Unfortunately, the scammers keep finding new ways to try to illegally gain access to your personal information – and today’s warning we wanted to share with you has to do with  COVID-19 vaccination scams. As vaccinations are rolling out across the United States, many people are signing up for appointments online. In some cases, people are receiving texts about their vaccinations, but are unsure if they are legitimate or not. If you hesitate before clicking on links in those types of texts – good job! But even though many of these are illegal phishing scams, there might be a few legitimate texts you can receive.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, people who sign up for a COVID vaccine online might receive a legitimate text message, but with so much fraud occurring, it’s important that you read the text message thoroughly.

You might think that government is solely focused on addressing the pandemic, but over the last few months new legislation has been proposed for more than 280 bills or resolutions just dealing with cybersecurity. With the chaos that COVID-19 is causing, lawmakers are working to keep criminals from running amok online.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, at least 38 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico introduced or considered more than 280 bills or resolutions that deal significantly with cybersecurity. Some of the areas seeing the most legislative activity include measures:

As much of the world has embraced social distancing as a way to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s naturally been a decline in shopping at brick-and-mortar stores. While most people had used online shopping in some way before the pandemic, today’s situation means many are turning to ecommerce for things they normally would have purchased in person. Supplies such as food, pet products, health and beauty products, medications, and other home essentials are now shopped for via the internet.

One report shows how much people are relying on online shopping. According to the Adobe May 2020 Digital Economy Index (DEI), which tracks the state of e-commerce, online shopping levels during COVID-19 (April to May) were higher than what retailers saw during the previous 2019 holiday season of November to December.

How’s that “working from home” thing going? Even if you’ve got your home office all set up, you’re probably dealing with some growing pain. That’s why we rounded up some ideas for boosting WFM productivity – and adding a little fun while you’re at it.

There are a lot of benefits to working from home: flexibility to work the time you want, saving money on commuting and eating out, more free time for friends and family. But there are disadvantages as well:  interruptions and distractions, anxiety and stress, and missing the human interaction in traditional office spaces. For the time being, however, it looks like working from home (WFM) is the new normal, so here are some tips to uplevel your home office experience.

Whether you’re an experienced gardener or a total newbie looking for a productive and satisfying backyard hobby, we know a secret weapon to help you develop a green thumb – technology! Yes, things like apps or YouTube videos or smart devices can help you polish your skills – or at least figure out what that weird looking bug is on your back patio.

Gardening is a great way to spend time outdoors, learn or develop a new skill, and spend time with children. It’s also a great way to supplement your family’s nutrition with organic, fresh produce, cut down on shopping trips, and save money while having fun. Today’s gardener knows that in addition to things like fertilizers, soil, and seeds, modern tools such as smart drip lines, apps and social media can help your garden thrive.