The New York City Police Department has reported a dramatic increase of New Yorkers reporting suspicious packages in the past week, including a false alarm that temporarily shut down Times Square Friday afternoon.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said the NYPD has received about 140 daily calls of suspicious packages this week, up from 90 daily calls the week before.

Police presence has also increased in Times Square, after an explosive-packed sports utility vehicle was left there last Saturday.

"People are more aware of their surroundings, obviously the events on Saturday evening have caused some concern," said Kelly.

The NYPD received a call for an abandoned water cooler, which was found at 46th Street and Broadway at 12:42 p.m. Friday in the pedestrian plaza by the tables and chairs.

Streets were closed for about an hour as crews investigated, but the cooler only contained water bottles.

No buildings or hotels were evacuated, according to the NYPD.

Cynthia Castro, who works in Times Square, said her building was on a temporary lockdown, and she was shaken by the scare.

"People should be careful with their stuff because it's just scary," she said.

Castro said she and her colleagues have vowed to not live every day in fear, but they recognize there's a role we can all play to fight threats of any kind.

"We all have to work together to be on guard. The police can't do everything, they're not there all the time. We work here, we work together, we know our neighbors," said Castro. "We pretty much who comes and goes, what belongs there and what doesn't. And if we don't do anything, then we're not really taking care of ourselves."

Visitors to Times Square said they are still not deterred from enjoying the city.

"I don't feel the tension here. It doesn't seem that many people are worried," said one visitor.

"If it's going to happen, it's going to happen. We can't do anything about it," said another. "But life goes back to normal, and I don't think people are that scared about it, because it was caught in time. And the police and everybody else took measures to prevent it, I guess, and caught the guy."

"Loving it, this is my first time in the city and I'm not worried about anything at all," said a third.

As a matter of policy, NY1 does not report on unconfirmed bomb threats or suspicious packages, even though they may cause inconvenience to the general public. Reports only happen when police confirm the presence of a device, or if the threat significantly affects traffic and commuters.

NYPD officials said they fully investigate all reported suspicious activity.

Meanwhile, as the investigation into the attempted Times Square car bombing continues, authorities were trying to figure out Friday how the botched attack was financed.

A law enforcement official told the Associated Press on Friday that investigators were trying to locate a money courier who may have helped funnel cash to Faisal Shahzad, seen right.

Investigators believe Shahzad paid for the SUV used in the incident with $1,300 in cash, had been renting a Connecticut home, and managed to buy a gun, even though he was apparently unemployed since returning from Pakistan in February.

Also on Friday, General David Petraeus, the man who oversees the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, said he believes the suspect acted alone.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Petraeus called Shahzad a "lone wolf," and said the suspect was inspired by Pakistani militants but did not have direct contact with them.

Authorities have said Shahzad told investigators he went to a terror training camp in Pakistan. That has not been confirmed, but a senior military official told the AP that investigators do believe Shahzad had some bomb-making training in his home country.