City of Miami Beach Update on COVID-19, 8/17

Monday, August 17, 2020 We continue to provide our residents and businesses with the latest updates from the City of Miami Beach during this pandemic. We urge you to wear a mask in public, practice social distancing and wash your hands regularly. 2020 Primary Election Tomorrow, August 18 is the Primary Election for Miami-Dade County. You must vote at your designated voting precinct, please make sure to give yourself ample time in case lines are long to vote. Find your assigned voting location and view your customized sample ballot here. For more information on this election, call 311 or visit: iamelectionready.org In case you missed it, the weekly Tuesday walk-up food distribution, conducted by Commissioner Richardson and Feeding South Florida, will not occur tomorrow, August 18 due to Election Day. This does not apply to distributions with the Community and Housing Department Special Commission Meeting A Special Commission meeting is being held Wednesday, August 19 at 1 p.m. and will be televised on MBTV and streamed live on Facebook. This meeting will discuss: (i) possible amendment to the Emergency Order regarding short-term rentals to conform with the recent County revision, (ii) the City’s response, if any, to the decision by the Miami-Dade County Public Schools to start the year with the on-line teaching only, and (iii) authority to execute interlocal agreement with Miami-Dade County for CARES Act Distribution. The Commission Chambers will be closed to the public, but you can watch the meeting via Zoom at https://miamibeachfl-gov.zoom.us/j/83715996963 How to provide spoken public comment during the City Commission Meeting: The public may provide spoken comment by dialing telephone 301.715.8592 or 877.853.5257 (Toll Free). The Webinar ID is 837 1599 6963#. Press *9 to raise a hand to be placed in queue to speak. Lottery for COVID-19 Assistance The City of Miami Beach has received Coronavirus Relief Funds from the Florida Housing Finance Corporation (FHFC) to provide emergency rent, mortgage, and maintenance/HOA fees assistance to households adversely impacted by COVID-19. Miami Beach households earning up to 120% Area Median Income ($58,440 for a household of one) can apply online via the City’s website for help with: Rental assistance (including rent arrears, deposits and utility payments) Mortgage payments (including principal and interest as well as insurance and property taxes paid via escrow only) and homeowner association fees. The assisted property may not have any current City liens and cannot be under any forbearance agreement in order to qualify for assistance Housing re-entry assistance such as security deposits, utility deposits and temporary storage of household furnishings Applications for the assistance lottery will be accepted beginning this Wednesday, August 19 at 9 a.m. and close on Wednesday, August 26 at 4 p.m. Click here to enter the lottery. A computerized lottery of submitted applications will be held on Monday, August 31 at 9 a.m. to establish a numerical order for processing these applicants. Inclusion in the lottery waitlist does not mean your application is confirmed eligible or that the applicant will receive assistance.  For more information, call the Office of Housing and Community Services at 305.673.7491. COVID-19 & Antibody Testing Walk-Up Testing The walk-up COVID-19 testing site located at 73 Street and Ocean Terrace has moved to the municipal parking lot on 21 Street and Collins Avenue and will continue to operate from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Once you check-in, there is no need to stand in a line, you will receive a text message advising when the nurse is ready for you. Miami Beach Convention Center Testing Site Both the COVID-19 active virus and antibody tests continue to be available at the Miami Beach Convention Center testing facility located on 17 Street and Convention Center Drive. The COVID-19 drive-thru and walk-up testing site is available daily, including weekends, from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. and is available for ages 5 and up. Visit our 'Testing' tab to view detailed information on all testing locations, including testing at the Hard Rock Stadium and homebound testing and further details. Plasma Donation As the number of COVID-19 infections rise in Florida, hospitals are facing critical shortages of convalescent plasma for treatment. OneBlood is working with the public and physicians to coordinate the delivery of potential lifesaving COVID-19 convalescent plasma to those in need.   Transfusing the plasma that contains the antibodies into a person still fighting the virus can provide a boost to the patient’s immune system and potentially help them recover. Click here to learn more on how you can donate today. Mask Up Miami Beach We urge everyone to wear a mask, continue practicing social distancing and meticulously wash hands regularly. Reminder, Miami Beach Police and Code Compliance Officers are giving out $50 civil citations for anyone not wearing a facial covering while in a public place or space. Free masks are being provided at all Miami-Dade Public Libraries. Virtual Specialty Summer Camps The Miami Beach Parks and Recreation Department continue to offer fun and new virtual camps for your kids to enjoy. Offerings include: Culinary Camp Magic Camp Lego Camp Coding CampDance Camp & more  For detailed scheduling information, click here. To register, visit register.miamibeachparks.com Stay Informed Now more than ever it's important to get counted! So call up your friends and neighbors and ask them to visit my2020census.gov and make sure our community gets counted. Visit our dedicated, city-related coronavirus webpage www.miamibeachfl.gov/coronavirus for the most up-to-date information, including important resources, impacts to city services and more. Our city hotline at 305.604.CITY (2489) is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. You can also email your questions to MBCovid@miamibeachfl.gov. Or connect with us through social media via email, Nextdoor, Facebook, Twitter and via text message (text MBAlert to 888777).

Watch NEW Video on Incoterms 2020 - Manage Export Shipping Costs and Risk [What's New in Exporting]

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Los estafadores y el “servicio al cliente”: otra estafa de impostores

5 de agosto de 2020

por 

Jabari Cook

Interno, División de Educación del Consumidor y los Negocios, FTC

Si deseas comunicarte con el departamento de servicio al cliente de una compañía, puedes hacer una rápida búsqueda en internet y a menudo encontrarás lo que parece ser su número de teléfono o email. ¿Pero es realmente correcta la información que aparece en los primeros resultados de tu búsqueda?

