HALLOWEEN AND SAFETY TIPS

HALLOWEEN TIPS:

1. IF YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD IS HAVING A HALLOWEEN PARADE AND YOU NEED A DEPUTY TO ESCORT IT, PLEASE LET ME KNOW ASAP SO WE CAN GET YOUR DEPUTY SCHEDULED.
2. REMEMBER WHEN TRICK OR TREATING TO CARRY A FLASHLIGHT, GO IN GROUPS (IF POSSIBLE), AND ALWAYS CHECK YOUR CANDY BEFORE EATING IT.
3. THE GENERAL SIGNAL THAT YOU DO NOT WANT YOUR HOUSE TRICK OR TREATED AT IS TO LEAVE YOUR PORCH LIGHT OFF, USUALLY UNTIL NO LATER THAN 10 P.M.
4. ALWAYS MAKE SURE YOUR PUMPKINS ARE EXTINGUISHED BEFORE RETIRING FOR THE NIGHT.
5. IF POSSIBLE HAVE THE LITTLE GHOSTS AND GOBLINS CARRY “GLOW STICKS” AND AND/OR WEAR SOMETHING REFLECTIVE WITH THEIR COSTUMES.

SAFETY TIPS: (IDENTITY THEFT)

1. ALWAYS SHRED YOUR RECEIPTS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS THAT   MAY HAVE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION ON THEM.
2. NEVER GIVE YOUR INFORMATION TO ANYONE OVER THE PHONE OF INTERNET THAT YOU DO NOT KNOW.
3. REMEMBER BANKS WILL NOT ASK YOU FOR I.D, SSN, ETC VIA EMAIL.
4. IF YOU ARE SOLICITED FOR MONEY OVER THE INTERNET OR BY MAIL PROMISING “BIG” RETURNS FOR A LITTLE GOOD FAITH MONEY IT’S PROBABLY A SCAM DO NOT FALL FOR IT.
5. IF YOU ARE THE VICTIM OF IDENTITY THEFT, CONTACT YOUR FINANCIAL INSTITUTION IMMEDIATELY, FILE A POLICE REPORT, CANCEL OR CLOSE THE VICTIMIZED ACCOUNT OR CREDIT CARD, NOTIFY THE CREDIT REPORTING AGENCIES TO PUT YOUR NAME ON THE FRAUD ALERT LIST.

FINALLY REMEMBER DAYLIGHT SAVINGS IS COMING UP IN NOVEMBER

HOW TO FORWARD E-MAIL APPROPRIATELY

Do you really know how to forward e-mails? 10% of us do; 90% DO NOT.

Every time you forward an e-mail there is information left over from the people who got the message before you, namely their e-mail addresses & names. As the messages get forwarded along, the list of addresses builds, and builds, and builds, and all it takes is for someone to get a virus, and his or her computer can send that virus to every e-mail address that has come across his computer. Or, someone can take all of those addresses and sell them or send junk mail to them in the hopes that you will go to the site and he will make five cents for each hit. That's right, all of that inconvenience over a nickel!

How do you stop it? Well, there are several easy steps:

(1) When you forward an e-mail, DELETE all of the other addresses that appear in the body of the message (at the top ). That's right, DELETE them. Highlight them and delete them,  backspace them, cut them, whatever it is you know how to do. It only takes a second.  You MUST click the 'Forward' button first and then you will have full editing capabilities against the body and headers of the message. If you don't click on 'Forward' first, you won't be able to edit the message at all.

(2) Whenever you send an e-mail to more than one person, do NOT use the To: or Cc: fields for adding e-mail addresses. Always use the Bcc : (blind carbon copy) field for listing the e-mail addresses. This is the way the people you send to will only see their own e-mail address. If you don't see your Bcc: option click on To: or Cc: and your address list will appear. Highlight the address and choose Bcc: and that's it, it's that easy!  When you send to Bcc: your message will automatically say 'Undisclosed Recipients' in the 'To:' field of the people who receive it.

(3) Remove any 'FW :' in the subject line . You can re-name the subject if you wish, or even fix spelling.

