Hermes Cafe Bon Temps~Good Times Cafe

[nicole0612]

Twins on the BV rubber boots, EB! They are cute and work well for rain....I've had mine a few years and they still look brand new...of course, not too much hard weather in California. I love BV shoes, and they really hold up. I just got two pairs of the patent leather low heels in rouge h and the best blue....go with jeans or dressy outfits.

Great, vote #2 for these. Now I am really intrigued.

 

[nicole0612]

Sounds a bit like living in Labrador. Maybe Seattle and Labrador are same latitude? But it's interesting what you say. I did not know the climate in Seattle was so "northern." I heard someone checking into a hotel in Portland say that Portland's climate was just like Scotland's.

Many people are surprised about Seattle. Portland is similar, but a bit warmer and a bit more humid. It is also slightly rainier.

 

[nicole0612]

DH came up with the bright idea of having all our auto pay put on a single card that we don't carry. In our case, the Amazon visa. That seems to reduce the opportunities for fraud and we haven't had to change all of those auto pay in a long time.

But the idea of fraud not happening on cards that are not carried doesn't always hold true. We have a lot of credit cards but mainly only use two. We had a unordered Dell computer show up at our house that was charged to one of the cards that sits in the drawer. We called Dell. It seems someone in Kansas ordered it but for some freaky reason it showed up at our house instead of the address the fraudster gave. And when it didn't come to the fraud perp, he ordered another. I am thinking he purchased our credit card info off the dark net.

It is on my resolution list to sign up for one of those credit card monitoring deals. I like that they monitor whether your info is being sold on the dark net. I researched them all and picked one, but just haven't filled out the ap.

Wow, that is scary. It was ordered twice and not flagged by your cc?

 

[Keren16]

The same thing has happened to me multiple times! It is such a creepy, invasive feeling that people are out there with schemes like this. I figured out quickly not to call them back, but one time I was tricked. I got a letter from my credit card stating that "John Smith" (some named individual) had opened an account using my name and that if I wanted to dispute this to call the 1-800 number listed. When I called, a representative from the credit card answered and asked me to verify my info. I gave him my cc number, my name and was starting to give him my birthdate before I suddenly got a weird feeling. I put him on speaker phone and my husband came over. He told me to hang up the phone. He called the 1-800 number on the back of the card and we were told that this was a scam and to never call a number on a letter no matter who it is from, always call the card/bank directly. This letter from my "credit card" came with the same letter background, letterhead and logos that the real letters that my credit card sends to me (for example when they are notifying me of some little policy change). I fell for this scam because 2 people HAVE actually tried to open accounts in my name in the past, so I was in such a rush to stop the fraud that I fell right into their hands, exactly as intended.

Someone tried several attempts to open bank accounts in my husbands name. This was a while ago so I don't remember the details. It was strange to receive a call from the bank asking if he authorized the account. Whoever it was finally was caught (I guess) after they tried to open a credit card account in my husband's name. Recently we received a letter from a bank in another state declining an attempt to open an account in my husband's name due to insufficient information.
I do not know how our names are found or used. None of it makes sense.

 

[Keren16]

I also want to chime in on some safety issues.
1. Never click on a link in an email that you do not trust. Look at the originating email addy. That's one of the ways to verify the source. If you want to go to the email address, type it in. That way there's no malicious code.
2. Never volunteer personal information to anyone, unless you call a verified number, like the one on your credit card or go to a site you trust and it has the secure connection icon in the browser heading.
3. No one ever gives out free stuff, even if you fill out a survey.
3. If you think it's a scam, it most likely is; do a quick google search on the info or phone number associated with it first before you do anything.
4. Facebook too. DH was less savvy than I thought and sent me a link to a FB scam for free AMC movie tickets. I clicked on the link and when they wanted me to send the link to 15 friends, I knew it was a scam. Since I clicked on the link, I brought my iPad to the Mac store so they could run a diagnostic on it. Luckily it was fine.
5. The IRS never calls you if you have a problem.
6. Clicking on a link is how malicious code can get loaded onto your device. Periodically, delete the cache on your devices too.

I've done malware checks on my Mac. So far, ok. What about cookies? I receive emails from unknown sources. That is where it is important to be careful about links. I wonder how much personal information can be accessed
I empty my cache several times/day on my computer. I do not know how to on my iPhone.
Someone in my family had identity theft. He found out when he tried to file his income tax & it was declined because someone else did using his name. Naturally, there was a refund involved.
I did something really stupid. On Instagram there was a post about an illuminating in the dark dog collar. Purpose was to prevent dogs from being hit by cars. Free collar. All I need to do was pay shipping! So I bought one. Seemed well intended. The charge was posted to my acct, I never received the collar. I called the credit card company & was reimbursed. Whoever this supposed group is now has my cc information, at least

 

[Keren16]

Wow! I might have fallen for this one. It seems like once every 1-2 years, we get a fraudulent charge on one of our CC, and have to get a new card. A bit of a hassle, particularly if that card is tied to auto-pay for some bills.
I always notify the CC company before overseas travel.
I wish the us would switch to the European method for swiping cards at restaurants. There, the waiter brings the machine right to your table to scan your CC. ther is no chance for them to copy your CC info.

