Page 5 - The Shores of Jupiter - September '19

The Shores, Page 5
Commissioner’s Update

By Commissioner hire, water taxis and nonmedical transport companies also must • Do your own typing in your search engine rather than clicking
Hal Valeche obtain licenses through Consumer Affairs. on a suggested link.
Have you been victimized Home caregivers seeking an ID badge through Consumer • Turn on two-factor authentication for logging into your account.
by an unscrupulous business Affairs must undergo a state and national fingerprint background • Back up your files to an external hard drive or cloud storage.
or solicitor? Are you tired check. Information on caregivers holding valid ID badges is • Keep your security software up to date.
of dealing with robo calls available at the above website, or by calling the office number. If you become a victim, Consumer Affairs can assist you in
or spoofing calls, Internet Telemarketers must follow rules promulgated by the Federal reporting the incident and filing a complaint with the Federal
phishing and other attempts Communications Commission (FCC) that include a prohibition Trade Commission and other applicable enforcement agencies.
to trick you into giving away on spoofing. Spoofing occurs when a caller deliberately falsifies Should your HOA or neighborhood organization be interested
valuable personal information the information transmitted to your caller ID display to disguise in having Consumer Affairs provide a presentation on their
for fraudulent uses? Palm their identity. This practice is often part of an attempt to trick services and more detailed information on how you can protect
Beach County’s Consumer someone into giving away personal information for fraudulent your property, identity and finances, please let me know or
Affairs Division may be able to help you. purposes. Since you may not be able to tell right away if an contact the division’s Investigator and Outreach Coordinator,
The Consumer Affairs Division is a county government incoming caller is spoofing, be careful about responding to any Terry Newton at (561) 712-6548; tnewton@pbcgov.org.
agency under the Public Safety Department that administers request for personal information. If you suspect a caller has As always, please contact me if I can be of assistance at (561)
our ordinances for consumer protections including moving, falsified caller ID information or you think someone is violating 355-2201, or by email at hvaleche@pbcgov.org.
water taxis, towing, vehicles for hire, and home caregivers. the rules for protecting the privacy of your telephone number,
Their investigators and staff provide licenses, conduct contact Consumer Affairs to assist you in filing a complaint with
the FCC.
investigations and informal mediations, and other activities Phishing occurs when a scammer uses fraudulent emails or Sea Turtle Released
to ensure compliance. The division works to help consumers
make informed decisions about businesses and avoid unlawful, texts, or copycat websites to get you to share personal information
deceptive and unfair trade practices. such as account numbers, Social Security numbers, or your Off Juno Beach
While the division does not rate or recommend any product, login IDs and passwords. Scammers use your information to
service or company, they can look up a business you may be steal your money or your identity or both. Scammers also use The Loggerhead Marinelife
interested in hiring for any history of complaints, or to verify phishing emails to get access to your computer or network to Center (LMC) released Vitti the
proper licensing or registration. Additionally, a member of install programs like Ransomware that can lock you out of sea turtle from its facility off
the public can also review business information reports about important files on your computer. These scammers lure their Juno Beach on Thursday, Aug.
previous consumer disputes in the division’s database at www. targets into a false sense of security by using the familiar, trusted 1 at 10:30 a.m.
pbcgov.com/consumer. The telephone number is (561) 712-6600. logos of established, legitimate companies, or pretend to be a Vitti is a sub-adult
The division investigates more than 500 cases annually and friend or family member. They make it seem like they need your loggerhead sea turtle patient
have recovered hundreds of thousands of dollars each year for or someone else’s information quickly, or something bad will that was found at Florida
consumers. happen, and they tell you lies to do this. Power & Light’s St. Lucie
Towing services doing business in Palm Beach County are There are steps you can take to safeguard yourself from site. The patient’s bloodwork
required to obtain a license through Consumer Affairs. The becoming a victim of phishing, including: on arrival indicated anemia
SOLD
county has established maximum fees companies can charge for • Be cautious about opening attachments or clicking on links and hypoglycemia. Vitti was
private property impounds and police-directed tows. Vehicles for in emails. underweight, lethargic and
in poor health due to chronic
debilitation. The turtle received
parenteral nutrition, antibiotics
6269 Longleaf Pine Dr. and iron to treat its chronic
debilitation. Hospital staff
Location! Location! Location! monitored Vitti the sea turtle
Enjoy serene lake views from with routine blood work as it
this cul-de-sac lot home. was treated.
This 3 bedroom plus loft and Vitti the sea turtle is named
den opens from kitchen to in memory of Bitasta “Vitti”
sparkling views of the pool, Chaturvedi, a devoted and
hot tub and lake. beloved LMC volunteer who
started at the center in August
$570,000 SOLD 2010. Vitti generously donated
in 3 Days
over 700 hours of her time in
the seven years she spent at
LMC, helping the development
and marketing departments
with administrative tasks,
adoptions, event registration
and more. Vitti was passionate
and offered a lot of wonderful
ideas to help the center grow.
Outside of LMC, she was a highly involved volunteer in
all of her daughter’s schools as the treasurer of the PTO for
several years and was a devoted and loving wife and mother.
Vitti was a well-traveled individual who loved talking about
her trips and food from all over the world. Vitti will be truly
missed by all who knew her.
Vitti the sea turtle was prepared for release from LMC
starting at 10 a.m. LMC docents conveyed the history of
the turtles’ journey and final preparations to visitors, with a
procession to the beach for the release following.
About Loggerhead Marinelife Center
Loggerhead Marinelife Center (LMC) is a nonprofit sea
turtle research, rehabilitation and educational institution that
promotes conservation of ocean ecosystems with a focus on
threatened and endangered sea turtles. The center features
an on-site hospital, research laboratory, educational exhibits
and aquariums, and also operates the Juno Beach Pier, which
hosts world-class angling and sightseeing. Situated on one
of the world’s most important sea turtle nesting beaches,
Loggerhead Marinelife Center is open daily and hosts
over 350,000 guests free-of-charge each year. The center’s
conservation team works with 90 local and international
organizations across six continents to form partnerships
and share conservation initiatives and best practices that
are core to its mission of ocean conservation. The center is
expanding and has launched its Waves of Progress capital
expansion campaign, designed to accelerate and amplify
LMC’s conservation and education impact. When complete,
the facility will offer one of the world’s most advanced and
unique experiences for guests and scientific partners. For
more information, visit marinelife.org or call (561) 627-8280.