By:  Roseville Police Department

It’s official. The 2024 tax season has arrived. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) started accepting paper and electronic tax returns on Monday, January 29, 2024. If you’re looking forward to getting your tax refund this year, be careful, as tax identity thieves may want to get your refund, too.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, tax identity theft happens when someone uses your Social Security number to get a tax refund or a job. You might find out it has happened when you get a letter from the IRS saying more than one tax return was filed in your name, or IRS records show you have wages from an employer you don’t know. 

The IRS uses your Social Security Number (SSN) to make sure your filing is accurate and complete, and that you get any refund you are due. Identity theft can affect how your tax return is processed. An unexpected notice or letter from the IRS could alert you that someone else is using your SSN. Remember, the IRS never starts contact with a taxpayer by sending an email, text or social media message that asks for personal or financial information. If you get an email that claims to be from the IRS, do not reply or click on any links. Instead, forward it to phishing@irs.gov.

If someone uses your SSN to file for a tax refund before you do, the IRS might think you already filed and got your refund. When you file your return later, IRS records will show the first filing and refund, and you’ll get a notice or letter from the IRS saying more than one return was filed for you.

If someone uses your SSN to get a job, the employer may report that person’s income to the IRS using your SSN. When you file your tax return, you won’t include those earnings. IRS records will show you failed to report all your income. The agency will send you a notice or letter saying you got wages but didn’t report them. The IRS doesn’t know those wages were reported by an employer you don’t know.

If you want to avoid becoming a victim this tax season, The FTC has these tips to fight tax identity theft:

• File your tax return early in the tax season, if you can.
• Use a secure internet connection if you file electronically, or mail your tax return directly from the post office.
• Respond to all mail from the IRS as soon as possible.
• If tax identity theft happens to you, visit IdentityTheft.gov to report it to the FTC, file an Identity Theft Affidavit with the IRS electronically, and get a personal recovery plan.

Now is prime time for tax identity theft, as millions of individuals file their personal tax returns leading up to the April 15 filing deadline. However, protecting your identity is a year-long endeavor. Your personal information is valuable. By securing your identity today, you can minimize your chances of becoming a victim of identity theft.

For more information on this year’s tax season, please visit the IRS at: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/2024-tax-filing-season-set-for-january-29-irs-continues-to-make-improvements-to-help-taxpayers

For more information from the FTC regarding reporting tax identity theft, please visit: https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/blog/2018/04/report-tax-identity-theft-identitytheftgov#:~:text=You%20can%20report%20tax%20identity%20theft%20to%20the,filed%20a%20federal%20tax%20return%20using%20your%20information

By: The Roseville Police Department\

It’s a new year.  Are you or a family member looking for that someone special in 2024?  Now, more than ever, people are using their smart phone for almost everything, including finding their soul mate.  According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), in 2022 nearly 70,000 people reported a romance scam and this resulted in a loss of $1.3 billion dollars. 

You’ve no doubt heard of people being scammed on dating apps, but according to the FTC a more common way romance scams began was with an unexpected message on a social media platform. 

Older adults that are lonely or have recently lost a spouse are especially vulnerable to romance scams.  These scammers are unscrupulous and will exploit any vulnerability of their victim.  In the end, these scammers have one thing in common. They want your money.  The FTC states in 2022 the largest aggregate reported losses were in cryptocurrency, but more people reported paying the scammer with gift cards than any other method. 

The Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) (https://www.ice.gov/features/LoveOnline) offers the following tips to avoid losing money to a romance scam:

• Protect yourself and older loved ones by raising awareness. Although this can be an uncomfortable topic, make sure you, your family, and your friends are familiar with romance scams. The more you know about these scams, the better prepared you are to prevent being a victim.
• Check in on older loved ones. Scammers are seeking to target those living alone or grieving the loss of a spouse as they are more vulnerable.
• Limit what you share online. Scammers can use details shared on social media and dating sites to better understand and target you.
• Do your research. Research the individual’s photo and profile using online searches to see if the image, name, or other details have been used elsewhere.
• Go slowly and ask lots of questions. Don’t let the individual rush you to leave a dating service or social media site to communicate directly.
• Listen to your gut. If the individual seems too good to be true, talk to someone you trust.
• Don’t overshare personal information. Requests for inappropriate photos or financial information could later be used to extort you.
• Be suspicious if you haven’t met in person. If the individual promises to meet in person, but consistently comes up with an excuse for cancelling, be suspicious.
• Don’t send money. Never send money (i.e. gift card, cryptocurrency, or money wire) to anyone you have only communicated with online or by phone.