There are a few restaurants in my area that bring the machine to our table to scan our card. I live in the US. Suppose the card has been cloned? That happened to us. Maybe now there is better security

 

[Keren16]

DH came up with the bright idea of having all our auto pay put on a single card that we don't carry. In our case, the Amazon visa. That seems to reduce the opportunities for fraud and we haven't had to change all of those auto pay in a long time.

But the idea of fraud not happening on cards that are not carried doesn't always hold true. We have a lot of credit cards but mainly only use two. We had a unordered Dell computer show up at our house that was charged to one of the cards that sits in the drawer. We called Dell. It seems someone in Kansas ordered it but for some freaky reason it showed up at our house instead of the address the fraudster gave. And when it didn't come to the fraud perp, he ordered another. I am thinking he purchased our credit card info off the dark net.

It is on my resolution list to sign up for one of those credit card monitoring deals. I like that they monitor whether your info is being sold on the dark net. I researched them all and picked one, but just haven't filled out the ap.

I am resistant to automatic withdrawals for bill pay. I'm sure most of the time it's ok. I am careful since we had so much fraudulent activity in one form or another.

 

[Keren16]

Your suspicions about artificial sweeteners making you feel hungrier has been confirmed by research. Unfortunately, I cannot drink black coffee, but with a little steamed soy (no lactose for me) I can avoid the sugar or equal. As mentioned, I do use stevia at times. I think it is the best of the not-great options. It is an herb, natural, but it has a bitter aftertaste unless it is processed to remove those bitter compounds, becoming no longer natural.

I am always considering rain boots since I live in Seattle, but I am unclear on the function and logistics. Do you wear them over your real shoes like galoshes? Do you bring your real shoes in your bag and change at your destination? Do you leave your boots in your car? I don't mind bringing extra things with me; for example a jacket to take on and off during the day, but it is much less messy to carry around a jacket compared to wet boots.

I usually put a little half & half or dairy creamer in my coffee. I should try soy milk. Sweetener never appealed to me.
My rain boots are meant to be worn alone. I think there are many of them in various brands. I change to shoes at my destination. The boots stay in the car. I live in Florida. Downpours cause local flooding at times so the boots are very effective.
I bought a real raincoat from H&M online a few months ago. I did not want to spend a lot [emoji299]️ It's been pretty good!

 

[Keren16]

Glad I am not the only bag lady! Do you have a pic of the BV winter boots by any chance? They sound great.

You are not the only Bag lady! I always have room for one more!

 

[Keren16]

Wow, that is scary. It was ordered twice and not flagged by your cc?

I will be asked to verify small charges. In the past the large amounts slipped by.

 

[eagle1002us]

DH came up with the bright idea of having all our auto pay put on a single card that we don't carry. In our case, the Amazon visa. That seems to reduce the opportunities for fraud and we haven't had to change all of those auto pay in a long time.

But the idea of fraud not happening on cards that are not carried doesn't always hold true. We have a lot of credit cards but mainly only use two. We had a unordered Dell computer show up at our house that was charged to one of the cards that sits in the drawer. We called Dell. It seems someone in Kansas ordered it but for some freaky reason it showed up at our house instead of the address the fraudster gave. And when it didn't come to the fraud perp, he ordered another. I am thinking he purchased our credit card info off the dark net.

It is on my resolution list to sign up for one of those credit card monitoring deals. I like that they monitor whether your info is being sold on the dark net. I researched them all and picked one, but just haven't filled out the ap.

DH paid for toys at a ToysR-US well out of state and we don't have kids. Putting that chip in the cards probably helped prevent further ID theft.
On the other hand, how many of you exist in an organizational data base that's been hacked? Systems should transfer from SS numbers to fingerprints or retina photos.

 

[Kyokei]

DH paid for toys at a ToysR-US well out of state and we don't have kids. Putting that chip in the cards probably helped prevent further ID theft.
On the other hand, how many of you exist in an organizational data base that's been hacked? Systems should transfer from SS numbers to fingerprints or retina photos.

I was just telling someone the other day that fingerprints would be good to utilize.

 

[Kyokei]

By the way, everyone.... I bought that Edward Bess lipstick at Bergdorfs today! Sadly, he wasn't there.... would have loved to meet him and apparently he drops by often.

There were a few shades that looked great but I decided to start with one to see if I like the formula. The price point is fair for a luxury brand. The lipstick itself felt very creamy and moisturizing but I only applied it once so far. I also picked up some samples of new fragrances I want to test. One isn't even out yet...!

 

[Keren16]

DH paid for toys at a ToysR-US well out of state and we don't have kids. Putting that chip in the cards probably helped prevent further ID theft.
On the other hand, how many of you exist in an organizational data base that's been hacked? Systems should transfer from SS numbers to fingerprints or retina photos.

I use my fingerprint to log into accounts on my iPhone. I'm told it's safer than using a card. It makes sense

 

[Keren16]

By the way, everyone.... I bought that Edward Bess lipstick at Bergdorfs today! Sadly, he wasn't there.... would have loved to meet him and apparently he drops by often.

There were a few shades that looked great but I decided to start with one to see if I like the formula. The price point is fair for a luxury brand. The lipstick itself felt very creamy and moisturizing but I only applied it once so far. I also picked up some samples of new fragrances I want to test. One isn't even out yet...!

I heard about