TELEPHONE TELEVISION INTERNET

MEDICAL ALERT

MEDICAL ALERTSECURITY CELLULAR

TELEPHONE TELEVISION INTERNET SECURITY MEDICAL ALERT CELLULAR

Volume 8 Issue 4 Citizens Coop June 2015 220 Webbs Mill Road Floyd, VA 24091 P: 745-2111

What do all the G’s mean in references like 2GB, and 1Gbps?

ANSWER: You will see the letter “G” used frequently when communications providers are talking about mobile devices and Internet speeds. For example, you may hear cell phone companies talk about their data service plans in terms of the number of GBs you can use, On the other hand, you may hear that a city in your area now can provide speeds of 1Gbps Internet. These Gs mean completely di� erent things, yet people understandably get them confused. To clear things up, here are the de� nitions:

The G, as it relates to mobile technology, means “generation.” Each generation promises faster broadband speeds and more network capacity (e.g. 3G network, 4G network).

GB, with a capital B, means Gigabytes a measurement of data storage capacity. For example, a cellular phone plan may allow you to use up to 2GB of data before being charged extra fees. Or your computer’s hard drive may have a storage capacity of 750GB.

Gbps, with a lowercase b, means Gigabits per second. This is a measurement of Internet speed. This is ultra fast; 1 Gbps is 100 times faster than the common 3, 5, 10 Mbps speeds used in many households.

INTERNET FAQ:

Customers in Floyd County and surrounding communities just received additional options for fast 4G LTE cellular service. The new o� ering from Citizens was recently launched with great promotional o� ers, a good selection of 4G LTE Smartphones with competitive individual and data share rate plans.

The new service o� ering will allow cellular customers to access their favorite mobile apps, shop online, communicate with friends on social sites and check their emails faster than ever.

Smartphones have become a part of 8 out of 10 people’s daily lives. They can access valuable information along with entertainment, like movies and games.

We invite you to come by our o� ce and talk to one of our knowledgeable Sales Consultants about comparing your existing calling and data plan. We welcome your existing compatible 4G LTE Smartphone and to keep your same cell number. See our specials including 3 Months FREE o� the calling plan to customers who bring their own device and sign up for Citizens Cellular. No contract options are available as well as FREE Phones.

- Greg Sapp

MANAGER’S MINUTE

See store for details.

LOVE YOUR PHONE,

BUT NOT YOUR CELL PHONE COMPANY?

And get 3 Months of 4G LTE FREE

when you switch.

INTRODUCING

220 Webbs Mill Road I Floyd I VA I 24091 I 540.745.2111 I www.citizens.coop

www.citizens.coop540.745.2111 276.637.6485

These scams hurt retailers, manufacturers, and consumers.Using online coupons can be a great way to save money, but like many things on the Internet, you need to be on the lookout for scams.

Millions of us use online coupons regularly, and the rate of use has grown exponentially since the recession began. Online coupon company RetailMeNot, Inc. reports that 3.5 billion of its paid retailer sales could be attributed to digital coupon o� ers in 2013 alone. Unfortunately, the number of fraudulent Internet coupons is rising as well, Fraudulent coupons cost retailers and manufacturers money. In fact, the Coupon Information Corporation estimates this crime costs between $300 million and $600 million a year.

Manufacturers are often forced to pass along these losses by raising the prices of their goods and the retailers get stuck with the losses when manufacturers stop reimbursing them.

Consumers who get caught perpetrating coupon fraud can face up to 17 years in prison and a $5 million � ne. But unaware consumers don’t escape the pain either. Often in the process of downloading these fake coupons online, consumers give away their personal contact information to unscrupulous businesses that will then resell that information. When retailers experience enough coupon fraud, they often change their policies to restrict even legitimate coupon users.

Here are some of the most common coupon scams:The Bait and Switch: With this scam, when you click to take advantage of a huge discount o� er, you are taken to another website and asked to � ll out a form. The scammers will take the information from that form and resell it. The consumer then starts receiving unsolicited calls, text messages, and emails.

Counterfeited Coupons: When thieves obtain coupons from manufacturers, they counterfeit them to use or sell as many times as they wish, By the time the scam is identi� ed, manufacturers and retailers have already been ripped o� .

Copied Coupons: Many manufacturers o� er online coupons for customers to print. Browser cookies prevent consumers from printing o� more than two or three coupons per computer. Thieves get around this limitation by photocopying the coupon. Each coupon has a unique tracking code, however, and if two or more of those coupons are used, the coupon printing websites will block the computer from printing any coupons in the future.

Tips for Avoiding the FakesThere are many legitimate online coupons out there, but while searching for them, you may come across some fraudulent ones.

Follow these tips:

1. You should never pay for a coupon. Whether its for a printable coupon, an online coupon code, or a link promotion, if you’re asked to pay for a coupon, this is a huge red � ag that the coupon is fraudulent. Thieves counterfeit legitimate coupons and sell the fakes for a pro� t, leaving manufacturers, retailers, and consumers to pay the ultimate price.

2. Be careful where you download. Know the source. Download coupons from manufacturers websites or authorized coupon distributors, not from Internet forums or forwarded emails.Websites and emails containing fraudulent coupons often have spyware, too. If you believe your computer was infected with spyware after visiting a suspicious site, run your antivirus program on your computer.

Finally, coupons rarely come in the form of a PDF or JPG � le, so unless you have downloaded it directly from the manufacturers website, those two � le types are red � ags as well.

3. Check for an expiration date and suspiciously high value. Check the � ne print, Almost all legitimate coupons have an expiration date. Also, if the coupon is for a strangely high value in relation to the product, this is another red � ag that the coupon may not be legit,

Using online coupons to save money on your purchases is smart shopping. But coupon fraud hurts everyone. If you’re ever in doubt about a coupon you are about to use, check for alerts at the Coupon Information Center at www.couponinformationcenter.

Is the Reality Show Extreme Couponing Really Reality?Its impressive to watch people on the TLC show Extreme Couponing buy $2,000.00 worth of groceries for $1.00. But often these extreme couponers are buying coupons online in order to get the number of coupons needed for those outrageous savings. Having to pay for a coupon is a huge red � ag that the coupon may be fraudulent.

Extreme couponers will also spend hours in the store and make multiple transactions to take advantage of o� ers for money o� their next purchase. They will use coupon overages to pay for other groceries, or use double coupons where available. Since not all stores o� er this, the couponers are very careful where they shop.

Finally, pay attention to the types of groceries purchased during one of these episodes.You will notice there are very few food staples in the carts. No one can live on processed food alone.

WATCH OUT FOR FAKE ONLINE COUPONS