LEWISTON, ID – Have you ever feared being a victim of fraud or know someone who’s already been victimized?
Tonight a statewide program visited Lewiston to tell people about a specific group of scams.
Scam Jam works to inform older citizens, their families and caregivers about frauds and abuses that target seniors. Idaho’s Attorney General, Lewiston’s Chief of Police and the Director of the Idaho Department of Insurance are just a few key-note speakers at this year’s event.
“Anybody that’s a senior or a caregiver and wants to know about some of the local scams going on out there,” said LC Rotary Club President Jacqui Gilbert. “And some tools to prevent those affecting you. This is a great conference for you to be included in.”
The free, all-day event will be held on Thursday, April 3rd at the LCSC Williams Conference Center and will include a morning snack as well as lunch provided by the sponsors.
Target Chairman and CEO Gregg Steinhafel says Target Corp plans to make “significant changes” in light of the data breach over the holiday shopping season when hackers stole personal information of millions of customers.
In an interview to CNBC, Target’s top officials says the corporations has tried to be transparent about the data breach and has posted some tips to guard against future breaches. Change your PIN numbers, get credit card issues to move to the EMV Standard, and get financial institutions to recognize the credit card system vulnerability.
Target said on Jan. 10 an investigation found that hackers stole the personal information of at least 70 million customers, including names, mailing addresses, telephone numbers and email addresses. Previously, the No. 3 U.S. retailer said the hackers stole data from 40 million credit and debit cards.
Target officials have also reached out to the National Cyber Security Alliance (which developed the “Stop. Think. Connect.” campaign) and the National Cyber-Forensics and Training Alliance. Council of Better Business Bureaus has previously partnered with NCSA on educational events.
Target wants to “turn adversity to opportunity” through public awareness and consumer education on the risk of cyber-threats and the best practices for consumers to protect their personal information and identity. Steinhafel says the company has proposed generous funding to underwrite costs and develop resources for a sustained, multi-year campaign.
As part of an initiative to help consumers protect themselves from identity theft, BBB serving Snake River Region offers seven ways consumers can protect their credit and debit cards.
1. Only Carry The Cards You Need. Only carry the essential cards that you need every day. Many consumers carry every credit/debit card they have, yet few of these cards get daily use. The risk of a lost or stolen card is reduced if unused cards are left at home.
2. Cancel Unused Cards. Consumers with one or more unused credit cards should consider cancelling the by contacting the issuing financial institution in writing. Once cancelled, the consumer should cut the card(s) into small strips or shred before disposing.
3. Do Not Write Personal Identification Numbers on the Back of Credit/Debit Cards. Consumers should never write their personal identification number on the back of their credit or debit card. Also, BBB recommends that consumers never write the PIN on a sheet of paper and carry it in a wallet or purse. 4.Write “Check Photo ID” on the Back of All Cards. Instead of signing the back of a credit/debit card, write “check photo id” in the signature block. Many banks now issue credit/debit cards that display a consumer’s photograph on the front. If this is an available option, BBB recommends taking advantage of this opportunity. Both of these practices make it more difficult for a thief to use your card in person. 5.Check Credit Card Bills and Bank Statements Carefully Every Month. Consumers should check their credit card bills and bank statements carefully every month, looking for activity that is not recognized. Many banks now offer online banking services, allowing consumers to check transactions even more often. The quicker a problem is recognized, the more the damage can be limited. 6.Make Copies of All Credit/Debit Cards. Consumers should make copies of the front and back of all of their credit and debit cards, and then place the copies in a secure place. If cards are stolen or lost, consumers will have all the relevant information that they need to contact the card issuers and report the lost or stolen items. This will also help limit the damage. 7.Remain Wary of “Pre-Approved Credit” Offers. A good deal of stolen personal information comes from “pre-approved credit” offers consumers receive in the mail, and then discard unopened. This allows a thief to use the application to apply for credit in the consumer’s name. The three major credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) offer a single telephone number through which consumers can opt out of future “pre-approved credit” offers. Call 1-888-5-OPTOUT (1-888-567-8688) for more information.
Consumers should be aware that, as convenient as they are, credit and debit cards can pose a serious risk if lost or stolen. Taking simple steps to protect themselves can cut these risks.
Verizon Wireless customers, watch out for robo calls that claim you are eligible for a credit on your account. It’s really a phishing scam.Verizon wireless
How the Scam Works:
You answer a call on your cell phone. It’s a recording that says you have a credit on your Verizon Wireless account, and you need to visit a special website to claim it. When you go to that URL, it looks just like Verizon’s website — colors, logo and all. You are prompted to enter your account username, password and/or credit card information. Don’t do it! Giving away this info will open you up to identity theft.
Random dialing may be getting some cellphone users in the Snake River Region in trouble with their bills.
The cellphone rings and a number appears on the phone. Before you answer it, it hangs up. The number is typically a three-digit area code that looks like a U.S. number. Curiosity gets the best of you, and so you dial the number back. When it answers, there is no one there, but odd sounds. Your shouts go unanswered.
