Slow down and think before you react

Lately the words “Spidey Sense” have been popping up around me and for some reason it has that tickle your nose kind of sense each time it is said.

I finally asked someone close by where did that phrase ever come from and they told me it came from the ability of Spiderman’s Peter Parker to sense something bad was going to happen or danger before it actually did.

We’ve talked before that I truly believe that after we are all long gone, scientists will finally discover the true power of our minds and senses. The simplest one of these that always makes me wonder is when you are thinking about someone and suddenly, they reach out to you or you hear something about them. The other part of that is our good old gut instincts that we often don’t listen to. A better word might be listening to our own intuition.

Of course, I had to Google “Spidey Sense” for us because I believe there is so much more to it. As it turns out a CNBC site had an article that states that two of the great minds that changed our world forever, both attributed their success to listening to their inner voice. This article called it a personality trait. Steve Jobs is quoted as saying when asked about his work leading Apple that “Intuition is a very powerful thing, (he told writer Walter Isaccson) more powerful than intellect.”

Einstein was quoted as saying “All great achievements of science must start from intuitive knowledge,” according to Psychology Today. He even said, “At times I feel certain I am right while not knowing the reason.”

It was Einstein’s belief in and listening to his own Intuition that led us to his Theory of Relativity which has shaped our modern world of physics.

I think the way it works is that our intuitions move from a sense or feeling that we either react to or ignore. Spidey is when that intuition heightens and makes us aware that something is just not right, and we must act. We could be facing danger in many different forms.

If you listen to your Spidey-Sense you can avoid that mishap. If you have a “feeling” that something is wrong or off, it just might be.

The reason I wanted to explore this more this week together is that I have been hearing and noticing more and more emails from people and companies that are just trying to scam us and we have to be aware.

People have lost their life savings and are taken advantage of more today than ever. The internet has brought us wonderful opportunities and opens many doors for us, but more often now those doors can be dangerous.

I keep getting random emails from companies I’ve never heard of saying they are sending me invoices and thanking me for using services I never used. The best practice is that if you don’t recognize a person or a company name don’t open the email. If they really are trying to reach you, they will find another way… maybe good old snail mail.

Once you open the email you could be exposing yourself and your account to people from all over the world who are waiting to prey on you.

Recently I have also noticed more family members and others trying to get paperwork Notarized or signed by a Justice of the Peace. Be careful. This paperwork could be against you to take your personal rights away. Know what you are signing even if your own adult children are asking.

This week I happened to hear of more than a few and I thought that was a sign that I should share them with you. You can pass them along to other people, so hopefully we can stop some of these crimes before they get started.

I want to thank my dear friend Mona Aaron for bring this topic back to light for us. Mona reached out a couple months ago to share with us about the amazing the team at Citizens Bank. The reason she wanted to let us know was because they had to help her navigate through scary waters when her family accounts were hacked.

The high point in this story is that one, Mona brought it to our attention to help all of us and two, you will get to meet Henry. Henry is a beautiful chocolate brown Newfoundland. Henry’s heart is as big as his head and body.

Mona narrowed down the horrible situation she experienced in a text to me that she appropriately called “Lessons Learned.”

According to the good people at Citizens who helped her along the way online and in person at the Londonderry branch, Mona wrote, “After the pandemic, crooks got a lot savvier and tech improved. It is the “WILD WEST” out there now. It is now a matter of WHEN (theft) happens to you, not IF!”

This one situation took over 20 hours of time to rectify. Mona listed the incredible staff of Citizens Bank, including Nick the manager, Sam, Matt, Jake, Su, Carly, and Jamie. Mona never will forget their motto of “We are here to help” and Henry was welcomed, too, with treats.

Mona’s take away is be super cautious and check everything.

Mona also wrote, “You should never take their word that they are calling from a bank.” She said they often disguise their number. Hang up quickly and call your bank back with the local number you have. She reminded us about handling emails the same way. Exit quickly and sign-in to your accounts with the protection measures you know are correct and yours.

Special thanks from all of us to Mona for sharing this horribly emotional, stressful and just plain scary situation. Back to listening to your Spidey-Sense, slow down, and think before you react.

Sherry Farrell is Londonderry Town Clerk and a longtime resident of New Hampshire.