The Citizen, 2009-01-08, Page 2PAGE 2. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2009.
The old saying “If it’s too good to
be true, it’s probably is” needs to be
front and centre in everyone’s mind.
Members of the Huron OPP have
received several calls recently of
frauds and scams and citizens need
to be wary of those great
“deals”.
Citizens have reported receiving
news of winning the British Lottery,
however the winner needed to send
money for the laptop they were also
to receive. In another fraud, a citizen
purchased Tim Horton’s food cards
from e-Bay for approximately half
the price of their value. The
purchaser verified the cards were
valid prior to sending the seller
money, but once the seller got the
money, some of the cards were
cancelled via the internet. An item
such as this has a set monetary value
that is non-negotiable.
People need to stop and think
“why is this person selling these for
so much less”?
The answer is usually that the
product is stolen or the deal is a
scam.
“With our current tough economic
times, thieves are counting on the
fact that purchasers are looking for
good deals, said Const. Joanna Van
Meirlo. “We advise citizens to be
careful with their money.”
For further information on scams
and frauds, visit
www.phonebusters.com. Here are
some tips for recognizing a scam
courtesy of Phonebusters.
It sounds too good to be true
• You’ve won a big prize in a
contest that you don’t recall
entering. You’re offered a once-in-
a-lifetime investment that offers a
huge return. You’re told that you
can buy into a lottery ticket pool
that cannot lose.
You must pay or you can’t play
• “You’re a winner!” but you must
agree to send money to the caller in
order to pay for delivery,
processing, taxes, duties or some
other fee in order to receive your
prize. Sometimes the caller will
even send a courier to pick up your
money.
You must give them your private
financial information
• The caller asks for all your
confidential banking and/or credit
card information. Honest
businesses do not require these
details unless you are using that
specific method of payment.
Will that be cash... or cash?
• Often criminal telemarketers ask
you to send cash or a money order,
rather than a cheque or credit card.
Cash is untraceable and can’t be
cancelled. And, crooks also have
difficulty in establishing
themselves as merchants with
legitimate credit card
companies.
The caller is more excited than you
are
• The crooks want to get you
excited about this “opportunity” so
that you won’t be able to think
clearly.
It’s the manager calling
• The person calling claims to be a
government official, tax officer,
banking official, lawyer or some
other person in authority. The
person calls you by your first name
and asks you a lot of personal or
lifestyle questions (like how often
your grown children visit you).
The stranger calling wants to
become your best friend
• Criminals love finding out if
you’re lonely and willing to talk.
Once they know that, they’ll try to
convince you that they are your
friend – after all, we don’t normally
suspect our friends of being crooks.
It’s a limited opportunity and
you’re going to miss out
• If you are pressured to make a big
purchase decision immediately, it’s
probably not a legitimate deal. Real
businesses or charities will give
you a chance to check them out or
think about it.
What can I do to protect myself?
Remember, legitimate
telemarketers have nothing to hide.
However, criminals will say
anything to part you from your hard-
earned money.
Be cautious.
You have the right to check out
any caller by requesting written
information, a call back number,
references and time to think over the
offer.
Legitimate business people will be
happy to provide you with that
information. After all, they want the
“bad guys” out of business too.
Always be careful about providing
confidential personal information,
especially banking or credit card
details, unless you are certain the
company is legitimate.
And, if you have doubts about a
caller, your best defence is to simply
hang up. It’s not rude – it’s
smart.
If you’re in doubt, it’s wise to ask
the advice of a close friend or
relative, or even your banker. Rely
on trusted people.
2009 so new, so fresh, so exciting
– a brand new year for us to
spend.
The possibilities, the
opportunities, the changes that come
with a new year cause one to take a
look at the old one and see what
really happened. With that kind of heavy thinking going on,no wonder it feels like down time.For many the Christmasdecorations are tucked away foranother year. Others keep the lightsburning and the season going. Thisis the only time of year that I like thetune for “The 12 Days of Christmas”and quite literally the decorations
stay until this week.
The warmth and love that is shown
at Christmas surrounds me as the
thinking of Christmases past, and
the hope of the next year are
processed. The past season is now
tucked into the memory bank as a
time of joy and growth, health and
shared love.Ahh … another good year.The after-Christmas fridgereminds me of how I feel on some ofthese past days. The extraabundance, and unnecessary frills are gone, leaving just the basics. At first glance it looksempty as the memory of all theexcess flits by, then reality gets holdto see that life and the fridge are
back to a quieter, calmer state of
being.
For some the visiting of the season
got curtailed as colds and chicken
pox came to call. Time, chicken
soup and sleep fixed most folks just
in time to return to school and
regular routine.
Prevention is the best route tohandle the diseases of the winter. Inthis time of indoor living be sure towash your hands. on each encounterwith food, things and folks, the 20seconds of time spent with the soapand water is still the best way tokeep healthy.The ABC song ensures thelathering and friction time at the tapare enough. It’s simple – just do it
for the health of it.
The hockey crew has kept busy
and now with the latest win against
Russia at the junior level, dreams
and goals have been reignited.
As we head into January may
health and hopefulness be yours.
Bye now, Betty G.W.
By Jo-Ann McDonald
Welcome back to everyone and we
hope everyone had a great holiday
season. Many of our volunteers have
taken a break over the holidays and
we appreciate their commitment to
the Brussels Legion Branch.
