Pledge/Prayer: President Gerri
Song: Andy
Brents Card Game Winner: Jess
Sergeant's Report: Paul
Raffle Winners: Joe, Bill B., Mike, Bill O.
Happy Bucks
Happy Birthday to Joan Michaud
Announcements:
Meals on Wheels: Chief Mosca
We were told of the passing of Larry Reney, a frrequent visitor and friend to our club and former First Selectman of Old Saybrook. Larry gave several intersting and informative programs to our club mostly on his travels.
To celebrate their grand opening in Old Saybrook, Guilford Savings Bank donated a total of $10,000 to several organizations in town including $1,000 to our club.
Jess announced that the application for matching funds for the water filtration project was so well thought of by the district that they are making it available to other clubs who may want to participate in this project. Great job Jess!
Mike announced that our ad thanking the vendors and participants just ran in the Harbor News. The ad came out really well. Thanks to Peter for getting a lower price on the ad.
Gerri announced the DARE program graduation/award ceremonies are at the Middle School today at 6:30. Our club will be receiving a citation for support of this important and well run program.
Andy announced that the Interact Club will be running the soup kitchen at the Old Lyme Congregational Church beginning at 10:00am. Its a site to see and appreciate.
Brent announced the golf tournament planning is underway. Pictures will be sent out in April around the time of the Masters Golf Tournament.
Gerri announced that the celebration of Old Saybrook winning the "100 Best Communities" will take place tomorrow with a reception at 4:30 followed by the ceremony at 5:00 at the Middle School. Our club will be receiving a citation along with other organizations who have a positive impact on our youth in town.
Membership directories are ready - please help yourself.
Program:
Jason Smith introduced our speaker, Crystal Sides of the Guilford Savings Bank
Crystal gave a very interesting and informative talk on the problem of identity theft a growing problem in this country. Identity theft is defined as the using of personal information fraudulantly. Hartford is the top city in the state with 191 reported cases last year. New Haven is second. The top age group for victims is 18-29. ID thieves get their information from computers (hacking into unsuspeciting PCs) dumpsters and retail outlets with inadequate controls (TJ Max the latest case). Crystal cautioned against opening emails from people you don't know - it can lead to security compromise through spyware.
Credit card fraud is the most common problem and isn't always easy to detect. 18% of victims don't find out about a problem for 4 years. Cell phone and bank fraud are also issues. Currently, penalties aren't very severe and more needs to be done at state and federal levels.
What to do...
Manage your information wisely. Pre-approved credit card offers must be shredded or destroyed - not simply thrown away. Don't carry your social security card on your person but keep it in a safe place. Don't take any offers unless you know who you are dealing with. If you are having any workers in your house, put your documents away. If your PC doesn't have a firewall, get one installed and if you have DSL, turn your PC off when not in use - hackers can get into your PC if on because DSL is always running.
Detect problems by checking your financial statements. You can get a free credit report which is also helpful from Equifax, Experian and other services. They are very secure - you cannot obtain information without answering questions that only you know. If you lose your wallet or purse, report it to your bank and one of the credit services immediately.
Bill paying is best done online thru your bank. Crystal recommended not paying your bills directly to the creditor because they do not have the same stringent ID processes as the bank.
md
