One of the beautiful things about movies these days is that movie fans don’t have to go to the movies to see them. Video On Demand allows us to see the best of the best, without leaving home. This means not only the classics and obscure personal favorites, but also award-winners. Even those which earned Oscars at the Academy Awards ceremony. Here are a few interesting but little-known facts about the Oscars: Two films share the record for most Oscar nominations with 14. All About Eve (1950), a behind-the-scenes look hopeful actress Eve Harrington was the first. In 1997, The...

Read More Catch These Oscar Winners With FTC’s Video on Demand

For any consumer who has ever answered the phone expecting to hear from a friend — only to encounter someone who is pretending to be from the IRS and is demanding payment — the problem will be a familiar one. Or perhaps the mystery caller claimed to be awarding a cruise around the world and then requested a Social Security number before providing it. Most consumers have had one of these experiences or a similar one. Unfortunately, it’s entirely too common. According to a report by the caller ID company Hiya, there were 85 billion robocalls globally in 2018. Part...

Read More How STIR/SHAKEN is Mixing Up and Stopping Phone Scammers

Area business owners should be aware — FTC has recently received confirmation of  fraudulent activities in our area, and the scam could strike local workplaces that use a multi-line telephone system or PBX with voicemail. Those who fall victim to the scheme could be susceptible to long-distance call hacking leading to thousands of dollars in unauthorized long-distance charges. URGENT NOTICE: To protect their phone systems, it is imperative that local business owners have their employees change their default passwords to unique number combinations that can’t be easily guessed. Customers with a multi-line telephone and voicemail system are responsible for protecting their...

Read More Businesses Beware: Fraud Attempts Target Multi-Line Phone Systems

When it comes to watching children’s television, the options have come a long way since the days when Saturday-morning cartoons occupied the sweet spot on the antenna-powered dial. In today’s digital entertainment environment, there’s a long list of kid-focused channels to choose from — and with plentiful streaming options, a child’s show or movie can be selected at any given time, then watched in whole or in part, whichever best fits the household’s schedule for the day. Parents might want to consider the following kid-friendly highlights that can be found in the libraries of some of the most popular streaming...

Read More What 5 of the Top Video-Streaming Services Offer for Kids

With each new year comes another set of New Year’s resolutions, many of which inevitably revolve around adopting better health habits. And while some of these get-fit resolutions do not bring a great deal of success, there is good news: With each passing year, the technological tools that can help support truly successful outcomes get more and more advanced. Now that it’s 2020 and a new decade has begun, those in training might want to consider these cutting-edge tech tools to help make this year’s health-related resolution become a long-term reality: 1. Health-Education Websites While, at least for those of...

Read More 5 Tech Tools That Can Help Boost Users’ Health in 2020

It’s hard to imagine a busier time in the typical family kitchen than during the holidays — when not only do the meals tend to be more elaborate, but they also serve the centerpiece of many family gatherings. Add in the fact that holiday meals usually feature (often many) more guests than the typical household breakfasts, lunches and dinners, and it’s enough to make even the most experienced of cooks feel the heat. But there’s no need to get overwhelmed. With the help of modern technology, the cooking-related stress can be at least somewhat eased as an array of smartphone...

Read More 8 Cooking Apps That Can Ease Anxiety in the Holiday Kitchen

These days, seasonal merrymakers looking for new ways to celebrate the holidays don’t have to limit their festive flair to their attire, their homes or even the physical world — they can deck out their devices, their playlists and other elements of their virtual worlds, too! For those looking to add some digital tinsel, trimmings and bows to their online, on-device and on-screen lives, these holiday-themed virtual accessories offer some great ways to show off their seasonal spirit: Merry music They don’t call Mariah Carey the unofficial queen of Christmas for nothing — her 1994 hit “All I want for...

Read More Brighten the Holiday Season With These Techy Treats

Thanks for visiting Santa at our FTC locations. We hope you had a good time and are getting ready for the holiday season. Click here to purchase additional photos or photo gifts via SmugMug. Santa Photo Day Dates 11/18 Manning – Click here for Manning photos 11/19 Sumter – Wesmark – Click here for Wesmark photos 11/20 Sumter – Shaw – Click here for Shaw photos 11/21 Bishopville – Click here for Bishopville photos 11/22 Kingstree – Click here for Kingstree photos 11/25 Lake City – Click here for Lake City photos 11/26 Johnsonville – Click here for Johnsonville photos

Read More Thanks for visiting Santa!

There’s good reason the holidays are widely considered to be “the most wonderful time of the year.” During this season of joy, Americans’ generous spirits tend to shine especially bright and people seem to open their hearts — and their wallets — a little more readily than usual. The resulting boost in consumer spending, of course, represents one of the most lucrative times of the year for retailers. In fact, many attribute the name of the nation’s biggest shopping holiday, Black Friday, to the opportunity it gives retailers to boost annual profits and, for many retail businesses, to move from...

Read More 4 Online Shopping Scams to Avoid This Holiday Season

With the holidays right around the corner, there’s no doubt that many laptops, smartphones and tablets will soon be wrapped up and placed under the tree. And while these devices are sure to delight their recipients, the digital world unfortunately can present a range of dangers for child and adolescent users. But with the right precautions, parents can keep their children safe from any online predators or other dangers that might be lurking. Those who have decided their child is old enough to use an internet-connected device should consider these five tips for keeping young users safer while navigating the...

Read More 5 Ways to Keep Kids Safer Online