En base a reportes recibidos por la FTC, a veces, la respuesta a esa pregunta es no. Algunos estafadores están creando información falsa de servicio al cliente de compañías populares y están pagando para que esa información aparezca en los resultados de tu búsqueda. Cuando te comunicas con ellos, te ofrecerán “resolver” el problema que pudieras tener — si les haces una transferencia de dinero o les envías tarjetas de regalo. También podrían pedirte tu información personal, o que les permitas acceder a tu computadora de manera remota.

Las estafas de impostores de negocios tienen el mismo objetivo: conseguir tu dinero o tu información. Te listamos algunas maneras de mantenerte a salvo:

Revisa el empaque del producto. Un buen lugar para buscar la verdadera información de servicio al cliente, si todavía lo tienes, es el embalaje, el manual u otro material impreso de tu producto.

Visita el sitio web oficial de la compañía para consultar la información de contacto. Ingresa el domicilio del sitio web de la compañía directamente en la barra de tu navegador. Eso te llevará al sitio web de la compañía donde podrás buscar la información de servicio al cliente —quizás un número de teléfono, domicilio de email o una manera de enviar un mensaje directamente a través de su sitio web. Pero si usas un motor de búsqueda para encontrar los datos de la compañía, verifica el URL para estar seguro de que encontraste el sitio web oficial de la compañía y no el sitio de un estafador.

Nunca transfieras dinero, envíes tarjetas de regalo ni des la contraseña de tu cuenta a cambio de asistencia de un servicio al cliente. Ninguna compañía legítima te pedirá que le envíes tarjetas de regalo, le hagas una transferencia de dinero ni les des la contraseña de tu cuenta a cambio de brindarte asistencia de servicio al cliente. Si alguien lo hace, cuelga el teléfono.

Beware of Malicious COVID-19 Phishing Scams

Get the Latest Small Business News in this Newsletter

The SBA is now on Instagram - @SBAgov In the wake of emergency assistance available to help small businesses in response to the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), the SBA is urging disaster loan applicants seeking federal aid to be alert to phishing campaigns and scams. These malicious actors are impersonating the SBA and its Office of Disaster Assistance to collect personally identifiable information (PII) for fraudulent purposes. Learn more Every year, the federal government spends over $400 billion on goods and services, making it the largest purchaser of goods and services in the world. This week, the U.S. Small Business Administration released the annual Fiscal Year 2019 Small Business Federal Procurement Scorecard, which tracks and assesses each agency’s yearly and individually negotiated small business prime and subcontracting performance and determines grades ranging from A+ to F. We are very pleased to announce that in FY19 the federal government not only exceeded its small business contracting goal, it awarded a historic $132.9 billion or 26.50 percent in prime contract dollars to small businesses. This is an increase of $12 billion from FY18, earning the federal government an “A” on SBA’s Scorecard. This smashes the record-setting $120 billion the federal government awarded to small businesses in FY18! It was a record-breaking year for women-owned small businesses too! For the second time ever since the implementation of the women-owned contracting goal, the federal government met the five percent contract goal awarding $26 billion in federal contracts, or 5.19 percent to women-owned small businesses. Learn more Military spouses stand and serve alongside our men and women in uniform, making it possible for our Service members to defend our country. Through their commitment and dedication to their partner, military spouses show unwavering support for our nation’s Armed Forces while balancing the many demands of military life. Learn more The SBA is hiring temporary employees to assist with disaster relief efforts during these unprecedented times. The positions include: Call Center Customer Service Representative Document Preparation/Legal Review/Loan Closings Loan Processing/Credit Analysis/Mortgage Underwriting Program Support Apply today Did you know that Paycheck Protection Program loans will be fully forgiven if the funds are used for payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent, and utilities? The loan forgiveness form and instructions include several measures to reduce compliance burdens and simplify the process for borrowers. Learn more SBA Announces New Reduced 504 Loan Debenture Rates Interest rates for the 504 Loan Program offered by Certified Development Companies have been updated. The program is now allowing 20 and 25-year interest rates at 2.214% and 2.269%, respectively. Learn more National Women's Business Council Releases Findings on Women's Participation in America's Seed Fund-A Federal Innovation and Research Program The National Women’s Business Council (NWBC) commissioned the first comprehensive study examining the factors that may influence women’s participation in the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)/Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs—also known as America’s Seed Fund. The NWBC intends for this report to provide a baseline understanding of the inclusion of women entrepreneurs and female principle investigators in the advanced technology business realm funded by SBIR/STTR. The NWBC is a non-partisan federal advisory committee created to serve as an independent source of advice and policy recommendations to the President, Congress, and the U.S. Small Business Administration on economic issues of importance to women business owners. Learn more   Health Reimbursement Arrangements Webinars Interested in learning about a new way to offer health benefits to your employees? Join the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for a webinar on individual coverage health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs). Register today Beware of Scams and Fraud Schemes The Office of Inspector General recognizes that we are facing unprecedented times and is alerting the public about potential fraud schemes related to economic stimulus programs offered by the U.S. Small Business Administration in response to the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19). The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the largest financial assistance bill to date, includes provisions to help small businesses. Fraudsters have already begun targeting small business owners during these economically difficult times.  Be on the lookout for grant fraud, loan fraud, and phishing. Learn more Federal Coronavirus Resources State, local, and federal agencies are working together to maintain the safety, security, and health of the American people. Check out coronavirus.gov for updates from the White House's Coronavirus (COVID-19) Task Force. Go to cdc.gov for detailed information about COVID-19 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.   Learn more about the federal government's response Virtual Mentoring and Training  Offices around the country may be closed to the Coronavirus pandemic, but SCORE, Small Business Development Centers, Women’s Business Centers, Veterans Business Outreach Centers and other resource partners are providing free business mentoring and training by phone, email, and video. Find an SBA resource partner near you