Stay vigilant against scammers

Earlier this week, I found out that my email had been hacked. I was locked out of my email and unable to access my list of contacts. It was frustrating and it was scary.

Luckily, on April 20, I attended AARP Maine’s event with fraud expert Frank Abagnale, so I knew what to do. The first thing I did was call my local police. They came to my house and suggested next steps. We also filed an official police report.

I also contacted all three major credit bureaus — Experian, Equifax and Transunion — and placed a freeze on my credit report. Abagnale mentioned during his talk that doing this is the best way to protect oneself from identity theft. Not knowing exactly what the hackers may have stolen from me, I was eager to put this in place right away. Abagnale also mentioned that Maine is one of only three states where placing a freeze on your credit report is free. It was easy to do, it didn’t cost me a dime, and now I have more peace of mind.

I am really grateful that I was able to attend this event. I learned a lot from Abagnale and I also learned that law enforcement and our state agencies are working really hard to help us stay safe from scams and fraud. I’m excited to learn more and get involved.

Scammers ruin people’s lives. It’s up to each of us to stay vigilant.

Carol Laverriere

Windham

Collins no moderate

I read the April 29 BDN article on Sen. Susan Collins with interest, but I finished it with dissatisfaction. I had hoped for something other than the standard view of her as the “lonely centrist in Washington.” I was disappointed.

Collins’ cannot be viewed as a centrist any longer because of two actions on her part that were not even mentioned in the article.

First, her support for Jeff Sessions as attorney general angered many in Maine. Endorsing an anti-civil rights senator’s nomination for attorney general is not the action of a centrist. Sessions proudly holds extreme views of the rights of the accused and the rights of citizens to protest — not to mention the fact that any person of color now believes with good reason that their constitutional rights are in danger. Yet, Collins actively supported him to be the highest law enforcement officer in the country. I found her actions in this regard to be shameful.

Second, the article mentions her “no” vote on the Senate floor on the nomination of Betsy DeVos as education secretary, but makes no mention of her “yes” vote in committee, which could have prevented her name going forward. Collins showed no sense of the committee’s duty to screen unqualified and dangerous nominees from receiving full Senate confirmation votes, saying “everyone deserves a vote.” No, they don’t. That’s the purpose of the committee.

Her reputation among centrist Mainers is in tatters.

Jack Burt

Bangor

Band performance praise

On April 29, I went to a free concert put on by the Navy Band Northeast Pops Ensemble at the Peakes Auditorium. The concert was terrific and the band performed a varied selection of music and had some very talented solo singers.

Unfortunately, there were only about 20 people in the audience. It seems that not many folks were aware that the Navy band was performing that night. I didn’t see any information in the Bangor Daily News or The Weekly about this event nor were there any posters around town.

What a shame for the Navy band and the public

Linda Savage

Bangor