Warn teens about dangers of giving out personal information
Dear Heloise: All of us have been warned and warned about not giving out personal information to strangers. I would like to add my warning voice: Teenagers need to be warned as well.
My teenage son was called on his cell phone by someone claiming to be from the federal government, saying they wanted to give him $5,000 for education. All they needed was his account number so they could transfer the money.
Fortunately, my son didn't have the number with him. If he had, he'd have revealed it. As it is, he gave them entirely too much information. We spent hours covering his tracks and protecting his accounts and identity.
So, tell your readers that it's not enough that grown-ups are aware of the risk. Teenagers are even more vulnerable. Liza, via e-mail
This is an extremely frightening event. Parents, take some time right now to explain to your children about this threat. It might just prevent something terrible from happening. Thank you for alerting my readers. Heloise
Dear Readers: Here are some favorite ways from Heloise Central to keep craft supplies organized:
UIf you keep small beads, buttons, etc., in little jars, glue one of the items to the top of the lid, so you can tell at a glance what's in the jar.
UKeep each project in a canvas tote or an old purse. This way, when you have time to work on it, all the pieces are together. Just grab and go.
UBuy a small organizer for nuts and bolts to keep craft items in. They can be attached to the wall so they are easy to reach.
UUse a fishing-tackle box to organize items.
UYou also can use plastic, rolling multishelved units to keep crafting supplies in. Heloise
Dear Heloise: When jokers in decks of playing cards are not needed, they make marvelous bookmarks. They seem to adhere to and not fall out of books, and you can utilize something that would otherwise be discarded. Maxine D. Torvik, Pierre, S.D.
Dear Heloise: For your earrings and chains, use colored plastic egg cartons in a top drawer of your dresser. Cut off the top of a carton, and you have a beautiful jewelry drawer. Mary M. Scharre, Louisville, Ky.
Sound off
I travel for my job and often stay at hotels. Last month, my room's clock radio, which I had not touched, came blasting on at 6:30 a.m. Now I check the radio the first night I'm there. Another morning, the alarm next door started beeping early. The room was unoccupied, so I finally had to call the front desk to send someone up to stop the annoying beeping. It would be a good idea if the hospitality industry would instruct the housekeeping staff to check those alarms when they clean a room after checkout. Velvet, Lebanon, Mo.
Velvet, I agree! These same things have happened to me. It's not a great way to start the day. Heloise
XSend a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or you can fax it to (210) HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com.
King Features Syndicate