Salt Lake City, UT - New fraud research shows that people who live alone or have low financial literacy levels are more likely to lose money to fraudsters. The research also shows that the highest engagement and victimization rates involve online purchases and social media—outpacing telephone, mail and email fraud.
The report, “Exposed to Scams: What Separates Victims from Non-Victims,” comes from the BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust, the FINRA Investor Education Foundation, and the Stamford Center on Longevity and was released in recognition of World Investor Week (September 30-October 6).
Click here for the full report on Exposed To scams: What Separates Victims from Non-Victims
During the study, researchers surveyed more than 1,000 Americans and Canadians who were targeted by scammers and reported the fraud to the Better Business Bureau via BBB Scam Tracker. Nearly half of those surveyed did not engage with the fraudster. However, nearly a quarter did, losing an average of $600.
Some key findings include:
When phone and email were used by scammers to target consumers, relatively few consumers engaged with the scammer or lost money. However, when exposed to a scam on social media, 91 percent engaged and 53 percent lost money. Similarly, 81 percent of consumers who were exposed to a fraud via a website said they engaged and 50 percent lost money.
Consumers were more likely to be victimized if they did not have anyone to discuss the offer with. Consequently, those who engaged scammers and lost money were less likely to be married and more likely to be widowed or divorced. Generally, those who engaged, and those who lost money, reported significantly higher feelings of loneliness. Social isolation appears to play a role in fraud victimization.
The likelihood of victimization for this sample is greater for individuals who are under financial strain, are younger adults, or have low levels of financial literacy.
Research showed that 51 percent of people who reported a third-party intervention were able to avoid losing money. Cashiers, bank tellers, employees of wire transfer services and other financial services companies where consumers were about to send money to a scammer, served as an important last line of defense.
Nearly half of those surveyed said the news media was their primary source of information about scams. Word of mouth was the next best form of protection and awareness.
Prior knowledge of fraud helps decrease the chances of victimization. One-third of consumers who were targeted by a scammer, but did not engage, already knew about the specific type of scam. In addition, consumers who understood the tactics and behaviors of scammers did not engage with the fraudsters.
For more information:
For the full report, go to BBB.org/ExposedtoScams
To learn more about scams, go to BBB.org/ScamTips.
To learn how to avoid scams, go to BBB.org/AvoidScams.
To report a scam, go to www.BBB.org/ScamTracker. Your experience can help others to recognize suspicious behavior and stop scammers in their tracks.
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Victims:
We have several consumers willing to speak to the media regarding this. Please contact Jane (info below) for more.
ABOUT BBB: For more than 100 years, the Better Business Bureau has been helping people find businesses, brands, and charities they can trust. In 2018, people turned to BBB more than 173 million times for BBB Business Profiles on nearly 5.4 million businesses and Charity Reports on 11,000 charities, all available for free at BBB.org. Today, BBB serving Northern Nevada and Utah is supported by just over 4,500 Accredited Businesses that have voluntarily committed to adhere to BBB’s Standards of Trust.
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Hi Jim,
Please feel free to use the below article as is. For an interview with Steve Davis or Paul Trapp please reach out and I will be happy to coordinate.
Ashley
How To Keep Good Employees Happy
And Reap The Business Benefits
While many business owners say that the first rule of a successful company is keeping customers happy, studies show that also keeping employees happy is critical to the whole process.
The better a business owner and upper management treat good employees, the more committed and engaged they will be to perform at a consistently high level and do their part to help make the business successful.
“The big key to business success is the productivity level of your employees and the culture in which they operate,” says Paul Trapp (www.eventprep.com), founding owner/CEO of EventPrep, Inc., a full-service meeting planning and management company, and co-author with Stephen Davis of Prep for Success: The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Achieving Your Dreams.
“Employee happiness results directly in success and goes hand-in-hand with company culture. The primary focus of leadership in that culture should be making sure their employees are happy, safe, respected, and making a competitive wage.”
If you get it right with your employees, Trapp and Davis say, they’ll get it right with the customer.
