Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/70814
SENIOR CORNER by MARTHA OWEN & SUSAN GUY Quick Action Needed You thought this could never happen: You or a senior loved one has been the victim of a scam. You need to get help now, before another dollar trickles away and your credit score takes a big hit. Here are some key steps, according to legal experts: • Contact the police. File a report with the police department in the area where the crime was committed. • Get a copy of the police report. If you are unable to obtain a copy of the police report, be sure to get the report number. • Close your accounts. If you notice any accounts under your name that have been tampered with or opened without your con- sent, close them immediately. Call each bank or company and then follow up in writing. If there are fraudulent charges or debts on your account or if a new account has been opened, you should immedi- ately file a fraud report with your bank's fraud department. If you close an existing bank account and open a new one, be sure to cre- ate new PINs (Personal Identification Numbers) and passwords. • Eliminate fraudulent new accounts. If a new account has been opened without your knowledge and consent, ask that company if it has a fraud department. If it does, file a fraud report with that department. If not, ask if the company will accept an ID Theft Affidavit from the Federal Trade Commission. You can print out an www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/resources/forms/affidavit.pdf [ID Theft Affidavit]. The FTC also provides www.ftc.gov/opa/2002/02/idtheft.shtm [more information on fraud]. • File a federal complaint. The Federal Trade Commission is the federal consum- er protection agency. The FTC, in conjunction with the FBI, maintains an Identity Theft Data Clearinghouse. The FTC aids identity theft investigations by collecting complaints from victims and sharing the information with law-enforcement agen- cies, credit bureaus, companies where the fraud took place and other government Scammers are equal opportunity crooks. Protect yourself. from going through the same thing. Law enforcement officials are experienced in handling cases such as yours, and they are sympathetic to your plight. For seniors, family members and care givers can help, too, by serving as a second set of eyes and ears in a senior's home. These individuals can be on the lookout for suspicious activity and assist seniors by sorting through junk mail, throwing out unwanted credit card offers and reminding older adults about other material that needs to be shredded before discarding. For more information, visit: www.ago.ne.gov/resources/dyn/ files/392571za5a5011a/_fn/AGO_IDTheftBroch_122910. pdf. MARTHA OWEN & SUSAN GUY, Owners of Home Instead Senior Care, Editor@ upandcomingweekly.com. Who's Cleaning Up for the Convention Company Coming? by D.G. MARTIN "Working with a bunch of orthopedic surgeons." This was Dr. Dan Murrey's answer to my question about why he thought he could handle a task that seems so unmanageable. Murrey is the executive director of Charlotte's host commit- tee for the National Democratic National Convention in early September. He manages an effort to raise $36 million, organize 10,000 volunteers and make thousands of delegates, media and other visitors happy with their experience in Charlotte. He has to work with a host of politicians and others with over- sized egos, short tempers and an expectation of getting their way. It seems an impossible task. So does his regular job as CEO of a large orthopedic surgical practice. If he can handle the high egos of orthopedic surgeons and make them happy, maybe he can handle the host committee job, too. When he talked to a group of fellow Davidson alumni at a North Carolina has never hosted a major party political convention. The last one held in the Carolinas was in 1860 in Charleston. Selecting one of the two nominees for the most important lead- ership position in the world is important business. So the eyes of the nation and the world will be on Charlotte and North Carolina. Murrey figures that the value to the Charlotte and North Carolina communities of the resulting "media exposure" will ex- ceed $500 million. recent reunion weekend, his self-confidence and enthusiasm for the task made me a believer. Murrey's host committee is distinct from the Democratic North Carolina has never hosted a major party political convention. Party's National Convention Committee, which plans and over- sees the actual running of the convention. "They plan the 'wedding,'" Murrey says, "and we pay for it." Murrey has had to make some personal adjustments to his new job. As CEO of an established medical practice, "When I needed a phone, I'd just say 'I need a phone' and it would appear. But running a convention is like a start-up business. If I say 'I need a phone,' nobody automatically does anything. Running and prepar- ing for a convention is like changing the wheels of a bus going down an interstate at 80 miles an hour." So why would he want to jump into this job? Why would Charlotte want to disrupt its citizens' lives and fill its city with partisan politicians from one side when the city, like the country, is divided down the middle in a mean-spirited contest for control? Murrey can tick off the reasons. 16 UCW JUNE 20-26, 2012 leaders. In addition there will be the President, the Vice President and a large rep- resentation from the U.S. Congress. There will be 350 diplomats from all over the world and, says Murrey, an entire host of other influential "thought leaders." Countless media, about half of them international, are coming and, says Murrey, "They will have to find something to write about." The eyes of the world will be on Charlotte. What will they see? Murrey points to hundreds of ongoing activities his committee and others are planning to make sure the world sees Charlotte at its best. Murrey smiles and says quietly, even sternly, with the confidence of an orthopedic surgeon, "We've got company coming to town so we had better clean it up." D.G. MARTIN Columnist. COM- MENTS? Editor@upandcomin- gweekly.com. WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM In addition, he estimates that there will be $200 million in im- mediate economic impact from the visitors' spending and the service activities that will support them. According to Murrey, approximately 35,000 people will come to Charlotte for the convention. Although other events have brought more people to town (National Rifle Association con- vention, 80,000; CIAA basketball tournament, 200,000), the composition of the delegates to the convention and the accompa- nying visitors make these 35,000 people extraordinarily valuable. The delegates will be mayors, legislators and many other local agencies. File at www.consumer.gov/idtheft [FTC complaint] or call 877-ID-THEFT (877-438-4338). • Initiate a fraud alert. Place a fraud alert on your credit file as well as review your credit report. This will prevent a thief from opening any more accounts in your name. You should contact the three major credit bureaus. Credit bureau contact information: Equifax, 800-525-6285; Experian, 888-397-3742; Transunion, 800-680-7289 • Follow-up. After you have a fraud alert included in your credit history, you are entitled to receive a free copy of your credit report from each of the credit bureaus. Request a copy and review your re- port for accounts you did not open, debts on your account that you did not know about, inquiries from companies you don't know and inaccurate information. The important thing to remember is that you're not alone. It's unfortunate, but scamming has become commonplace, and there's no reason to be embarrassed. Acting quickly may prevent someone