December 16, 2020 — As the COVID-19 vaccine gets distributed across the country, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) is warning that scammers will be right there too.  “Watch out for everything from phony treatments to phishing messages attempting to trick you into sharing your passwords and personal information,” stated Jim Hegarty, president and CEO of the BBB serving Nebraska, South Dakota, The Kansas Plains and Southwest Iowa. “Some scammers are already targeting seniors by selling fake vaccines, promising to get them to the front of the line, or impersonating government officials.”

In one scam, you receive a phone call, text message or email from someone claiming to be from Medicare or Medicaid saying they can get you on an early list to get the vaccine. The caller promises a COVID-19 vaccine for a fee or asks you to share your credit card or social security information. “No one from Medicare or Medicaid is going to contact you to get you on a list or to pay for the vaccine. Even if you are in a nursing facility, they just are not going to do that!” said Hegarty. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), you likely will not pay for the vaccine out of pocket during this public health emergency.

Tips to Spot and Avoid a COVID-19 Vaccine Scam:
·         Don’t pay or give out your personal information in exchange for early access to the vaccine – Be wary of phone calls claiming to be your health care providers offering products, treatments or medicine to prevent the virus.

·         Research carefully – Scammers are very creative, so be skeptical of anything that seems too good – or crazy – to be true. Double-check any information about the vaccine with official news sources. Be aware that none of the vaccines can be currently purchased online or in stores.

·         Check with your doctor – If you want a vaccine early, reach out to your healthcare provider about your options. If you don’t have a primary care physician, check out the official website of your local health department for more information.

·         Don’t trust caller ID – Con artists and robocallers use technology called spoofing to modify what phone numbers appear on caller ID by impersonating phone numbers from neighbors, friends, businesses, the IRS and even the local police to try to get you to answer the call. Answering ID-spoofed calls indicates that you have an active phone line. Those are valuable to scammers who will put you on a “sucker list” – potentially opening your phone line up to more scam calls.

·         Ignore calls for immediate action – While you may want to be first in line for the vaccine, don’t let that sense of urgency cloud your judgment. Scammers try to get you to act before you think. Don’t fall for it.

·         Think the link may be real? Double-check the URL – Scammers often buy official-looking URLs to use in their cons. Be careful that the link is really what it pretends to be. If the message alleges to come from the local government, make sure the URL ends in “.gov.”  When in doubt, perform a separate internet search for the website.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as well as the FTC, have also issued fraud alerts aimed at Americans waiting to get vaccinated against COVID-19 saying that you will not be asked for money to enhance your ranking for vaccine eligibility. If you’ve spotted a scam (whether or not you’ve lost money), report it to BBB Scam Tracker. Your report can help others avoid falling victim to scams. Sign up for BBB Scam Alerts to receive weekly notices of emerging scams to avoid.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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(Radio Iowa) – For most Iowans, there’s no place like home for the holidays. A survey finds a majority of us will be staying put through year’s end. Meredith Terpstra, spokeswoman for Triple-A-Iowa, says with the pandemic still the primary concern, some 34-million fewer people will be traveling during the 12-day period between December 23rd and January 3rd. “We’re actually expecting three-quarters of Americans to stay home, which is a huge number,” Terpstra says. “As everyone is aware, it’s a very personal decision if you are going to travel, especially with COVID happening.”

The travel forecast is down 29-percent and it marks the first drop in year-end holiday travel since 2008, with the lowest expected travel volume since 2002. With so many travel restrictions between states and most other countries, there aren’t many places for Iowans to visit. Terpstra says most people who -do- plan to travel are heading to see family, not going on a pleasure vacation, while the stay-cation appears to be the wisest and most popular option. Terpstra says, “Most people are making the decision to just stay home this year and celebrate with their own personal families who are in their households and Zooming in, video calling and even making normal phone calls to family members instead of seeing them in person this year.”

With demand for gasoline down, gas prices are following suit. “Our current average in Iowa this year is $2.07 compared to a year ago at $2.34,” Terpstra says. “Nationwide, we’re thinking that the gas prices are going to remain nearly 50-cents cheaper than last year.” For those who plan to travel, she says it’s important to understand the risks and take steps to keep yourself and others safe. The CDC urges Americans -not- to travel for the holidays this year, warning that travel increases your chance of getting and spreading COVID-19.

