People, Places & Events

Scammers phish Kaufman County
Monitor Staff Reports
KAUFMAN COUNTY–Almost all areas of Kaufman County were hit by scammers over the past weekend, according to a press release from the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office.
Scammers represented themselves as local bank officials on pre-recorded messages warning of account suspension, seeking PIN codes and other confidential information.
Some residents also received calls and texts asking them to reset their debit card PIN numbers, the release stated.
“If you received one of these calls and provided the information, please contact your local bank as soon as possible,” public information officer Pat Laney said.
Phishing, pronounced “fishing,” is exactly what thieves are doing, she said.
“They are fishing for any type of personal financial information,” Laney explained. “Phishing scams take many forms. It can be an e-mail, a telephone message to your home or cell phone, and even a cell phone text message. These scammers will use various ways to contact you, phishing for your personal information.”
To help county residents from falling victim to such scams, KSO offers the following tips:
• never provide your personal information to an unsolicited e-mail, telephone call or text message. Remember, if you did not initiate the call, text or e-mail, do not give out any personal information.
• If you believe that it may be a legitimate call or e-mail, visit or contact the institution directly, by using a telephone number or website you have verified yourself. Verify those numbers through published numbers found in a telephone directory or on a website. A monthly statement, such as your bank statement, is another source for verifying legitimate telephone numbers and websites.
• Never provide your password or PIN number over the telephone, or when replying to an unsolicited e-mail or text message. Institutions, especially financial ones, will never ask you to verify any account or personal information on-line, over the phone or in a text message.
• Review your account statements regularly. Checking your accounts through an on-line Internet banking program gives you the ability to view your accounts on a daily basis to catch any suspicious activity, rather than waiting for your monthly statement.
• Do not be intimidated by an e-mail, caller or text message. Be suspicious of any communication that states if you do not respond immediately with the requested account information, your account will be in jeopardy.
• If you receive a suspicious call, e-mail or text, report it to the business or institution immediately. If it is an e-mail, forward it to the business or institution. Provide the fraudulent telephone number that you have been directed to contact.
• Report all suspicious contacts to the Federal Trade Commission at www.con sumer.gov/idtheft or by calling 1-877-IDTHEFT.
“If you disclosed any personal or confidential information in a phishing scam, contact one of the three major credit bureaus to place a fraud alert on your file,” Laney added. “This will prevent the scammers from opening new accounts in your name.”

Trinidad ISD wins 13-cent tax raise
Voters defeat Mabank ISD’s M&O rate increase
Monitor Staff Reports
CEDAR CREEK LAKE–Voters in Trinidad Independent School District passed a 13-cent tax rate hike Tuesday.
With 81 total voters, 49 cast ballots for the increase and 32 voted against it.
The school board and superintendent made a case for the increase, pointing out that the hike would result in about $65 more for the average homeowner in the district (with property valued at $75,000) and leverage $1.48 million from the state, or $800,000 more than it contributed to the district last year.
With interest and funding from athletic activities, the total estimated income would be $1.945 million, superintendent David Atkeissen explained during two public hearings on the proposed tax rate.
Last year, the district finished the year with a $168,000 loss, with corresponding budget cuts needing to be made this year.
“Even with the tighter budget, the district was projected to lose an additional $41,000 this year,” Atkeissen said.
Mabank ISD didn’t get its message across to the voting public as well as Trinidad.
It lost its bid for half a million more dollars in state funding without any overall increase in the current tax rate.
The unofficial results defeated the proposed tax rate increase (which wasn’t really an increase to the overall tax rate) 327 to 307. The measure failed by 20 votes.
Mabank ISD proposed an increase in the Maintenance and Operation (M&O) from $1.04 to $1.17. It also proposed lowering the Interest & Sinking tax rate by a corresponding 11 cents, which was not included in the ballot language.
Voters saw the ballot wording of the $1.38 per $100 valuation being 14 cents higher than the school district’s rollback tax rate; and defeated the proposition, not remembering that voters already approved the $1.38 total tax rate when they approved the construction bond for the new high school.
Mabank school trustees offered the proposition, knowing the proposed changes in M&O and I&S tax rates would trigger more state funding.
Alas, the fine points of the plan were not fully grasped by voters, who will still pay $1.38 per $100 valuation of property because they had already approved that increase in February, 2005.

Come Adopt Us At The Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake
The domino effect is a chain reaction that occurs when a small change causes a similar change nearby, which then will cause another similar change, and so on. My name is Domino, and I got my name not only because I’m black and white like a domino tile, but also because my outgoing, cheerful personality causes my doggie roommates to smile. This also causes our human friends to smile, which even causes the kitties in the cat room to smile. I am an 8-month-old male Pointer/Terrier mix. I love children, other dogs, and even get along great with kitties. I’ve had all my shots and am ready to be adopted. If you’d like to experience the domino effect, I am sure to put a forever smile on your face when you take me to my forever home. I currently live with a foster family, so if you would like to meet me, call my friends at the Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake at (903) 432-3422 to make an appointment. You can also email them at dogshsccl@yahoo.com.
	We have many animals at the Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake in Seven Points in dire need of a good home. Please call or stop by the Humane Society today and rescue one of these forgotten animals. The Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake is located on 10220 County Road 2403 in Seven Points. For more information, please call (903) 432-3422 after 11 a.m. We are closed on Wednesday and Sunday.
For further information visit our website at petfinder.com