If you’ve lost money to a romantic scammer or think that they may have stolen your personal information, report it to the FTC (www.reportfraud.ftc.gov) and file a report with your local police department.

Be aware of charity scams
By: Roseville Police Department

Have you made a donation to a charity recently?  Perhaps you plan to make a donation to start out the new year.  Whether you are making a donation now or in the future, be careful.  There are criminals waiting to take advantage of your generosity.  

Charity scams take many forms:

 Online giving

There has been a lot growth in online scamming over the past years.  Many bad-actors are purporting to be charities requesting donations. Even if you receive an email from a recognized and respected charity name, don’t assume the request is really coming from them. Take a close look at the name of the sender. Does it really show an email address pertaining to that charity? Charity emails usually end in “.org”.  If not, it could be from a scammer. Don’t click on or open any links on these messages. Doing so may give the sender access to personal information on your computer and in some cases gives the sender control over your computer. 

Unsolicited phone calls

Phone scamming continues to increase. It’s estimated over 59 million US residents lost money from a phone scam in 2021. Legitimate charities rarely make random calls for donations. The easy way to avoid scam calls is to just not answer calls if you don’t recognize the caller ID. Most of these calls are automated (Robocalls) and never leave a voicemail.

House calls and street collectors

It’s relatively easy for scammers to go door to door pretending to be collecting for a charity. Some even have fake IDs they show you, knowing that you don’t easily have the capability to check if the ID is valid or not. To help deter door-to-door scammers, post a “No Soliciting” sign on or near your front door. If you are out around town and someone is collecting on the sidewalk, don’t assume they are a legitimate charity.  Check them out on your own before giving money or your personal information.

Tips to follow:

• Don’t let any charity rush or pressure you into making a donation, of any kind.
• Look for specifics regarding how your donation will be used.
• Confirm that the charity or organization is legitimate and is a non-profit organization listed with the FTC (www.consumer.ftc.gov/).
• Avoid sweepstakes claiming to exchange winnings for a donation; that’s both a scam and illegal.

Some sites to use to search for legitimate and registered charities or non-profit organizations are:

• BBB Wise Giving Alliance http://www.give.org/
• Charity Navigator http://www.charitynavigator.org/
• CharityWatch http://www.charitywatch.org/
• Guidestar http://www.guidestar.org/

Taking time to ask questions, gather information, and verify an organization’s non-profit status can help make sure that your generous giving will truly go to those that need help. It can also help ensure that your personal information is protected and not compromised by scammers looking for easy targets. If you believe you have been the victim or have had your personal information jeopardized, please contact the Roseville Police Department or file a crime report online.

By: Roseville Police Department

While people of all ages can and do fall for scams, scammers often target seniors.  Scammers know that many seniors have money to spend and are from an older generation that trust others and are polite to strangers. If you have older relatives or loved ones, they may not be as cautious or savvy when it comes to scams.  Here are a few ways you can help protect them and other vulnerable loved ones from getting scammed.

• Knowledge is power. According to the AARP, people who know about a particular scam are 80 percent less likely to engage with it, and if they do engage, they’re 40 percent less likely to lose money from it. So help spread awareness! Share interesting articles and social media posts (from trusted sources, of course) about prevalent scams with your family—it’s a good way to share information and talk about scams in general, without putting anyone on the spot.
• If your senior family members are on Facebook, encourage them to follow trusted organizations that provide information about scams and other forms of elder abuse. A great local Facebook page to follow is Placer PROTECT, run by Placer County’s multi-disciplinary elder abuse task force.
• If they use email, encourage them to sign up for fraud alerts from the Federal Trade Organization (FTC). The FTC’s scam alert website is a fantastic resource for people of all ages. It offers many well-written articles about current scams, and an easy-to-use portal to report fraud. Check it out at the FTC Consumer scam-alerts page.
• If you’re the techie in the family, help the rest keep their technology up to date. Ask family members if they need help upgrading their mobile phones and computers with the latest versions of operating system software—most updates contain important security patches. Encourage them to use good virus-protection software. If they have a wireless router, make sure it’s set up well with good security and privacy controls in place.
• Push the use of caller-id. Help enter family, friends and frequent business contacts into their phone contact list, and suggest they only answer calls from people they know. Remind them that it’s OK to let an unknown caller go to voice mail--legitimate callerswill leave a message and a call-back number.
• Many scam victims feel lonely and isolated, and embarrassed to admit they’ve been scammed. Stay in close touch with loved ones, keep the lines of communication open and keep an eye out for red flags. If you find out they’ve been scammed, let them know it’s nothing to be ashamed of—it happens to many people, and it’s the criminals who ought to be ashamed. Help them slam the door on the scammers and report it.

