The Nassau County Police Department’s advising residents to protect themselves from burglaries by telling them “If you are unsure of a person’s credentials ask for an office call-back number” seems to suggest that they ask the (possible) burglar himself for that phone number to call in order to confirm his identity. That’s a bad idea because a burglar would only give them the number of an accomplice who would verify his (false) legitimacy. The suspicious homeowner should only call a number he knows to be legitimate from its presence in a phone book—-whether it be to his/her county or town office, the police, LIPA, Verizon, Cablevision, etc.
Richard Siegelman
