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Showing posts from July, 2017

IT'S A FREEBIE-RIGHT?

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Beware of websites offering freebies and  samples. Especially if you have to pay for shipping and handling. I fell for this trick and ordered a new skin care sample. I got the 2 oz sample and wasn't impressed. The company started mailing me 2 oz  products every month for the skin, wrinkles  and eyes. I didn't authorize any of this. I was puzzled  because the  shipping  label didn't have company name on it. I decided to review my checking account. There was two charges for $89! My bank suggested I cancel my debit card to prevent further charges. I refused to pay shipping and handling to return these products. A lesson learned for these $89,  2 oz bottles of junk. The Internet had several Seniors complaining of  lots of unauthorized charges for this skin care product. I also stopped ordering samples because some companies wanted too much personal information. Your birth date and phone number can be used by hackers. My email started being cluttered with SPAM (unsolic

B.Y.O SENIOR ACCOUNTANT

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I remembered the song, "It's A Hard  Knock Life" from the Broadway play  Annie recently. I got a "hard knock"  as a result of being lazy. I did not monitor my checking account regularly. This task is boring and a nuisance. Even if your bank has staff trained in fraud detection, bad things can happen beyond their control. Fact is, no one can keep up with my "frequent shopping miles" better than me. LESSON LEARNED:  MONITOR MY CHECKING & CHARGE ACCOUNTS DAILY!! MY PENNY PINCHER CHARGERS My bank called me on a Sunday morning because they noticed $2 charges from Florida! A hacker was testing my account to see if my bank would allow his small dollar transactions to go through. The bank clerk said the hackers began to transmit large dollar amounts if the small ones go through. I assured him I was not Florida. He immediately cancelled my debit card to avoid further hacking. I often partake in Value Menus at my  local fast food restaurants.  So,

SENIOR LADIES DON'T PHISH!

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http://galleryhip.com I believe in sharing information. Especially information that will  help fellow senior ladies stay as savvy as possible.  We senior  ladies also need to be savvy about computer scams and hacking.  I am not computer tech savvy. But, I have been the victim of computer scamming and hacking. So, I have  learned a few lessons that will help  me avoid being a victim in future. I DON'T GO FISHING! There are  criminal minds who love to phish ( pronounced fish). They send me fake email addresses and spams messages. They really need personal information about you from  your computer. Their ultimate goal is  to steal money. I never open e-mails I receive in my spam in box. I just delete all of them every day.  PLEASE HANG UP ON ME!     I've seen and heard too many horror stories about seniors being scammed on the phone. I don't talk to strangers  or telemarketers on my phone. I hang up the phone immediately. Some