CHICAGO (NewsNation Now) — Morning in America spotlights communities across the country. Here are the top headlines you should know for Tuesday, October 12.
Raleigh, North Carolina
The pandemic has put some people in dire financial straits which has led to scam artists offering people guaranteed loans with no credit check. However, the people victimized by the scheme do not get a loan and end up paying the scammers.
It starts with a text or email letting you know you’re eligible for a loan, and it’s just in time as the bills pile up.
“A lot of these scammers are using the names of legitimate businesses,” said Alyssa Parker of the Better Business Bureau of Eastern NC. “It looks like it’s on the rise, but it’s not.”
Normally when you apply for a loan there are credit checks, but these scammers don’t. This is the hook used to help you hang on. The criminals say they will send the loan money directly to your bank account and you can access it immediately, but no money will ever get there.
These scammers are after your money and explain it as a so-called “fee” or “insurance money for the loan”.
However, the “loan” check they deposit in your bank account bounces and you lose the money you paid for the so-called insurance.
Other ways to tell it’s a loan scam include:
- You are obliged to act immediately
- They promise you guaranteed approval
- The website they use is not secure. (There is no “padlock” icon.
Parker said one way to verify the legitimacy of the person talking to you is to contact the company you think you’re doing business with and ask if the person actually works there.
Whatever you do, she says, don’t trust a simple Google search, especially if it’s an unknown company. Fake websites and advertisements directing you there can be easily placed in search results.
Also, Parker said to verify the origin of the email or text. Check the website itself – does it have a .com address?
Look for complaints about the company on official government websites and with your state attorney general’s office, as well as the BBB.
Beware of unsolicited loan offers. If you do get one, take a step back and do your research first before moving forward.
Spartanburg, South Carolina
The South Carolina Teacher Education Advancement Consortium through Higher Education Research (SC-TEACHER) interviewed some of the South Carolina educators who left their jobs this summer.
They said about 48% of teachers they quit their jobs to teach in another school district.
Tommy Hodges, director of SC-TEACHER and acting dean of the College of Education at the University of South Carolina, said the convenience of the workplace, the move, the decision to retire and dissatisfaction with the respect for school administrators was often cited as the most important reason for a teacher leaving.
Hodges told the Education Watch Committee they had seen a pattern where COVID-19 was exacerbating the frustrations of already discouraged teachers, leading to extremely high emotional exhaustion.
He also said COVID-19 itself had not led to a mass exodus of teachers.
“Teachers did not leave because of concerns about their own health, but rather out of fear of being effective due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Hodges said.
Sen. Greg Hembree, R-District 28, said making sure new teachers are better prepared for the classroom could help keep them there.
“I absolutely believe that the number one thing we can do in South Carolina to make real improvements is to develop better leaders and teachers,” he said.
In addition to effectiveness, Hodges said teachers cited concerns about lack of support from their school board and the wider community as a reason for leaving their jobs.
Those leaving the profession for good cited higher salaries, the availability of full-time teaching positions and smaller class sizes as important factors in a return to teaching.
Before the start of the 2020-21 school year, the Center for Recruitment, Retention and Advancement of Educators (CERRA) reported nearly 6,000 teachers quit their jobs. A 677 additional educators left their jobs from October 2020 to February 2021.