(4) ALWAYS hit your Forward button from the actual e-mail you are reading. Ever get an e-mail that you have to open 10 pages to read the one page with the information on it? By forwarding from the actual page you wish someone to view, you stop them from having to open many e-mail just to see what you sent.

(5) Have you ever gotten an email that is a petition? It states a position and asks you to add your name and address and to forward it to 10 or 15 people or your entire address book. The email can be forwarded on and on and can collect thousands of names and email addresses. A FACT: The completed petition is actually worth a couple of bucks to a professional spammer because of the wealth of valid names and email addresses contained therein. If you want to support the petition, send it as your own personal letter to the intended recipient. Your position may carry more weight as a personal letter than a laundry list of names and email address on a petition. (Actually, if you think about it, who's actually supposed to send the petition in to whatever cause it supports? And don't believe the ones that say that the email is being traced, it just aint so!)

(6) Before you forward an Amber Alert, or a Virus Alert, or some of the other ones floating around nowadays, check them out before you forward them. Most of them are junk mail that's been circling the net for YEARS! Just about everything you receive in an email that is in question can be checked out at Snopes. Just go to http://www.snopes. com/

It's really easy to find out if it's real or not. If it's not, please don't pass it on.
So please, in the future, let's stop the junk mail and the viruses.

Posted: Sunday, February 15, 2009

CONSUMER ALERT
Make Smart Decisions When Giving Gift Cards

With the arrival of the holiday shopping season, millions of Texans are expected to purchase prepaid gift cards for friends and family all across the state. Easily mailed to far-away loved ones and increasingly easy to purchase, gift cards undoubtedly simplify shopping at a very busy time of year, so they are more popular than ever. According to the National Retail Federation, shoppers nationwide spent an estimated $26.3 billion on gift cards at retailers last holiday season.

Unfortunately, recent reports indicate that the Grinch and his cronies have their eyes on gift cards as they scheme to steal Christmas this year.

Sources from around the country have reported seeing scam artists record the numbers on not-yet-activated gift cards. Once the card is purchased and activated, the crook pounces and drains the card’s value before its recipient can benefit from their gift. Unfortunately, it’s often days or even weeks before customers realize that their holiday spending money was stolen.

Texans can protect themselves by asking a store clerk for gift cards from behind a counter (or that have not otherwise been accessible to the general public). Some gift cards already have built-in security measures, such as an additional scratch off code. But even then, purchasers must make sure no one has tampered with either the card or its packaging.

In addition to avoiding outright theft, Texans should pay attention to the card issuer before deciding which gift cards to purchase. Gift cards purchased from businesses that later declare bankruptcy can become worthless or worth far less than face value. In a recently reported case, one bankrupt company only honored one-quarter of the value on its gift cards. As a result, customers who thought they had $100 to spend only got $25.

Don’t let someone get in the way of this year’s holiday season. Stay vigilant and well-informed. Customers who buy or receive a gift card that lacks any portion of the pre-paid balance should immediately notify the card issuer and ask for help.

Happy holidays.



Greg Abbott
Attorney General of Texas

Posted: Wednesday, December 03, 2008

ALMOST FREE DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE

As you probably know it is expensive to use Directory Assistance on your cell phone. When you need to find a number use Tool Free Directory Assistance. 800-FREE411 or use www.free411.com. It is no totally free because you must listening to a short advertisement before the number is revealed.

Help donate free mammograms to an underprivileged woman - it's FREE

Your click on the "Click Here to Give - it's FREE" button helps fund free mammograms for women in need — low-income, inner-city and minority women whose awareness of breast cancer and opportunity for help is often limited. Your click is paid for by site sponsors, and mammogram funding is provided to clinics throughout the U.S. through the efforts of the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Here's the web site! Pass it along to people you know. http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/

Department of Aging and Disabilities

Main Phone number 512-438-3011
Complaint Hotline 800-458-9858
Policy Unit Licensing Questions 512-438-2360

www.dads.state.tx.us

We Love Our Troops:

Let's Say Thanks in Support of our soldiers. Go to LetsSayThanks.com and send a Free Printed Postcard to U.S. Soldiers serving overseas.

