November in Winchester means shopping lists, travel plans, and a lot of "what do we get Mom this year?" This month's newsletter is about shopping smart and giving tech gifts that actually help. Jerry starts with the phone call he gets every November. Skits has a tip for those package texts and a quick win for shopping online. Then there's one scam rule worth passing along to everyone you love, the four new blog posts coming every Sunday, a few short courses, and what's happening around town. Inside This Issue | 1 | From the Desk of A Note from Jerry | | 2 | Skits Says Skits' Tip of the Month | | 3 | Scam Alert The one rule to share | | 4 | On the Blog New posts every Sunday | | 5 | Skits' Classroom Short courses to go with it | | 6 | Service Spotlight This month we can help with | | 7 | Around Town What's on in Winchester |
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From the Desk of A Note from Jerry  This time of year I get a certain kind of phone call. It's usually a son or daughter, sometimes from the other side of the country, and it starts with "I'm worried about my mom's computer." Somebody tried to sell her fake tech support. Or her email got taken over. Or she just can't get the printer to work, and she's too proud to keep asking. I understand that call. The kids want their parents safe, and the parents want to keep doing things on their own. Both are right. What helps is having someone local in the picture, someone who knows the computer, answers the phone, and explains things without making anybody feel foolish. That's why this month we're talking about gifts. A new computer set up properly. Antivirus or a backup that's actually looked after. Or a care plan, so your parent has their own computer person all year. There's no gift button on the website. Just call me and tell me what you have in mind, and we'll figure it out together. “ The kids want their parents safe, and the parents want to keep doing things on their own. |
And if the gift this year is simply sitting down with Mom and going over the scam list in this email, that counts too. — Jerry Jerry Hickman, owner, Shared Knowledge Technical Solutions |
Skits Says Skits' Tip of the Month  This is the time of year the package texts start showing up. And with the holidays coming, I'm guessing a few more Amazon boxes than usual are headed to your door, too. The scammers know it. The text says "Your delivery is on hold, pay a small fee to reschedule." Here's my rule: I never track a package from a link someone sent me. I open the store's app, or I type the carrier's website myself. If the package is really stuck, it'll say so there. If it doesn't, the text was bait, and I just forward it to 7726 and delete it. Simple as pie, and it's the right month for pie. |
★ Quick Win Pay with a credit card when you shop online this season. If a store turns out to be fake or the order never shows, credit cards give you the strongest way to dispute the charge. Debit cards, wire transfers, payment apps, and gift cards give you much less. |
⚠ Scam Alert Gift cards are great presents and a scammer's favorite payment. Here's the one rule to share with everyone you love: no real business, government office, or tech company ever asks to be paid in gift cards. Not the IRS, not the power company, not "Microsoft support," and not a grandchild who's suddenly in trouble. If anyone asks for gift-card numbers, it's a scam, every time. When you buy cards for gifts, check that the packaging hasn't been opened or the scratch strip disturbed, and keep the receipt. |
On the Blog New on the Blog This Month A new post goes up on our Tech Talk blog every Sunday. Here’s what’s coming and the day each one goes live. A New Computer for Mom or Dad What to look for, what to skip, and how to set it up before it's wrapped so the first morning is easy, not frustrating. |
The Gift That Keeps Working Every family has an IT department of one. Here's a gift that takes the pressure off: ongoing computer support from someone local. |
Holiday Shopping Scams 2026 Fake delivery texts, lookalike stores, and gift-card traps. Same tricks every year; learn the tells once and spot them in seconds. |
The Thanksgiving Tech Check Twenty minutes at a parent's computer after the pie, and how to tell when onsite help makes more sense. |
Skits' Classroom Microcourses to Go With It 🎓 Safe Surfing for Seniors →"Confidence online, in plain English. A lovely one to sit down and do together with a parent over the holidays." |
Service Spotlight This Month We Can Help With A thing we do: give a parent their own computer person, as a gift. ✓ | Monthly care plan: $45 a month per computer on a 12-month plan. Monitoring and updates, antivirus included, priority scheduling, and a couple of hours of hands-on help built in across the year. | ✓ | Managed antivirus: $69 a year per computer. Protection with someone keeping an eye on it. | ✓ | LiveDrive cloud backup: $69 a year per computer. Automatic offsite backup of the photos and documents, set up so there's a real plan in place, and they stay in control of their own files. |
There's no gift button on the website. Call Jerry at 540.303.2410 and say you'd like to set it up as a gift, and we'll work out the details with you. The details for each are on our pricing page. Serving Winchester and Frederick County.
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Around Town Around Winchester | Wed, Nov 4 Morning Trails Walk A morning stroll on the trails at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, a nice way to catch the last of the fall color. |
| Nov 14–15 Virginia Gourd Show & Sale At the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley. Carved, painted, and downright clever gourds, and a head start on holiday gifts. |
| Thu, Nov 19 Memories at the MSV: Gather Together A dementia-friendly program at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, made for folks living with memory loss and the people who care for them. |
f | Stay in Touch Follow Skits on Facebook Skits posts plain-English tech tips, scam heads-ups, and local Winchester moments. |
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Need Help? Two Easy Ways to Get a Hand If you think we've been helpful, a Google review is the best way to let me know. |
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