Celebrate the joy of Lent by starting Fridays with the Liturgy of the Eucharist in the Newman Center Chapel at 8:00 a.m. on February 16 and 23 and March 2, 9, 16, and 23.

The Newman Center is located at 1219 Elmwood Avenue, across from the Burchfield Penney Art Center.

Universities and colleges are prime targets for scams because of their decentralized budgets, ordering practices, and changing personnel. Buffalo State's Procurement Department has been made aware of several recent potential scam attempts.

The most common commodities that are scammed are advertising, copier toner, light bulbs, ice-melting products, office supplies, printer cartridges, and chemicals, but scams can involve any commodity or service that exists.

The best way to avoid a scam is to stay informed, remain alert, and question when something doesn't sound right or seems too good to be true.

Common techniques:

• Telephone or e-mail solicitations offering a "special sale"
• Callers asking what kind of copy machine you have in your office
• Companies offering to send you free samples
• Companies offering to ship a product without a purchase order and bill you later
• Companies sending in an actual tear sheet of a real classified employment advertisement with a phony invoice
• Unknown solicitors calling to ask for your shipping address
• Companies shipping goods that were never ordered and then sending an inflated invoice for payment
• Companies using a name similar to, but not exactly the same as, a company you deal with
• Companies selling items at greatly discounted prices but claiming you need to order now to take advantage of the savings
• Callers who state that the "college's president referred me to you"
• Companies who say they are selling discontinued items at closeout prices
• Callers who ask for your account number or credit card number

If you suspect that you have been contacted by a possible scammer, advise the caller that it would be best to let Procurement Services speak to them and give them the Procurement phone number: (716) 878-4113. Chances are they will not call. If the caller is persistent, please collect as much company information as you can and contact Steve Olsen, director of contract management, 878-4113.

1. Use long passphrases.

2. Never use the same password for more than one account.

3. Check https://haveibeenpwned.com and close or change passwords for compromised accounts.

4. Learn to identify phishing e-mail.

Please read and share these tips from the Identity Theft Resource Center for staying safe when filing your taxes.

After SANS training, people often ask, What’s wrong with making purchases over WiFi, and how do I know if a transaction is secure or not? Please see this fact sheet from the Identity Theft Resource Center.

Find out how to set up OneDrive Sync Client on your PC or Mac in these RITE Knowledge Base articles.

Find out how to set up Office 365 on your Android or iPhone in these RITE Knowledge Base articles.

Please stop by the Bengal Kitchen in the Campbell Student Union for a globally inspired Jamaican meal featuring the Jamaican jerk chicken recipe from the fall 2017 Recipes from Home winner, the Caribbean Students Organization, on Wednesday, February 7, from 4:30 to 9:15 p.m. See you then.

The Small Business Development Center presents “Survive and Thrive: Essentials of Starting Your Own Business,” a workshop covering all the essential information needed to start a business, on Tuesday, February 27, from 8:30 a.m. to noon in the Burchfield Penney Art Center (second floor). Specific topics include creating a business plan; competition analysis; and tax, legal, and insurance issues. The workshop is free for Buffalo State College faculty, staff, students, and alumni as well as U.S. military veterans and $20 for all others.

Registration will take place immediately before the workshop, from 8:00 to 8:30 a.m. To register in advance, please call the SBDC at 878-4030.

The Small Business Development Center presents “Survive and Thrive: Essentials of Starting Your Own Business,” a workshop covering all the essential information needed to start a business, on Tuesday, February 27, from 8:30 a.m. to noon in the Burchfield Penney Art Center (second floor). Specific topics will include creating a business plan; competition analysis; and tax, legal, and insurance issues. The workshop is free for Buffalo State College faculty, staff, students, and alumni as well as U.S. military veterans and $20 for all others.

Registration will take place immediately before the workshop, from 8:00 to 8:30 a.m. To register in advance, please call the SBDC at 878-4030.