SIUSLAW NEWS | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2019 | 3A Community News Garden Club to present flower arranging tips The Florence Garden Club day, March 13, at the Presby- and Running Water of Flor- terian Church of the Siuslaw, ence in Bloom 3996 Highway florist shop will 101 in Florence. present demon- The Glamour strations of ar- Pots presenta- ranging flow- tion previously ers in a vase scheduled for or hand-tied March will be bouquet at the presented at a monthly meet- later date. ing today. Florence Running Wa- Garden Club ter is interested meetings are Running Water in showing peo- held the sec- ple who might casually walk ond Wednesday of each and gather flowers how to ar- month. For more informa- range their bouquet easily. tion or to contact the group, This free presentation will visit www.facebook.com/ be given at 1 p.m. on Wednes- FlorenceGardenClub/. Library windows vandalized PHOTOS BY MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS On Friday, a man throwing rocks damaged eight of the Siuslaw Public Library’s double-paned windows. The glass was cleaned up before the location opened to patrons for the day. The first step to better hearing? I WILL HEAR Getting your hearing tested by the ONLY doctors of audiology in Florence. Call today to start your year off right! BETTER HEARING THIS YEAR of Florence ASSOCIATES 541.991.4475 1901 Hwy 101, Ste A Florence HearingAssociatesOfFlorence.com | Doctors of Audiology Let me Showcase your property. Mike Blankenship Broker 541 991-7826 10818 Hwy 36 – Large commercial building on two city lots at the junction of Hwy 36 and 126 in Mapleton, a high traffi c area. Metal building with high open beam ceiling, 3 phase power on one meter. Check with Lane County for zoning uses. Property is being sold “as is”. $65,000. #2802- 18047518 1749 Highway 101 • 541-997-1200 U R Worth It Hair Salon 1247 Bay St • 541-997-7377 Need a Perk-Up from the Neck-Up? Cuts, Perms, Colors and Facial Waxing. Men • Women • Children Mon-Fri, 9-5 Late & Weekend by Appt By Jared Anderson Siuslaw News T he Siuslaw Public Library in Flor- ence was the victim of vandalism on Friday when a man threw rocks through eight of the library’s win- dows. “We had an unfortunate incident where someone who had been ex- cluded from the library for a year returned a couple weeks later before the library opened to the public for a day,” said Library Director Megan Spencer. The person threw rocks at eight double-paned windows in total on March 8, breaking the first pane on four windows, and both in three others. Librarians Kevin Mittge and Gayle Weiss called the police, who apprehended the suspect. “I felt like staff were rock stars, and the police responded quickly and were very helpful,” Spencer said. “That morning, we had three of our board members and six of our staff members cleaning up the glass. We were be able to open at 10 a.m. thanks to the hard work of the staff and board.” New windows have been ordered, and the costs will be covered by the library’s insurance. “What I have been really apprecia- tive of is how the public has been sup- portive, as they always are,” Spencer said. “They are so responsive, they love the staff and they love the space, and we’re grateful for their help.” For more information about the Siuslaw Public Library or its pro- grams, stop by 1460 Ninth St. in Flor- ence or 88148 Riverview Ave. in Ma- pleton, or visit www.siuslawlibrary. info. Fraud claiming imminent property seizure targets county Lane County residents may be targeted in a tax scam that has made its way across the country in recent months. Letters claiming to be a “Notice of Warrant and State of Oregon Tax Lien Ac- tion” have been reported by some Eugene residents. The notice claims that property seizure is imminent and pro- vides a non-local number for resolution. “It’s sick, but these con art- ists rely on creating enough panic that their victims will overlook all of the red flags,” said Lane County Assessor Mike Cowles. “Who wouldn’t panic at the thought of losing their home? The best thing people can do is take a breath and carefully review the let- ter or email for signs of fraud before making any kind of payment.” Property seizure does not occur with a legitimate State of Oregon income tax lien. For liens related to unpaid property taxes, real property seizure only occurs after five years and many notices to the property owner. Claims of imminent property sei- zure with no prior notifica- tion are typically false. Property owners can check the status of any legal- ly recorded liens by visiting Lane County Deeds and Re- cords at 125 East 8th Ave. in Eugene. 9392 or visiting www.ore- gonconsumer.gov. “These documents are fake,” said Ellen Klem, Di- rector of Consumer Out- reach and Education for the Oregon Department of Jus- tice. “Crooks impersonating the government cost peo- ple their time and money. The Oregon Department of Justice urges people to stay vigilant against schemes and scams and avoid becoming a victim.” Other indicators that this letter is a scam: • A full agency name is not clearly provided. • No agency address is provided on the envelope or in the letter. • The logo is a generic seal that does not properly iden- tify any agency. • Lane County does not have an “Office of Lien Fil- ings.” • There is no “Bureau of Tax Enforcement” located in Eugene. Suspected scams should be reported to your local law enforcement agency or the Oregon Department of Justice by calling 1-877-877- Scam Safety Tips: • Don’t panic: Con artists will use aggressive tactics to rush you into making imme- diate payment to avoid legal action or prosecution. When you panic, you may not be able to spot the signs of fraud as easily. If you have any doubt about the legitimacy of a notice, pause and look for signs of potential fraud. Use terms or names in the notice to conduct online research to see if a similar scam has been reported by others. You can also ask a friend or someone you trust for help research- ing the notice. • Spot imposters: Con art- ists often pose as a govern- WEDNESDAY THURSDAY ment entity. If you are tar- geted by a con artist through the mail, phone or email, do not provide personal infor- mation or money until you are sure you are speaking to a legitimate representative. Try contacting the agency directly through telephone numbers listed on the agen- cy’s official website rather than using phone numbers provided by the con artists. • Look carefully at the letter or email: Fraudulent notices are usually vague so they apply to as many vic- tims as possible. Examine the notice for identifying information that can be veri- fied. Look for blatant factual errors and other inconsisten- cies, such as a fake return ad- dress or fake logo. If the no- tice is unexpected and states ‘This Is Your Final Notice,’ take a moment and verify its legitimacy. Agencies will send multiple letters to tax- payers if there is a legitimate liability owed. • Avoid strange payment systems: Legitimate govern- ment agencies will not ask you to pay a debt with reload- able debit cards, gift cards or money wiring services. 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