In light of recent reports of some military families in Colorado and Wyoming being intimidated and frightened by men appearing to be Middle Eastern who confronted them in front of their homes, I asked authorities to advise military families that might find themselves in this type of situation, in those states or anywhere else.

The Denver division of the FBI issued an alert in July, asking law enforcement agencies to contact the FBI if they had any additional information. Numerous incidents were reported to the FBI throughout June in Wyoming, the alert stated, with men reportedly trying to intimidate military family members into giving them personal information.

"The family members have reported feeling scared," the alert stated.

In Colorado, a military wife said two Middle Eastern men approached her in front of her home and said they knew she was the wife of a U.S. interrogator. When she denied that claim, she said they laughed, then left the area in a dark, four-door sedan with two other Middle Eastern males. She had seen the men in the neighborhood before, the alert stated.

KellyRose Olson, a spokeswoman for the FBI in Denver, offered some reassurances, saying that the agency has previously stated that it has found "no credible threats to military personnel or their family members in Colorado or Wyoming."

But Olson, as well as U.S. Northern Command spokesman Michael Kucharek, stressed that families should be vigilant and report suspicious activity.

On installations, you should report it to military police. In the civilian community, you should report it to your local police. The FBI maintains strong relationships with local, state, tribal and federal law enforcement partners, Olson noted.

The FBI headquarters website has information about when you should contact the FBI, with links to area offices.

If you see something suspicious — for example, if you're approached by someone suspicious asking questions about your service member — details are always helpful to law enforcement officials, so be observant and notice whatever you can, including descriptions of the people, their vehicles and license tag numbers.

But Olson stressed: Members of the public should never jeopardize their safety in order to get additional information.

The FBI also cautions against interacting with someone who poses a perceived threat or elicits a general feeling of discomfort, Olson said.

NORTHCOM's Kucharek encouraged spouses to talk to their service members about any security measures that they can take, based on force protection messages.

Officials admit their information in these recent instances is rather general, but this should get you thinking about what you might do in such a situation. Like many other military families, you want information — and you want to do what you can to prepare.

Karen has covered military families, quality of life and consumer issues for Military Times for more than 30 years, and is co-author of a chapter on media coverage of military families in the book "A Battle Plan for Supporting Military Families." She previously worked for newspapers in Guam, Norfolk, Jacksonville, Fla., and Athens, Ga.

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