by Laurie Osgood | Dec 1, 2018
It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year… for Criminals, Thieves and Scammers
Photo source: UF/IFAS Northwest District
This holiday season scammers and identity thieves are hoping to take advantage of shoppers who may be too preoccupied with travel, gift-buying, and festivities to notice. Therefore, during the holidays, it is even more important to remain vigilant while shopping in stores or online.
More people are turning to online shopping for their holiday gifts. The National Retail Federation forecasts consumers to spend about $721 billion this holiday season. However, this increase in online spending comes with a greater risk for thieves to steal your money or your identity.
Here are some common holiday scams and how to protect yourself from becoming a victim:
Deals That Are Too Good to Be True –while shopping online keep the old adage in mind, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is”. During the holidays, shoppers are looking for huge deals, and scammers know it. These thieves often set up websites that appear to be legitimate, just to steal your personal information and/or to download a virus onto your computer.
It is important to make sure any site in which you shop contains an HTTPS security designation. Another simple way to know if the website is authentic is to look for the padlock symbol that appears in the address bar of the retailer. Here is an example of an Amazon online address bar.
Holiday Phishing Scams – Around the holidays, beware of emails pretending to be sent from familiar companies like FedEx or UPS. These emails claim to provide links for package tracking information. These links, once clicked on, will either steal your personal information or download a virus onto your computer. Remember, if you receive an email from someone you don’t know or weren’t expecting an email from, you should never click on links. Also, make sure you are using current antivirus software on your computer.
Identity Theft and ATM Skimmers –
In Store Shopping:
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- Being vigilant is key to protecting yourself during the holiday season. Thieves target shoppers who are either struggling with packages and bags or those who are unaware of their surroundings. Thieves see this as an opportunity to steal your wallet or credit card numbers.
- When using an ATM or other key pads, make sure to check for skimming devices that thieves install on ATMs and other card readers. These skimmers are placed over the existing key pad in order to access your account. It is also advised to cover the keypad when entering your pin number while purchasing items or getting money from an ATM
- After each purchase, take time to put your credit card back into your wallet. Also, it may be worthwhile to purchase an RFID-blocking wallet. These wallets are designed to shield your credit card information from RFID readers and skimmers..
Online Shopping:
- When shopping online, experts advise consumers to use credit cards instead of debit cards. In case of fraud, both payments types can be disputed, however debit card payments are automatically deducted from your bank account. Therefore, it may take longer to get your money back.
Gift Cards– Gift cards are a great idea for people on our shopping list. However, a record number of retail stores are closing their doors, so you should consider the retailer’s financial situation before buying a gift card. If the retailer closes or declares bankruptcy, the recipient may not be able to use the gift card.
Package Delivery Theft- Having packages delivered to our homes makes us a target for thieves who case neighborhoods and even follow delivery trucks looking for packages sitting on porches. There are ways to prevent this from happening to you. You can have your packages delivered to their office, a local pick-up area, like a UPS Store or try to schedule delivery times when someone will be home, if possible. Online shoppers can also set up tracking notifications, to know when an item is delivered.
Charitable Giving Tips – Give to charities wisely. At this time of year, we all want to give to charities that pull on our heart strings. But beware of giving money to charities that are fake or irresponsible. Do your research to make sure to support the many legitimate and deserving charities that can use our help during the holidays.
The 2018 Consumer Protection Guide – This guide provides more information about protecting yourself as a consumer, including online identity theft, charity scams, item recalls and more.
The holiday season brings out the best and worst in people. Therefore, you should be vigilant because the holidays are a lucrative time of year for thieves and scammers who are trying their hardest to get into your bank account.
For more tips on how to keep your identity safe and avoid holiday scams, contact Laurie Osgood, UF/IFAS Extension, Gadsden County at Osgoodlb@ufl.edu or call (850) 875-7255.
by Melanie Taylor | Feb 26, 2018
Based on information provided by the American Frozen Food Institute, on average, 40% of all food in the United States goes uneaten and wasted, which is an annual loss of $165 million. Fresh fruit and vegetable waste makes up nearly one-third of this number. With these discouraging numbers and financial losses, how can the frozen food industry help to solve this problem? Frozen food and beverage companies work hard to create the safest and best freezing techniques to keep food safe by preventing microorganisms from growing and by slowing down the enzyme activity that causes food to spoil. Modern freezing techniques have been designed to preserve food at its peak freshness and nutrient content. Frozen food makers continue to work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to keep America’s food supply the safest in the world.
