June 6, 2013 PDF Edition - The Sentinel

PAGE 26THE SENTINEL • THURSDAY, JUNE 6, 2013OBITUARIESTheSentinelObituaryPolicyTurley Publicationsoffers two types ofobituaries.One is a free, briefDeath Notice listingthe name of deceased,date of death andfuneral date and place.The other is a PaidObituary, costing$75, which allowsfamilies to publishextended death noticeinformation of theirown choice and mayinclude a photograph.Death Notices &Paid Obituariesshould be submittedthrough a funeralhome to:obits@turley.com.Exceptions will bemade only when thefamily provides a deathcertificate and must bepre-paid.Mason Jeffrey Barrett1993-2013BELCHERTOWN - MasonJeffrey Barrett, 19, passed awayThursday, May 23, 2013 at home.He was born inSpringfield, Dec.26, 1993. Heattended schoolsin Belchertownwhere hewas an avidlacrosse playerat BelchertownHigh School andin the Amherstsummer league. He was a memberof the Post 338 American LegionRiders of Southwick, MA. He wasattending Greenfield CommunityCollege pursuing a degree in education.He will be sadly missedby his family and friends. Masonleaves his parents, Paul and KendaBenson of Belchertown, a sister,Brittany Benson and her fiancéJames Ribiero of Belchertown, hisgrandparents, Kenneth and DeborahAvery of West Springfield, unclesand aunts, Robert and MellisaAvery of West Springfield, Justinand Pamala Toole of ME, PamelaValley of Agawam, Dawn Barrett ofSpringfield, his cousins, Kenneth,Kelsey, Dalton, Dylan, Austin,Jacob, James, Brody and nieceLilyana and nephew Christian.Calling hours were held on Friday,May 31 from 5 to 7:45 p.m. at theFirtion-Adams Funeral Service 76Broad St., Westfield with a serviceat 7:45 p.m. Donations in memoryof Mason may be made to Make AWish Foundation, 181 Park Ave.,West Springfield, 01089.Emile J. LaBelle1922-2013BELCHERTOWN – Emile J.“Jim” LaBelle, 91, formerly ofSpringfield, passed away Saturdayin Quabbin Valley Healthcare. Hewas born in Southbridge, MA onJan. 22, 1922 to the late Rudolphand Rose Alma(Caouette)LaBelle. Heserved in theUS Navy AirForce Reservesas an aviationmachinistmate 3rdclass. After thewar he went to theBoston to studymusic at the BostonConservatory ofMusic. Wherehe also took one semester of theJoseph Schillinger System ofMusical Composition and in 1951he received his BA of MusicContrabass. Jim was a memberof the American Federation ofMusicians Union, Local Boston,New York City and Springfield. Heworked as a machinist/toolmaker atHamilton Standard for the 33 yearsand was a member of the machinistunion of over 30 years beforeretiring in 1985. Jim also playedbass and was leader of a groupcalled The Avalons. They playedarea nightclubs, hotels, restaurants,weddings and banquets. As a musician,he loved Big Band and Jazz.In addition to music, Jim enjoyedall sports, bowling, horse racing,gardening and working around theyard listening to tapes and cd’s ofBig Band and Jazz music. We allremember when he grew nine-foottall tomato tree in the backyard.He was a member of the AmericanLegion Post 239. For the past 16years he lived in Belchertown,where he found great pleasure andcomfort working about the yardand talking with the neighbors. Jimloved spending time with his family,especially his grandchildren andwatching sports on TV and playingTexas Hold ’Em. The familywould like to thank Quabbin ValleyHealthcare, Brookhaven Hospiceand Wing Memorial Hospital andEast Longmeadow Skilled Nursing.Jim leaves his loving wife of 54years, Janice H. (Story) LaBelle,three daughters; Laurie A. LaBelleand her companion RobertAnderson, Audrey J. Johnson andher husband Ralph and Lisa M.Dunn and her companion HenryRitzer, 15 grandchildren, 27 greatgrandchildren,sister Rita Theriaultand many nieces and nephews anda special friend Joseph McGrath.Jim was predeceased by his firstwife Anne (LaBelle) Parent,his two sons Theodore and JayLaBelle and twin brother EdwardJ. LaBelle. Funeral Services wereThursday at the Sampson Chapelof the Acres Funeral Home, 21Tinkham Road, Springfield. Burialwas in the Massachusetts VeteransMemorial Cemetery, 1390 MainSt., Agawam. In lieu of flowers,memorial donations may be madeto the Alzheimer’s Association ofMass., 264 Cottage St., Springfield,MA 01104-3274 or to the Hospicecharity of one’s choice. Till we seeyou again, Jim.DEATH NOTICESBarrett, Mason J.Died May 23, 2013Services May 31, 2013Firion-Adams Funeral ServiceWestfieldLaBelle, Emile J.Died Saturday, May 18, 2013Funeral service May 23, 2013Sampson Chapel of the AcresFuneral HomeSpringfield, MASympathy Floral ArrangementsCustom & Traditional DesignsRandalls Farm & Greenhouse631 Center Street, Ludlow589-7071 ~ www.randallsfarm.netMEMORIALShaluchsmemorials.comCemetery Memorials ✦ MarkersGranite BenchesReligious Statuary ✦ Outdoor DisplayRAY HALUCH INC.1014 Center St ❙ Ludlow, MA ❙ 583-6508DUPED | from Page 1Belchertown Police Officer Jason Christofori says scamsare constantly changing, making it hard for people to knowfor sure when one arises. He said, however, there are somekey points to notice to help determine whether or not onethinks they are being scammed.