Attorney General Todd Rokita encourages military service members and veterans to guard against scams
As military service members and their families make enormous sacrifices daily for the good of their fellow citizens, they should also be sure to protect their own interests from would-be scammers and schemers, Attorney General Todd Rokita said today. “By their very nature, the men and women serving in the U.S. armed forces tend to be selfless individuals,” Attorney General Rokita said. “They consistently prioritize the needs of their country ahead of their own comforts and safety. As part of our office’s mission to safeguard consumers, we want to make a special point to remind these heroes to stay vigilant against fraud, identity theft and other predatory practices.”
July is Military Consumer Month. The U.S. Department of Defense, the Federal Trade Commission, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and other agencies are also highlighting consumer threats to which service members and veterans could be vulnerable. Recent scams for which veterans and military service members should be on the lookout include bogus military charities; calls, texts or emails attempting to impersonate the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA); copy-cat recruiting websites; and crowdfunding scams. For the most part, Attorney General Rokita said, military families should follow the very same preventative steps as other consumers and take the same measures to rectify issues when they occur. They should pay particular attention, however, to the possibility that scammers may use misleading photos or language to falsely imply an association with a branch of the Military or Veterans’ group.
Veterans, active military service members and their families should be vigilant about protecting their personal and financial information through such steps as the following:
- Place an active-duty alert on credit reports at no cost. An active-duty alert requires businesses to take additional steps before granting credit in the name of active duty personnel serving overseas.
- Carefully inspect email addresses in all messages landing in your inbox.
- Avoid clicking on links in unsolicited emails, and be wary of email attachments.
- Purchase goods and services from trusted vendors. Use trusted, legitimate websites when doing business online.
- Don’t reveal personal or financial information via email or text message.
- Verify the authenticity of a charity before donating money. You may research charities at the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance website at give.org.
- Pay by credit card for all transactions. This enables you to file disputes with your credit card provider if you encounter fraudulent sellers. Do not wire money to purchase items. Never pay with gift cards.
- Do not follow payment instructions that take you outside of the payment services of legitimate websites with which you are familiar. This is generally a phishing attempt to steal credit card information.
- Take your time. Never feel pressured to act immediately to sign a contract or make a transaction.
If you believe you’ve encountered a scam, file a complaint with the Office of the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division at www.IndianaConsumer.com.
Vacant Positions on the Bloomington Arts Commission
The City of Bloomington Office of the City Clerk is accepting applications to fill vacant positions on the Bloomington Arts Commission. Established in 1980, the Bloomington Arts Commission provides a means for the City of Bloomington to stimulate and encourage community appreciation for and participation in the arts. The City of Bloomington recognizes that the arts are an important part of the culture and economy of the community, and that the City has a responsibility to foster an environment conducive to the community’s participation in the arts. The conservation and development of the city’s artistic resources are essential to the social, educational, and economic growth of the city. Artists, works of art, and artistic institutions contribute to the quality of life and the general welfare of the citizens of Bloomington. The time required by member to serve on commission is 5 hour per month. There are two vacancies on the commission. To learn more about each of the City’s boards and commissions, including mission statements, membership requirements, current membership listings and term lengths, meeting schedules and location, visit the city website, here: www.bloomington.in.gov/onboard. If you are interested in applying to a vacant seat on a board or commission, you may apply, here: https://bloomington.in.gov/onboard/applicants/apply. All board and commission meetings are free and open to the public. Potential applicants are urged to attend a meeting of their desired board or commission prior to applying
City of Bloomington Recognized as Digital Inclusion Trailblazer
The City of Bloomington has been recognized by the National Digital Inclusion Alliance as a 2021 Digital Inclusion Trailblazer. First launched in 2016, Digital Inclusion Trailblazers is a public inventory of local government initiatives promoting digital literacy and broadband access for underserved residents. The City was commended for its continuing efforts to bridge the digital divide, including conducting a scientific survey on broadband equity, developing a Digital Equity Strategic Plan, and establishing a Digital Equity Grants Fund for nonprofit organizations.
In April 2020, the City of Bloomington conducted a Digital Equity survey assessing how residents use internet services. Sent to a randomized sample of 6,500 Bloomington households, the survey was completed by 1,080 respondents. The survey’s results, available at https://data.bloomington.in.gov/dataset/digital-equity, helped to inform the City’s Digital Equity Strategic Plan, released in December 2020. Also in December, the City made its first round of Digital Equity Grants to six local nonprofit organizations working to facilitate access to broadband services and computing devices and increase digital literacy. The Digital Equity Grants program was funded through a $35,000 investment approved by the Bloomington Common Council in August 2020 as part of a $2 million reallocation of 2019 reversion funds, in the first phase of Mayor Hamilton’s Recover Forward strategy.
Bloomington is the smallest city recognized as a 2021 Digital Inclusion Trailblazer. The other cities recognized this year are Austin, San Francisco, Boston, Portland, Long Beach, San Antonio, Seattle, Washington, D.C., Louisville, Provo City, Salt Lake City, Detroit, New York City, Kansas City, Baltimore, and Chattanooga.