A4
Opinion
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, November 28, 2018
Don’t be
fooled by
scammers
f it looks too good to be true,
it is not true.
If an online contact warns
you are in danger, but can pay to
avoid the problem, it is not true.
Beware.
It sounds like simple advice,
but even after law enforcement
agencies and media have
sounded the alarm, people are
still falling for scams.
Please don’t.
We take no pleasure in writing
news stories from local police
logs about our neighbors who
have been duped out of money
they can ill afford to lose.
As technology takes a central
part of our daily lives, more and
more criminal charlatans are
finding creative ways to bilk
people of their savings.
Scammers will claim to be
local law enforcement with a
warrant for a person’s arrest,
then an offer to accept money to
avoid it happening. Scammers
will claim to be grandchildren,
asking for bail money from an
international jail. Scammers
will claim to be prospective
employers eager to send a large
signing bonus, then ask for a
portion of it back. Scammers will
pose as authority and familial
figures of all kinds to build trust.
They’re all scams, however
plausible they sound.
The mere mention of the
Internal Revenue Service causes
otherwise rational people to be
duped by scammers. The federal
agency in charge of collecting
your taxes doesn’t initiate contact
via social media or email. Its real
agents don’t ask for payments
to anyone other than the United
States Treasury. Its website
at irs.gov has a detailed page
describing scams and how to
avoid them. It makes for chilling
reading.
Some tips to recognize and
defeat fraud:
• Government agencies
typically already know your
basic personal information;
• Agencies are unlikely to
call to announce a coming arrest
and never seek money through
prepaid debit cards like Green
Dot;
• If you haven’t participated in
I
a contest, you probably don’t win
anything — and you certainly
don’t want to pay a fee (or
“taxes”) to receive it.
Frankly, it’s best to avoid
sending money over the internet
or phone when possible, unless
you are sure you are dealing with
a bona fide vendor.
Phone and email scammers
often access personal information
through social media accounts
to seem credible during
conversations. They are skilled
at building long-term rapport
with potential targets. This often
happens through online dating
sites, where the scammers work
patiently to create a plausible
“relationship” with their targets,
then ask for money to bail them
out of a fictional predicament.
Your social media accounts
are ripe for sharing information
that scammers and identity
thieves can use. Those online
posts where friends ask you to
share the name of your first pet
or where you met your spouse
may appear harmless fun. But
those are the same questions
financial institutions ask you
when they set up security
questions to access your online
accounts. Would you post these
private secrets on the bathroom
wall at a truck stop along
Interstate 84? Sharing those
details on Facebook is the online
equivalent.
The most sickening aspect is
that elderly people — who grew
up in a more trusting age — are
so vulnerable to scams. Many
don’t have the same familiarity
with technology as younger
people whose entire lives have
been lived in the personal
computer or smartphone age.
These days, a scam caller
can be anywhere in the world,
because software exists to
indicate that the number they are
calling from is in your area code.
Because of embarrassment,
victims can be shy about
reporting they’ve been scammed.
Don’t.
If you suspect you are being
scammed, call your local law
enforcement agency with your
suspicions before handing over
any money.
W HERE TO W RITE
GRANT COUNTY
• Grant County Courthouse — 201
S. Humbolt St., Suite 280, Canyon City
97820. Phone: 541-575-0059. Fax: 541-
575-2248.
• Canyon City — P.O. Box 276, Canyon
City 97820. Phone: 541-575-0509. Fax:
541-575-0515. Email: tocc1862@centu-
rylink.net.
• Dayville — P.O. Box 321, Dayville
97825. Phone: 541-987-2188. Fax: 541-
987-2187. Email:dville@ortelco.net
• John Day — 450 E. Main St, John Day,
97845. Phone: 541-575-0028. Fax: 541-
575-1721. Email: cityjd@centurytel.net.
• Long Creek — P.O. Box 489, Long
Creek 97856. Phone: 541-421-3601. Fax:
541-421-3075. Email: info@cityoflong-
creek.com.
• Monument — P.O. Box 426, Monument
97864. Phone and fax: 541-934-2025.
Email: cityofmonument@centurytel.net.
• Mt. Vernon — P.O. Box 647, Mt.
Vernon 97865. Phone: 541-932-4688. Fax:
541-932-4222. Email: cmtv@ortelco.net.
• Prairie City — P.O. Box 370, Prairie
City 97869. Phone: 541-820-3605. Fax:
820-3566. Email: pchall@ortelco.net.
Blue Mountain
EAGLE
P UBLISHED EVERY
W EDNESDAY BY
• Seneca — P.O. Box 208, Seneca
97873. Phone and fax: 541-542-2161.
Email: senecaoregon@gmail.com.
SALEM
• Gov. Kate Brown, D — 254 State
Capitol, Salem 97310. Phone: 503-378-
3111. Fax: 503-378-6827. Website: www.
governor.state.or.us/governor.html.
