Lauren Reagan

I remember the first time I heard of Mesothelioma Cancer. I was working as a cashier at a department store and one of my co workers was telling me about her uncle who had just been diagnosed with Mesothelioma. He had contacted it during his time he spent serving his country with the Navy on a submarine.

It was right about that time that I started seeing commercials for a local attorney who has been advertising his services for people that have been diagnosed with Mesothelioma Cancer. It was a ten dollar word that I had no idea of it’s meaning, until my discussion with my co worker. Since then I have been hearing more and more about Mesothelioma and I’m glad that people are becoming aware of this particular type of cancer. I’ve run across a web site about Surviving Mesothelioma, that offers a free book that is a patient’s guide and available by signing up at  Survivingmesothelioma.com.

It is my intention to help pass this information along in my blog to anyone who may need this type of information or know of someone in need. It’s all good.

I am sending information about The Orchid Recovery Center for Women to a gal that I used to work with years ago at the Insurance Company that I worked for many years ago. She has since moved to Florida, we kept in touch pretty much via emails every now and then. I am very worried about her. She and I were considered the “party gals” of the office, we did get into some pretty crazy things back then I have to admit, but than was then and this is now. I’ve settled down one heck of a lot, but she on the other hand seems to have kept on going “full speed ahead” as they say and I think she needs some help.

I’ve done a bit of research on the Internet about Recovery Center’s in her part of Florida and found The Orchid Recovery Center to be the one that I would consider, if the need be. I spent a good amount of time reading The Orchid Center Charity Blog and am urging her to do the same, it had some cool things to say that I think she might appreciate.

I’m hoping that I’m not going to piss her off. One has to be careful on how they approach folks on subjects like this, I just want to help in any way that I can. That’s one thing that I’m good at, or so I’m told from time to time.

I have to say that up until the other day I had not known anyone who had been diagnosed with Mesothelioma Cancer, although I have seen a lot of commercials for a local attorney that is advertising their services to people that have been diagnosed with this particular type of cancer.

My mother forwarded an email to the immediate family that she had gotten from her aunt who lives in North Carolina. This email was informing my mother that her aunt had just been diagnosed with Mesothelioma. She has been in bad health for some time, something not that unusual for some one in the late 70’s, but now she has been tested and is being treated for this type of cancer.

We don’t know many details on how she contracted this, but I’m sure more information will be forth coming at some point. Right now my mother is asking us all to keep my Great Aunt in our prayers and to send her a card or two from time to time to let her know that we are all thinking of her, which we all certainly will do. I’m glad that my Great Aunt has several close family members that live close by so that she won’t have to go through this experience all on her own and it looks like we may be taking a trip to North Carolina soon for a visit with her.

In the mean time it has been suggested that they look into using the Internet for information on Mesothelioma Cancer, the more you know about certain illnesses the better off you are and the Internet is a wonderful and useful tool for everyone to use. Survivingmesothelioma.com is one site that was recommended, they even offer a free copy of the book “Surviving Mesothelioma” which would be a useful guide for them to turn to.

And they got a cost of living raise and the seniors did not get a raise on their benefits. But it looks like    they needed it more, doesn’t it to you?  But we keep sending them back so it is no ones fault but our own.      

Man they are getting slick!!!

New Credit Card Scam Snopes.Com says this is true. To verify see this site: http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/creditcard.asp

This one is pretty slick since they provide YOU with all the information, except the one piece they want. Note, the callers do not ask for your card number; they already have it… This information is worth reading. By understanding how the VISA & Master Card Telephone Credit Card Scam works, you’ll be better be prepared to protect yourself.

One of our employees was called on Wednesday from ‘VISA’, and I was called on Thursday from ‘Master Card’.. The scam works like this: Caller: ‘This is (name), and I’m calling from the Security and Fraud Department at VISA. My Badge number is 12460. Your card has been flagged for an unusual purchase pattern, and I’m calling to verify. This would be=on your VISA card which was issued by (name of bank). Did you purchase an Anti-Telemarketing Device for $497.99 from a Marketing company based in?’

When you say ‘No’, the caller continues with, ‘Then we will be issuing a credit to your account. This is a company we have been watching and the charges range from $297 to $497, just under the $500 purchase pattern that flags most cards. Before your next statement, the credit will be sent to (gives you your address), i s that correct?’

You say ‘yes’ The caller continues – ‘I will be starting a Fraud investigation. If you have any questions, you should call the 1- 800 number listed on the back of your card (1-800 -VISA) and ask for Security.’

You will need to refer to this Control Number. The caller then gives you a 6 digit number. ‘Do you need me to read it again?’

Here’s the IMPORTANT part on how the scam works. The caller then says, ‘I need to verify you are in possession of your card’. He’ll ask you to ‘turn your card over and look for some numbers’. There are 7 numbers; the first 4 are part of your card number, the next 3 are the security Numbers that verify you are the possessor of the card. These are the numbers you sometimes use to make Internet purchases to prove you have the card. The caller will ask you to read the 3 numbers to him. After you tell the caller the 3 numbers, he’ll say, ‘That is correct, I just needed to verify that the card has not been lost or stolen, and that you still have your card. Do you have any other questions?’ After you say No, the caller then thanks you and states ‘Don’t hesitate to call back if you do, and hangs up.

You actually say very little, and they never ask for or tell you the Card number.. But after we were called on Wednesday, we called back within 20 minutes to ask a question.. Are we glad we did! The REAL VISA Security Department told us it was a scam and in the last 15 minutes a new purchase of $49.99 was charged to our card.

Long story – short – we made a real=fraud report and closed the VISA account. VISA is reissuing us a new number. What the scammers want is the 3-digit PIN number on the back of the card Don’t give it to them. Instead, tell them you’ll call VISA or Master card directly for verification of their conversation. The real VISA told us that they will never ask for anything on the card as they already know the information since they issued the card! If you give the scammers your 3 Digit PIN Number, you think you’re receiving a credit. However, by the time you get your statement you’ll see charges for purchases you didn’t make, and by then it’s almost too late and/or more difficult to actually file a fraud report.

What makes this more remarkable is that on Thursday, I got a call from a ‘Jason Richardson of Master Card’ with a word-for-word repeat of the VISA scam. This time I didn’t let him finish. I hung up! We filed a police report, as instructed by VISA.. The police said they are taking several of these reports daily! They also urged us to tell everybody we know that this scam is happening.

Please pass this on to all your family, friends and neighbors. By informing each other, we protect each other.