, and artist on Tales for a HalloweeNight for Storm King Comics. Rotem Rusak, Editor-in-Chief at Nerdist, will moderate.
Friday, July 24 – 10am – Room 32AB
Love in Every Universe: The Great Romance Trope Debate
Join ROSEOAK, creator of Not So Silent on WEBTOON, Alessandra Ferreri, Head of Content at Wattpad, E.M. Wilson, author of Situationship, and Becca Erin Title, founder of Meet Cute Romance Bookshop. The panel is moderated by Crystal Bell, the Culture Editor at Mashable.
Friday, July 24 – 1pm – Room 32AB
Adapting Fantasy High for WEBTOON with Derek V. Song
Featuring Derek V. Song, writer of Fantasy High. Fans will get a behind-the-scenes look at adapting the beloved Dimension 20 series for WEBTOON and learn more about bringing the world of Fantasy High to a new visual format.
Saturday, July 25 – 11:30am – Room 24ABC
What’s Next from WEBTOON Entertainment
Featuring Ryan Lee, Head of Content at WEBTOON; Sydney Bright, Head of Global Animation at WEBTOON Productions; Erik Kozura, Producer at WEBTOON; ROSEOAK, creator of Not So Silent; Derek V. Song, writer of Fantasy High; Punko, creator of Stagtown and Cinderella Boy; and Ucheomaaa, creator of Vibe Check! on WEBTOON. Journalist, comic critic, and 2026 Eisner judge, Tiffany Babb, will moderate. his panel will deliver a slew of announcements, exclusive first looks, and Creator appearances from its platform and entertainment businesses. Additionally, the panel will give fans a window into what’s next from WEBTOON’s most exciting stories and projects, with news from WEBTOON Originals, WEBTOON Productions, WEBTOON Unscrolled, and more.
SEATTLE – The husband of a pregnant woman killed in a random 2023 downtown Seattle shooting has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the King County Regional Homelessness Authority.
The complaint alleges the agency failed to act on clear warning signs exhibited by the suspect, Cordell Goosby, before he opened fire on the family.
Cordell Goosby in the foreground with the crime scene, including the white Tesla the couple were shot in, in the background
King County prosecutors say Goosby shot a married couple sitting in their car on 4th Street in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood on June 13, 2023. It resulted in the death of 34-year-old Eina Kwon, who was 32 weeks pregnant at the time. Her husband, Sung Kwon, was also injured in the shooting.
Goosby was charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder for the act, but he was found not guilty by reason of insanity this year.
The lawsuit, filed by Kwon and his attorneys, claims that Goosby was being supported by the King County Regional Homelessness Authority and was provided with other services leading up to the shooting.
In the weeks leading up to the attack, Goosby allegedly told his case worker that he was hearing voices, experiencing paranoia, and thinking of conducting drive-by shootings. The complaint alleges Goosby’s case worker was repeatedly ignored by the agency’s supervisors when bringing up Goosby’s declining mental state.
An employee responsible for initiating psychiatric holds reportedly declined to see Goosby after he texted his case worker he needed to leave Seattle fast before he hurt someone, saying he would get to it in two days. The next day, Goosby carried out the shooting.
What they’re saying:
My wife and daughter should still be here. My family will never be whole again, and every day I think about the life we were supposed to have together. I am bringing this case forward because the people who were supposed to help this man looked away when it mattered most. I don’t want another family to experience the unimaginable loss that I am left with,” said Sung Kwon.
“KCRHA knew their program participant, Mr. Goosby, was in crisis. He asked them for help. He told them, over and over, that he was hearing voices and thinking about shooting people. He was threatening KCRHA employees. The warning signs could not have been more clear. Instead of getting him help or alerting law enforcement, KCRHA told its own staff to wait it out, and discouraged others from contacting police, as well. Eina and Evelyn Kwon paid for that delay with their lives,” said Julie Kline, the Schroeter Goldmark & Bender attorney representing the Kwon family.
What’s next:
The lawsuit seeks damages for wrongful death, the death of a child, and personal injury to be determined at a future trial.
FOX 13 Seattle has reached out to the King County Regional Homelessness Authority about the lawsuit and is waiting to hear back.
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The Source: Information in this story came from a press release from Seattle-based law firm Schroeter Goldmark & Bender, a complaint filed in King County Superior Court by Sung Kwon, and previous FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
Alaska
Black bear breaks into Alaskan mall, eats a peach and relieves itself on floor before leaving: video
Can bearly believe it!
A black bear was caught on camera seemingly running errands at a local shopping mall in Anchorage, Alaska over the weekend.
The bear entered the commissary mall at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson around 9 a.m. Sunday, KTUU reported, citing a JBER spokesperson.
Wild footage shows the young cub strolling through the commissary’s automatic doors and exploring all that the mall had to offer.
The hungry bear stole and ate a piece of fruit before emptying its bowels on the hallway floor on its way out of the building.
Kory Godbout, who works at the barber shop on the military base, was waiting for his first customer of the day when he spotted the furry intruder traveling through the automatic doors.
“My coworker, who is cutting hair in front of me, she yelled, ‘Bear!’” Godbout recalled.
“And I looked up from my phone and the bear was walking into the barber shop right in front of me,” the barber said. “And we all ran into the break room and shut the door behind us.”
After a few minutes, Godbout and his coworkers emerged from the break room and followed the out-of-place bear into the commissary, where it took a peach from the grocery store and ate it.
The barber recalled that a few onlookers were “going big to try and scare” the bear out of the grocery store.
But all of a sudden, the black bear returned to the barber shop.
“By that time, we were able to run back to the shop and then lock the door,” Godbout said.
“And then we were watching him from the window and then that’s when he decided to, you know, use the restroom in the hallway.”
Officers from Conservation Law Enforcement attended the peculiar grizzly scene and were able to direct the wild animal towards a river and into the woods, according to the JBER spokesperson.
JBER’s wildlife program manager Colette Brandt said in a press release that the bear had triggered the automatic doors and that Sunday’s events were entirely incidental, KTUU reported.
While there has been a decline in bear-related calls since the military base installed bear-resistant dumpsters, seven bears have been put down at JBER for public safety over the past year.
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