Alliance Meeting Minutes - June 23, 2010

June 23, 2010

Meeting Minutes
Happy Valley Business Alliance
June 23, 2010 
Board Members Meeting 7am
Alliance Meeting 7:30am

Alliance Meeting

Proceedings

• Meeting called to order at 7:30am. Introductions were held.

• Guest Speakers – Elizabeth Steele – Portland FBI Public Affairs
  • Elizabeth discussed the types of ID Theft and Fraud
  • Scams and Schemes
    • Mostly internet-related
    • Reports up 33% in 2008
    • Common Complaints are:
      • Non-delivery of goods
      • Auction Fraud
      • Credit/Debit Fraud
      • Nigerian Letters
      • Check Fraud
  • Buy/Sell fraud
    • You buy, it never arrives
    • You sell, but never get the money
    • Unexpected “handling” costs attached to orders
    • Personal info scams
  • Phishing
    • Phishing is the act of stealing your info by pretending to be a legit website
    • People send you an email asking you to click a link and log into a website you would normally use
    • The website looks exactly like the real thing, but in fact is set up to steal your login information.
    • Perps use social engineering to elicit an emotional response
    • Sometimes they pretend they are from the FBI!
    • Common examples are:
      • Problem with your bank account, please login
      • Confirming inheritance/winnings
      • Verify your identity to avoid prosecution
  • You’ve Won!
    • Fake invites to the Oprah millionaire contest show
    • Much like phishing

• Advance Fee Payments
  • You’ve won the lottery / We found money / Investment Opportunities
  • Must pay a “finders fee” to get money
  • May require you to travel, even out of country
  • When you arrive they threaten to report you to the FBI
• Nigerian Letters
  • A “Government Official” asks for help moving millions of dollars
  • Could require travel to Nigeria
    • You could be IMPRISONED for this
  • If you stop paying them, they steal your ID
• Ponzi Schemes
  • Investment opportunities with the promise of high return
  • The person running the scheme uses money from other investors to pay off initial investors, luring them into putting more money into the “fund”
• Pyramid Schemes
  • Victim pays for a distributorship or franchise
  • Only makes money by selling more franchises
• Hitman Schemes
  • Hitman sends a text or email
  • Says they will not kill you if you pay them off
• ID Theft
  • Your ID can be used to open credit cards, phone/utility accounts, gain employment, open bank accounts, get government documents (SS Cards/ID) or establish loans
  • If you suspect ID theft:
    • Call your credit bureaus (set up fraud alerts)
    • Dispute all your accounts (get a letter back)
    • Contact the Policy (get a report)
    • Contact the FTC (www.ftc.gov/idtheft)
    • Follow up with creditors in writing
  • How to protect yourself
    • Check www.annualcreditreport.com once per year
    • Get a locking mailbox
    • Don’t send outgoing mail through an unlocked mailbox
    • SHRED your documents (use a cross-cut shredder)
    • Put strong passwords on all bank/credit/utility accounts
    • Don’t give personal info unless YOU initiate the contact
    • Don’t carry your Social Security Number in any form
    • Check out any businesses before making a transaction
      • Use caution if they only have a PO Box or free email account (gmail.com, yahoo.com, etc)
    • Don’t judge a business by its website
    • Make sure transactions online are secure
      • Look for the padlock icon and “https” in the URL
    • Don’t respond to unsolicited emails or calls, even to try and unsubscribe. This just tells them they hit a real person
    • Pay with credit cards online since they are easier to dispute
    • If it sounds too good to be true, IT IS

• Business Spotlight – Coffee’s On!
  • Located on 122nd and Sunnyside
  • They have 4 locations, plus 2 kiosks!
  • Free wifi at all coffee shops
  • They do catering and fundraising
  • They have large coffee urns you can borrow if you buy the coffee
  • Happy Hour 2:30-5pm – discounted drinks!
  • They only buy Longbottom Coffee locally, which is considered some of the best
    • No burnt chaff taste

• City Update
  • Lon is now the acting sergeant!
  • There will be a letter coming from the policy dept asking about surveillance systems. They want to know who is recording what in case they need it
  • Summer concerts start July 16th and go 6 weeks every Thursday

• Annette from Compass USA spoke
  • She is trying to place 20 kids from Okanawa in homestays
  • They need 8 more families to house a kid for 4 weeks: July 21 – Aug 18
  • They will be occupied during the day weekdays, but need activities on evenings and weekends

• Announcements!

• New board! Most board members are retaining their positions.

• Kathy Schaub – New Secretary
• James Maciokas – New Meeting Coordinator
• Erik Wood – Transition to Technology Advisor/Director

• New HVBA website is going to be live soon!
• Website Launch Party! 7/13 5pm-7:30pm at Vintner’s
• HVBA Business Directory starting again!

Meeting Notes