Terry Ambrose

Writing is like a good barbecue sauce, if it ain't bold, it ain't worth doing.

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iTunes Gift Card scams are still being used

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iTunes gift card

iTunes Gift Card scams are still being used

Last month I heard from one of my readers about a scam he’d fallen for. Apparently, he’d been tricked into paying for something using an iTunes gift card. The lesson cost him $600—a stiff price to pay for letting his guard down for a few minutes.

iTunes gift cards have limited usage

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported on this scam in May 2016. At the time, they specifically mentioned scams involving iTunes cards being used to pay for back taxes or to transfer money to another person online. The problem is that iTunes cards cannot be used for these purposes.

According to Apple, “iTunes Gift Cards are solely for the purchase of goods and services on the iTunes Store and App Store. Should you receive a request for payment using iTunes Gift Cards outside of iTunes and the App Store please report it at ftc.gov/complaint.”

How the scam works

Just like other scams involving Amazon gift cards, PayPal or MoneyPak, the scammers ask you to buy a card and then give them the security code. For an iTunes card this is a 16-character code on the card. Once the scammer has the code, the money can be taken at any time and there will be nothing you can do to stop it.

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Tucson Festival of Books

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Can he fly? Leap tall buildings in a single bound? How about just tell you about a book? No phone booth required!
Can he fly? Leap tall buildings in a single bound? How about just tell you about a book? No phone booth required!

The Tucson Festival of Books is on March 15 & 16 this year and the big question is, will it be warmer than it was last year? We had everything from gorgeous sunshine to rain to snow last year. Granted, there wasn’t a lot of the white stuff, but there were flurries and it felt pretty darned cold to those of us standing out in a booth all day long.

Once again, I’m in the All Mystery Writers booth with Rebecca Dahlke. This year, we have a new member, Maria Grazia Swan. Both are mystery authors and Rebecca runs the All Mystery Writers, a publication dedicated to promoting mysteries.

We’ll be in booth #116 and will be flanked by Sisters in Crime, Desert Sleuths, and Mystery Writers of America. Talk about location, location, location. For more information about the Tucson Festival of Books, visit their website at tucsonfestivalofbooks.org. The festival draws about 100,000 visitors, will you be one of them? If so, stop on by to say hi!

 

The Very Cool Lakeside Library

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In my presentation at Lakeside Library, there was a huge amount of interest in online security, so much so that I finally dropped the prepared presentation and went straight to Q&A. (Every group is different and I like to talk about what they want to hear). Anyway, all the scam and con talk going on was really strange for a couple of reasons. First, we were in the children’s section of the library, but talking about this very serious subject. And, we were surrounded by fabulous murals. The pix are here. Hope you enjoy! Thanks to Kathy for shooting these!

Paradise Hills Library holds a special local book event

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local author event 130921On Saturday, Sept. 21, the Paradise Hills Library will hold a special local author event that includes talks by New York Times bestselling author Caitlin Rother, marketing expert Penny Sansevieri, and yours truly. There will be 10 other authors attending including local favorites Tom Matthews, author of “Rejection,” and Teresa Burrell, author of The Advocate series.

The event starts at 10 a.m. and runs until 1 p.m. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with local authors in virtually every genre.

” An event for readers and writers…”  — event organizer David Lucero.local author event reverse side 130921

The Kiwanis District convention

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The setup was much smaller in Reno for the convention, but it worked out well.
The setup was much smaller in Reno for the convention, but it worked out well thanks to their innovative way of getting exhibitors into the hall.

The Cal-Nev-Ha District Mid Winter convention was the first time I took books to a Kiwanis convention. The convention was small, but the reception good. Many Kiwanians are involved in reading or literacy programs for kids, so I was hopeful that they’d be interested in books targeted at adults also.

The International convention in Vancouver was huge and there were tons of people. That brings us to the district convention in Reno, which ran from last Thursday through Saturday. In Reno, the organizers of the convention took an innovative approach to making sure attendees sought out the exhibitors. The approach was one I’d never seen before and brought attendees into the exhibits with an enthusiasm we seldom see at these events.

Each exhibitor was given a stamp (mine was a pterodactyl…I started singing “Fly like a seagull” because my bird looked vaguely like one). Each Kiwanian was given a sheet with an open spot for each exhibitor. The District put up a prize for those who went to each exhibitor and got their sheet stamped. For the first time, people were paying attention to who the exhibitors were. It was a great idea and made our jobs as exhibitors much easier.

I’m no longer surprised when people tell me, “I don’t read,” (I was shocked the first time I heard that) but was able to find a bunch of new readers as well as subscribers for my newsletter. All in all, it was a terrific convention. Thanks Kiwanians for what you do and your support!

Coming soon, a local author signing at Barnes & Noble

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On Saturday, August 3 at 1:00 pm, the Oceanside Barnes & Noble will be hosting a local author signing event. I will be one of 7 San Diego authors attending. The other authors include Masako Strelling, Eddie Osterland, Thomas Morrow, Erik Hendrix, Maria Desiderata Montana, and Sarah Richmond.

Where:

Barnes & Noble
2615 Vista Way
Oceanside, CA 92054

If you’ve got time that afternoon, stop by and say hello! We’ll be signing and discussing books and having fun. I hope to see you there!

For more information, view/download the flyer for Local Author Event- Aug 2013-2.