This week, Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara discusses the Covid-19 vaccine rollout, Covid-19 percentage rates, why he’s worried about New Year's Eve parties, and about the 9th Street Construction Project that finished ahead of schedule and below budget.
Runtime: 9 minutes
Christopher Engler, English teacher at Harlem High School, discusses how his drama students used the pandemic as an opportunity to adapt their stage version of “Little Women” into a movie. The drama students produced the film with the help of Tinker Swiss Cottage, Midway Village and Rock Valley College.
The 44 minute film will be available on-demand via Vimeo starting February 26. All proceeds from ticket sales will benefit the Harlem performing arts programs.
Runtime: 10 minutes
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:
It's playoff time, and for the NIC-10 Whip Around podcast that means it's time to preview all the upcoming matchups around the area.