• Oregon Legislature — State Capitol,
Salem, 97310. Phone: (503) 986-1180.
Website: www. leg.state.or.us (includes
Oregon Constitution and Oregon Revised
Statutes).
• Oregon Legislative Information —
(For updates on bills, services, capitol or
messages for legislators) — 800-332-2313.
• Sen. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario – 900
Court St. NE, S-301, Salem 97301. Phone:
503-986-1730. Website: www.oregonlegis-
lature.gov/Bentz. Email: Sen.CliffBentz@
oregonlegislature.gov.
• Rep. Lynn Findley, R-Vale – 900 Court
St. NE, H-475, Salem 97301. Phone: 503-
986-1460. Website: www.oregonlegislature.
gov/findley. Email: Rep.LynnFindley@
oregonlegislature.gov.
S HOOTING THE B REEZE
Contributed photo
A revolver and a semi-automatic .22 pistol.
The .22 handgun
shooting, it’s only logical to do so
when starting out with a handgun.
Low recoil and cheap ammunition
When I was but a wee lad, my make for more practice; more prac-
family would gather each fall for the tice makes a better marksman. Am-
annual sight-in of their various hunt- munition can be purchased nearly
ing rifles. I would pick up their emp- anywhere and in a legion of dif-
ty brass cartridge cases and dream ferent styles tailored to the various
of the day I would have my own big needs and uses thereof.
Secondly, from a purely utilitar-
time thunderstick. Uncle Mick had a
Ruger Single Six .22 handgun that ian point of view, one cannot beat a
he seemed to always bring along just .22 handgun. With quality ammuni-
tion, accuracy is superb and
for me to plink around with.
adequately powerful for use
He never cut me loose with
on small game. The handi-
it alone, but with close per-
ness of a small-bore pistol
sonal supervision, I was al-
lowed to shoot a few rounds
lends to its ease of carry, and
at a tin can to get some prac-
a handgun on your hip in rat-
tlesnake, badger and coyote
tice in. I was hooked.
country serves much more
In the years since then,
Dale
good than a rifle back at the
I have owned several hand-
Valade
guns in many different cali-
truck. When grouse season
bers. The most fun and possibly use- opens up, you could bring along a
ful of those have all been in .22 LR .22 handgun for when you find your-
caliber. Allow me to make my case. self in need of camp meat. And a .22
First of all, a funny fact about isn’t exactly bupkes in defense of
handguns is that they will teach one’s self against two-legged var-
you your mistakes as a rifleman, mints either.
I am not suggesting that it is per-
for every little mistake is amplified
by the absence of several pounds fect for bears and the like, far from
of long barrel and a stock. I know it. The .22 Long Rifle cartridge has
several expert riflemen that couldn’t its limitations. As your skill with a
hit the proverbial barn’s broadside handgun grows, it’s only logical to
where it comes to handguns. It tru- upgrade as needed or desired. To
ly is a discipline unto itself. Just as hunt big or dangerous game with
most shooters start with a .22 rifle any handgun can be very ill-advised,
to learn the fundamentals of rifle in my humble opinion. Yet, if I was
By Dale Valade
For the Blue Mountain Eagle
forced to do so, a .22 handgun would
likely be the last one I would choose.
My .22 handguns see employ only
within the confines of their proper
bailiwick.
I am partial to the models with
6-inch barrels. Even though they
are a bit more awkward for conve-
nient carry than the 4-inch barrel
models, they tend to balance better
for both offhand and field positions.
Although the quality of certain dis-
continued models such as the Colt
Woodsman or High Standard Sport
King is tough to beat, the Ruger
Mark III and Browning Buckmark
are fine products. Though a good
revolver will suffice, I have come to
prefer the feel, accuracy and, admit-
tedly, the magazine capacity and fast
follow-up shots of the autoloaders
over the various “wheel guns,” al-
though I have owned and used both
extensively with great results.
If you’re considering a handgun
purchase for whatever reason, I
strongly advise you look into a qual-
ity .22-caliber handgun. Besides be-
ing extremely useful, they’re a barrel
of fun.
Have a favorite .22 pistol you like
to brag on? Write me at shootingth-
ebreezebme@gmail.com and tell it
how it is!
Dale Valade is a local country
gent with a deep love for handload-
ing, hunting and shooting.
L ETTER TO THE E DITOR
Hate decals
have no place
To the Editor:
The man who shot up the Jewish
Synagogue had a van covered with
hate decals. One of them being Hil-
lary in the crosshairs.
We live north of Mt. Vernon. I
am so disgusted that every time we
drive into John Day we have to look
at this large hate sign about Hillary
Clinton.
I hope it doesn’t invite some
“crazy” to do something stupid. I
thought hate signs were illegal.
Elberta Miller
Mt. Vernon
L
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