PAGE A12, KEIZERTIMES, MARCH 04, 2022
LIFE
Be alert to
utility scams
In response to growing reports of
scams targeting utility customers,
Portland General Electric is spreading
awareness to help customers protect
themselves from fraud. PGE estimates
scammers have cost its customers at
least $8,700 in
irrecuperable
transactions in
the first six weeks
of 2022.
Although
anyone can be
a target of these
attacks,
scam-
mers often prey
on older adults,
low-income fam-
ilies, non-English
speakers
and
small business
owners.
With
the right infor-
mation, custom-
ers can learn to
detect fraudulent
activity.
Scammers
impersonating
PGE can target customers via phone
calls, texts, social media messages,
emails or even by knocking on doors.
One of the biggest red flags indicating
a scam is a threat of immediate discon-
nection if payment is not made, usually
with a prepaid credit card. These cards
give the scammer instant access to the
victim’s money and are often untrace-
able. PGE always attempts to contact
customers days in advance of a service
shutoff and will never ask customers to
pay with a prepaid card.
PGE encourages customers to follow
these tips to protect themselves:
• When in doubt, check it out. Contact
PGE customer service to verify account
information and status if someone
threatens immediate disconnection.
• Customers will never receive just
a single notification providing only one
hour or less to respond. A legitimate
NEWS
TIPS?
utility company employee will allow
customers to call the office to ask ques-
tions and discuss arrangements.
• Although rare, sometimes a scam-
mer pretending to be a PGE employee
will come to a customer’s home or busi-
ness demanding
immediate pay-
ment on a late
bill. Customers
should ask to
see the visitor’s
employee badge
and call PGE
(800-542-8818) to
verify their iden-
tity. If customers
feel threatened or
uncomfortable,
they should keep
their door closed
and call 911 if
concerned about
their safety.
• Customers
should
be
suspicious
if
the
amount
demanded
is
just under $500 or $1000, especially if
they don’t think they owe that much.
These are common payment amounts
requested by scammers.
• Some scammers use fake bills that
look official. If the account and billing
information received does not match
the account information on portland-
general.com, it should be considered
highly suspect.
• PGE recommends customers regis-
ter online or download the mobile app,
so they can always check the status of
their accounts.
Scammers rely on their victim’s
uncertainty and panic over the prospect
of a power shutoff to pressure immedi-
ate payment. Stop, think and verify.
For more information on tactics
used by scammers and how customers
can protect themselves, visit portland-
general.com/scams.
If it's happening
in Keizer, or to someone
from Keizer —
WE WANT TO KNOW.
kt@keizertimes.com
Websites:
Where to start
By JIM PARKS
For the Keizertimes
So, you are thinking about starting a
business. If so, you need a website. But
where to start? Let’s try to get you going in
the right direction.
First things first, you need to secure your
name on the internet. In fact, I recommend
doing a name search simultaneously on the
Oregon Secretary of State’s website and the
website registration company, aka “regis-
trar”, of your choice. There are tons of them
out there, but in no particular order, some
options include namecheap.com, Google
Domains, and domain.com. The goal here is
to find a name that is available in Oregon
and on the internet, too. Once you have
decided on a name and determined that it
is available in Oregon and on the internet,
you must register it. Registering a domain
name is simple, inexpensive and puts your
stake in the ground.
Now that you own a domain name what
do you do with it? You are now ready to look
for a place to put your website. Generally,
this is referred to as the “host.” Some host
companies are SiteGround, HostGator,
BlueHost, DreamHost, and the list goes on.
Some hosts offer tools for building your site.
Others require that you have some website
knowledge. Here, too, choices abound and
should be evaluated based on your needs.
There are more than a dozen DIY
site builders/hosts such as Squarespace,
HubSpot, Gator (HostGator), Weebly, and
Wix that offer suites of tools for getting
you up and running fast. Most of these offer
drag-and-drop tools that don’t require any
code knowledge, but as with all things new,
there will be some effort to get to know their
systems.
Small
Business
Help
If you are going to have an e-commerce
site selling stuff, whether it be physical,
digital, or even a service, you will have addi-
tional considerations. Packaged solutions
such as Shopify are very popular. Then
there is WordPress, the largest website
platform out there powering some 40% of
all sites on the internet. Both Shopify and
WordPress are self-manageable but have
somewhat steeper learning curves.
Cost is a factor when evaluating these
options. Some things are “free” but come
with restrictions or onsite advertising.
Others are low cost and offer plenty of fea-
tures. Shop around and find the combina-
tion that meets your needs.
Just getting to this point in the article
might have you feeling a little overwhelmed.
If that’s the case you are going to want to
find a developer to help you out. It is super
important to know what you can do your-
self and what you must outsource. If you
just don’t have the energy for this kind of
work, find a partner. Just know that you will
be paying for their expertise and it may cost
several thousand dollars to get set-up and
another $200-500 a month for maintenance.
Every situation is unique so just use this
as a starting point. Factor these expenses
into your business plan and budget. You do
have a business plan and budget, right? If
not, come see us at the SBDC and we can
help with those, too.
(Jim Parks is a Business Adviser at the
Chemeketa Small Business Development
Spring break at Willamette Heritage
The Willamette Heritage Center is hosting a day of family fun during spring break
in March.
Spring Break Family Fun Day is scheduled for Wednesday, March 23, from 10 a.m.
to 2 p.m. Regular admission will include access to Spring Break Family Fun activities.
In addition to tours, activities will include demonstrations from the Salem Fiberarts
Guild and Salem Handspinners, opportunities to receive Family Fun Day passport
stamps from our retail partners: Taproot: Old Mill Café, Atelier Mela, and Teaselwick
Wools, history themed kid’s crafts and activities, and opportunities to receive a free
special edition wooden bookmark.
All guests who pay for admission to the museum on March 23 will receive a free
Willamette Heritage Center household membership, a $60 value, which ncludes free
museum admission for future visits and admission to Magic at the Mill, the annual
holiday light festival in December.