This week in the NIC-10 Whip Around podcast:
Week One kicked off with a bang between two of the conference favorites, Hononegah and Harlem.
Along with a classic matchup out in Belvidere between the Blue Thunder and the East E-Rabs.
We’ll also take a look at Week Two as the Boylan Titans put their nineteen-game conference winning streak on the line as they host Belvidere North.
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Mayor Tom McNamara listens to a question from a reporter on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2021, during a news conference following a shooting at Auburn High School. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)[/caption]
Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara joins Steve Summers on This Week in the Stateline to discuss rising COVID-19 numbers, the recent shooting outside Auburn High School and what's on tap at Monday's City Council meeting.
Rock River Current
ROCKFORD — The two-year coronavirus pandemic has created a steady stream of new scams trying to separate you from your money and personal information, according the head of the local branch of the Better Business Bureau.
From pop-up testing sites that rip people off, to counterfeit masks, counterfeit vaccine cards and other methods, the pandemic has created new reasons for consumers to be wary, said Dennis Horton, director of the Rockford Regional Office of the Better Business Bureau.
“Since the pandemic hit, we’ve had nothing but a steady stream, a river I should say, of pandemic scams,” he said on This Week in the Stateline. “We’ve taken to calling them scam variants because there are so many of them.”
The most common scam revolves around online purchasing, with phishing tactics seeking personal information being the second most common, he said.
“There’s always something new," he said. "I’m frequently amazed at the brilliance of these con-artists and crooks."
Last week, Horton's office issued a warning surrounding quizzes on Facebook and other social media. Those quizzes can ask personal questions like “what high school did you attend” and “what is your mother’s maiden name” — the same type of questions you may use to protect bank accounts and other crucial data.
“I’m not saying all the quizzes you find on Facebook are data collection scams, but that’s how they begin,” Horton said. “They’re collecting this information and they can now build a profile about you and, frankly, steal your identity.”
He said always take a skeptical approach to anything asking for personal information online, and keep strong passwords.
“We’re telling people way too much about ourselves while we’re online,” Horton said.
Lastly, don't be embarrassed if you are conned. Contact the Better Business Bureau for help if you're the victim of a scam, he said.
Listen to the full interview below:
Tom discusses waiting for election results, how excited he is to work with new Aldermen, Winnebago County Chairman and more. He also discusses the health systems at capacity for COVID cases, the Property Tax Levy and that he is proud of keeping taxes flat, how the coy is helping restaurants in need, and about new exciting initiatives he will be announcing next week to help property values for the city.
Runtime: 8 Minutes
