We started the New Year with a 3 hour event at the Opportunity Center, North Charleston focused on the Family and Women's Safety. Our line up of speakers shared valuable information to keep you safer in 2023. Carrie Pasquarello, founder of Global Secure Resources focused on the Cybercrimes of 2022 and how you can prevent being scammed in 2023. Don't fall for the pressure tactics; remember they play on your emotions; never give them money up front and when you are told to keep it secret it's a scam.
As you plan your travel for this year, Carrie's book Study Abroad Safety, a Parent's Guide to sending your child abroad was purchased by many attendees. Dr. Sonja Ogletree Satani, Corporate Cycle Consulting, LLC, and President of the American Women Business Association joined us and informed us about Chapter activities as well as her expertise in improving small businesses processes and operations. The North Charleston Police Crime Prevention team provided an update of the most dangerous social media crimes such as sextortion. Sextortion involves blackmail or coercion with the purpose of extorting sexually explicit images, messages, money or sexual favors from another person online. In order to blackmail effectively, the perpetrator uses personal information or compromising images that the victim has previously sent to them or that they have found themselves, through hacking or the victim previously sharing content online. The perpetrator then threatens to send these images or messages to the friends, family, school or workplace of the victim unless they share further sexual content or transfer money to them. Make sure to report crimes and don't be a victim.