Let's Say Thanks

What’s in YOUR TRASH? Submitted by Neighborhood Representative, Annabel Terrell

It has been noticed in some areas of Cinco Ranch that people in vehicles are removing residents trash items before they are picked up by the scheduled trash service. For the most part you can assume that this is an innocent "one mans trash is another mans treasure" but be aware that some are actually removing bags of trash from your trash can. This is the easiest way that a thief can steal your identity. All of a sudden your trash becomes very valuable unless you take these few easy precutions.

• Shred anything that contains your name, address, or other sensitive data before discarding, using a crosscut shredder — including invoices, receipts, statements, personalized pitch letters and envelopes, catalogs, and pre-approved credit offers.
• Take your trash out immediately before it is due to be collected. Don't give identity thieves time to go through your trash. As always please call the local sheriff if you feel threatened or if you think that the trash scavengers are up to no good or are being a nuisance.

BE SAFE - DON'T GUESS - DIAL 911 IN AN EMERGENCY
There is an eMail going around about what to do if a woman is alone and an unmarked state police car tries to pull her over. In the eMail it says to dial *677 to connect with the State Police Dispatcher and tell them where you are and that you are being pulled over by a car you can not be sure if it is the police and that you are going to drive to a safe place before pulling over.

Whether this particular tale is true or not, women driving alone have been sexually assaulted by rapists pretending to be patrolmen (and in certain rare cases by actual police officers), so the advice it gives about not pulling over in deserted areas when signaled to do so by unmarked police vehicles is well worth heeding. Throw on your flashers, slow down, and keep driving until you get to a well-lit area where there are others about. Though you might subsequently be charged for failing to heed a police officer's commands, you will avoid the potential for harm. Call 911 and tell them what's happening, asking them to relay to the officer in pursuit your intent to continue traveling until a populated area has been reached. (Although in some U.S. states, #77 on a cell phone will immediately connect you to that state's highway patrol, that code is not universal. Some states use #77, but others use *55, *47, or *HP, and some don't have any special code at all. Rather than frantically try to figure out which one will work in the area you're in, get around the problem by going straight to 911.

Complete Article

CAUTION: CRUISE CONTROL CAN CAUSE LOST OF CONTROL

Using cruise control on wet roads or during heavy rain can cause you to lose control of your vehicle.

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DOCTORS: Cell Phones increase lightning risk

Doctors are warning people not to use cell phones outdoors during storms. A cell phone increases the odds of internal injuries in lightning strikes. Several fatal cases have been reported.

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RECALL OF SWINGS ON RAINBOW PLAY SYSTEMS:

Rainbow Play Systems sling-style seats sold separately or as an accessory with various Rainbow Play Systems swing sets Seats can break in half, causing occupants to fall and get hurt.

Products: 18,400 seats sold 7/04 through 2/05 as part of Carnival, Sunshine, and Rainbow Series play structures, which cost between $1,500 and $2,000, or sold separately for about $50 to $60. The seats are about 25 inches in length and came in red, yellow, blue, or green, with 64-inch yellow or green dipped chains. The seats have pointed ends with three black dots and black grommets. The following is printed on the seat bottom: " Warning Improper installation maintenance, vandalism, or misuse can lead to serious injury." Play structures with the sling swings contain a metal plate on main beam that says "Rainbow Play Systems Inc. 1-800-RAINBOW." Rainbow has received 84 reports of broken seats; in one incident, a 2-year-old girl suffered a broken wrist when she fell after the swing unexpectedly broke in half.

What to do: Stop using swing and return them to place of purchase for free replacement. Consumers can also call Rainbow at 845-469-6357.

For information, call the company or go to www.rainbowplay.com.

Severe Weather Warning: Nature's most violent storms; A preparedness guide;

Families should be prepared for all hazards that could affect their area. NOAA's National Weather Service, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the American Red Cross urge every family to develop a family disaster plan. Follow these basic steps to develop a family disaster plan...

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