Safety tips for those using the Internet, social media
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ocial media is no longer the exclusive domain of millennials and members of Generation Y. A new study has found 67% of older Americans use the Internet with 34% having social media accounts. “Although a lot of seniors are embracing smart and social technology, they need to be reminded about its dangers. Online scammers can take advantage of older people’s trusting nature,” said Daniel Markuson, the digital privacy expert at NordVPN. Older adults use the Internet for talking with friends and family, shopping, watching videos, and reading the news. Older men and women, however, are often targeted by scammers who see them as wealthy and vulnerable. Scams try to exploit weaknesses, so Markuson identified the five most common mistakes made by inexperienced Internet users. He also listed some tips to help protect consumers. • Using weak passwords: When signing up for a new account, your first priority is to set a strong, complex, and unique password. For best security, use different passwords for each account changing them occasionally to avert possible data breaches. • Sharing personal information: Avoid putting your email address, phone number, home address, or vacation plans on blogs, forums, and social media networks like Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. Never reveal your Social Security number online, as identity thieves can wreak havoc with that information. Markuson advised not sharing feelings or participating in heated discussions online. Cybercriminals are looking for emotionally vulnerable people they can exploit using psychological techniques. • Falling for online shopping scams: According to the U.S. Department of Justice, older adults lose more than $3 billion each year to financial scams. New or trusting Internet users are rich pickings for fraudsters. Learn this simple rule: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Some websites will send fake items instead of what was advertised. Some will take your money and run. In either case, scammers now have their hands on the victim’s credit card details. How do you identify a fake e-shop? Markuson said to look for the telltale signs like poor website design, broken English, suspicious domain names, shady contact information, unclear return policies, poor customer reviews, etc. • Clicking on phishing links: Fraudulent emails hide malware and viruses to infect your computer. Don’t open phishing links, download suspicious attachments, or click on fraudulent links. Hackers use them to inject tracking programs and potentially hijacking your device. Believing fake news: The Internet is full of seemingly reputable websites that aim to influence readers through fake news. Misleading news about politics or finances may cause panic and cloud judgement. (NordVPN provided this information.)
Get a free Thanksgiving meal through the Salvation Army’s annual Turkeyfest program
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en and women in the Omaha area age 60 and older who would like to receive a free, hot Thanksgiving dinner are encouraged to sign up for the Salvation Army’s Turkeyfest program. Recipients – who must be home on Thanksgiving Day morning when the volunteer stops by – will receive a meal which will include turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, green beans, cranberry sauce, a dinner roll, and dessert. To sign up for the Turkeyfest from Nov. 6 through 21, please call 402-8987538 weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Please make sure to speak with an operator. No voice mails will be accepted.
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he American Cancer Society needs volunteers to help out at its office located at 9850 Nicholas St. Men and women are needed to answer phones, provide customer service to office visitors, connect volunteers with appropriate staff members, open and sort mail, prepare bulk mailings, fold brochures, cut paper, collate materials, assemble packages, fold and sort t-shirts. Training will be provided for these men and women who are needed weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Volunteers normally help out a few hours at a time and can be scheduled based on their availability. For more information, contact Sherry Welton at 402-393-5801, ext. 70760 or online at sherry.welton@cancer.org.
CLASSIFIEDS
93rd & Maple • 402-397-6921
Cartagena Painting Service
Commercial/Residential Interior/Exterior/Insured Free estimates/BBB member 402-714-6063 cartagenapainting@yahoo.com
TOP CASH PAID
Best & honest prices paid for: Vintage, Sterling, Turquoise, & Costume jewelry, old watches, old quilts, vintage toys, old postcards, advertising items, military items, pottery, and antique buttons. Also buying estates & partial estates. Call Bev at 402-339-2856
Please call 402-444-4148 or 402- 444-6654 to place your ad
RICK’S
Lamplighter II
Some of the nicest, newer 1 & 2 bedroom apartments. Elevator, w & d, heated parking garage. Small complex. By bus & shopping. No pets or smoking.
HANDYMAN SERVICES
Big jobs or small, I’ll do them all! [Bonded & insured]
402-658-1245 rickfitzlerhomeimprovement.com
A+ Heartland Concrete Const.
Driveways, garage floors, sidewalks, retaining walls. patio specialists since 1985. Insured/references.
23-year BBB member
402-731-2094 Senior Citizens (62+)
OLD STUFF WANTED (before 1975)
Military, political, toys, jewelry, fountain pens, pottery, kitchen ware, postcards, photos, books, and other old paper, old clothes, garden stuff, tools, old household, etc. Call anytime 402-397-0254 or 402-250-9389
GET RID OF IT! Haul away, garage, basement, rental clean out…
Accepting applications for HUD-subsidized apartments in Papillion & Bellevue.
Johansen Brothers
Bellewood Courts
402-312-4000
Call Frank
1002 Bellewood Court Bellevue (402) 292-3300 Bellewood@KimballMgmt.com
Older adults sought for balance study niversity of Nebraska Medical Center researchers are looking for volunteers age 60 to 70 for a research study. The study’s purpose is to investigate how the sensation of vibration on the bottom of the feet can potentially improve older adults’ ability to maneuver around obstacles without losing their balance. This study is funded by the NASA Nebraska Space Grant. Information gained could also be used to support the bodily awareness of astronauts in environments of partial weightlessness.
Volunteers are needed at American Cancer Society
deFreese Manor
Monarch Villas
201 Cedar Dale Road Papillion (402) 331-6882 Monarch@KimballMgmt.com
Participants – who will be compensated with a gift card – will be asked to complete a 10-minute screening for balance and cognitive ability when they arrive at UNMC. They will also be asked to walk down a 10foot walkway and step over two obstacles approximately one to two inches tall while wearing inserts in their shoes that vibrate slightly against the soles of the feet. The study will last less than two hours. For more information, please call 402-350-7427 or send an email to maisie.habron@unmc.edu.
Managed by Kimball Management, Inc. PO Box 460967 Papillion, NE 68046 www.kimballmgmt.com
Subsidized housing for those age 62 and over with incomes under $28,600 (1 person) or $32,650 (two persons) 2669 Dodge Omaha, NE 402-345-0622
We do business in accordance with the Fair Housing Law.
ENOA November 2019
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New Horizons
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