Happy New Year!
INSPIRATION
Lew Hassell, attending on Zoom, was inspired by the volunteer efforts of his church in creating a toy "store" for disadvantaged kids in the West Bay area.
ANNOUNCEMENTS, Etc.
Pres. Steve welcomed Cap Willey's wife, Lois; offered Get Well wishes to Jim Gilcreast, Nondas Voll, Ken Conde and Margaret Kane; and thanked Kris David and Anthony Hollingshead for hosting and provisioning the Ugly Sweater holiday party.
Upcoming meetings include:
- Jan. 3 -- Upcoming Rotary Day of Service
- Jan. 10 -- Rhode Island Academic Decathlon
Treasurer Luis Lourenco joined Pres. Steve in distributing holiday gifts to the wait and kitchen staffs who served us so well throughout the year.
HAPPY BUCKS
- Luis Lourenco was happy to make his debut as Happy Bucks collector.
- Guest speaker and former club member Marcus Mitchell was happy to report that he and his wife had just returned from their first vacation in eight years.
- Cap Willey was interested to read in the book Lost Restaurants of Providence that one of our club’s past meeting locations was the Shepard Tea Room.
- Pres-elect Kris was happy that this will be the first Christmas in many that she hasn't had to pick up one or both of her kids at Logan Airport in the middle of the night -- they're both in town already.
SPEAKER
WHAT YOU CAN LOSE TO SCAMMERS --
AND HOW TO PREVENT IT
Guest speaker Marcus Mitchell, now president of AARP-Rhode Island, brought us some concerning information about the dangers of scams and a set of strategies we can (should!) use to avoid becoming victims.
First, the bad news. Scams, including cons and frauds conducted by computer, by phone, through advertising or other methods, bilked Americans out of $1.4 billion in 2021. Identity theft accounted for the biggest share.
The scam risk ranges from a few dollars to your entire life savings, and seniors are the most often victimized. Scammers often search published obituaries and contact recently bereaved people to take advantage of their emotional states.
To prevent being scammed, Marcus recommended several steps:
- Don't make emotional decisions
- Research offers before accepting anything
- Screen phone calls, don't answer ones you don't recognize
- Prepare a refusal script: what you'll say to a suspected scam caller as you're hanging up
- Protect your personal information
- Shred or black out key details like account and Social Security numbers
- Place an alert on your credit records
- Use anti-virus software on your computers
- Protect your passwords
