Did You Know...

11-28-2004 I would like to congratulate the Vernonia Loggers Football team on an extraordinary season! The pride, enthusiasm, and sportsmanship have made quite an impact around the area. Thank you for bringing the spark to Friday nights and carry that fire over to the winter sports! Living in the Pacific Northwest we all know about fishing, but have you ever heard of “phishing”. Phishing is a term used in the computer world to describe the technique of acquiring personal information by computer criminals. Phishing or “carding” is an attempt through email to trick consumers into disclosing personal and/or financial information. Many phishing schemes involve fraudulent emails from well-known companies like eBay, EarthLink, or Citibank. The common scam requests personal or financial information to verify or confirm your account. Since starting here in Vernonia I have been approached by several people who were recipients of phishing or other email scams. Requests for money to help an American trapped in Nigeria or fake sweepstakes winnings are a couple of the scams experienced by Vernonians. My dad used to say, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!” Don’t be fooled by get-rich-quick schemes or promises of easy wealth or by emails requesting personal/financial information. If you get an email requesting personal information for a company, be suspicious and call their customer service numbers first. For more information on “phishing” go to www.antiphishing.org. If you have a question about a suspicious email, letter, or phone call you can contact the Vernonia Police Department for advice.