Jury duty is a civic responsibility for U.S. citizens that enables the courts to serve justice in a fair and efficient manner.
Unfortunately, some scammers are using jury duty as a cover for targeting innocent victims. The scammers rely on the victims’ limited information about the process to convince them that they have committed a crime. Unfortunately, the scammers are often successful at pulling off their ruse. Don’t be the next victim! Here’s all you need to know about jury duty scams. How the scam plays out Like so many other scams, the jury duty ruse begins with an urgent phone call or email. The scammer impersonates a court or law enforcement official, such as a U.S. marshal or a sheriff’s officer, and claims the victim has failed to show up in court for jury duty. They threaten the victim with immediate arrest unless they pay a hefty fine via credit card, prepaid debit card or money transfer. Unfortunately for the victim, any money they pay will go directly into the scammer’s pockets. The scammer will sometimes also ask for personal information, like a Social Security number, for the alleged purpose of checking court records. Of course, the scammer will only use this information to steal the victim’s identity. Whichever way the scam plays out, the story about a missed jury duty summons is completely fabricated and the victim is being scammed. How to spot the scam Technology has made it more challenging to spot a scam that plays out over the phone or by email. Jury duty scammers often use sophisticated devices to spoof the Caller ID and make it appear as if they’re actually calling from the courthouse or the police department. Emails can also appear to be sent from a legitimate source. Fortunately, though, with some basic information, you can learn to spot jury duty scams and protect yourself from being the next victim. Here’s what you need to know about jury duty summonses:
It’s important to practice basic safety measures when on the phone and while online. Here’s how you can protect yourself from jury duty scams and similar cons:
If you’ve been targeted If you believe you’re being targeted for a jury duty scam, you can take action to prevent being victimized further. First, reach out to relevant federal, state or local courts to verify that you have not actually missed a jury duty summons. They will likely confirm your suspicions about the scam. Next, do not engage with the scammer. If the scammer left a callback number, ignore it. Delete all emails from the scammer and mark them as spam. Finally, notify your local courts and law enforcement agencies in your area. You can let your friends know to beware of the circulating scam as well. Jury duty is a civic responsibility for most Americans. Don’t let scammers use it as a cover to trick you out of your money. Stay alert and stay safe! Your Turn: Have you been the target of a jury duty scam? Tell us about it in the comments.
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Unless you’ve been living in a bunker for the last several months, you’ve likely caught the term “recession” thrown around on the news more than once. Hearing this word being used to describe the state of the U.S. economy can trigger a range of reactions from mild anxiety to a full-blown stuffing-money-under-the-mattress panic.
For many people, though, part of their angst surrounding the state of the economy is the vast amount of unknown: What is the exact definition of a recession? How is it different from a depression? How long do recessions usually last? What causes a recession? So many questions — but we’ve got answers! Here’s all you need to know about recessions, the current state of the U.S. economy and what all of this means to you as a private consumer. What is a recession? A recession is a widespread economic decline in a designated region that lasts for several months or longer. In a recession, the gross domestic product (GDP), or the total value of all goods and services produced in the region, decreases for two consecutive quarters. A healthy economy is continually expanding, so a contracting GDP suggests that problems are brewing within the economy. In most recessions, the GDP growth will slow for several quarters before it turns negative. What’s the difference between a recession and a depression? A depression has criteria similar to that of a recession, but is much more severe. For example, in both a recession and a depression the unemployment rate rises; however, during the Great Recession of 2008, the worst recession in U.S. history to date, unemployment peaked at 10%, while during the Great Depression, unemployment levels soared to 25%. Similarly, during the Great Recession, the GDP contracted by 4.2%, while during the Great Depression it shrank by 30%. Depressions also last a lot longer than recessions. The Great Depression officially lasted for four years but continued to impact the economy for more than a decade. In contrast, recessions generally last only 11 months, according to data from the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). There have been 47 recessions in U.S. history, and a total of 13 recessions since the Great Depression. There has only been a single recorded depression in our country’s history. What causes a recession? A recession can be triggered by a variety of factors:
