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| Last week, the United Methodist Women of Millington First United Methodist Church held their annual fall luncheon, which featured this yummy box lunch of chicken salad on a croissant, broccoli salad, chips and a brownie catered by Lisa Field. Contact Ms. Field at (901) 605-6125 if you're planning a lunch or dinner event. |
Over the
past few years, I've learned if you attend church in Millington or
have friends who attend church, you'll find you stay busy going to all
sorts of events and activities sponsored by our community's many
churches, from breakfasts, lunches and dinners to fundraising auctions, craft
fairs, day trips..and much more, along with lots of opportunities to lend a
hand to those in need in our area through a broad range of
outreach ministries.
Last week,
I attended the United Methodist Women's annual fall
luncheon at Millington First United Methodist Church where Nancy
Crawford, director of marketing and communications for the Better Business
Bureau (BBB) of the Mid-South was the guest speaker. She presented an informative
program on scams and identity theft. I thought I would share some of what
I gleaned from her presentation here in this space, as I feel there may be lots of folks
who could benefit from the information she provided.
First off,
here are a few statistics...Some 26 million Americans
"reported" being victims of scams last year. Crawford believes the
number is actually much higher as this number reflects only those who reported
being scammed. Last year, 16 million people in the U.S. were victims of
identity theft. It is the fastest growing crime in this country. In 2017,
1,600 data breaches where reported. In 2018, the number of data breaches
decreased to 1,200 but the number of records exposed increased by 126 percent.
"Your
personal information is worth more than the money in your bank," Crawford
said.
Crawford
noted senior citizens and young military families with a steady income who
may be far away from family members to provide advice, are key targets for
scammers. And while it's assumed senior citizens are most often the
victims of scams, young adults who are constantly connected to technology
and their electronic devices, are oftentimes quick to respond to texts, emails
and cell phone calls before realizing they have been scammed.
To protect
yourself from scams, Crawford counseled to beware of these sales tricks or pitches:
- Phantom
riches or get-rich-quick investments. (Men 65 and older are most often the
victims of this scam.)
- Scarcity,
when there are only a few items left or a short amount of time in which to
purchase.
-
Authority, when an item is being advertised or pitched by a celebrity.
-
Reciprocity, invitations to lunches or dinners to listen to a presentation
about a product or service. Remember you are under no obligation to buy.
She also
stressed to use common sense, seek advice from professionals and DO NOT give
out your personal information.
Crawford
also addressed spoofing -- all those phone calls from what look like
local numbers or close to your own. Ninety percent of those calls are not
coming from the numbers listed. Use your voicemail to screen calls from numbers
you don’t recognize, and use the block function on your cell phone as well.
In response
to robo-caller “Rachel, from credit card services," the Federal Trade Commission
(FTC) awarded a $25,000 grant/prize to two companies that created cell phone
apps to solve the robo-call problem. One of those apps is Nomorobo, recommended
by Crawford. There are now several apps to choose from. Crawford said to check
costs, permissions and reviews before downloading.
Because of
spoofing the "Do Not Call List" doesn't work, and the FTC
removes 20,000 new reported phone numbers each day. She noted that spoofing is
actually legal in specific instances involving persons fleeing from domestic violence
situations, but illegal when used to commit fraud.
To protect
your credit, Crawford advised letting your credit card company know when you
are traveling. If you use mobile apps for banking, you can set those apps
to alert you each time a credit card purchase is made. She also recommended
checking your credit report. Free credit reports are available from Equifax,
Experian and TransUnion at annualcreditreport.com. If you don't anticipate
making a major purchase such as a new car or home for a while, you can also
request a credit freeze from the FTC, so no one can access your credit
information. It's free, too.
Crawford also
warned people to cover their hands when entering their pin numbers at ATMs and
to check for skimmers (devices that can record your credit card information) at
ATMs, gas stations and other places that accept credit cards, by pulling on the
device where the card is inserted before using it.
"Exercise
your rights and responsibilities as a consumer," Crawford stressed.
# #
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The Better Business Bureau is a more than 100-year-old nonprofit organization that provides information about a company before you do business with it, and helps to resolve a dispute if you have a complaint. There are more than 100 BBB's in North America. The Better Business Bureau of the Mid South covers 21 counties in Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi. For more information contact the Better Business Bureau of the Mid South at (901) 759-1300 or email: info@bbbmidsouth.org.
