You may recognize me for my Rotary hat, or IGCwest marin hat, but I’d like to think of me as your guardian angel of cyber security. There are SO many ways we can inadvertently get ourselves into a situation today where our private info, our assets, etc. are compromised, that I desperately want to reach as many people as possible and get their attention to the need to be proactive, listen, learn, and be cautious as you click links in your email, an advert, etc. Lurking behind many are sneaky and increasingly well designed scamming siphons of your info. With that little pocket computer in your hands, you must always be wary and protect yourselves. I would so love it if WMCS were to adopt this role, of guardian angel, and I’m hoping one day I’ll get that call to ask me, so, how do we get going on this campaign! Zero hacks in West Marin!
So: sign up for one of the classes. And if you’ve not done so already, go to https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/credit-freezes-and-fraud-alerts
And read the articles they have there. AND FREEZE YOUR CREDIT. Recently, I had to get a credit review for new phone service, it took 2 minutes total to unlock my credit and then program it to relock, all done before I left the Verizon office. Unless you are shopping for a mortgage or similar, you don’t need instant credit access for any merchant. And this will provide very important protection should you get hacked. When our accounts were hacked in the early aughts, it took me 18 months to clear it all up, myriad hours on the phone, letters to restore credit, as the hackers had gone into our good credit record and opened new accounts willy nilly before we were even aware. Over 2 days! Imagine. Thieves in 2007 took 2 days to access our credit and open accounts. Today, it would happen in mere minutes if that. UNLESS you freeze your credit at NO COST TO YOU. And, the hackers got access to our private info through the simple process of us applying for a line of credit with an inch thick stack of forms we had to fill out, that got entered into a system, and were skimmed by a bad apple working at the bank.
You can ask your broker or banker or candlestick maker, for that matter - they will say, freezing your credit is a GOOD IDEA. And what we ought to have done after the line of credit was approved was freeze things right back up!!!!!
https://events.aarp.org/event/6754859f-d468-4112-957e-f1c909eba9db/summ…
You do not have to be a member of AARP to participate in this learning session that will be on the 15th of April, 2026. And if registered, you’ll get a link to watch it at your leisure, of line.
If you have difficulty managing the look up and all that, text me at 415 302 0852 or email me if you know me, and ask for me to forward you the actual AARP email about all this - but if you text, give me your email and I’ll then forward it directly. And, I won’t put you in my address book! Promise.