The Creston Police Department today (Wednesday) reports three arrests, with two persons arrested on drug charges:

28-year old Rogelio Martinez, of Creston, was arrested Tuesday night at his home, for Violation of a Protective Order, and Possession with the intent to sell or manufacturer over 5 grams of an illegal substance. Martinez was being held without bond in the Union County Jail, while awaiting a hearing before the magistrate. And, 44-year old Joel Gross, of Creston, was arrested Tuesday evening on a Union County warrant for Unlawful Possession of Prescription Drugs. Gross was also charged with Theft in the 3rd Degree. His bond was set at $2,000.

29-year old Jeanette Govea, of Creston, was arrested at her home Tuesday night, for Violation of a Protective Order. She was being held in the Adams County Jail while awaiting a bond hearing.

Two Creston residents reported incidents of break-in’s and thefts. A resident of the 200 block of N. Park Street, told police someone broke into her vehicle and stole the keys, along with registration information. The incident happened sometime overnight Dec. 14th – 15th. The loss was estimated at $201.

And, a woman residing in he 500 block of S. Bureau Street in Creston, reported Tuesday morning, that someone broke into her vehicle and took several packs of cigarettes. The incident also took place overnight Monday-into Tuesday. The loss was estimated at $20,

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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(Radio Iowa) – A Waterloo man was killed in a farming accident Monday afternoon. Black Hawk County sheriff’s officials identified the victim as 36-year-old Christopher Holman. According to authorities, Holman was operating farm equipment when the accident occurred around 3:30 PM. Officials say it appears Holman got caught by moving parts as he was attempting to break items loose from the machinery.

The accident happened on a dairy farm on the southern edge of Waterloo.

The Elk Horn Public Library reports Pastor Keith Menter’s train is up and running again and bigger and better than prior years.  The Library’s Alissa LaCanne says Pastor Menter’s collection, which grows each year, will be on display in the library’s programming room thru December 31st. You can see a video and pictures on the Elk Horn Library’s Facebook page

Pastor Menter
shows the train to a school group last year (Photos submitted)

(Updated/Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Education annual report showed the first drop in school enrollment in ten years. Department spokesman, Jay Pennington, says the biggest drop came among the youngest students.  “The largest losses in terms of grade level enrollment are really happening in post-kindergarten or kindergarten. So those who are involved in statewide pre-school programs as well as those enrolling in kindergarten,” Pennington says.

He says there was some drop after the early programs. “We do a see a decline overall in elementary — so sort of through six grade — which is into the middle school years. At the same time, high school saw an increase,” he says. Pennington doesn’t see this as a long-term trend. “We’ll certainly after a nice steady ten years of increase it’s unfortunate that we are having a decline. Certainly enrollment this fall is an anomaly and we would expect to get back to continued increases,” according to Pennington.

Pennington says they don’t know exactly what caused the decrease — though it appears parents of some of the kids in the pre-k and kindergarten programs decided not to enroll them this year. He says pandemic could play a role and it is not certain how soon things would turn back to an increase in enrollment. “It is going to take one year or two years — it’s really difficult to say — I think depending on the health and safety situation that we see in the fall of ’21 will certainly dictate what people decide to do in terms of seeing the increases in those pre-k and kindergarten programs that saw deep declines in 2020,” Pennington says.

Pennington says while overall enrollment declined, there was an increase in diversity. “We’re continuing to show a higher percentage of student who are students of color and a decrease in white student population. So, even though there was a decline in population overall — the diversity of our student population — that trend continues,” he says. Certified enrollment decreased at 215 school districts representing 66 percent of all public school districts in the state. Des Moines Public Schools had the largest decrease followed by Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Iowa City, Council Bluffs, Waterloo, Sioux City, Dubuque, Burlington and West Des Moines.

The Montgomery County Auditor’s Office reports Red Oak Businesswoman Charla Schmid has won a special election to fill a vacancy on the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors. Unofficial results from the Montgomery County Auditor’s Office show Schmid defeating Steven Berendes 88 votes to 57 votes.

Schmid fills the District 1 seat left vacant following the death in September, of Rudy Kinard. The Supervisors had originally appointed Schmid to fill the seat in October, but a petition from residents forced a special election.