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8 SOLERA DIAMOND VALLEY | MARCH 2022 By Theresa Rossetti, Resident This month let's think about being careful. We need to be careful about our health, avoiding falls, sprains, obviously. We also need to be more and more careful about guarding our financial health. Scams targeting seniors are on the rise. Let's not give scammers an opportunity to steal our money. If you have a smart phone or landline with the ability to save contact numbers, do so. Personally, we never answer the phone unless we recognize the caller ID. If it's important, the caller will leave a message. If you do answer your phone, keep the following in mind: Caller IDs can be faked to look like legitimate businesses or people you know. You're told your grandkid has been kidnapped or is in jail? Scary, I know, but do nothing until you verify. Ignore pleas from anyone who calls you uninvited, including salespeople, charities and companies with whom you already do business, unless you can confirm they are who they say they are. Never, ever agree to buy gift cards and give the caller the pin numbers. Do not give out personal information. Don't confirm your name, your address, or whether your spouse is home. If the caller insists, saying they are from your bank, or another company you do business with, tell them you will call them directly. They'll give you a number to contact. Take it, hang up, find a billing statement or the number on the back of your bank card. Call that number. If you feel pressured to make a decision, hang up. Now let's discuss debit cards, credit cards and banking information. If you bank online, use a strong password. If you do not already have alerts set up on your credit cards, debit cards and checking/ savings accounts, do so immediately. Get notified (by phone, email and/or text) anytime a new computer or device is used to log into your accounts. Set up alerts to notify you if transactions are made outside of the US, over a certain amount, without your card being present or pin used, etc. As an example of this, we recently received an alert that a debit card had been used to make a withdrawal from our checking account. My husband was out, going to the bank to get some cash, so I thought nothing of it until I noticed the withdrawal was for $550 using my debit card, not his. Since my debit card was in my wallet and he took out way less than $550, I canceled my debit card immediately and called the number on the back of the card. The transaction was stopped, a new debit card issued, and the money was back in our account within minutes. We've spent a lifetime earning our money. We deserve to choose how we spend it. A Year of "Ful"

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