“When you call back, you’re automatically routed to an international adult entertainment or chat line in a non-U.S. location, where you can quickly incur expensive charges,” Robb Hicken, chief storyteller with Better Business Bureau serving the Snake River Region, says.
Cellphone plans are billed through automation and usage on both incoming and outgoing call. You are recognized if you answer the call, and a billing statement is passed through from the service provider on the other end of the line.
BBB advises users if you don’t recognize the number of the person calling, don’t answer. And, certainly, don’t call back.
“In actuality, these are international numbers, and what a lot of people don’t realize is places … Read more …
By Robb Hicken/ BBB’s chief storyteller
When members of the Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce met for their monthly luncheon, they had no idea they were going to be inducted into the armed forces.
Each table will be representing an élite military team. As part of your training you are to go into a remote region and bring order. This is the only instruction plain and simple, says CEO Dale Dixon, of the Better Business Bureau serving the Snake River Region.
“As you approach the village, you are told the local priest is conducting a wedding,” Dixon paraphrases from the pages of a USA Today article. “You see a woman. Her arms are tied and she is dragged into a tent. This is an arranged marriage.”
The article, about a group of business executives that participated in a Marine Corps ethics-training mission, describes the cries of dismay, the passivity of the priest and community members, and the sheer terror in the bride’s eyes.
“The priest quickly tells you that this is part of the culture and it is perfectly legal, and it h as been going on for thousands of years,” Dixon says. “And, if you get in the way in any manner, you’ll be doing irreparable harm to any relationship between the United States and this country.”
Dixon then turns to the crowd – “now, you have 15 seconds to come up with what you would do.”
As guest speaker, Dixon poses questions like these to groups across the Snake River Region on a weekly basis, challenging people to consider what is the right thing to do.
“What is the ethical stance and standard,” he says, after the group voiced opinions to protect the woman, to standing down, to pull back. “The business people in the group came to the conclusion that it was legal and had been done for thousands of years, and so it was legal.”
The Marines, despite being drilled with the values of accountability and responsibility, then asked the businessmen to analyze their judgments
“They want to fall back on the narrow technical definition of the mission they receive from higher, just like they do in the corporation,” the article reads. “They can’t believe the Marines shove it back in their face and say, ‘Wait a minute. You’re falling back on the rules, and you’ve missed the values and the ethics in play here.’”
Dixon encouraged today’s business executives, like those in Idaho Falls, to look at their own families, and analyze how critical it is to instill ethics and values in family members.
“As business owners, we’re not going to be faced with these types of situations on a daily basis,” he says. “But, when we are continually critically thinking about these decision in a lifelong perspective it puts us on course to make these big decisions when they come our way. And do what is right, especially when its hard.”
The butterfly effect is that the little things matter and should be addressed when they arise.
“The little things really do matter,” he says. “We have to pay attention to those little things because they really do matter.”
In Fred Meyer’s bulk food section, recently, Dixon said he noticed a man recently walk up to a bin of chocolate covered nuts, grab a handful, and walk off.
“Did I just see someone steal?” he says.
Awestruck, Dixon said, he should have called it out right there – thief! This is where you should have worked on this opportunity in a long-range view.
“How do we handle it,” he asks. “Are we preparing to make those tough decisions.”
Human nature is to judge ourselves by our intent, but judge others by their actions. As business leaders in the community, it’s greater than that.
Self-regulation is crucial in the business community. It’s never the intention that makes it to the front page of today’s newspapers. It’s the opposite.
Because the people do the right thing every day, they don’t get into the news.
“It’s the single out of the ordinary act of someone breaking the rule that makes the front page, that news,” Dixon says. “Business behaving badly is not the normal, it’s that’s happening all the time, but the people on the street don’t see it that way.”
It’s an expensive and costly position to rebuild the image of the small businesses. Leaders spend trillions every year to prove that your business is doing what is right, even though it’s the normal.
“Do you want to merely comply with the rules? Or, do you want to lead?” Dixon asks
It was 1960 when meteorologist Edward Lorenz, working in his lab, stumbled upon a theory known as, ‘The Butterfly Effect.’ Simply stated: Does the flap of a butterfly’s wing in Brazil cause a tornado in Texas?
He was laughed off the stage, Dixon relates. But, researches kept testing the theory and they found out that little tiny things do make a difference down the line.
A few things business owners can do:
Make a commitment and follow through. Are you making and keeping commitments to yourself. It creates a habit.
Be a person of your word. Especially when it is hard.
Be open and transparent. Being so in your personal life, it will translate to your business.
A principles based leadership will not allow businesses to simply slide by because it’s traditional.
“I don’t think anyone wants to be the person who has the reputation of just barely getting by,” Dixon says.
Businesses have a great opportunity to win customers over, because they have taken on the challenge of doing the right thing.
LEWISTON, ID – Have you ever feared being a victim of fraud or know someone who’s already been victimized?
