Cheers & Jeers

✔ CHEERS: SUPPORTING LOCAL JOURNALISM

Cheers to those who support local journalism, including those of you reading this newspaper.

Times in the media industry are tough. Our company Saltwire isn't just reporting the news, but it is making the news too. You can read more about this in a letter to readers that is included in this issue.

As we go through our challenges, the company's goal is to come out stronger on the other side. For this we need the ongoing support of those who value local journalism.

It's no secret our newsroom has shrunk in size over the years. But our journalists remain committed to bringing you stories from our region. The majority of those stories would never be told by national media. Sometimes not even by other provincial media.

We saw an interesting comment the other day where someone mentioned that a person doesn't necessarily think twice about spending $20 a month on Netflix but they complain about spending that much on local journalism. And yet you can likely access those movies you stream online from other places too.

But without local journalism, there's no guarantee stories in small, rural communities will be found elsewhere, or even told.

It's definitely not something we want to see disappear.

✘ JEERS: ONGOING SCAMS

The RCMP is once again reminding business owners to be aware of targeted scams, also known as spear phishing.

Spear phishing is one of the most common types of frauds targeting businesses. Nova Scotians lost over $354,000 last year. Canada-wide, over $58 million dollars was lost.

Phishing is the act of sending a communication, often an email, that appears to be legitimate, but is fraudulent. The scam is a targeted attack on an individual, group or company.

Fraudsters gain access to your email and analyze your style of writing, your contacts, and any recurring payments or important dates.

The scammer uses this information to impersonate you, and emails potential victims, manipulating them into paying fake bills, sending gift cards or changing direct deposit information.

Businesses can protect themselves by educating employees about this type of scam and having detailed payment procedures. Businesses are encouraged to limit the number of employees who can purchase items or pay bills. Also, pay close attention to unusual requests.

Employees should be wary of unsolicited emails that include a suspicious email address, unusual payment procedures, a sense of urgency, or direct contact from senior executives you don't normally interact with.