ARE YOU PREPARED?
Faith-based guidance and practice in prevention, protection, interaction, and survival
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Collaborative workshops on assessing risks, mitigating crises, and managing contingencies
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Partner together to provide 24/7 emergency access, consultation, and threat analysis
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NEWS FOR YOU
1,300 INTERNET COMPLAINTS PER DAY
No, that doesn’t include complaining about your download speeds. This is 467,361 complaints that were received in 2019 by the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) – recording more than $3.5 billion in losses to individual and business victims. What were the most frequently reported complaints? Phishing and similar ploys like non-payment/non-delivery scams, and extortion. The most financially costly complaints involved business email compromise, confidence fraud, and spoofing – like mimicking the account of a person or vendor known to the victim in order to gather personal or financial information. While email is still a common entry point, frauds are also beginning on text messages—a crime called smishing, or even fake websites—a tactic called pharming. For instance, you may get a text message that appears to be your bank asking you to verify information on your account, or you may even search a service online and inadvertently end up on a fraudulent site that gathers your bank or credit card information. Don't be naive. You need to be extremely skeptical and double check everything. In the same way your bank and online accounts have started to require two-factor authentication—apply that to your life. Verify requests in person or by phone, double check web and email addresses, and don’t follow the links provided in any messages. |
TIPS & ADVICE
CORONAVIRUS CONTINUES TO SPREAD
With 37 countries and territories affected around the world, the coronavirus has the world’s attention. With its rapid emergence in December 2019, the virus causes an infection in your respiratory system. It has symptoms very similar to that of a common flu: fever, shortness of breath, and coughing. The higher interest seems to stem from a transmission rate of 2-3 infected from 1 person and that this can occur during an incubation period of up to 14 days.
Especially for the those who must travel, the World Health Organization is recommending the following:
1. Wash your hands frequently
Clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water.
2. Maintain social distancing
Maintain at least 3 feet distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing to help avoid the potentially virus-laced droplets being expelled.
3. Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth
Hands touch many surfaces and can pick up viruses. Once contaminated, hands can transfer the virus to your eyes, nose or mouth.
4. Practice respiratory hygiene
Cover your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze.
5. If you have fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical care early
Stay home if you feel unwell. If you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical attention and call in advance.
With 37 countries and territories affected around the world, the coronavirus has the world’s attention. With its rapid emergence in December 2019, the virus causes an infection in your respiratory system. It has symptoms very similar to that of a common flu: fever, shortness of breath, and coughing. The higher interest seems to stem from a transmission rate of 2-3 infected from 1 person and that this can occur during an incubation period of up to 14 days.
Especially for the those who must travel, the World Health Organization is recommending the following:
1. Wash your hands frequently
Clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water.
2. Maintain social distancing
Maintain at least 3 feet distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing to help avoid the potentially virus-laced droplets being expelled.
3. Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth
Hands touch many surfaces and can pick up viruses. Once contaminated, hands can transfer the virus to your eyes, nose or mouth.
4. Practice respiratory hygiene
Cover your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze.
5. If you have fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical care early
Stay home if you feel unwell. If you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical attention and call in advance.
HOW USED IS TOO USED?
A quick search of the internet and you will read multiple horror stories of people who have been denied entry into a country because their passport is either about to expire or is judged to be damaged. We can understand the definitive time limits but what about the more subjective limits of a well-worn passport?
According to the US government, a passport is considered damaged and may not be used if “The passport has been materially changed in physical appearance or composition, or contains a damaged, defective or otherwise nonfunctioning chip, or includes unauthorized changes, obliterations, entries or photographs, or has observable wear or tear that renders it unfit for use as a travel document.”
You can see there is a lot of room for interpretation there. Keep in mind that “damaged” passports and pleading passengers have been used as a cover for illegal entry and activity in many parts of the world. Needless to say, immigration and security staff are very aware of this as a potential ploy and security threat and will often lean toward a more stringent side.
So how do we avoid the delays and stress of this conflict? Check your passport for the following:
~ No tears or cuts in the pages, especially the photo page
~ Everything on the photo page is legible and clear
~ RFID chip is clearly not damaged
~ No pages have been removed
~ No alterations or tampering
~ No water damage
~ Cover is not loose
~ No exposed threads
Safe Travels!
A quick search of the internet and you will read multiple horror stories of people who have been denied entry into a country because their passport is either about to expire or is judged to be damaged. We can understand the definitive time limits but what about the more subjective limits of a well-worn passport?
According to the US government, a passport is considered damaged and may not be used if “The passport has been materially changed in physical appearance or composition, or contains a damaged, defective or otherwise nonfunctioning chip, or includes unauthorized changes, obliterations, entries or photographs, or has observable wear or tear that renders it unfit for use as a travel document.”
You can see there is a lot of room for interpretation there. Keep in mind that “damaged” passports and pleading passengers have been used as a cover for illegal entry and activity in many parts of the world. Needless to say, immigration and security staff are very aware of this as a potential ploy and security threat and will often lean toward a more stringent side.
So how do we avoid the delays and stress of this conflict? Check your passport for the following:
~ No tears or cuts in the pages, especially the photo page
~ Everything on the photo page is legible and clear
~ RFID chip is clearly not damaged
~ No pages have been removed
~ No alterations or tampering
~ No water damage
~ Cover is not loose
~ No exposed threads
Safe Travels!