“The landscape of every scam is constantly changing andthey can be far too complex to know each one, but they alllead to the same thing - money,” said Christofori.The key components to look for, says Christofori, are:is the person(s) looking for financial information immediatelyand are they looking for personal information suchas a social security number, pin number or other personaldata. If the answer is “yes” to these questions – look intoit more.He says if they person on the other end of the conversation,whether it be electronically or in person, seemsquestionable; the best thing to do is to ask your own questions.Christofori says ask for the person’s name, contactOn anatypical day . . .45 Millionpeople watch the Grammy Awards63 Millionwatch the World Series94 Millionwatch the Super Bowl100 MillionRead A Newspaperinformation, what business they work for and a supervisorsname. He said if it is a scammer, they will not like thosequestions. Another thing to remember is to never, ever giveout financial information unless you are 100 percent sure itis a reputable business or establishment.“If you’re looking to purchase something or you are contactedby a scammer and it doesn’t feel right, check it out,”said Christofori.Some ways to check into a business is to go to the website,look in the Yellow Pages, make sure they are usinga secure server, find a mailing address, look them up inthe Better Business Bureau, and find a phone number tocontact an actual person. While all that seems arduous andlengthy, Christofori says becoming the victim of a scam,especially identity theft can be much worse.As far as some examples of prominent scams, there isthe so-called “grandparent scam,” in which someone contactsan elderly person claiming a grandchild is overseasand is in need of money. Christofori says the scammer willphone an elderly person and tell them their grandchild wasinjured and money needs to be wired immediately for themto receive the care they need. Christofori says in this case,people need to stay calm and ask questions. The scammeris looking to play on the fear of the elderly.“The scammer will make you feel like you need to makea decision and act now,” explains Christofori. “The firstthing you need to do is to stay calm. Next, procure as muchinformation about the business as possible. Ask for a callback number and a supervisor’s name. Never provide paymentor financial data during this interaction.”Christofori says after you hang up with the person, callfamily and friends to verify the story. Find out if the familymember is overseas and if indeed they were involved inwhatever the scammer had said. Finally, he said if needed,contact your local authorities to help with the issue.Another example of a scam that has happened in thearea, and right here in Belchertown within the last fewmonths is a “renters scam.” Christofori says in this incidentthe scammer will find property for sale through differentmediums - such as online, newspapers or smart phoneapplications - and advertise them as their own property, butfor rent. The scammer will claim they are out of the countryon vacation and are looking to rent the property. Theywill have the interested person drive by and see the house.When they ask about the for sale sign the scammer willexplain it away, usually by saying they decided to take itoff the market while away and just haven’t taken down thesign. The scammer will even go as far as to draft a renter’sagreement and send it. That, of course, contains personalfinancial information for the person to fill out, and beforethey know it, they’ve been scammed.One scam that’s been around for some time, but seemsto still catch people is the “lottery scam.” In this scam theperson will receive a letter or email saying they’ve won thelottery. Of course, if you haven’t played that lottery, howcan you win it, and you never have to send money in orderto get your winnings. Do not deposit checks that mysteriouslyshow up in your mailbox. Chances are, those are partof a scam as well.Finally, falling victim to identity theft can be the start ofa number of scams and problems, so protect it as best youcan. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) offers tips onwhat to do if someone feels they’ve fallen victim. Those, infull, can be found on their website, www.ftc.gov. The stepsinclude taking immediate action by placing an initial fraudalert, ordering credit reports and creating an identity theftreport. After doing all that, the FTC recommends monitoringyour progress. To do that, track telephone calls, sendletters certified mail, file documents (keep originals andsend copies), and make a timeline for important dates.Christofori says the police department has all files onhand that are needed for creating a fraud identity report. Hesaid, while the police department cannot do all the steps inclearing up an identity theft, they can help the person alongthe way.The FTC provides these ways to know if an identity hasbeen compromised:You see unexplained withdrawals from a bank account.You don’t get bills or other mail.Merchants refuse checks.Debt collectors call you about debts that aren’t yours.You find unfamiliar accounts or charges on your creditreport.Medical providers bill you for services you didn’t use.Your health plan rejects your legitimate medical claimbecause the records show you’ve reached your benefitslimit.The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) notifies you thatmore than one tax return was filed in your name, or thatyou have income from an employer you don’t work for.You get notice that your information was compromisedby a data breech at a company where you do business orhave an account.You are arrested for a crime someone else allegedlycommitted in your name.“If you realize that you’ve become the victim of identitytheft, go to the FTC website and follow their step by stepprocess,” said Christofori.