Olde Towne Crier August 2010

Welcoming Brunch

Patricia Ashburner will be hosting the second annual Welcoming Brunch on Saturday, September 18th at 11:30 a.m. If you have moved into our community during the last year you are invited to attend. This is your opportunity to meet some of your neighbors and your OTCA committee members in a relaxed and fun setting. We will be serving some delicious home made treats! Please RSVP.

Community Watch

Our most recent OTCA meeting was well attended. Clint Simpson and Todd Coring from the Brunswick Sherriff’s department discussed crime in the area. Recently someone vandalized two unlocked cars during the night. Someone also kicked in the door of a vacant house. Several people expressed concern that with the economy the way it is and drugs, that we need to be proactive in maintaining security in Olde Towne. Clint and Todd recommended calling 911 anytime we see anything suspicious. We should also make sure car doors are locked. When we go on vacation we should be careful to make sure newspapers and mail do not collect. Let a neighbor know you will be away. Also, the sheriff will stop by and check your house while you are gone if you request them to. This can be done by filling out an on line form. It was suggested we start an e-mail alert system. Stuart agreed to be the coordinator and will collect and disseminate information by email. If you are interested in being added to the OTCA Community Alert list, please let Stuart know.

OTCA Fall Yard Sale

Carolyn Ferguson and Bobbi Fitzpatrick have volunteered to co-chair the Fall Yard Sale that will be held on Saturday, September 11, from 7 a.m. until noon. This is a great opportunity to clear out some household things you no longer need and clean out closets of clothes you no longer wear. In these tough times it is a way to get some cash in your pocket for stuff that you never use anymore. If you would like to participate please contact Carolyn Ferguson at 371-6648 or Bobbi Fitzpatrick at 371-0836. The yard sale is a fundraiser for our community; we hope you will all participate. OTCA will handle all the advertising for this event, which generally brings quite a number of shoppers to homes in our neighborhood.
If you would like to sell anything in our community-wide yard sale, you will be expected to pay 10% of what you take in or $25.00, whichever is less. Whichever co-chairman is responsible for your area will be contacting you prior to the sale to provide a payment envelope for you to place your money in. The envelope will be picked up later that day.

Belville Happenings

Mayor Jack Batson attended the OTCA meeting and reported that the town has money in the budget to correct the drainage problem in Olde Towne but the work is being delayed because of some legal concerns from the town attorney. He also reported that improvements to the road surface on Brunswick Place will begin soon. The next Board of Commissioner’s meeting will be on Monday, August 23rd at 7 p.m. Please attend if you can.

Dues are Now Due

Have you paid your dues for 2010? OTCA dues are $24 for the year. Dues contribute toward upkeep of the park, maintaining the mall, purchasing and planting flowers and shrubs, printing of the Crier, and the adult socials and children’s parties. If you would like to make an additional donation, please include it with your check.

Next Meeting

The next OTCA meeting will be held in conjunction with the Welcoming Brunch on September 18th at 11:30 a.m at the Ashburners home, 10006 N. Olde Towne Wynd. Please attend, bring a home made goodie, get involved, and meet some of your newest neighbors.

Information from the sheriff

Former identity thieves confess the tactics they use to scam you.
Watch your back. In line at the grocery store, I’ll hold my phone like I’m looking at the screen and snap your card as you’re using it. Next thing you know, I’m ordering things online—on your dime.

That red flag tells the mail carrier—and me—that you have outgoing mail. And that can mean credit card numbers and checks I can reproduce. Check your bank and credit card balances at least once a week. I can do a lot of damage in the 30 days between statements.

In Europe, credit cards have an embedded chip and require a PIN, which makes them a lot harder to hack. Here, I can duplicate the magnetic stripe technology with a $50 machine. If a bill doesn’t show up when it’s supposed to, don’t breathe a sigh of relief. Start to wonder if your mail has been stolen. That’s me driving through your neighborhood at 3 a.m. on trash day. I fill my trunk with bags of garbage from different houses, then sort later.

You throw away the darnedest things—preapproved credit card applications, old bills, expired credit cards, checking account deposit slips, and crumpled-up job or loan applications with all your personal information.

If you see something that looks like it doesn’t belong on the ATM or sticks out from the card slot, walk away. That’s the skimmer I attached to capture your card information and PIN. Why don’t more of you call 888-5-OPTOUT to stop banks from sending you preapproved credit offers? You’re making it way too easy for me.

I use your credit cards all the time, and I never get asked for ID. A helpful hint: I’d never use a credit card with a picture on it. I can call the electric company, pose as you, and say, “Hey, I thought I paid this bill. I can’t remember—did I use my Visa or MasterCard? Can you read me back that number?” I have to be in character, but it’s unbelievable what they’ll tell me.
12. Thanks for using your debit card instead of your credit card. Hackers are constantly breaking into retail databases, and debit cards give me direct access to your banking account. 13. Love that new credit card that showed up in your mailbox. If I can’t talk someone at your bank into activating it (and I usually can), I write down the number and put it back. After you’ve activated the card, I start using it.

Newcomers are invited to Our Second Olde Towne Community Association

Welcoming Brunch

This is our way of welcoming newcomers. We are very excited about this event to meet and greet new residents to our wonderful community.
Who is invited: Any new residents (in the last year).
You will be served tea, coffee, punch and delectable sweet and savory goodies
handmade by Association members.
Newcomers Brunch
When: September 18, 2010
Time: 11:30 a.m.
Where: At the home of Patricia and Geoffrey Ashburner
10006 N. Olde Towne Wynd SE (Red Cedar Contemporary)
RSVP Call or e-mail
Pat and Geoff 383-0632 - patigeoff2@aol.com
Stuart Smith 371-9555 - ssmith@cape-fear.net
Members
This is a call for help to all Olde Towne Members to get out your favorite recipes.
We need you to bring goodies. Please call Pat to volunteer a goodie. 383-0632.
Our September meeting will also be held at this time, so please attend.





Membership for 2010 OTCA Dues $24.00

Additional Contributions are appreciated and encouraged.
Please make payment to any board member, place in the
OTCA mailbox at the mall entrance, or bring to our
next meeting.
Thank You for Paying Your Dues!!!!!!!!!
Olde Towne Community Association Membership/Directory Update

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when available to all members after they pay their 2010 dues of $24.00
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