For more fraud prevention information and resources for seniors and caregivers, visit the AARP’s Fraud Watch Network at the AARP Scam-fraud page.

Shop safely online

By: Roseville Police Department

As we head into this bustling holiday season, we’d like to share some precautions you can take to protect yourself, your information and your packages.

While shopping online:

• Create strong passwords that are difficult to guess. Include numbers, capital letters and special characters like “!?&@”. Additionally, don’t use the same password for all your logins. If you have to write them down to remember, keep the list locked away somewhere at home.
• Only shop and pay at secure, reputable sites that have a URL starting with https://.
• Never use a debit card to shop online. Credit cards have more added protections.
• Validate emails and who sent them. If you click on the sender’s name, you’ll often see the email is actually not from Target, Walmart, or Amazon.
• Avoid opening emails that suggest you’ve won a prize. You haven’t. Never click to open a file from someone you don’t know. It could contain a virus that takes your personal information.
• Watch for pre-checked boxes. They may sign you up for a product or service or add your name to a mailing list.
• Carefully review your order before completing a transaction. If something was added that you don’t want, remove it.
• Make sure you check and keep any emailed order confirmation to ensure it’s for exactly what you intended to buy at the correct price.

Protect those packages:

• Once you’ve ordered items, make sure they’re not stolen from outside your door.
• Track your packages and ensure that you provide a hidden space for packages to be left.
• If you’re going to be out of town, don’t order items to sit on your front steps, have it delivered to a trusted neighbor or use a service like Amazon locker.
• If you’re away from home for an extended amount of time, ask USPS to hold your mail.

If you believe you’re a victim of package or mail theft, file a report on the Roseville Police Department website: www.roseville.ca.us/police

It’s important to frequently check your bank and credit card accounts. If something appears in your account that you don’t recognize, immediately call your bank or card issuer.

by: Roseville Police Department

We are fortunate to live in a relatively safe city, but there are always things you as a can do to deter crime. Here are the top five crime categories in Roseville, with suggestions for reducing crimes in each category:

1)     Theft from a vehicle

A thief typically won’t waste time or risk being caught breaking into your vehicle unless there is something of value to steal. Don’t leave valuables in plain sight.  Set the vehicle alarm if you have one.  When parking away from home, park in a well-lit area, or an area with a lot of foot traffic

2)     Petty theft

• Bicycle thefts top this category. If you leave a bicycle unattended, lock it securely. At home, secure bikes safely in your garage or shed.
• Next in this category is theft of wallets, phones, or purses from shopping carts. Don’t leave valuables unattended in your cart. Thieves will quickly take any opportunity to snatch your valuables and run up charges on any credit cards.
• Third in this category is package theft. Thieves typically drive through neighborhoods to identify packages that are visible on porches. Create a space on your porch that enables delivery drivers to hide your package. Or, ask a trusted friend or neighbor to look out for packages and take them in.  If you have a video doorbell device and are away from home, you can monitor deliveries and be more precise when asking friends to help.

3)     Motor vehicle theft

According to FBI nationwide data, vehicle thefts dropped 50% after the introduction of keyless ignitions.  However, numbers have risen again because some drivers are leaving their key fob in their vehicle.

Safety tips:

• Take your key fob or key each time you leave your vehicle. Never hide a key or fob in or on your vehicle.
• Turn off and lock your vehicle every time you leave it, even if it’s just for a few minutes.
• Lock and alarm your vehicle. If you don’t have an alarm, use a steering lock or an electronic device that disables your ignition.
• Garage your vehicle whenever possible.

4)     Vandalism of vehicles

• Theft of catalytic converters. Recent changes to California Statutes should reduce the incentive for this kind of theft, but you can protect your vehicle’s converter by having it etched with your VIN number.
• Vandalism for the sake of vandalizing. Keying car doors or tearing off a door mirror are common examples.

