PATACS Meeting Details Page

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Arlington & Fairfax Sessions -
Arlington Meetings in Person!
Fairfax In-Person Requirements
All Sessions Available via Zoom
Meeting Access Will Be Sent via Email

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Details of Monthly Meetings

Not a Member? Want to Attend Our Zoom Sessions?
Arlington Email: arlmtgs(at)patacs.org Fairfax Email: ffxmtg(at)patacs.org

-Meeting - in Person and via Zoom
- See Above Banner
OPCUG Members Welcome! PATACS - Arlington
First Wednesday, Aug 5th, 2026 7 PM

Please Come Early & Help with Meeting Setup!
Meeting Location: Carlin Hall Community Center,
5711 S. 4th Street, Arlington, VA 22204
Zoom Session: Details Sent via Email
Using Zoom

Android Devices
The Google Ecosystem
For 2026
Jolyn Bower, Resource Center Director
Hilton Head Island
Computer Club

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Arlington Meeting Info & Maps

HAVE YOUR COMPUTER QUESTIONS ANSWERED!

The program planners for our First Wednesday PATACS meetings in Arlington are looking for topics that members would like to have explored or questions answered - this is your opportunity to have a say in topics addressed at this meeting. This is a smaller meeting than the Fairfax meeting, and it allows for much more interaction between members than is possible in Fairfax. And there's the post-meeting Pizza and Salad SIG, the post-meeting social at a nearby restaurant - another value-added feature of your membership! Please send your suggestions to our meeting program planners at arlmtgpgm@patacs.org.

Not a Member? Want to Attend Our Zoom Sessions?
Arlington Email: arlmtgs(at)patacs.org Fairfax Email: ffxmtg(at)patacs.org

OPCUG / PATACS Joint Meeting,
Saturday, August 15th, 1 PM 3rd Saturday
Meeting In-Person and Via Zoom - See Above Banner
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
Tallwood, TA1
4210 Roberts Road, Fairfax, VA 22032-1028
Fairfax Meeting Info, Maps Agenda / Meeting Info

In Person Requirements -
OLLI Health and Safety Protocols

Coffee, Soda and Individual Snack Packages will be available.

Defending the Vulnerable:
Shenandoah Valley Sr Fraud &
AI-Scams Awareness Project
Presented by Dr. Edna Reid

Imagine a world where a computer can copy your grandson's voice perfectly just to trick you into sending money. According to 2026 AARP, this is part of a massive "Fraud Crisis in America." According to the FBI, older adults lost a staggering $7.7 billion in 2025 alone. In fact, about 4 out of every 10 seniors have already lost money to these kinds of traps.

The McGaheysville-Massanutten Lions Club (MMLC) created a fascinating collaborative project called The Shenandoah Valley Senior Fraud & AI-Scams Awareness (SVSFAA) Project. The purpose of this project is to empower seniors and Gen Z by giving them tools to identify these exploitations and encourage them to report scams. It focuses on using a Multisensory Scam Storytelling Training MSST) approach created by Dr. Reid.

By helping seniors recognize manipulative tactics and predatory marketing, the project does more than just help them to save money. It breaks the silence of shame! It protects seniors’ self-respect, peace of mind, and mental health. This project helps potential victims become knowledgeable defenders with enhanced digital hygiene skills. Seniors can share safety practices with their families and friends.

Dr. Edna Reid retired from the FBI, serving as an Intelligence Analyst. She also retired as an Associate Professor at James Madison University, where she was Designer & Former Program Director, JMU Cyber Intelligence Graduate Certificate Program

Learn in 30:
DNS Privacy
Presented by Geof Goodrum

The Domain Name System (DNS) is a fundamental computer service that translates human-friendly network addresses (like patacs.org) into computer-friendly numeric addresses (like 96.231.36.36). Most of us never think about it, but service providers can use DNS to track where we go on the Internet and what online applications we use. This is valuable information to marketers such as advertising services, grocery stores and others that you give away through your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and “free” WiFi hotspots. If you value your privacy, this Learn in 30 session will provide ways to secure DNS on your computer, home network and smartphone to limit snooping on your Internet access, limit exposure to malware and improve your device’s network performance.

Geof is a retired US Government scientist and technology enthusiast who has been active in Computer User Groups since 1984. Geof has been a user and advocate of the GNU/Linux operating system and Open Source software since 1994 with professional experience as a programmer, system administrator, network administrator, data engineer, system engineer and system architect. Geof also enjoys hiking and completed a thru hike of the 2,200 mile Appalachian Trail in 2018.