Why the COVID-19 recession is unlike any other? In June 2020, the NBER announced that the U.S. economy had been in recession since February. The COVID-19 recession, also known as the coronavirus recession, the Great Shutdown, the Great Lockdown or the Coronavirus Crash, is unique because it was sparked by an unforeseen pandemic and not by any inherent problem within the economy. Another anomaly of the coronavirus recession is the super-healthy state of the economy before it hit. In February, unemployment levels were at a 50-year low, stock markets were at a record high and the U.S. economy had enjoyed 126 months of growth, its longest period of uninterrupted expansion in history. The unusual triggers and the explosive start of the current recession may be good news for its eventual end. Economists initially were hopeful that the recession could reverse itself quickly with a V-shaped recovery. Unfortunately, due to prolonged lockdowns and the nationwide failure to keep infection rates down, they have since declared that a rapid rebound is unlikely. There is still hope for a relatively fast recovery. An April Reuters poll found that nearly half of 45 economists believed the U.S. recovery would be U-shaped: slower and more gradual than a V-shaped recovery, but still fairly quick. How will this recession affect me? The coronavirus recession can impact the average consumer in multiple ways. First, many are struggling with sudden unemployment or will be facing joblessness in the coming months. The most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show the unemployment rate at a staggering 10.2%. Second, the economic uncertainty has triggered record-low interest rates, which in turn sparked a rush to refinance. If you are currently paying high interest rates on a long-term loan, you may want to consider refinancing and enjoying a lower monthly payment. Finally, investments in stocks, bonds and real estate may lose value during a recession. The good news is there’s no need to start stuffing money under your mattress. As a member of Ingersoll-Rand FCU, your funds are always safe. [Ingersoll-Rand FCU is federally insured up to $250,000 by the National Credit Union Administration] If you are experiencing financial difficulties of any kind, feel free to reach out to us at 570-888-7121 or to drop us a line at to see how we can help. Your Turn: What do you think will be most impacted by the coronavirus recession? Share your thoughts in the comments. With more than 2 billion downloads around the world and 165 million downloads in the U.S. alone, TikTok is wildly popular.
The coronavirus lockdown only increased its fandom as millions of bored kids, teens and influencers used the short video app to turn themselves into instant stars. The app is hip, fun and addictive. But is it safe? Let’s take a look at the way TikTok operates and the security concerns surrounding the app. How does TikTok work? TikTok is a free social media platform letting users watch, create and share videos — often with a music soundtrack and other fun embellishments — right from their phones. Users can lip-sync to their favorite music hits, share their best dance moves on the app or show off their pet’s latest trick; all while connecting with friends through likes, comments and duets. TikTok is owned by the Chinese tech company, ByteDance. What are the safety concerns with TikTok? Like all social media platforms, TikTok encourages users to share slivers of their personal life. The app also captures user data by tracking likes, dislikes, friends, consumer patterns of behavior, locations and more. While other major platforms, like Facebook, do the same thing, TikTok is the first Chinese-owned app to gain such broad popularity in the United States, raising privacy concerns that Americans have never grappled with before. There have been some claims that TikTok is a cover for Chinese spyware that steals users’ information and sends it back to China, but these allegations have been mostly unfounded. If TikTok is actually being used to scrape information on the lifestyle and habits of millions of Americans, that data could turn into a national security risk. Another concern with the safety of TikTok is the app’s occasional release of new software with security vulnerabilities needing to be urgently fixed. While these issues are relatively common with apps, and they’ve all been patched quickly, the small window of time between the release of the software and the security patch-up can pose a serious risk to TikTok users. Will TikTok be banned in the U.S.? The United States is not the first country to raise concerns over the safety of TikTok. The app has already been threatened with bans in several countries, including Indonesia, Pakistan and Japan. More recently, President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to ban TikTok in the United States. Trump is pressuring ByteDance to sell the app to an American company before the ban goes into effect on Sept. 15. Microsoft is currently under negotiations with ByteDance to purchase 30% of the app, but the administration is pushing for complete ownership by an American company. As the deadline for a deal approaches, TikTok continues to insist that its platform is completely secure. “TikTok is led by an American CEO, with hundreds of employees and key leaders across safety, security, product, and public policy here in the U.S.,” the company said in a statement. “We have no higher priority than promoting a safe and secure app experience for our users. We have never provided user data to the Chinese government, nor would we do so if asked.” Should users delete the app? With negotiations still underway, and the future of TikTok in the U.S. still unknown, many users are unsure of how to proceed. Is the app safe to use? There’s no black-and-white answer to this critical question. While every social media platform poses a safety risk, as the only Chinese-owned app to dominate the American scene, TikTok is a bigger concern. You may want to delete the app just to be on the safe side. If you decide to keep TikTok on your device, be sure to exercise caution when using the app:
TikTok is a super-fun app that may pose a potential risk to user security. It’s best to practice caution when using the app to keep your information safe. |
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