“It’s simple, really,” says Davis, who is EventPrep’s founding owner/president/COO.
“The folks you bring on board are going to spend a significant amount of time with their work family, so why wouldn’t the people running the business want it to be a cool place to work, and why wouldn’t they want it to be the most productive place they could possible make it?”
Trapp and Davis explain the key factors that find the right employees and keep them happy and productive:
Recruiting. “You’ve got to get the right people first, the people with the qualities that make for a passionate, productive worker who contributes to a positive culture,” Davis says. “Recruiting is about connecting with people and connecting them with their passion, their purpose, and enabling them to reach their potential. Recruiting isn’t an event, but a process, and sometimes finding the right person for a particular job can take months or even years. You’re always looking, listening, assessing and asking questions — and really getting to know the person you may hire.”
Establishing a culture. “You want people to want to come to work, and to do that you want people to work in the culture you’re creating,” Trapp says. “Culture is created at the top and cascades downward. What values and ethics do you have as a business owner that can make employees passionately want to be a part of that culture?”
Investing in them. ”Investing in your people raises their performance and strengthens their commitment, but it means far more than giving them raises,” Davis says. “It’s about making them feel like a part of your family, including giving them compassion and understanding when they need it most. Employees in turn embrace that kind of culture and own it. That’s what you want — a self-perpetuating work culture where everyone feels cared for and important.”
Recognizing them. “Keeping people happy and encouraging them to want to stay isn’t magic,” Trapp says. “Just as important as recruiting the right talent, business owners and leaders need to make the culture attractive and sustainable in order to retain the right talent. Retaining is about recognizing and celebrating, showing gratitude and appreciation. Recognizing employees for exceptional work, and giving them a cash bonus or special trip, is a key element toward retaining them.”
“A happy employee who’s engaged and connected, who wants to be there every day, makes the workplace a better place and a stronger business,” Davis says.
About Paul Trapp
Paul Trapp is a founding owner/CEO of EventPrep, Inc. (www.eventprep.com), a full-service meeting planning and management company that supports 16 franchises across the U.S. He is co-author of the book Prep for Success: The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Achieving Your Dreams. Trapp is a former senior military leader who served as chief of recruiting for the Army National Guard and holds over 30 years of experience in contract management, event planning, and organizing conferences, seminars, and meetings.
About Stephen Davis
Stephen Davis is a founding owner/president/COO of EventPrep, Inc., and co-author of Prep for Success: The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Achieving Your Dreams. Davis is a multi-state operations director who focuses on conference development, implementation, management, and conference design. He currently serves as a chief warrant officer and CID special agent in the Army Reserves. Davis deployed twice in support of the global war on terrorism. In 2016, Davis and Paul Trapp launched Federal Conference, Inc., which provided professional event planning and management services to the government and commercial marketplaces. Federal Conference, Inc., twice was a two-time Inc. 500 award recipient and executes over 3,000 events annually around the world.
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Hi Dawn,
With MBA application season underway and the average recent MBA graduate receiving a $150,000 salary, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2019’s Best MBA Programs as well as accompanying videos.
To determine where students can receive the best education with the best return on investment, WalletHub compared nearly 100 MBA programs across 10 key indicators of cost and quality. The data set ranges from average base salary and tuition to gender diversity, ratings from professors and average GMAT score.
Top 20 MBA Programs
Key Stats
To view the full report, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/best-mba-programs/65432/
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Arielle Mueller (Romney) (202) 224-0574
September 30, 2019 Conn Carroll (Lee) (202) 224-5444
Romney, Lee Working to Ensure Program at Utah’s Hill Air Force Base Stays on Track
Senators urge Defense Secretary to prevent delays for GBSD Program, secure increased funding to keep effort ahead of schedule
WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Mitt Romney (R-UT) and Mike Lee (R-UT) joined a bipartisan group of his colleagues in urging the Secretary of Defense to prevent any delays for the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD), which will replace the Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM). The Senators, led by Senator John Hoeven (R-ND), highlighted the continued nuclear ambitions of the nation’s adversaries, stressing that whether or not there are any modifications to the GBSD acquisition approach, the program must be delivered on time to ensure the U.S. nuclear forces remain a credible deterrent. The full text of the group’s letter can be found here.
