Jewish Family Service of the Lehigh Valley hosted its annual Phyllis Ringel Memorial Lecture on May 6 with featured speaker Howard Sherer, who has had a 44-year career in the investment and management industries. 

Sherer was introduced by JFS board member Audrey Nolte and board president Rabbi Allen Juda, and quickly dove into the topic of safety in the digital age. He defined important terms like cybersecurity, spoofing and Trojan horse, and provided information about hacking schemes and scams from domestic hackers as well as foreign governments.

After delving into hackers’ motives, Sherer provided practical tips for staying safe, including not clicking on spam emails even if they look like they come from a friend or relative, hanging up on suspicious phone calls and checking for suspicious devices at gas pumps and other public places.

He offered attendees handouts about identity protection and stayed to answer questions from the audience; several audience members also shared their own stories of hacking and some tips that could have prevented their situations.

A lecture is held annually in memory of Ringel, a past JFS executive director.