Reduce your risk of vandalism by parking in well-lit areas when out and about.  If possible, park your car in the garage.

5)     Residential burglary

The best way to avoid burglary in and around your home is to make it less appealing to thieves. Thieves look for easy opportunities such as:

• Are there lawnmowers, bikes or other valuables in view? Keep them in your shed or garage with the door locked.
• Are you away from home? Burglars don’t usually break into an occupied home. When away, leave a light or radio on. Products are now available that project changing light patterns after dark that make it look like a TV is on.
• Is your yard overgrown or unkempt?  Keep your front lawn mowed and bushes trimmed.

By taking a few precautions, you can reduce your chances of becoming a victim of crime.  You will also be helping make Roseville a safer place to live.

By: Roseville Police Department
 

Have you been bombarded with robocalls?

Not only are they annoying, but they’re often pushing scams.  You know the ones, like fake auto warranties and credit card debt relief programs.

Did you know you can help Roseville Police, other law enforcement agencies, and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) by taking action to stop them?

The FTC and its federal and state law enforcement partners recently announced Operation Stop Scam Calls, the latest joint effort in the fight against illegal robocalls. This operation’s goal is to stop multiple dishonest telemarketers, the companies that hire them, and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service providers that supply the technology for telemarketers to make millions of scammy robocalls.

Here's how you can help:

• Know your rights. A robocall trying to sell you something is illegal unless the company has your written permission to call you that way.
• Spot the scams that use illegal robocalls. Many illegal robocalls lead to scams. They might try to convince you the call is from the government, tech support, or your auto warranty company, but it’s not. It’s a scam.
• Hang up on phone scams. Some scammers will call you and say you won a prize but you have to pay to get it. (Don’t. It’s a scam.) Or the scammer may say that you’ll be arrested for money you owe and that you have to pay immediately. (That’s also a scam.) Hang up or delete the voicemail. Don’t press any number or call back.
• Report scams and illegal robocalls. Reporting helps law enforcement and investigators stop scams and illegal robocalls.
• If you are a victim of a scam, report it to your local police department.
• Report any attempted scams at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and report illegal robocalls at DoNotCall.gov.

For more advice on how to stop unwanted calls, check out ftc.gov/calls.

 Scam Alert - Text Messaging Scams

Think before you tap the link

By: Roseville Police Department

Scammers are always adapting their methods to bilk people out of money. A growing method is using text messaging. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has received a large number of reports from people reporting getting texts from scammers impersonating people and organizations they know and trust – such as their bank or Amazon.

Text scams try to get you to act NOW. The most-reported text scam looks like a fraud alert from your bank. It might say there is suspicious activity on your account and tells you to call a number. Or to reply “yes or no” to confirm a big purchase (that you didn’t really make). Stop!  There is no real problem. They just want your money or personal information.

According to the FTC, these are the five most common text message scams:

1.  Copycat bank fraud prevention alerts.  People get a text supposedly from a bank asking them to call a number ASAP about suspicious activity or to reply YES or NO to verify whether a transaction was authorized. If they reply, they will get a call from a phony “fraud department” claiming they want to “help get your money back.” What they really want to do is make unauthorized transfers or get your personal information.

2. Bogus “gifts” that can cost you. What about those texts claiming to be from a well-known company offering a free gift or reward? If people click the link and use their credit card to cover the small “shipping fee,” they have just handed over their account information to a scammer.

3. Fake package delivery problems. People may get a text pretending to be from the U.S. Postal Service, FedEx, or UPS claiming there is a problem with a delivery. The text links to a convincing-looking – but utterly bogus – website that asks for a credit card number to cover a small “redelivery fee.”

4. Phony job offers. Some scammers are using texts to perpetrate old-school forms of fraud – for example, fake “mystery shopper” jobs or bogus money-making offers for driving around with cars wrapped in ads. Other texts target people who post their resumes on employment websites. They claim to offer jobs and even send job seekers checks, usually with instructions to send some of the money to a different address for materials, training, or the like. By the time the check bounces, the person’s money – and the phony “employer” – are long gone.

5) Not-really-from-Amazon security alerts. People may get what looks like a message from “Amazon,” asking to verify a big-ticket order they did not place. If you call the number in the text, a phony Amazon rep offers to “fix” the account. But oopsie! Several zeroes are mistakenly added to the “refund” and the “operator” needs the caller to return the overpayment, often in the form of gift card.

