Credit Card Scams

How many of us have received that text message that says “Your credit card starting with 4505” has been compromised. I know that I have received that too many times to count any more, and of course that is a scam given that each type of credit card starts with a standard four numbers. I wonder how many people fall for this because I think it is something that if you are busy and just see “your credit card has been compromised.” You immediately think that you need to do something, so you click on the link provided to try and resolve the issue.

 Now here is a conversation that I had when our phone rang and I answered it:

 Person: Hello is Mr ? There please

Me: I’m sorry he isn’t available now can I help you.

 Person: This is Visa/Mastercard calling, and I was wanting to check to ensure that the new credit card that we sent arrived.

Me: I thought Visa and Mastercard were two different companies

 Person: Yes, Visa/Master

Me: What is the name of the company that is calling?

 Person: Do you mean the name of the bank?

Me. Yes, what is the name of the card company that is calling?

Person: Oh, it’s CIBC Fraud department, we sent you a new card because your card expired

Me: Can you tell me the expiry date that is showing on your system

Person: Oh, do you have the card with you?

Me: Yes, I do have the card with me

 Person: Please tell me the expiry date on the card

            Me: You should be able to tell me because you sent me a new card, and you are calling me from the company.

 Person: hangs up and ends the call

 

The funny thing about this entire conversation was it originally started that they were asking for my husband, and it was Visa/Mastercard that was calling. Normally, if it is the bank or credit card company that is calling, they won’t talk to anyone other than the specific credit card holder. Here this person was trying to get some information about a credit card from me, but I wasn’t providing him with the information that he was asking for.

The first red flag was “Visa/Mastercard” these are two entirely different companies, so they wouldn’t be calling as one company. The second one was they didn’t identify the company they were calling from until I had to ask them a couple of times. The third thing was why would the Fraud department be calling to confirm I had received my new card as it has expired. 

 So, when you get this type of call, be very careful and don’t provide them with any information. Also, listen to the words the person that is calling you is saying because there are a lot of times you can trip them up and get them off their script. Know that if you receive a call from a credit card company, you can always hang up and call the company yourself after looking up the number yourself. Do not trust any phone number that you receive after getting a cold call about a credit card.

 There are more and more credit card scams happening, so always remember that you are the one that is in control of what information you provide, not the person that called you.

 

Having the right planner for you

Over the last few years, I have been trying to find a planner that works for me and the way that I think and like doing things. It has taken quite a while for me to figure out just want I liked about planners and what I didn’t like. I know that I have written quite a few blogs about my planner or my journal and how I have liked the one that I was using.

Last year, I decided that instead of purchasing a planner because I couldn’t find one that I liked, I would use a dot journal book and lay out my own planner so that I could lay it out for what I wanted to use my planner for. Yes, that is a great ideal when you first think about doing it, until you realize how much time it takes to set up your planner. The planner I had set up would last me four months, and then I would have to set up another planner for another four months, which isn’t something I was enjoying doing. So, part way through the first four months I realized that I could change the planner up, and it would last me 6 months so that was better, except that I still had to sit and layout each page of the planner which does take time. I did end up setting the second planner for last year and got through part of that planner until I found an academic planner that I liked.

The academic planner did work through the end of the year, but then I realized that I really didn’t like a planner that went from July – June because for me a year is January – December, so I needed another planner, so the hunt was on again to find something that I liked.

Things that I didn’t want.

1. The appointment layout, as I don’t operate on a time schedule, I work on a get things done schedule.
2. Something that won’t stay open on my desk because I like seeing the calendar, so I see what I have to do.
   

What I did want.

1. Space where I could add notes each day easily.
2. Ability to add little notes after I had completed the tasks and added everything else for the day.

As you can see, I had some specific things that I both wanted and didn’t want, and it was becoming a challenge to find a planner that was going to make me happy. After looking at a lot of calendar and planner, I finally found one that seems to be working for me, and it is the Happy Planner – Classic Lined Vertical Layout. This planner gives me the space to add the items I want to complete each day and with it being a ring system I can add pages to it if I want.

My planner is very important to me because it is used for both work and personal tasks, so having it available on my desk all the time is important. I have been using this planner since the beginning of the year and so far, it seems to be working for me. I hope that I can continue to find this type of planner in the coming years because not having to set up my own planner is so much nicer and I have enjoyed it so far.

 

Knapsack Etiquette

Here is something that bothers me, and it's people that wear their knapsacks while around other people. The one thing that bothers me is how big the knapsacks are, and the person wearing it doesn’t seem to remember that they cannot see what their bag is hitting if it’s on their back. I understand that if you are walking a distance, having your knapsack on your back makes a lot of sense, but it’s wearing it in crowded areas that I don’t appreciate.

A knapsack that is on someone’s back can really be a bother for everyone else around them, especially in small areas. I wish people that have knapsacks on their backs would think of the other people around them and not just themselves. So many people take transit and think they are small and don’t realize or think about what is on their back and the extra space they are taking up. When taking transit, I know that transit people ask passengers to remove bags from their backs, but a lot of them don’t pay much attention to that message. These bags end up in other people’s faces, jammed into someone else’s back, or just blocking access.

This similar thing happens when people are on elevators. The knapsack is either hitting someone else or blocking the way for people trying to get on or off the elevator. I know in our building when the students all get out of school, and they get on the elevator it is crazy because no one removed their knapsacks, but they just keep pushing on. By simply taking their knapsack off their back and holding it in their hands would make more room in the elevator for everyone.

It would be nice if the people that wear their knapsacks on transit or on elevators understood the impact of that on others around them. Sure, it leaves your hands free to be on your mobile device, but it is impacting other people around you. I don’t know how many times I have had a knapsack almost hit me in the face while I was sitting on a bus or subway. Also, on the elevator here in our building knapsacks are always hitting someone else if kids from school get on the one, we are on.

So, remember that simple knapsack etiquette is taking our knapsack off your back before getting on transit or an elevator. If you don’t do this, you are communicating to everyone else that “My bag is important, and you aren’t.”