Related:
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*** Media Advisory for Thursday, October 3, 2019 ***
CONTACT
Aaron Weiss, Deputy Director
Center for Western Priorities
aaron@westernpriorities.org
720-279-0019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 30, 2019
DENVER—The Center for Western Priorities will release a new Winning the West 2019 poll this Thursday showing the growing influence of the “Outdoor Voting Bloc” in Mountain West swing states (Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, and New Mexico).
A media conference call will share the views of Western voters around energy, conservation, and funding issues on public lands. Panelists will also discuss how strong conservation and balanced energy policies are received by persuadable Western voters and influence how voters choose candidates.
What: Media conference call of new Winning the West 2019 poll results
When: Thursday, October 3rd, 9:30 am MDT, 11:30 am EDT
Where: Dial-in: (844) 349-9427, Passcode: 5347079
Who: Jennifer Rokala, Executive Director, Center for Western Priorities
Brian Gottlieb, Founder & President, Gottlieb Strategic ResearchNote: The complete poll results for each of the five states surveyed will be available immediately following the call.
For more information, visit westernpriorities.org. To speak with an expert on public lands, contact Aaron Weiss at 720-279-0019 or aaron@westernpriorities.org.
###
The Center for Western Priorities is a conservation policy and advocacy organization focused on land and energy issues across the American West.
Center for Western Priorities | 820 16th Street Ste 450, Denver, CO 80202 | 303.974.7761
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The press release below announces the end of the emergency drought declaration issued last year by Governor Herbert. Three graphics below also provide more context about Utah's current drought outlook and the water year, which ends today.
For Immediate Release
Media Contact
Nathan Schwebach
Utah Department of Natural Resources
801-440-9094
Strong water year allows Governor Herbert to rescind
last year’s emergency drought declaration
SALT LAKE CITY (Sept. 30, 2019) – A strong water year has put an end to Utah’s severe drought conditions. As a result, Gov. Gary R. Herbert has officially rescinded the 2018 executive order that declared a statewide emergency due to drought.
“What a difference a year makes. Utah experienced unprecedented drought conditions last year, which harmed the livelihood of many families and strained agricultural producers, industry and even wildlife and recreation,” said Gov. Herbert. “Even in a normal year, water in Utah is a scarce natural resource. We should appreciate what we received, but not take it for granted. Let us continue to do all we can to conserve water as communities, industries, neighborhoods and families.”
2019 precipitation has been well above normal statewide, with regional averages between 110 to 200% of normal, according to the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center, the agency that reports precipitation for Utah. The heavy precipitation significantly reduced drought conditions throughout Utah.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, a collaborative group of individuals from the University of Nebraska Lincoln and federal agencies, no area of the state is currently experiencing severe drought conditions. About 15% of Utah, primarily areas of San Juan, Kane and Washington counties, is experiencing moderate drought. The rest of Utah is either abnormally dry or experiencing average conditions. When the governor declared the drought emergency, 99% of the state was in a moderate drought, with over 88% of Utah experiencing at least severe drought conditions.
Herbert initially issued the emergency drought declaration last October under the recommendation of the Utah Drought Review and Reporting Committee. Drought conditions had developed to the degree that several areas throughout Utah had experienced severe impact to various sectors of their economies.
The declaration allowed drought-affected communities, agriculture producers and others to begin the process of accessing state or federal resources. In addition to the governor’s declaration, six rural Utah counties also declared emergency drought disasters, including Box Elder, Carbon, Emery, Grand, San Juan and Wayne counties.
Agencies represented on the committee include DNR; the Governor’s offices of Management and Budget, and Economic Development; the departments of Environmental Quality, Agriculture and Food, and Community and Economic Development; and the divisions of Emergency Management; Forestry, Fire and State Lands; and Wildlife Resources.