Freezing means less wasted food and easier access to well-balanced, portion-controlled nutritious foods during every season and in every community. Many times, frozen foods cost less per serving, but most importantly, they have a longer shelf life than fresh or refrigerated foods.
How do frozen foods play such an integral part in the well-balanced, nutritious diets of Americans? The frozen food aisle offers a large variety of vegetables, fruits, and other prepared foods at reasonable prices year ’round. Freezing reduces the need for additives and preservatives. Frozen foods also provide nutritious options that fit into all of the food groups suggested by Choose MyPlate.gov (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, protein, and dairy). They also are a sensible choice when trying to control calories and fat, sugar, saturated fat, and sodium intake. In addition, unused products can be placed back in the freezer for later use.
If you have concerns about frozen foods, it’s time to rethink them. Let’s BUST those crazy frozen food myths swirling around out there!!!
FROZEN FOOD MYTHS VS. FACTS
MYTH: FROZEN FRUITS AND VEGGIES AREN’T AS NUTRITIOUS AS FRESH
FACT: Recent studies found there is no difference in nutrition between frozen and fresh produce.
MYTH: FROZEN FOODS ARE READY TO EAT
FACT: Frozen foods are ready to cook, not ready to eat. As their name suggests, ready-to-cook foods must be cooked or baked according to package instructions.
MYTH: FROZEN MEALS DON’T USE REAL INGREDIENTS
FACT: The freezer aisles of your supermarket are filled with meals made with the highest quality ingredients and prepared the way you would prepare them (if you had the time).
MYTH: FROZEN MEALS AREN’T ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY
FACT: Actually, frozen foods minimize the amount of spoiled food we throw away because they are already portioned out, so we can take what we need and save the rest.
MYTH: FROZEN MEALS ARE MORE EXPENSIVE THAN RESTAURANT TAKE-OUT MEALS
FACT: Restaurant-inspired entrees like seafood scampi, sesame chicken, and Monterey chicken cost under $4 each. You do the math.
MYTH: FROZEN MEALS ARE NOT A GOOD CHOICE FOR HEALTH-CONSCIOUS CONSUMERS
FACT: “Better-for-you” options are available in the frozen food aisle to make it easier for consumers to control intake of calories, fat, saturated fat, and sodium.
For more information on the frozen food and beverage industry, please visit www.affi.org.
For more information on incorporating frozen foods into your healthy lifestyle, please visit: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fs186.
by Heidi Copeland | Dec 2, 2017
Recently, in what I thought would be a quick Saturday errand, I got stuck in traffic. It took me a moment to realize that the holidays are upon us.
According to the National Retail Federation (NRF®), from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday, more than 174 million Americans shopped in stores and online during the five-day holiday weekend, beating the 164 million estimated shoppers from an earlier survey. In fact, shoppers spent $1 million a minute on Black Friday and about $6.6 billion in total on Cyber Monday. The NRF® also found that consumers, both young and old, were spending more than last year, with both groups using the internet to browse for the best deals.
While it appears many consumers can spend unrestrained during the holidays, a lot of consumers find the holiday season stressful. Holidays require a lot of planning, and of course time and money.
A sensible way to approach the holiday season is to decide up-front what best fits the path you want to take. Come up with a plan, make a list (check it twice), and then stick to it. You will be amazed at how this simple list trick can relax you and make your holidays more enjoyable and less stressful.
The American Financial Services Association Education Foundation has some useful ideas for using a holiday spending plan. First, create a holiday budget that is feasible for you, and be sure to include all the incidentals from decorations to wrapping materials. Next, prepare your list(s), then do your homework. There is a lot of competition for the consumer’s money, and searching the web not only for information but also for the best deals can help you stick to your budget and save some money (Example: some stores honor other store’s pricing).
Other ideas to help stay within your budget this holiday include:
- Draw names with set limits on gift giving (Example: Aunt Marge – $15.00)
- Make a gift (Example: Cranberry muffins)
- Provide a service (Example: tackle a chore for a friend, neighbor, or loved one)
- Switch to giving gifts of experience (Example: tickets to an event) The gift of experience can be both practical and educational, and moreover, memories are worth more than stuff!
