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6- The Oakville Beaver, Friday December 14, 2007 www.oakvillebeaver.com OPINION & LETTERS The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 845-3824, ext. 224 Circulation: 845-9742 Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: The Oakville Beaver is a division of IAN OLIVER Group Publisher Media Group Ltd. NEIL OLIVER Publisher DAVID HARVEY General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief ROD JERRED Managing Editor DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director SANDY PARE Business Manager MARK DILLS Director of Production MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution ALEXANDRIA CALHOUN Circ. Manager 'Tis the season to be wary While it may be the season for gift-giving and the time to think of others, unfortunately it is also a time when criminals are busy trying to take advantage of people. According to Halton Police, a common current tactic used by criminals is "vishing" or "voice phishing" in which criminals use the phone to trick consumers into revealing personal information. Vishers will send out an e-mail to thousands of people purportedly representing a reputable organization (such as a bank, credit card company, online retailer or government agency) warning of a security alert and asking people to call a local or toll-free number where an automated attendant asks the caller to punch in personal information. Usually the call is disconnected after the information has been given-- and after the criminals have the information they wanted. A variation of this scam has criminals leaving a voicemail message or making phone calls directing people to bogus phone numbers. Police say there are several ways to identify a vishing contact: · A legitimate company will address you by name; vishers don't typically know who you are · If a bank suspects fraudulent activity on your debit card or credit card or account, they will never contact you by email. If you do receive such an e-mail, do not respond and delete it. · Remember that a bank or legitimate financial institution will never ask you to provide your PIN, banking password, etc. verbally or on your telephone keypad. · Be cautious about how, and with whom, you share personal of financial information. If you receive an email or voicemail message from someone you suspect may be a visher, don't respond using the phone number provided. Instead, contact that organization at a phone number you know is accurate. You can also call Halton Police at 905878-5511 or Phone Busters National Call Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or visit www.phonebusters.com. For more information and consumer tips on this or other fraud crimes visit the Canadian Bankers Association website at www.cba.ca/fraud. 'Tis the season to be wary, as well as merry. The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, ON, L6K 3S4, or via e-mail to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Artificial trees are not environmentally friendly Re: Christmas tree issue According to the David Suzuki Foundation, artificial trees are the worst option for Christmas decorating. Artificial trees are made from plastic, which comes from oil, a nonrenewable resource. Many are shipped here from China, which burns fuel and contributes to global warming a lot more than trees grown in Canada. Trees are a renewable resource. They absorb carbon, produce oxygen, and provide habitat for birds and animals while they're alive. The Town of Oakville chips the trees after the holidays to provide mulch for Town plantings. And new trees can be planted to take their place. If you already have an artificial tree, by all means you should reuse it. But buying a new one is not the most environmentally-friendly solution. The David Suzuki Foundation suggests you plant a live native tree. For more information, visit www.davidsuzuki.org or visit www.the-hen.net for more environmentally-friendly holiday tips. LISA SEILER HALTON ENVIRONMENTAL NETWORK STEERING COMMITTEE Go green, go real I was a little confused with the letter persuading us that artificial trees are "greener" than real trees. Before writing perhaps he should have taken a few of these facts into consideration. Real trees: · Take harmful carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and replace it with oxygen. · Give birds and animals a natural habitat for their average seven years of life. · Are usually grown on land that is not suitable for any other crop. · Come from managed forests that are annually reseeded. · Are grown locally, employing Canadians and saving on carbon emissions from transportation. · Are recycled to provide valuable products after use. Artificial trees: · Put harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere when produced. · Are manufactured from non-renewable oil and metal based products. · Are made in the Far East, travelling tens of thousands of miles to their destination resulting in heavy harmful emissions. · Are non-recyclable and do not decompose, causing long term landfill problems, and if incinerated release harmful dioxins and carcinogens into the air. · Need to be replaced after an average life of seven years. Fake tree anyone ? PETER RANELLS Pud BY STEVE NEASE snease@haltonsearch.com The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council.The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206,Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone 416-340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline.