President Mary Parr opened the meeting by leading in the Pledge of Allegiance. Program host Bob Sweitzer then led in the invocation.
PROGRAM: In the spirit of telling us something good that happened, Bob said that he and Jill just returned from a 2 week cruise to celebrate their 42nd anniversary. He is looking forward to finalizing things in their new home.
Bob then presented David Malankowski who has spent 25 years in banking and now specializes in efforts to prevent financial fraud. He is currently the Senior Vice-President of Retail Banking for Portage Community Bank. David explained that almost all of us are affected by fraud. Globally last year's cost was over $4,400,000,000,000 while in the USA the cost was $21,000,000,000. Those are staggering numbers that are increasing as the scammers increasing utilize AI. Scammers from overseas are directed to target people in the US and have daily quotas. Examples of the types of scams on the increase are romancing, phishing, sextortion, social media, cryptocurrency, texting/wrong numbers, gift card purchases and sweepstakes.
When payment is demanded, they will ask for cash, money to be wired, gift cards, reward points or video game currency. In Ohio alone last year there were over 27,000 complaints filed and $420,000,000 in losses. To try to prevent being scammed, David suggests not responding to unknown numbers. In addition be wary of scams that talk about DMV tolls or Facebook scams that tell of someone's death and then offer items for sale where a deposit is demanded to hold the item. The gift card scheme has become so prevalent that many businesses are now posting warnings asking customers to be sure who they are purchasing the cards for.
Mr. Malanowski also said to look out for urgency in the caller's demands and the need to keep the transaction secret. A big warning is when financial or informational transactions are encouraged with someone who called you. If it is not a call you initiated, be super careful and do not give out information. Hang up. No one is immune from scams.
He offered some practical suggestions. When you are signing up for a banking site or other site that asks security questions, realize that these do not have to be accurate. They just have to be answers that you remember if they are needed to prove who you are. Scammers, for example, may have information as to your pet's name, but if you choose another answer for that security question, it could stop a scam. Don't click on links if there is any doubt about what the link will take you to or if you have not initiated the call. Review your accounts daily to look for any suspicious activity and notify your financial institution immediately if you are concerned. A book that offers helpful information is Anatomy of a Con-Artist by Jonathan Walton. David also said for us to check our credit reports yearly and suggested we look at AARP for further assistance. He also shared a thorough handout which is attached to these minutes.
BUSINESS MEETING:
President Mary thanked Steve Dunton and Dave Renninger for checking us in today and welcoming our visitors, Lisa Soeder and David Malanowski, our speaker.
Happy Bucks:
Don Coughlin had two Happy Bucks. The first was that his grandson, Landon is now walking without crutches but still is having chemotherapy. Any improvement is good improvement!
The second Happy Buck was about granddaughter Meghan Holland. She is a senior at Colgate University and was one of two from Colgate to attend the 77th Annual Conference of U.S. Affairs at West Point with only 200 delegates. The theme was “Peace Through Strength and Purpose in the 21st Century, Studying Global Security, Power Competition and U.S. Foreign Policy”.
Birthday: Mary Dula is celebrating her birthday this week. Leslee Salhany led us in singing well to her.
Concern: We learned after the meeting that Nancy Binzel's brother passed away. Our sympathy goes out to her.
Drawing: Ron Taggart's table had the winning number but he drew three of clubs so the pot will continue to grow.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Foodbank:Steve Dunton announced that our next volunteer opportuity at the Foodbank will be Wednesday, September 11. A good group has already signed up. Why not join them! It is from 4:30-6:30 with dinner afterwards. Sign up as you sign in next week.
The Rotary Foundation: Dave Renninger announced that he and Maria Ferrara are collecting for this campaign into mid-December. Everyone should have received an e-mail this week giving a status of their contributions toward a Paul Harris award thus far. Contact Maria if you did not receive one at: mferrara1004@gmail.com. Dave thanked the 11 people who brought donations today.
Salvation Army Bell Ringing: Dave Christman stated that we will be ringing bells to collect for the Salvation Army on November 21st and 28th and December 12th and 19th at Giant Eagle on Kent Rd. Check your calendars so you can sign up to help next week.
Holiday Helping Hands: The evening of December 16th will be the wrapping party for the gifts for the families we adopt for the holidays. Next week the ages of people we need to shop for should be available.
Holiday Party and Election of Officers: The morning of December 16 we will have our holiday party and also elect new board members and a President Elect, although the new terms will not go into effect until July of 2027. You should have received an e-mail from De-de Mulligan this week about the process. To be a board member, you need to have been in the club for 2 years and to be president, you need a three-year history.
Host Family: Since we are planning on hosting a Rotary Exchange Student this next year, we are looking for a host family or families to have a temporary addition to their family. Text Mary Parr if you are interested at 330-634-4447 and she can give you more information.
Board Meeting: Our board will meet on Friday, November 13 at 7:15 a.m. at City Hall. The minutes of the October meeting are attached to these minutes.
Emergency Response Team: Mike Dunton shared that last Friday's second session of the Emergency Response Planning went well. There are still some technical things to work through but the seniors are quite excited that they will be contacted after a lengthy power outage. There will be phones dedicated to the process so that the seniors know they are not being scammed. More training will follow.
Bunny Trail Hop: Steve Dunton has chaired this event for many years and is looking for someone to take over this responsibility. It is usually the Saturday before Easter and primarily involved handing out candy to the children who attend. Contact Steve or Mary if you are willing to assist.
Bulldog Bags: For the November 11th collection date, the following items are needed: Cups of soup, small bags of goldfish crackers, lip gloss and Kleenex packs are being collected. Either bring your items to a meeting or drop them off in the bin in the City Hall Lobby by the 11th.
President Mary led us in reciting the Rotary Four-Way Test to close the meeting:
DATES TO REMEMBER:
Wednesday, November 4, 7:30 a.m. at The Center for our regular morning meeting, Tiffany Edwards of the C.A.R.T Program will be our speaker.
Wednesday, November 11 deadline for Bulldog Bag's November items.
Wednesday, November 11, 4:30-6:30p.m. Volunteer time at the Akron-Canton Foodbank
Wednesday, November 18, 7:30 morning meeting at City Hall instead of The Center.
Friday, November 13, 7:15 a.m. Board Meeting at City Hall
Saturdays, November 21 and 28 and December 12 and 19 volunteer to ring bells for the Salvation Army
Wednesday, November 25, No Morning Meeting. Happy Thanksgiving.
Wednesday, December 16, 7:30 a.m. regular morning meeting at The Center for our Holiday Party and election of board members and President-Elect. Also, donations to The Rotary Foundation are due by today.
Wednesday, December 16 in the evening, Holiday Helping Hands wrapping party at City Hall.Saturday, December 19, Holiday Helping Hands Delivery
Andrea Denton