City of San Diego Retired Employees Association

March 14, 2023 

General Meeting Minutes

Vice-President for Advocacy Mike Bresnahan welcomed members. Cynthia Queen informed members of the online security measures at SDCERS, including privacy measures. Marcelle Voorhies-Rossmann reported that the SDCERS Board President will be serving a second term and that Chris Brewster will assume the position of Retired Employees’ representative on the Board beginning at the May meeting. There was a standing ovation for Charlie Hogquist’s service as the Retirees’ representative.

PROGRAM

The program was a return appearance by Steve Spinella, Deputy District Attorney assigned to the Economic Crimes Division of the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, to speak about fraud and how to avoid it. He warned members to be wary of phone calls from the IRS or other governmental agencies – they do not contact people by phone. In addition, the IRS and Social Security already know the info that the caller is asking you for. He also informed members that texts or email from your bank asking you to confirm or deny a particular transaction is likely a phishing expedition; this is especially true if the message contains spelling and/or grammar errors and if the email address looks unusual. He advised that you do not respond to the message at all, as responding in any way may expose you to hacking. In closing, he provided some resources in case you are a victim of fraud:

 

FTC resources, tips, and complaints: https://consumer.ftc.gov

Identity Resources Center: https://idtheftcenter.org

Internet Crime Complaint Center: https://complaint.ic3.gov