Scammers love election-time, particularly when presidential candidates are involved.  It's a time for them to jump on the phone and pressure you into donating money for the person you would like to see take office.  Beware, scammers pocket the money they take from you - and that's not all, if you've given them your personal information and credit card number,  you run the risk of identity theft at a dollar amount far higher than the money you elected to "donate".

It's back-to-school time once again and that means more school buses are on the road, stopping to board or drop-off children.  So when are you required to stop for school buses? 

Recently there have been stories in the news about consumers who haven't received the registration for their newly purchased cars within the required time period.  That puts the consumer at risk of receiving a citation and fine and having their vehicle towed.  How does this happen?

It's not an easy task keeping track of all of our usernames and passwords, and that's why many keep the same username and password for all of their online activity.  

"That's not at all advisable,"  said CSLEA Foundation Chairman Kenny Ehrman. "Unfortunately we have to mix things up, because if your login information is breached, you don't just have one account exposed, everything becomes vulnerable."

Pushy, fast-talking scammers love to target senior citizens because seniors are sometimes vulnerable and give in.  By giving in, we mean giving a stranger vital, personal information over the phone that can then be used to drained precious savings accounts.

With schools closing their doors for summer and kids out and about playing, it's time to be extra cautious behind the wheel.  Keep an eye out for young pedestrians, skateboarders and bicyclists throughout the entire day.  Take extra care when driving near parks and playgrounds.  

College students, beware.  The Federal Trade Commission has received complaints about scam artists who are calling students and demanding they pay a federal student tax.  There is no such thing as a "federal student tax."  Hang up.

So you think you're the only one getting a call from a scammer claiming to be from the IRS?  Check out AARP's improved Scam-Tracking map and find out what fraudulent activity is going on in your neighborhood.

On May 15, 2016,  a 4-year-old boy drowned in a Rohnert Park apartment complex swimmingpool. Undetected by family and tenants who were nearby, the child slipped off his kickboard and went underwater.

When you're involved in a motor vehicle accident,  things can become stressful and emotional as quickly as the crash happened.  That's why we recommend that you carry an  accident checklist in your vehicle which will instruct you to take photographs and about what information you should document.   

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office is alerting citizens to a recent rash of credit card skimmers detected at gas stations in its jurisdiction.  Credit card skimmers are used by identity thieves who are out to steal from your bank account.  Credit card skimmers  can be placed anywhere you swipe your card including gas pumps, ATMs, restaurants and stores.

The IRS is reporting a 400% surge in tax-related phishing and malware incidents this tax season which means all of us have to play it smart online.  Tax season is prime time for cyber crime because so many of us file our taxes online and have our refunds automatically deposited into our bank accounts.

We can't say it any better than the Orange County District Attorney's Office just did, so the CSLEA Foundation is simply going to share it.

"A supervising investigator with the Orange County District Attorney's office got an officialsounding recording from someone claiming the IRS was engaging in a lawsuit against him and he was immediately to call the phone number on the recording," said California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) Foundation Chairman Kenny Ehrman. "And call that number he did."   

Vehicle hacking is relatively new and there's a consumer, manufacturer,  and law enforcement learning curve on this one.  Vehicle hacking is when someone with a computer gains unauthorized access to your vehicle'soperating system and can retrieve driver data or manipulate the function of the vehicle.

Tax season is here and so are the scam artists who prey on unsuspecting people by calling their homes and cell phones and claiming to be from the IRS or United States Department of the Treasury .  These scammers make claims about outstanding tax bills due and aggressively demand cash, pre-paid debit cards, or wire transfers under the threat that their victim will be arrested.