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Month: September 2017

7 Ways to Use Social Media to Help Your Community

Posted on by ARRC Technology

Social media can get a bad reputation for being an endless stream of selfies and baby photos. But with the recent devastation of Hurricane Harvey and our very own flash flooding here in Bakersfield over Labor Day weekend, social media can be harnessed for good, too. Here are seven ways social media can make your community a better place.

  1. Raise awareness

Not everyone reads the newspaper each morning, but most people check their social media accounts. Hyper-local issues don’t get much play even in regional news, but that doesn’t mean people don’t need to know what’s happening on their local school board or when the local library is holding a talk that they might be interested in. Social media can function as a sort of town bulletin board. Whether it’s letting people know about issues that face the community or just alerting people to a new restaurant that’s trying to build a customer base, social media can be a way to learn about your community in a fine-grained way that you won’t get from other outlets.

  1. Solicit small donations with a big impact

A year or so ago, a New York-based writer sent out an idea to her social media followers: call up local schools and ask them if any of their students have unpaid cafeteria balances. Then donate money to pay down those debts. The idea sparked charity initiatives across the country, with charitable folks donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to their local schools to make sure no kids had to go without a hot lunch because of their outstanding cafeteria debts. In cases like these, an outpouring of public support for small-scale acts of kindness can have a big impact. People who donated might only have given $10 or $20, but that can pay off a lot of $2.50 school lunches.

  1. Give people a place to meet virtually when they can’t connect offline

The internet allows people to connect with their peers in a safe space regardless of geography. Social media groups for local youth, for instance, offer discussion boards, highlight relevant news, hold social events that allow online members to meet up in real life, and connect kids to opportunities to take part in summer camps, theater troupes, and more.

  1. Mobilize supporters

Want to support a topic coming up before the town hall? How about raising funds for a family in need? Or just soliciting help to find a lost pet? Numbers matter. You may not be able to put up flyers all over your town, but you can reach out to hundreds of people with the right social media account. With a little publicity, you can gather support from a much wider swath of your community.

  1. Connect neighbors

In the modern era, neighborhoods aren’t always as tight-knit as they used to be. Residents might not know their next-door neighbor, much less the family down the block. But social media can help connect people who live in the same area but otherwise wouldn’t have any opportunity to meet. These private groups and location-specific apps allow rental tenants and homeowners alike to do everything from finding nearby garage sales to crowdsourcing recommendations for handyman services. An online neighborhood group can help you find a sitter for your baby, your dog, or your house. And it can help you put names to the faces you run into every day and alleviate those awkward head nods to the folks next door.

  1. Share community resources

Whether it’s helping people understand their rights as rental tenants, publicizing local scholarships for college-bound students, letting people know about free job fairs or volunteer opportunities, or helping disadvantaged groups find support resources, social media can be an effective way to let neighbors know about resources available to them that might be under-publicized.

  1. Inspire good deeds

Sometimes people just need a nudge to get out in the community and do some good. In Iowa, a pair of middle-schoolers decided to spend their summer encouraging their neighbors to share small acts of kindness. They set up social media accounts to help inspire their followers, posting weekly prompts like “tell someone they make you happy and why,” sharing different ways that people can give back to their communities, and publicizing the stories of small acts of kindness their followers shared with them.

Why It’s Important to Check if You Were Affected by the Equifax Hack

Posted on by ARRC Technology

With the recent Equifax data breach, you’re probably wondering how to tell if a thief is using your stolen information, and how. Unfortunately, there are a number of nefarious activities to watch out for when your Social Security number has been compromised.

Opening a fake account is the most common thing someone will do with your Social Security number, but it’s one of the least damaging things they can do. Criminals can literally take over your identity and use it to steal medical goods, commit serious crimes, file false tax returns, create fake children to go with the identity, and even create problems with mortgages and home deeds. Not good.

So what do you do about this whole data breach?

First, check the potential impact at Equifax’s TrustedID website. You’ll have to enter the last 6-digits of your Social Security number and your last name, and the site will tell you if there’s reason to believe your information has been stolen. Don’t worry, the site is completely secure. Asking for 6 digits is a little unusual but it helps to ensure the data is accurate.

The site will tell you instantly how likely it is you’ve been hacked. Equifax is offering complimentary credit reports, 3 bureau credit file monitoring, credit report lock, social security number monitoring, and $1 million identity theft insurance to consumers for free to make up for their blunder.

Second, and most importantly, monitor your credit report on your own. You can use a credit monitoring service like Equifax’s TrustedID (which they’re offering for free—obviously), but it’s probably best if you also check your credit reports regularly yourself. You’re entitled to a free copy of your report from each of the three major bureaus each year (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) and you can grab your copy at Annual Credit Report.

