4 The Hampton Roads Messenger Editorial


Are You Getting the Most Out of Your Government?


government operates the way it was intended.


In order to have a government


that functions optimally, each individual component, elected official or employee must be held to a certain standard by the taxpayer. It is our civic duty to monitor whether civil servants are performing their jobs in the manner intended. If that is not the case, we must report it to the proper authorities; if we do not, we are wasting tax dollars.


Believe it or not, government BY ANGELA JONES It seems that the term “Public


Servant” has disappeared from our vocabularies over the last couple of decades. Merriam-Webster defines public servant as a government official or employee. The dictionary also notes that the first known use of the term was in 1671. Today, the meaning seems to have been lost and terms such as bureaucrat or career politician have replaced it. From the President of the United States to the high school cafeteria worker, public servants should serve at the pleasure of the taxpayer, who pays their salaries; although, when you listen to some interactions between civil servants and citizens, it is difficult to distinguish who works for whom.


Think about the last time you went


to the Department of Motor Vehicles to get your driver’s license renewed. Did you feel like you were the boss or the servant? If you have ever been pulled over by a police officer for speeding, did you think to yourself “he works for me?”


We have to start holding our


public servants accountable. It is our job as members of a democratic society to ensure that public servants are doing their jobs. The founding fathers of the United States painstakingly wrote the constitution in such a way that the tree branches of government would operate independently and offer checks and balances to keep each other honest. The average American citizen is the last line of defense to make sure our


officials and employees have a responsibility to individual citizens and not special interest groups like corporations and cartels. Police departments have an obligation to “protect and serve” all neighborhoods. The 14th amendment to the US Constitution makes it illegal for a local government to protect one side of town while leaving another side vulnerable to crime. A local government cannot just say that you are not allowed to hold outdoor festivals in one part of town “because it will draw a criminal element,” while other areas of the city can have outdoor festivals every weekend. The local governments have an obligation to, at least, attempt to make all areas of their municipality safe.


As a citizen you have the right


to demand optimum customer service from your local government and its public servants. There is a saying that states, “The squeaky wheel gets the grease.” The reason some neighborhoods get more police protection and general services such as parks, swimming pools and clean streets, is because they demand them. They go to the city council meetings on a regular basis and let the public servants know that they are concerned citizens and they are watching them.


Sometimes it is necessary to


remind public servants who their boss is and who pays their salary. Not only are you allowed to go to city council meetings or meet with government officials, it is your civic duty. If elected officials are not meeting the needs of your community, elect some that will. That is what other communities do and that is why those communities thrive.


Volume 7 Number 10


Protecting Your Plastic In general, under the Truth in


FROM PAGE 1


Lending Act, your cap for liability for unauthorized charges on a credit card is $50. But under the Electronic Fund Transfer Act, if your debit card or ATM card is lost or stolen or you notice an unauthorized purchase or other transfer using your checking or savings account, your maximum liability is limited to $50 only if you notify your bank within two business days. If you wait more than two business days, your debit/ATM card losses under the law could go up to $500, or perhaps much more. With either card, though, industry practices may further limit your losses, so check with your card issuer.


What else can you do to keep


thieves away from your cards…and your money?


Never give out your payment card


numbers in response to an unsolicited e-mail, text message or phone call, no matter who the source supposedly is. An “urgent” e-mail or phone call appearing to be from a well-known organization is likely a scam attempting to trick you into divulging your card information. It’s called “phishing,” a high-tech variation of the concept of “fishing” for account information. If they get confidential details, the criminals can use the information to make counterfeit cards and run up charges on your accounts.


Take precautions at the checkout


counter, ATM and gas pump. “Be on the lookout for credit and debit card reading devices that look suspicious, such as a plastic sleeve inside a card slot,” Benardo said. “Crooks are getting very good at attaching their own devices over legitimate card readers and gathering account information from the cards that consumers swipe through those readers.”


Also be alert when you hand


your payment card to an employee at a restaurant or retail establishment. For example, if he or she swipes your card through two devices instead of one, that second device could be recording your account information to make a fraudulent card. Report that situation to a manager and your card issuer.


To help combat payment card


fraud, many card issuers have turned to the technology known as radio frequency identification (RFID). This uses wireless radio signals to identify people or objects from a distance. It is also being used with items such as highway toll passes, subway fare cards and pay-at-the-pump cards to add convenience and speed up many routine transactions. While some news reports indicate that payment cards with RFID chips may be more vulnerable to fraud than traditional cards with magnetic stripes on the back, Benardo said that’s


Established 2006 Angela Jones, Publisher Chris Parks, Editor


Rae Willis, Graphic Designer Ida Davis, Contributing Writer


PO Box 10414 ● Norfolk, VA 23513


Sales and Information 757-575-1863 info@hamptonroadsmessenger.com Copyright pertaining to contents of this edition. All rights reserved.


not the case. “Today an RFID card is nearly


impossible to breach because the chip in it creates an encrypted signal that is extremely difficult to hack or compromise,” he said. “If you have questions or concerns about a payment card that is RFID-enabled, ask your bank about the precautions it takes to safeguard your card information.”


Closely monitor your bank


statements and credit card bills. “Look at your account statements as soon as they arrive in your mailbox or electronic inbox and report a discrepancy or anything suspicious, such as an unauthorized withdrawal,” advised FDIC attorney Richard M. Schwartz. “While federal and state laws limit your losses if you’re a victim of fraud or theft, your protections may be stronger the quicker you report the problem.” These days, it’s also easy to monitor your accounts using online banking or even your mobile phone (see Using Technology to Remain Financially Fit).


Also, don’t assume that a small


unauthorized transaction isn’t worth reporting to your bank. Some thieves are making low-dollar withdrawals or charges in hopes those will go unnoticed by the account holders. In one recent example, a federal court temporarily halted an operation that allegedly debited hundreds of thousands of consumers’ bank accounts and billed their credit cards for more than $25 million—in small charges— without their consent.


And, contact your institution if


your bank statement or credit card bill doesn’t arrive when you normally expect it because that could be a sign that an identity thief has stolen your mail and/or account information to commit fraud in your name.


Periodically review your credit


reports for warning signs of fraudulent activity. Credit reports, which are prepared by companies called credit bureaus (or consumer reporting agencies), summarize a consumer’s history of paying debts and other bills. But if a credit report shows a credit card, loan or lease you never signed up for, this could indicate you are a victim of ID theft.


You are entitled to at least one


free credit report every 12 months from each of the nation’s three major credit bureaus. To maximize your protection against fraud, some experts suggest spreading out your requests throughout the year, such as by getting one free report every four months instead of all three at the same time. To request your free report, go to www.Annu- alCreditReport.com or call toll-free 1-877-322-8228.


Free Summer Camp Camp RISE! June 24 - July 12


So You Think You Can Dance?....It is our pleasure to invite boys and girls, ages 11-14, to join the Attucks Theatre this summer at Camp RISE!, June 24-July 12, 2013. Camp RISE is a FREE three-week dance program for middle school students, Monday to Friday, 9 am - 4 pm. Students receive three dance classes, dancewear, creating writing and personal development workshops, breakfast and lunch, and a stage presentation at the Attucks Theatre. Call to register, 757-622-4763 www.cacc-inc.org


June 2013


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