So how do you avoid these and other text scams? Do not click on links or respond to unexpected texts. If you think a text might be legit, contact the company using a phone number or website you know is real. Do not use the information in the text message.

If you are a victim of a scam, report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and your local police department.

Simple summer security steps

 By: Roseville Police Department

Summer is approaching, and as the weather warms up, the number of people outside at night increases.  More people outside in the dark also means more people with intent on burglarizing vehicles and houses.

Roseville is a fairly safe community, leading some to believe that car or home burglaries don't happen here, so for some it is not habit to lock doors and windows.  

Unfortunately, unlocked cars and houses are easy pickings for those with ill intentions.  Although there is not an epidemic of vehicle or home burglaries in Roseville, the community is not immune to it.

Simple steps to take to deter vehicle burglary:

• Always lock car doors. Individuals will check to see if a car is unlocked if they are looking for an easy opportunity to burglarize.
• Windows are completely rolled up.
• Stow valuables out of view from anyone who can look through a car's windows. Anything left in plain view increases the odds of a burglary.
• Park in well-lit or high traffic areas if possible

Simple steps to deter a home burglary:

• Always lock all doors and windows at night and whenever you leave the house.  This includes the door leading from the garage into the house.
• Blinds/curtains installed to obscure view into house
• Dowel in track or security rod for sliding glass doors
• Side and back gate latches secured with padlocks and kept locked when not actively in use
• Bright exterior lights installed around the house and lit when dark or with motion sensors

Make these simple steps a habit!  If you use an e-calendar, set up a “9pm Routine” reminder. If you use a paper calendar / planner, write it in on your daily schedule.

If your car or house is burglarized, call and report it to the police department at 916-774-5000 option 1.

If you see someone or something suspicious in your neighborhood, call us and let us know!  Use 9-1-1 if it’s an emergency or a crime in progress, or 916-774-5000 option 1 if not.

Download and print your own sign from this file...

Mailing checks can be a risky business
By: Roseville Police Department

Writing checks and mailing them has declined in recent years as the option to pay bills online has become more common. Check fraud and theft, however, has been growing- doubling over the last year.

There are two distinct categories of crimes involving checks:

Check theft

Typically, check theft occurs when the scammer is able to intercept your check before it reaches the US Postal Service or before is actually received by the recipient. There has been a rise in theft from both personal mailboxes and USPS blue maildrops by thieves breaking the locks and stealing mail. Recently a mail carrier was even robbed at gunpoint to get the master key that unlocks all USPS mailboxes. Once in possession of a check, the scammers can ‘wash’ the check, a process to remove your writing and replace it with theirs. A $20 check can quickly become $2000. They will occasionally set up an account with a bank to receive the funds or use a check cashing business. After the bank clears the check in a few days, the scammer has access to and withdraws the money. It usually takes the bank, or you, several more days to identify the fraud, by which time the money is long gone, and you are sometimes left owing to the bank.

Check scamming

This involves a scammer conning you into sending them a check and/or sending you a fake one. Scams include:

• Emails telling you that you’ve won a prize. Frequently you are asked to send a check for a small amount just to cover “taxes and shipping costs”. They cash your check and disappear. They may also ’wash’ your check, turning it into a larger amount.
• People buying an item from you online may ’accidentally‘ overpay you and ask you to return the overpayment as a check. Once you do so, they can again “wash” your check inserting a much larger amount. Often, the check they sent you will also be returned as fraudulent.
• Scammers posing as businesses send you their fake check, urgently asking you to buy gift cards and send them the pin numbers. The moment you do so, they cash the cards out. You find out later that the check was not real. Sometimes cryptocurrency or wire transfers are used instead of gift cards in their scam.

How to avoid check scams:

1)     Make payments electronically wherever possible.

2)     If you have to mail a check, take it to a Post Office and drop it in the lobby mail slot.

3)     Monitor you checking transactions frequently online and inform your bank immediately of suspicious activity.

4)     Do not respond to personal shopper or “you have won” emails or texts.

5)     Do not write checks for the balance of overpayments.

In all cases of suspected fraud, notify your bank and file a report with the Postal Inspection Service where mail theft is suspected.

Take precautions when using Zelle

By:  Rob Baquera, Public Information Officer, Roseville Police Department

It happens daily.  Someone somewhere has become victim of a scam.  You may even know someone that has lost a lot of money to scammers, maybe it’s even a family member.  You might be thinking, “I would never fall for a scam.”  Criminals today, however, are sophisticated, relentless and conniving.

