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Judge O’Leary Tips for holiday online shopping

to preside over Well, it’s here. Monday immediately after Thanks-

giving, has been giving Black Friday
The holidays are upon us, and
truancy court the countdown is on to find the per- a run for its money (pun totally in-
tended) in recent years. This is the
fect gifts for family and friends.
And with each passing year, more day when online retailers promote
In response to the rise in chronic consumers turn to online shopping big sales, so you can save even more
absenteeism among our local youth, to find their items of choice. An Au- without having to step foot into a
the 29th District Court is partnering gust YouGov survey of nearly 2,500 store.
with Wayne Memorial High School adults revealed that 62% of respon-
and Wayne Youth Assistance to hold dents said they planned on making ready loaded. Plus, you still have 5. Don’t be afraid to
informal truancy hearings at the their purchases online. That figure is some degree of fraud protection. If buy the same gift twice
29th District Court in Wayne. down, of course, from 71% in 2020, you have previously registered the If you find a gift that you know
Judge Breeda O’Leary will pre- when COVID-19 lockdowns kept card and you report the loss or theft several people on your list would
side over the intervention hearings, many stores closed. Still, it’s well up to the card issuer, most will restore enjoy, buy it in multiples. This cuts
designed to be troubleshooting ses- from 51% in 2019. your original balance and issue a down on your shopping time, and if
sions with at-risk students, their par- Furthermore, about six in 10 con- new card. However, since many pre- the retailer is offering free shipping
ents, school officials, and Wayne sumers say they will mainly shop on- paid debit cards come with high fees, or any variation of a “BOGO” (Buy
Youth Services personnel. The stu- line this holiday season, according to read the terms before getting one, one, get one) deal, even better.
dent’s record of attendance and aca- a new survey from Credit- and consider only using these for
demic performance will be reviewed, cards.com—and more than half in- holiday shopping. 6. Be mindful of
along with any disciplinary history. tended to start before Halloween to your shipping address
Explanations for chronic absen- avoid those potential supply-chain 3. Shop online The rise of online shopping has
teeism vary widely and include such disruptions we’ve been hearing so only at home led to an increase of home deliver-
issues as lack of transportation, much about lately. Don’t make purchases on public ies—and with it, an increase in
homelessness, substance abuse, un- Despite the inherent advantages Wi-Fi networks. Wi-Fi networks use “porch pirates,” or crooks who steal
treated mental health problems, and of shopping from your recliner—con- public airwaves. Translation: It can packages from doorsteps. If no one
lack of medical insurance. venience, the avoidance of lines and mean open sesame for thieves. With is home to accept a package, con-
The goal is to agree on an inter- crowds, and the prospect of lower a little tech know-how and the freely sider shipping to youroffice or an-
vention plan to improve attendance prices, there also lurks one disad- available Wi-Fi password at the cafe, other safe location. UPS, Amazon,
and academic achievement. During vantage that is difficult to deny: someone can intercept the data you and FedEx all now have shipping
the informal hearing, a partnership This is also the time of year when send and receive while on free public lockers available for secure deliver-
is formed between the parents and online scammers make a killing— Wi-Fi. Shopping online usually ies.
school officials. Often, students are often at our expense. means giving out information that an
empowered by this process because Here are some tips on finding identity thief would love to grab, in- 7. Keep an eye on
they plan an active role in identifying precisely what you want—safely— cluding your name, address, and your records
solutions with school personnel. online: credit card information. Bottom line: After purchasing gifts, monitor all
Parental involvement increases. It’s never a good idea to shop online your accounts and bank statements.
Cases are generally monitored from 1. Plan ahead or log in to any website while you’re Check your statements for fraudu-
one report card marking period to Let’s face it: Many of us have seen connected to public Wi-Fi. lent charges at least once a week or
another. A review date is set to exam- a reduction in the amount of our dis- set up account alerts. When you re-
ine the student’s progress. The col- posable income this year. So, before 4. Remember ceive a text or an email about a
laboration with local schools, you even start holiday shopping, Cyber Monday charge, you can check the message
community service agencies, and make a gift list and set yourself a Of course, you may find some and likely easily recall whether you
court officials creates an atmosphere budget, which can help prevent last pretty awesome deals on Black Fri- recognize the charge and made the
where parents get support and kids minute splurge purchases. day. But Cyber Monday, which is the purchase.
get to school. It has proven success-
ful in reducing truancy while avoid- 2. Use prepaid debit cards
ing any formal court involvement. If Shopping with prepaid debit card
the intervention fails, formal truancy removes a lot of the risk that goes
proceedings would be initiated with online shopping. And here’s
through the Juvenile Court. why: These are different from debit
“I am excited for the opportunity and credit cards because the money
to work with our local youth in im- isn’t connected to your credit history
proving their attendance and aca- or to a bank account. Simply load
demic performace at Wayne money onto the prepaid debit card
Memorial High School. I am grateful and use that balance for purchases
to Dr. James Anderson and Wayne and reload when needed. If a scam-
Youth Assistance for partnering with mer gets hold of the card informa-
the Court on this very important mis- tion, the crime pretty much ends
sion. This is just one of many ways there. The thief can’t open new credit
the Court hopes to serve its commu- accounts in your name, drain your
nity and help its residents,” said checking account, or make pur-
Judge O’Leary. chases over the amount you’ve al-
The Wayne Dispatch · November 2021 · 13