We’re not talking about a criminal endeavor type of mob; we’re law-abiding citizens and wouldn’t dream of participating in anything illegal. What we’re talking about here is a “Cash Mob.” For those of you in the crowd who may be unfamiliar with the concept, according to Wikipedia:

“A cash mob is a group of people who assemble at a local business and all buy items from that business. The purpose of these mobs is to support both the local businesses and the overall community. “

Perhaps The Today Show best explained it in one of their recent segments…

Anyone familiar with us here at South Shore Computer Repair, you know that we are huge supporters of shopping local. Not just with us but with all of the fantastic businesses and services that are in the Middleboro and Lakeville area. And now a new group is emerging on Facebook and they’re focused on making shopping local fun!

Cash Mob Middleborough-Lakeville is starting a grassroots movement by helping the community plan some dates to spend your money locally. May 25, 2012 is the second annual International Cash Mob Day and we want to celebrate this by encouraging everyone to get involved! Here’s how…

1. Join the Facebook group.

2. Invite your Middleborough/Lakeville area Facebook friends to the group.

3. Suggest retailers or restaurants that the group could “mob;” no harm in suggesting your own business!

4. Vote in the poll of which location will be mobbed.

5. If you’re a business owner in the area, promote this event with your customers and clients. You know they like “shopping local” (they’re doing business with you, right?) so this is an audience ready to get excited about being in a mob.

6. On May 25, 2012 go to the business that the Facebook group community votes as the business to be mobbed. Spend a little bit of money (maybe $10 or $20).

7. Make sure to announce that you are a cash mobber. Introduce yourself to the owner/manager/employees and make a real life connection, not just a virtual online one.

8. Encourage your employees, family, and friends to do the same.

We’re joining the Mob. Are you?

Our shop hours are Tuesday through Friday from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM and Saturday from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. The easiest way to work with us, though, is to setup an appointment with us. Please give us a call at 508.947.1966 or drop us an email at help@ssc-repair.com to setup a time that works for your hectic schedule.

For a limited time we also have a smokin’ deal for you! In partnership with Nicole Jacquelyn Photography, we are offering a limited time offer on custom-made iPhone covers. Nicole Jacquelyn Photography can take your favorite picture of your kids, your pets, anything else and put it onto a personalized iPhone cover.

These iPhone covers are usually $35 but for anyone who brings their broken iPhone to South Shore Computer Repair for us to fix, you’ll receive a $10.00 discount off of the normal $35 price for these covers.

Give us a call at 508-947-1966 or drop us an email at help@ssc-repair.com to setup an appointment to bring your broken iPhone in for repair and claim your $10.00 discount on these fantastic covers!

Do it soon! This offer expires on June 4, 2012!

Tune in at Noon on Monday, April 30, 2012 to hear more about Twitter and how it can be used in your personal and professional life. Be sure to call in with any questions… operators will be standing by!

Update: If you missed today’s episode of 1530AM WVBF’s Taunton Tech Talk radio show, you didn’t actually miss it. The full recording the show is available online for your listening pleasure…

Let us know if you have any questions or need help!

Image Source: CreateSpace.com

Born in 1950, Alan Bradford is a classic “baby boomer”, even though he hates that phrase. He has always loved books and monster movies, and that is pretty obvious in “Al’s Monsters And Stories”. He’s married to retired math teacher Carol, and the father of puppeteer / improv comic / film maker Samuel.

Al’s Monsters And Stories, written by local author Alan Fletcher Bradford, is a collection of five humorous “horror” stories created and illustrated by Al when he was only eight years old, with with narration added by Al fifty years later. Basically, the book is a irreverent collaboration between Al’s my eight year old and 58 year old selves.

You can order Al’s book for yourself or your kids for only $8.99 from CreateSpace. We’ve read it and thoroughly enjoyed it and think you will too!

Image Source: police.belleville.on.ca

The following scenario is probably not a new scam, but it was certainly new to us! We heard about this from a friend – don’t let this happen to you!

A group of work colleagues were attending a training course in a well-known hotel. At lunch time they left the conference room, making sure the door was locked behind them.

After lunch, one of the course attendees received a message, through the hotel telephone system, to turn his mobile phone on as his bank was urgently trying to contact him. Sure enough, he received a call from a person claiming to be from his bank. The “bank rep” said somebody was trying to withdraw cash from his account, and they needed him to confirm his identity – quickly – so they can stop the culprit perpetrating the crime.