Try not to get bogged down by holiday spending this holiday season. I encourage you to create a plan, write up a list (check it twice) and stick to it. You will be glad you did!
The University of Florida Extension/IFAS – Leon County is an Equal Employment Opportunity Affirmative Action Institution.
by jbreslawski | Feb 24, 2017
Nationally, America Saves Week is an annual opportunity to promote good personal savings behavior!
More locally, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is collaborating with America Saves in a campaign to help Floridians build wealth, not debt! The Florida Saves, (floridasaves.org) statewide initiative has been officially endorsed by Jeff Atwater chief financial officer for the state of Florida. Why? Because research shows that, too many households with an unexpected expense of just $400 could be thrown into a financial crisis! This means a clog in the sink or a broken freezer could easily send a family into debt.
During Florida Saves Week, February 27 to March 4, 2017 UF/IFAS is urging residents to pledge to set a goal and start saving! Like our Florida Saves Facebook page to keep up with the latest info.
Saving money for an emergency makes good sense. Families with money saved for an emergency are less likely to face financial stress, less likely to fall behind on their bills, and less likely to deal with subprime alternative money sources that have higher costs than conventional options.
Make a commitment to yourself and take the Florida Saves pledge to help you reach your savings and debt reduction goals. Additionally, Florida Saves will motivate you with periodic information, advice, tips and reminders sent by email or text message to help you reach your savings goal. Paying yourself first, saving your tax refund, and saving automatically are just a few ways that Florida Saves encourages you to build wealth and reduce debt.
Plus, this year Floridians who pledge to become a saver can enter to win $50 to be put toward reaching their financial goals by completing a short survey after setting a goal and signing the Florida Saves pledge.
Want to win more? Take a video or photo to share your savings story and follow the link to enter to win a national prize of $1,000 in theAmerica Saves http://www.americasavesweek.org/imsavingfor/ contest.
Take the pledge at floridasaves.org Set a goal and make a plan!
by Marjorie Moore | Nov 25, 2016
I don’t know about you but to me it seems we just finished shopping for the holidays and they are here once again. Holiday shopping can be a whirlwind and we forget to take time to stop and think about how much we have spent until the bills arrive. Having a budget for the holidays can be your best defense to not overdoing it this holiday season.
If you plan for the holidays, it can save lots of time, energy, and of course, money. It is important to prepare a budget, make the budget realistic and base it on your cash flow and financial obligations. Once your budget has been created, stick to it!
The next step – make a list of gifts you want to give. When shopping, use cash whenever you can as this helps you watch how much you are spending. When you have reached your budget limit, your shopping should be done! If possible, do not use credit cards to buy gifts. If you use credit cards, keep track of the amounts and stop when you have reached your budget limit.
Gift cards appear to be great but be aware of fees or usage terms that can reduce the value of the gift. Before buying gift cards, ask if the card can be used for online purchases. This may not affect most retailers but some online retailers do not allow using gift cards.
If you want to stretch your budget, you don’t have to purchase all of your gifts. Try making gifts such as food or give a coupon book volunteering your services (i.e. babysitting or yard work). Below is a mix ranch dressing recipe you can give to family and friends this holiday season.
To help with your shopping next year make your list early, then spread your shopping throughout the year.
Use these tips to help you enjoy your holiday.
Spoonful Mix for Ranch Dressing
2 tsp. dried parsley flakes
1 tsp. salt free herb seasoning blend
½ tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. dried basil leaves
- Mix all ingredients in small bowl.
- Place mix in to plastic wrap and attach to spoon.
- Decorate spoon with a pretty bow.
Ranch Dressing
Remove decorative wrappings from spoon, leaving the mix inside the plastic wrap and still attached to spoon.
- Empty ½ cup low-fat mayonnaise and ½ cup low-fat buttermilk into a medium bowl.
- Hold spoon over bowl and cut open bag of mix, allowing mix to fall into bowl onto mayo and buttermilk.
- Mix until very well blended (use gift spoon to mix). Refrigerate 30 minutes up to 8 hours to blend flavors.
For more information on holiday shopping, contact your local Extension office.