Recently, Zelle scams have been in the news.  Zelle is a peer-to-peer (P2P) payment method.  Zelle is an easy way of sending money from one person to another in just minutes. Let’s say you want to send money to your grandson for his graduation.  All you need to transfer the money is his mobile phone number or email address.  Last year 1.8 billion payments were made using Zelle.  With so many people using Zelle, it’s no wonder that criminals are targeting their users.  Criminals are tricking users into sending them money.  Once you send money using Zelle you have very little recourse in getting your money back.  Since scam victims willingly send money to the scammers, banks and credit unions are not responsible for money lost.

Take precautions when using Zelle and other peer-to-peer payment methods.

• Only send money to people you know and trust.  Never Zelle yourself. Once you send money through Zelle you cannot cancel it.  It’s like sending cash. 
• Make sure you have the correct email address or mobile phone number for your recipient.  Double check to make sure the recipient hasn’t changed their email or phone number before you hit send. 
• It’s best not to use Zelle to purchase goods or services from someone you don’t know.  For example, you purchase San Francisco Giants’ tickets from a stranger on Facebook.  What happens if you never get the tickets?  You have no recourse.  You are better off using a credit card.  If you don’t receive the tickets, you can dispute the charge with your credit card company.
• Be wary of unexpected communication claiming to be from your bank, utility company, or any service provider.  Anyone demanding payment from P2P, a gift card, or via Western Union are likely scammers.  No legitimate company would require those types of payment methods.
• Sense of urgency payments should raise a red flag.  If someone claiming to be a person that you do business (your bank, utility company, doctor’s office, etc.) demands immediate payment, stop your communication with them.  Contact that company with the phone number you know to be legitimate.
• Never click on a text link from an entity you don’t know, and never answer a call from an unfamiliar number.  Remember, scammers can spoof numbers so that it looks like it’ really coming from your bank, credit card company, etc. 
• Before initializing a large transfer of money, talk to a family member or friend. 
• Guard your personal information. 
• Maximize your safety settings.  Most popular payment apps allow users to enable multifactor authentication.  It’s a way to safeguard your personal information and protect yourself from fraud and scams.

Zelle is offered by banks and credit unions all across the United States.  It’s a fast and easy way to send and receive money from people you know and trust (your babysitter, coworker, or family member).  Technology has made life easier, but it has also given criminals new tools to perpetuate new scams.  So, the next time you get a call or text that seems a little off, realize that it may be a scam.

Three Random Words for Password Creation

By:  Rob Baquera, Public Information Officer, Roseville Police Department

Professor Mary Reed, of the Rochester Institute of Technology, recently wrote an article connecting the math behind a geographic mapping application, what3words, and creating secure passwords that a human being can actually remember. 

Technology is integrated into everything we do and most pieces of technology require a password. A strong password will:

1. Help you avoid ID Theft
2. Make it easy remember
3. Better secure your valuable information

Here’s the next steps to create a strong a memorable password.

The first part of this password creation concept is what3words uses an "ordered triple" set of random words to identify a particular geographical location on the Earth.  An 'ordered triple' is just a list of three things in which the order matters. For example, "box.ladder.pup" would be considered a different ordered triple than "ladder.box.pup".

The next piece is the pool of words available to use.  Some scholars estimate there are more than a million English words, with many being very uncommon. For their mapping application, what3words came up with a list of 40,000 English words.  Allowing word repeats, which means there are 40,000 possibilities for the first word, 40,000 for the second, and 40,000 for the third.  The number of possible ordered triples would be 40,000 x 40,000 x 40,000, equaling 64 trillion possible ordered triples.  Remember, that's for a limited word pool of 40,000 words. Consider the amount of ordered triples for a word pool of 171,476 - the amount of words in common use in the Oxford English Dictionary!

If you string together an ordered triple of words (i.e. ladderboxkitten), that becomes a password you should be able to remember much easier than a random string of letters, numbers, and special character designed to meet a set of complexity rules.  If your password requires special characters, it would be fairly easy to pop one in (&ladderboxpup); or capitals and special characters (&Ladderboxpup).

While the three random words method isn't fail safe for password security, the complexity of language provides amazing power to help one to create and remember a password that works for them and security requirements.

Source::

How math and language can combine to map the globe and create strong passwords, using the power of 3 random words (theconversation.com)