SLM Christmas Services
By LAURA BRUGGER
A local citizen warns of a new scam going around. The resident told the Record that he received a bill in the mail that appeared to be some sort of fee from the State government.
The document he received in the mail was titled “Texas UCC Statement Request Form.” The form listed his address and said he owed $90 for a “statement service fee.”
“I recently did a purchase of some farm equipment locally, and I have found that there is some public data that’s filed with the Texas Secretary of State’s office which is being used for a scam,” the resident said. “To be clear, this was nothing to do with the local company nor the finance company.”
The resident did some research online and learned that the letter was indeed a scam. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a consumer alert earlier this year warning the public about this particular scam.
“The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has received complaints against Texas UCC Statement Services,” the consumer alert stated. “The company has recently been mailing consumers a solicitation that asks consumers to pay $90 to obtain a form that they are unlikely to need and is available from the Texas Secretary of State for a much smaller fee.
“The OAG is cautioning consumers that the company’s mailer is designed to mislead Texans to believe that it was sent by a government agency and that the $90 is already due. The solicitation discloses that Texas UCC Statement Services is not a government agency, but that disclosure is not clear and conspicuous and the net impression is misleading.
“The OAG has recently seen several companies using similar deceptive solicitation tactics. The OAG encourages consumers to report when they receive suspicious mailers that appear like they may be from an official governmental body and that lead consumers to believe they must contact the company and pay a fee.”
Members of the public can report suspected fraud to the Texas Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division by calling toll-free 1-800-621-0508 or by filing an online complaint at https:// www.texasattorneygeneral. gov/consumer-protection/fileconsumer- complaint.
Thankfully, the local resident who got this letter did not fall for the scam.
“As this hit me and undoubtedly will or has hit others in the area,” he said. “I wanted to take the opportunity to make everyone aware of this and that it is here in Fayette County. Without due diligence, I see where many folks could be taken by this scam. Luckily, I looked deep into it and was able to avoid being taken on this ride.”
Christmas Eve services for Shared Lutheran Ministry will be either with Pastor Fred Hill at St. John’s Warrenton at 8:30 a.m. or St. Pauls’ in Fayetteville at 10:30 a.m. If you prefer evening worship, Pastor Tracy Breashears Schultz will lead services at St. John in Ellinger at 5 p.m. and St. John in Rutersville at 7 p.m. There will not be any services on Christmas Day. All are welcome.
There will be joint worship on Dec. 31 at 10 a.m. at St. John in Rutersville. There will not be any other services on this day.
St. John in Ellinger will have their annual meeting on Sunday, Jan. 14 following worship.
Worship services are still offered on Facebook, You Tube and KTIM 89.1 on Sundays at noon. Ellinger has worship every Sunday at 8 a.m. with communion.
Brethren Church
On Dec. 23, there will be no services at the church. Everyone is invited to join Industry Brethren Church for a Christmas Candlelight service at 4 p.m. followed by a light meal.
Fayetteville Brethren Church has services the second, third, and fourth Saturdays of each month at 10 a.m. Other services are at Industry Brethren on the second, third and fourth Saturdays at 5 p.m., Wesley Brethren on Sundays at 9 a.m. and Nelsonville Brethren on Sundays at 10:15 a.m. Rev. Mike Groseclose leads all the services. The Nelsonville service is live streamed on Nelsonville Brethren’s Facebook page.
LGISD Holiday Schedule La Grange ISD students are out from Thursday, Dec. 21 through Monday, Jan. 8. La Grange ISD will resume classes on Tuesday, Jan. 9.
Birthdays
Birthday Wishes to the following December celebrants: Patricia Horndt Flores and Jessica Kessel-23, Harvey Hayek-24, Jessica Martin and Bernetta Cook-28, Michelle Kubena-31.
Have News?
Send any news or announcements to Laura at ellingernews@ yahoo.com by Sunday evening for the following Friday’s paper. Pictures of milestones, parties, celebrations, etc. are welcome.
Ellinger News Correspondent