Holidays
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Only Know Your Valentine Online? Meet Your Honey Before Giving Money, Don’t Let Cupid Make You Feel Stupid, Check ‘Em Out Before a Check Goes Out

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It’s Valentine’s Day and love is in the air. You may think you spend a lot on flowers or chocolate, but losing money in a romance scam would cost you even more. Last year, people reported losing $143 million to romance scams — a higher total than for any other type of scam reported to the FTC. And, according to a new FTC Data Spotlight, reports of romance scams are on the rise. What do we mean by romance scams?

Public Safety
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Don’t Buy the Scam. ‘Do Not Call’ Registrations NEVER Expire.

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Someone pretending to be from the FTC is sending out fake emails telling people that their Do Not Call registration is expiring. The emails use the FTC’s logo and send people to a phony Do Not Call website to register their numbers again. Don’t buy it. Do Not Call registrations never expire. Once you add a number to the Do Not Call Registry, you don’t need to register it again — ever.

Business
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Watch Out for Fraud When Summer Job Opportunities Come Up, Better Business Bureau Says

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If you are looking for part-time or full-time employment to make a few dollars over the summer, Connecticut Better Business Bureau cautions job-seekers to be careful when considering an unsolicited employment opportunity. “There are all sorts of legitimate jobs available, even work-at-home opportunities, but there are a number of red flags that can tell if you are applying for a real job or if someone is trying to get you to part with your personal and financial information,” says Connecticut Better Business Bureau Spokesman, Howard Schwartz. ___________
— an announcement from the Connecticut Better Business Bureau
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The red flags include, but are not limited to:
An offer that sounds like a dream job with no training or experience required; being offered jobs by telephone even if you never applied for them; promises of a generous salary; no face to face meeting and demands for upfront money sent by untraceable methods such as wire transfer or gift cards. The “recruiter” will tell potential victims they are hired without any face to face meeting, and that the candidate will have to send money upfront, supposedly for background checks, training and materials, their Social Security Number for income tax purposes and a bank account number to arrange direct deposit of salary. A legitimate employer will never ask for any of your personal information until after you have met, received a formal written offer with a job description, salary and other remuneration details.

Darien Library
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How to Protect Yourself from Online Threats: Talk at Darien Library

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Learn how to protect yourself from online threats at Darien Library at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 31. Cyber security has been the focus of much attention lately, from email hacks to stolen credit card numbers. It can seem like a scary world when you’re constantly under attack by scammers, hackers, skimmers, spear phishers, spoofers, or even digital vandals. ___________

— an announcement from Darien Library

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But if you’re armed with a little information and some tools and habits to protect yourself, you can significantly reduce your risk of becoming a target and empower yourself to feel confident as you navigate your digital lives.