Marg Bennett, Leona McDonald
and Helen Dobson are faithful
organizers and donators to the bi-
weekly euchres. Howard and
Audrey Hackwell, Judy Lee and Jo-
Ann McDonald are the committed
foursome who work the Sunday
night dances, Jo-Ann McDonald,
Deb Cann and Helen Dobson are the
cooks who keep everyone fed on
Friday nights.
As you can read, this is a very
small list of names who are
committing their time on a regular
basis. We are looking for volunteers
who could spell off some of these
folks once in a while. Maybe you
could help once a month or once
every two months at one of these
functions. If you have time on
Saturday afternoon, Sunday
evening, or would like to cook, or
make some main course or dessert
for the Friday night supper, call the
Branch and leave a message or
contact Jo-Ann.
This week will see the resumption
of the regular activities at the
Branch. The Cadets will be meeting
on Tuesday evenings and will
always welcome interested youth to
come out and see what Cadets are all
about. Remember their fundraising
activity of collecting pop cans and
returnable bottles, beer, liquor or
wine. Donations of these can be left
at the Branch on Tuesdays for pick
up by the Cadets.
Anyone is welcome to drop off
donations, not just Legion members.
This has been a very successful way
of fundraising for the past year and
we appreciate all who have brought
in donations.
The Thursday night darts will
resume with play beginning at 8
p.m. Anyone can drop by and
participate for a mere $1. Names are
drawn for teammates and there is no
commitment to coming out every
week. Come when you can and have
some fun.
The Friday night suppers will
resume after the cooks take a couple
of weeks off. The first meal back
will be sweet and sour meatballs and
rice.
Euchres and dances will also
return this weekend after a break for
the holiday season.
The Zone sports activities
resumed this past weekend with
double darts being held in Wingham.
The Branch had three teams taking
part. All teams did well and advance
to District play in February. Two
of our teams, Eric Ross and
Ron Schmidt and Bob Richardson
and Norm Wylie, tied for third
while the other team of Ken
Bird and Andy Adams finished
fifth.
The next Zone sport is euchre to
be held in Mitchell on Jan. 17.
Anyone wishing to participate
should call the Branch immediately
(by the weekend) if wishing to
attend.
Congrats to the members of
Branch 218. The paid memberships
by the end of 2008 did very well.
There are still some out there who
will hopefully send their dues in as
soon as possible so Comrade Greg
Wilson can get his 2008 books
completed.
The 2009 newsletters should be
out by the end of the month as long
as the committee chairmen get their
reports in. If anyone has something
they would like to see included in
the newsletter, please drop it into the
Branch.
OPP warns scams running rampant
Majestic Women’s Institute of
Brussels was very busy in the month
of December.
On Dec. 10 at 11:30 a.m. the
meeting was held at the Walton Inn.
Twelve members and three guests
enjoyed lunch prior to the short
meeting.
It was reported that Huronlea craft
sale Dec. 6 went well. Also the
Huronlea birthday party, Dec. 9 was
a success with wonderful
entertainment.
On Dec. 9 the Un Finished Objects
meeting was held at Lucy Hesse’s
store. Fifteen attended.
The next UFO is Jan. 13 at Olivia
McHardy’s.
There will be an afternoon card
party Jan. 22
The next meeting is Jan. 14
at the Brussels Library.
Convenors are Bonnie Lindsay
and Lucy Hesse. Members are to
bring $5 and pictures
for scrapbooking. Anyone
interested in attending should
call Bev Craddock, public
relations officer at
519-887-9879.
Legion resumes regular activities
NEWS
FROM BRUSSELS
By BettyGraberWatsonCall 887-6236887-9231A NOTE FROM BETTY
401 Turnberry St., Brussels 519-887-8011
CAFÉ
More than just a great sandwich!
Ask about catering for your get-togethers ~ seating for 50
~ available in our upper deck room.
Friday Night
5 pm - 7 pm
S U N DAY
11:00 am - 1:30 pm
Jan. 9 ~ Stuffed Baked Salmon
Jan. 16 ~ Rolled Ribs & Dressing
Jan. 23 ~ Chicken Cordon Bleu
COMING EVENTS
at the
BRUSSELS LEGION
for January
Look for this ad the
first week of the month only.
Auditorium and small
meeting room available to rent.
Catering available.
Info and general inquiries
519-887-6562 or 519-887-6570
SATURDAY, JANUARY 10
Euchre tournament at 1:00 pm.
Bring your own partner.
Cash prizes. Lunch.
$5.00 per person. Door prizes.
——————————
SUNDAY, JANUARY 11
Sunday night dance from
7:00 - 11:00 pm
$10.00 per person. Lunch.
Enjoy Country Sounds.
——————————
SATURDAY, JANUARY 24
Euchre tournament at 1:00 pm.
Bring your own partner.
Cash prizes. Lunch.
$5.00 per person. Door prizes.
——————————
SATURDAY, JANUARY 24
Robbie Burns Dinner and Dance
sponsored by Melville
Presbyterian Church. Music by
Brussels Pipe Band and
Georgian Bay Islanders.
——————————
SUNDAY, JANUARY 25
Sunday night dance from
7:00 - 11:00 pm
$10.00 per person. Lunch.
Music by Country Versatiles.
——————————
TUESDAY, JANUARY 27
Executive meeting at 7:00 pm
General meeting at 8:00 pm
——————————
At the Branch
ON $6.00 THURSDAYS
Drop into either of our offices any
Thursday with your word classified
(maximum 20 words) and pay only
$6.00 + GST (paid in advance).
That’s $1.00 off regular rates.
The Citizen
December a busy month for WI