During the cleverly worded conversation the “bank rep” managed to extract the attendee’s PIN from him, saying he needed it to cancel the cards. Then he asked to speak to another course attendee, saying that some of his cards had been found at the bank. At this point the second victim realized his wallet had been stolen. The “bank rep” again got the individual’s PIN. Both victims were thanked for their cooperation and the call ended. It then came to light that both their wallets had been stolen. The account information the “bank” gave to satisfy the victims it was a legitimate call, had in fact come from receipts found in their wallets.

It turns out there had been a number of similar thefts from hotel conference rooms in the past.

As a result of the theft of their wallets, and a very clever social engineering scam which successfully instilled panic, the two individuals lost a lot of money and were faced with the onerous task of cancelling all of their cards which had been stolen.

The lesson learned?

• Never leave your wallet or other valuables unattended in hotel conference rooms.
• Never give your bank PIN to anyone, under any circumstances. Your bank will never ask for it!

All of the conference attendees thought their property was safe because the room was locked. Not so much. What to do if your purse or wallet is stolen? Read the following information from http://westlinnoregon.gov – it’s good advice to keep in mind should this happen to you:

• File a report with the police immediately and get a copy of the report for your insurance and/or credit card companies.
• Cancel each credit card that was in your wallet or purse.
• Report the loss or theft to your bank if your wallet or purse contained bank account information, including account numbers, ATM cards, or checks.
• Get a new ATM card, account number and Personal Identification number (PIN) or password.
• Contact the agency that issued your driver’s license or other identification document. Ask the agency to flag your file so no one else can get a license or any other identification documents from them in your name.
• Call one of the following nationwide consumer reporting companies to place and “initial fraud alert” on your credit report. The alert requires creditors to follow reasonable procedures before granting credit in your name. It will stay on your credit report for at least 90 days. The consumer reporting company you call will contact the other two, which then will place an alert on their versions of your report.

~ Equifax

~ Experian

~ TransUnion

• Ask the consumer reporting companies for a copy of your credit report. When you place an initial fraud alert on your credit report, you’re entitled to one free copy of your credit report from each of the three agencies. Review your report to make sure no additional fraudulent accounts have been opened in your name or unauthorized changes made to your existing accounts.
• Change the locks on your home and car if your keys were taken.

If you were planning to bring work into our shop during this time period, please contact us to make other arrangements.

This is important, folks! Today, many of your favorite websites have “gone dark” to show what the internet could look like if two pieces of legislation pass into law.

Go to http://americancensorship.org/ RIGHT NOW! Find out more about SOPA and PIPA and then contact your state representatives and senators and tell them to vote NO. Do it right now.

The 2011 Middleborough Holiday Shopping Guide was mailed out this week; did you receive your copy in the mail? If so, then hopefully you saw our advertisement on the third page.

You may have noticed a square barcode in the corner of our advertisement and wondered what it is:

“A QR code (abbreviated from Quick Response code) is a type of matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code) first designed for the automotive industry. More recently, the system has become popular outside of the industry due to its fast readability and comparatively large storage capacity. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded can be made up of any kind of data. (Source: Wikipedia.org)”

In the case of our QR code, it takes you to a very special offer for your holiday shopping convenience. To access the information embedded in the code, you will need a smartphone with a camera, Internet access and a QR code reader app (most of which are free to download from an app store).

If you cannot get the QR code in our advertisement to scan, then you can use your phone’s QR code reader to scan the QR code below. Scan the code, then enter the password that is located in the holiday shopping guide. Once entered, you will be eligible to take advantage of our limited-time holiday special.

We are just one of many local businesses that advertised in this year’s Holiday Shopping Guide. Many of the advertisers have special offers just for the recipients of this mailing. So check your mailbox, flip through the guide and then get shopping.

By supporting the businesses in this guide (see list below) as well as other local shops and services, you are supporting your community and your neighbors…

~ The Custom Decorator ~

~ Gregory Scot Jewelers ~

~ Central Cafe ~

~ Eastern Bank ~

~ The Emporium At Middleborough ~

~ Benny’s ~

~ Muckey’s Liquors~

~ The Cabin~

~ Middleborough on the Move ~

~ Pushin Ink Tattoo ~

~ Kahians ~

~ Podium Powersports ~

~ Carver Jewelers ~

~ Maria’s Card & Gift Shop ~

~ Egger’s Furniture ~

Shop early! Shop often! Shop local!

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