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FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | AUGUST 2022 17 Summer is in full swing as we welcome August. We hope you are staying cool, hydrated, and safe in the heat of summer here in Beaumont. Please remember to wear a hat, sunscreen, cover exposed skin, and carry water with you before heading out for your daily walks, exercise, or fun at the pool. The Four Seasons Neighborhood Watch Steering Committee has recently received reports of residents receiving frequent calls, letters and emails from scammers attempting to phish for their personal information and obtaining payment for fraudulent billing, etc. Falling victim to such a scam can cost you hours and hours of time spent trying to clear your name, restore your good credit, and reimbursement of money paid to a scammer. Some of the ongoing fraud we have heard of concerns phone calls from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The IRS will NOT contact you by phone asking for your social security number, payment of back taxes, or other personal information. You should never provide these callers with any information, and immediately hang up. The IRS will contact you with legitimate matters using the U.S. Postal Service. If you have questions, you can call the IRS directly or make an appointment to visit the closest IRS office. If you answer a call from an unrecognized number, and the caller asks you, "Is this (saying your full name)," NEVER say "Yes." Scammers have been known to record you saying "Yes," to that question, and then using that as a means of you giving permission for them to utilize your affirmative answer to scam you. Instead, if you are asked to verify your name, rather than saying "Yes," instead ask them "Who's calling please?" A good way to alleviate some of the bothersome spam calls is to block them with your telephone company's method of identifying spam calls without you having to answer the call. You can contact your landline or cell phone provider if you do not know how to enable these call screening and/or blocking features. You can also report mail scams to the US Postal Service, email scams to your internet provider, and telephone scams to your phone service provider. A very helpful website that contains useful information regarding current scams and fraud can be found by using your web browser and typing in http://usa.gov/scams-and-frauds. This is an official governmental website, and lists a number of the most common and recent scams being reported. Last month I wrote an article regarding the feeding of coyotes and wildlife within our community. However, it has again been brought to the NHW Steering Committee's attention that there are residents continuing to feed the coyotes. This practice changes the natural hunting behaviors of these animals, and will lead to them becoming more aggressive toward humans and our domesticated animals. We want them to remain healthy by foraging for their own natural food and water sources, not becoming dependent on humans for survival. Residents are encouraged to report those observed feeding and providing water to the coyotes, bobcats, etc. to Eric Zarr at the HOA office. To ensure the safety of all of our residents, it is important that we practice being good neighbors and not endanger others by feeding the beautiful wildlife that either live or pass through our community. Thank you. Wishing you all a very safe and happy August. Please enjoy the multitude of activities provided within our beautiful community using caution and respect for all of our residents. And don't forget to mark your calendars for our next meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 10 at 10 am in The Lodge Ballroom. See you there! ~ Donna Gilbreth, dgilbreth52@gmail.com Neighborhood Watch & Community Awareness

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