If anyone has opened a line of credit in your name, it will show up on your report and you’ll have to dispute it. If there’s fraudulent activity, you should contact each of the three credit reporting agencies to dispute the inaccurate item(s). We hope you never have to, but here’s the contact info for all three bureaus:

 

Equifax Alerts

(888) 766-0008

Equifax Consumer Fraud Division, PO Box 740256,

Atlanta, GA 30374

 

Experian Fraud Center

(888) 397-3742

Experian

P.O. Box 9554

Allen, TX 75013

 

Transunion Fraud Alert

(888) 909-8872

TransUnion Fraud Victim Assistance Department,

P.O. Box 2000

Chester, PA 19016

 

Finally, consider putting a freeze and a fraud alert on all three of your credit reports if your data has likely been stolen. Some states may impose a fee for this, but Equifax is waiving that charge right now.

It’s absolutely critical to review your credit report regularly, not just right now in the wake of the data breach. Stay smart and be proactive about your sensitive information, and you’ll avoid the headache of identity theft.

Everyday Habits that Leave You Vulnerable Online

Posted on by ARRC Technology

Whether you check social media, read email, or do most anything online, your internet behavior can put you at risk. Hackers and scammers take advantage of your online movements to get your financial data and other sensitive information to use for their gain, at your pain. To stay safe and protect your identity, make sure you avoid these everyday habits that leave you vulnerable online.

  1. You use the same password for multiple accounts

You already know that your passwords should be strong, duh. But besides using long combinations of random numbers, letters, and symbols, you should also make each password you use unique to that account. If you use the same password for multiple accounts, a hacker who gains access to one account also has access to your other accounts. So keep separate passwords and change them every few months. Sound like too much to remember? Some great options include LastPass or Dashlane.

  1. You overshare on social media

It’s easier than ever to share details of your life, but all that social media sharing can leave you vulnerable to identity thieves, who can piece together information you share to crack your passwords and answers to security questions. Disable location sharing, don’t reveal your birthday or the first concert you attended, and give a second thought to telling the world you’re on vacation. It’s always better to post after you’ve returned! There’s nothing worse than advertising that your home is unattended from this date to that date.

  1. You regularly connect to public Wi-Fi

Although you may enjoy setting up a makeshift office in a coffee shop equipped with Wi-Fi, tread very carefully. Public Wi-Fi networks make it easy for hackers to see everything you do while you use the connection. If you must use public Wi-Fi, never log into banks or social media accounts, and consider using a virtual private network (VPN) to protect your sensitive data. VPNs act like a tunnel around your information so potential thieves cannot see all your data.

  1. You immediately open unfamiliar email

If you don’t think twice before opening an email (or attachment) from an unfamiliar sender, you put yourself at serious risk of phishing. Phishers are scammers who send emails containing links or attachments that, once you click on them, can trick you into revealing your login information or infect your computer with malware or ransomware.

Be mindful before opening any unusual emails, and pause before clicking on links or attachments that seem suspect. Before you click on a link that appears to be from your bank, for example, go directly to your bank’s website or call your bank to determine if the email is legitimate.

Or, if you’re using a desktop computer, hover your pointer over the link and see where it really redirects to.

  1. You accept invitations to connect from strangers

Although online platforms offer legitimate professional networking opportunities, be wary of impulsively accepting invitations and requests from strangers. Cyberstalkers can use social networks to gain information on potential victims and send unwanted messages. Before you add a stranger to your social networks, take a good look at his or her profile and consider the risk. It can be easy to assume you’ve simply forgotten that person from a brief interaction at a networking event, but that’s why looking closely at their profile will help you weed out the scammers from the real people.

  1. You rely on autofill

When you’re logging in to an account or doing online shopping, autofill and autocomplete features can save a ton of time. But storing your data makes it seriously vulnerable to cybercriminals. Make sure you disable autofill on your browser, and take the extra time to manually type in your credit card number each time you buy something. It may seem like a hassle now, but it’s a breeze compared to dealing with identity theft. Trust us.

  1. You overlook your old accounts

Whether you have to create a username and password to read a random article or try a yoga class at a new studio, it’s easy to rack up a large number of online accounts. But having your personal information stored on multiple unused accounts can put your data at risk. Keep track of every new online account you open, and delete any accounts you no longer use. Doing so will ensure that only the companies and platforms that you’re active on will have access to your data.

  1. You leave your computer unattended

Some criminals are more low-tech. If you regularly leave your computer, phone, or tablet unattended, you put your information at risk. Even leaving your devices unattended while you go to the restroom or get coffee can leave you vulnerable. The United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) recommends you lock your computer any time you’re away from it. Protect your devices with a password that you must enter each time, and close your laptop’s lid (or put it to sleep) when you step away from it.