RING, RING — IT’S A ROBOT
Two of the most common scams are phone scams and robocalls. These calls are incredibly annoying and can trick you out of valuable information if you’re not careful. While it might seem like these scams are inescapable, there are some precautions you can take to avoid their traps. Give them the silent treatment. One thing you can do to avoid these fraudulent, time-wasting calls is to simply hang up. If possible, it is best to not answer at all. It’s always good to have a list of numbers you can reference, so you never have to guess who is calling. Think of it as going one step beyond caller ID. In some cases, answering and then hanging up can actually do more harm than good. Answering the phone gives the scammers confirmation that the number works and that they should try again. Once your number is confirmed as active, it often gets put on an “active number” list that can then be sold to other scammers who market in these types of phone numbers. If you can’t verify who is calling without picking up, don’t answer. Let it go to voicemail. If it’s important, the person will leave a legitimate message and you can respond afterward. Not all disabilities are visible to the human eye. When it comes to conditions like frequent migraines or epilepsy, it can be hard to “show” clinicians, the Social Security Administration, or courtroom judges what you experience. In these kinds of cases, records contemporaneous to each migraine or seizure are an important part of documenting your disability. In the past, written “diaries” were seen as the only real way to do this. But, thanks to the following apps, tracking these difficult moments has never been easier. Migraine Buddy (migrainebuddy.com) Designed by neurologists and data scientists, this diary app not only allows you to easily note when you are experiencing a migraine, but it also gathers key information to help you identify triggers. You’ll be shown a “head map” to identify where the pain was located and be able to log the type of attack it was, how long it lasted, and what methods you used to address it. You can also note how each individual attack affected your life, including lost time from work or other tasks. Epilepsy Journal (apps.apple.com/us/app/epilepsy- journal/id1450726202) This diary app was designed to make tracking a seizure as easy as possible. After installing the app on your phone, a purple “seizure” button will appear on the interface. This quick-access button makes MIGRAINES? SEIZURES? THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT
Put up some deterrents. You can even go a step further and block the calls. Many phone service providers offer call-blocking options, including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon. You can sign up for this service in-store or on your service provider’s website. Each service costs about $4 per month. There are also a number of call-blocking apps available on Android and Apple devices, but if you subscribe to a blocking service through your phone provider, these apps are unnecessary. Finally, you can sign up for the Federal Trade Commission’s “Do Not Call” program (DoNotCall.gov). While the Do Not Call program can help cut back on calls, this list is largely ignored by scammers. If you’re getting a ridiculous number of robocalls every day, signing up can offer you some brief respite. Thankfully, Congress is already attempting to fix this problem by making it harder for scammers to call you. But until they are able to pass tough, effective legislation, it is up to us as consumers to remain vigilant and do what we can to keep our personal and financial data safe and secure.
tracking an epileptic episode from beginning to end possible. Along with the duration, the app will make a note of your location and ask what you were doing when the seizure took place. Much like Migraine Buddy, this app can help you identify triggers for
your epilepsy and avoid them in the future. Epilepsy Journal also gives you the option of forwarding this data to your doctor via email.
These apps are both great tools for helping you track and manage your symptoms and identify triggering patterns and effective treatments. Having this organized information removes the burden of having to remember every detail of your attacks between doctor visits. We’ve even had a judge tell us how valuable this information was in making a ruling. If you’re living with migraines or seizures, these free apps can make a huge difference in your life.
2 | GilletteLawGroup.com
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