House and Home

Robocalls are finally declining as legislation requires phone-service providers to crack down – but that legislation doesn’t apply to robotexts, which have increased 12-fold in a year! Many scam robotexts appear to come from delivery companies such as FedEx, the US Postal Service or Amazon and encourage victims to click links to authorize deliveries. Self-defense: Never click on a link unless you’ve confirmed that the te xt is legit – malicious text links can download malware onto phones and/or cause other problems. Source: Steven J.J. Weisman, Esq., is an attorney in private practice and founder of the scam-tracking website Scamicide.com.

Daylight Saving Time ends at 2:00 am on Sunday, November 6. Set clocks back one hour.

Thanksgiving Day – Thursday, November 24 – is National Family Health History Day. Use the form at Kahuna.clayton.edu/jqu/FHH to collect information from relatives and share it with health-care providers.

Don’t wait for Black Friday (November 25) to find good deals. Learn about earlier sales at BlackFriday.com. Sign up at favorite retailers to receive special offers as emails or texts. Purchase through BeFrugal.com or ExtraBux.com to get cash back. Also: BensBargains.Com, BradsDeals.com, DealCatcher.com and RetailMeNot.com may have just what you want at a significant discount.

The latest scam is a phone call from someone posing to be the Fraud Department of a financial institution, such as PFCU. The fraudster will question the person on recent transactions and then ask for the last 8 digits of the person’s debit/credit card. This is a scam! Please note, PFCU/VISA or any other financial institution will never ask a member for their card number.

In addition, fraudsters are finding a way to have the caller ID display the financial institution’s phone number or a number that is similar. If you receive a call from someone claiming to be from a financial institution and are not sure if it is true, hang up and call your financial institution to make sure it is them calling.

While there are new scams like these, the older scams have not gone away. Be on your guard and look for phishing scams with emails and text messages. Phishing is when a fraudster pretends to be a trusted contact and encourages you to give access to sensitive information, account details, or credentials. Just one click on a link to a fake website can give them your login and password. After they steal your information, they can get control of your savings account, email and more. Some things to watch out for are: –High-pressure language and scare tactics –Misspelled words –Requests to click on links or attachments –Suspicious links. The URL should include the company name and website domain (mypfcu.com, for example). Always be cautious of shortened URLs from services, for example, bit.ly or tinyurl.com. –Fake email address – most companies use a short code to send text alerts, not an email address. Emails may be from a look-alike domain and not a legitimate firm or company. –Unfamiliar alerts that you did not sign up for.

If you are in doubt if an email or text is legitimate, do not click and do not reply. Call the company using contact information on their website.

Researchers once believed that a drink or two per day did not harm – and might benefit – the brain. Recent finding: One daily drink is linked to the shrinkage of white and gray matter we see in aging. Progressing from one to two drinks per day is, on average, equivalent to aging two years.

SOURCE: BOTTOMLINE PERSONAL OCTOBER 1

Another thing to remember is to guard yourself against check fraud. While physical checks are still needed for some transactions, they are subject to fraud when stolen or lost. You can help prevent unauthorized access to your online accounts by: –Reducing the use of checks by using online bill pay –Enrolling in eStatements –Regularly monitoring your account and promptly report unauthorized activity

And finally, remember to update your operating systems and web browsers on all your devices regularly. This will help avoid viruses, scams, and other threats.

Help price your renovation project. House Remodel Calculator (RemodelingCalculator.org) – punch in details (e.g., bathroom, toilet, sink, lights, plumbing, size of room, etc.) of what you’re planning to do and get pricing information based on your location. Home Renovation Cost Calculator (SoFi.com) is an online quiz that lets you describe your project and get pricing. Renovation Cost Estimator from Kukun (App.MyKukun.com/Home-Renovation-Costs) lets you enter details via a “quick list” or “full list,” depending on the level of granularity you’re seeking, and bases results on your address.

SOURCE: KOMANDO.COM

The US Postal Service is planning on raising the price of first-class stamps next year to account for ongoing inflation and climb out of debt, the agency announced this month.

Pending approval from the Postal Regulatory Commission, first-class Forever stamps will increase by three cents, from 60 cents to 63 cents, starting in late January 2023.

Coupon expires 11/30/22. Limit 3 watches. Some exclusions may apply.