VFC holds May meeting

Seven members and guest speaker Susan Johnson attended the Volunteers for Family and Community’s May meeting.

Martha Griffith delivered an eye-opening report on identify theft, which is rapidly becoming a common problem.

All are open to becoming a victim of the crime without evening being aware of it.

The report centered on how bank account numbers are stolen and imprinted on fake checks, a method used by scam artists for a number of years now.

Many points were brought forth on how to avoid this type of thievery. Once an account has been invaded it is very time-consuming and difficult to correct the damage that has occurred.

Emphasis was placed on the importance of constantly monitoring all bank and credit card accounts. Any irregularities or discrepancies should be addressed immediately, even if it is just a few pennies, as many thieves are employees of the firm.

An example of a credit card employee skimming a few cents from a number of accounts, which doesn’t take long to add up to a large amount of money.

Advice was also provided to never put outgoing checks in your mailbox or a collection box. Always take them inside of a post office. The problem of collection box theft has caused mail to only be picked up from the post office in several locations, such as Phoenix, Ariz.

VFC meetings are held the second Monday of each month at 1 p.m. at the Pleasant Hill Methodist Church. All interested in volunteer work are encouraged to contact Pat Zuel, VFC Secretary, at 318-796-2023.