10-15-2020 With pandemic come scams; Lazy Ballerina Winery co-owner is Rotary guest speaker

BOOK VENDING MACHINES… The Pokagon Fund and the Hartford Public Schools Foundation for Quality Education joined forces to underwrite the Inchy the Bookworm at Hartford’s Redwood Elementary. Principal Chris Quist has patiently waited since March, due to COVID-19 delays, to unveil the pair of machines in her building. As the first of their kind in SW Michigan, Inchy repurposes spiral vending mechanisms to dispense books instead of the usual salty snacks. Students earn purchase tokens as rewards for good behavior, good grades, and good attendance. The titles are refreshed on a regular basis with grade-level appropriate books that the kids then personally own, to build their own home library. The program is a passion project for Global Vending President Jay Blumberg who came up with the idea after speaking with an educator about literacy challenges in their district. He quickly developed a prototype and began meeting with schools and book publishers to support the program.

With pandemic come scams

Van Buren County Sheriff reports By Annette Christie Van Buren County Sheriff Daniel E. Abbott reports that there are multiple scams being reported and he is urging residents to be vigilant when approached by suspicious people, phone calls or emails. “Don’t be afraid to ask questions, get a return phone number, etc. Do some research before responding and/or ask for assistance,” Abbott said. The utility company scam puts con artists impersonating internet, cable TV, or electricity company representatives on the phone with innocent residents. They claim to offer a great deal or rebate on your bill, but it’s really a way to trick unsuspecting customers into shelling out hundreds of dollars. Residents receive an unsolicited call offering you a reduced rate or rebate on your cable TV, electricity or other recurring bill. Speaking to the “customer service representative” may be quite convincing. Many scammers even use the same hold music as big-name providers and duplicate a company’s caller menu. When speaking with the representative, they seem very professional. The caller explains that the company is offering a special promotion. If you pay several months up front, you can receive a discounted monthly rate or free perks, like premium cable channels. In another version of the con, the caller claims that you overpaid on a recent bill and are due for a rebate. Then, things get fishy. Instead of using the payment information your cable company already has, they ask you to purchase pre-paid debit cards to make the up-front payment. Don’t do it! If you purchase the cards and send the information to the caller, your money will be lost for good. The Sheriff offers these tips: Never make payments with prepaid debit cards or gift cards. Scammers prefer these payment methods because there is nothing you can do to get your money back. Remember, legitimate companies almost always accept checks and credit cards as the primary means of payment.

If someone shows up at your doorstep, verify their identity. If you weren’t expecting a visit, ask the person for their ID and then call your cable company to verify that they are an employee.

When in doubt, verify special deals with your utility company. If you are unsure about a promotional offer you’ve been presented with, get the customer service number from the company’s official website or your latest bill. Call the company directly to make sure the offer is real. Some inventive scammers are using COVID-19 as a way to scam people in the form of a grant. In tough economic times, it can be hard to turn down free money – especially if it appears to come from a friend. BBB.org/ScamTracker is receiving numerous reports that con artists are stealing information from Facebook and Instagram accounts and promoting phony COVID-19 relief grants to their network and friends list. The scam starts when residents get a Facebook Messenger chat or Instagram direct message that looks like it comes from a friend, relative, community member, or other person they trust. The message tells about a grant for COVID-19 relief. The scammer may claim to have already applied and received thousands of dollars. Scammers are either hacking social media accounts or creating separate look-a-like profiles by stealing photos and personal information. Either way, these con artists are banking that residents will trust a message that appears to come from someone they know. For example, one recent victim was contacted by someone posing as a leader in their church. “This scam was very convincing. [It looked like it came from] someone I know and trust,” they wrote. “Because of COVID-19, I’m laid off, so I would try it. [The scammer] said my name was on a list to receive this grant money. I lost $1,000.00 of my unemployment.” While many people report being targeted through social media that is not the only way scammers are reaching potential victims. Other versions of this scam use phone calls and text messages. No matter how you hear about a “grant,” there’s a major catch! To get the “grant,” you need to pay up front first. The scammer will claim the money pays for “delivery” or “processing.” The scammer will take the money, and your grant will never materialize. The Sheriff warns, “Don’t pay any money for a ‘free’ government grant. If you have to pay money to claim a ‘free’ grant, it isn’t really free. A real government agency won’t ask you to pay a processing fee for a grant you have already been awarded. The only official list of all U.S. federal grant-making agencies is www.grants.gov.” Learn more about government scams at www.BBB.org/GrantScam. For advice on keeping your Facebook account secure, check out Facebook Help Center.

Lazy Ballerina Winery co-owner is Rotary guest speaker

Lauren Kniebes, co-owner of Lazy Ballerina Winery, was guest speaker at the Paw Paw Lake Rotary Club Zoom meeting on Sept. 9 which was hosted by Bob Becker, Rotary member.

Lauren received Moody’s 40 under 40 award in the class of 2020. She brings 10 years’ experience to the table along with her cousin (co-owner) Melanie Owen, who has 14 years of experience. Lauren is the youngest winery owner in Southwest Michigan. Lazy Ballerina is one of two wineries owned and operated by women. The Lazy Ballerina Winery opened 2015 in downtown St. Joseph, Michigan. Lazy Ballerina celebrates their 5-year anniversary this year. A second tasting room was added in June 2017 in Bridgman. Then, in 2019, the former Humane Society building on Crystal Avenue in Benton Harbor was purchased primarily for storage. Lauren got an early start in wine tasting with her grandparents making homemade wines from her father’s grapes. She has saved the recipes. At the present time the winery supports other vineyards for their wine. Ciders are available and coming soon will be spirits by experimenting with various rum flavors. Vodka and Gin are on the back burner. Recently, Lazy Ballerina Winery received a food service grant from the Michigan Department of Agriculture valued at $30,000. They plan to use the money to update outdated equipment, increase cider production and jump start spirit production in the Bridgman location. Their flagship wine is Cranberry and the fall/winter best seller. It received a Double Gold Metal in 2018, Best in Class of fruit category. Blueberry Blonde is also very popular right now. Lauren tells the biggest challenge in the wine industry is male dominance. She said women are more challenged in being heard. Her strength is in marketing which she feels good about. In the early days of the business she was told, to make the business work you need a lot of money to get started. That was not necessary the case; however, she demonstrated a profit six months later. Currently, the business is slightly under what they did this time last year. COVID closed the winery for three months and sales are down about 30%. However, July and August showed better numbers. “Cocktails To Go” passed due to COVID-19 restrictions and she feels this will boost business. For a bit of trivia – the Lazy Ballerina Winery received its name from a grape trellis that is in south Australia. Paw Paw Lake Rotary meets Wednesday’s at 12:15 pm. Meeting location changes weekly but Zoom and call-in options are available. Contact Brian Smith, Paw Paw Lake Rotary President at 269-808-5792 for more information.