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Has this happened to you? You buy something on line and see an offer for cash back on your purchase. You click on the box for the cash back offer and later your credit card is charged a “fee” for joining an Internet discount club.
This type of practice has been done repeatedly for many Internet buyers. Now the New York Attorney General has warned Internet retailers to stop funneling unsuspecting customers into deceptive Web discount clubs. With thousands of complaints to this practice, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has sent investigative subpoenas to 22 prominent merchants that include Barnes & Noble, Priceline and Pizza Hut. These merchants have been affiliated with marketing companies such as Affinion, Vertrue and Webloyalty who have piggybacked their Web sites.
The companies getting subpoenas included Barnes & Noble, Orbitz, Buy.com, Ticketmaster, MovieTickets.com, FTC.com, Shutterfly, 1-800-Flowers.com, Avon, Budget, Staples, Priceline, GMAC Mortgage, Classmates.com, Travelocity, Vistaprint, Intelius, Hotwire, Expedia, Hotels.com, Columbia House, Pizza Hut and Gamestop/EB Games.
Some of these companies said they have already taken action. Vistaprint, Priceline, Expedia and 1-800-Flowers.com said they severed ties with the companies last fall. Affinion, Vertrue and Webloyalty are all based in Norwalk, Connecticut. These marketing companies have been accused of improper conduct many times before.
Next time, carefully read the “fine print” on the discount coupons to make sure that you are not enrolling into an Internet discount club that is charging a fee.
In just one week in the Denver, Colorado area, there have been fourteen bank robberies. In just one day, four Denver area banks were robbed. There were three a day each on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and another was reported on Thursday.
So far, no one has been caught but all the suspects have stolen undisclosed sums of money. Colorado ranks 5th in the nation in per-capita bank robberies. Last year, 135 Colorado banks were robbed – that averages about two or three a week. This year the total number of robberies is nearing 200.
The FBI says there does not seem to be a pattern in the bank robberies. However, the FBI said the same man might have robbed the same bank last Friday. This man smelled of alcohol at another bank robbery. The increase of bank robberies around the holidays are concerning to the FBI and agents are afraid some could turn aggressive and result in injuries.
Law enforcement authorities say that this alarming bank robbery trend may be connected to the holiday season and a reflection of a bad economy. However, law-abiding citizens are not robbing banks at this alarming rate. These are criminals looking for money for drugs and booze, and not looking to fill Christmas stockings or buying gifts for their kids and family.
Bank robbery is a felony and a Federal crime. On the average, over sixty percent of robbers are caught within 18 months after robbing a bank. If anyone has information about the bank robberies, contact Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP (7867). You can remain anonymous and could be eligible for a cash reward.
According to the Associated Press, sexting among your kids is more prevalent than you think. Sexting is sharing sexually explicit photos, videos and chat by cell phone or online. More than a quarter of young people are involved in sexting in some form. Many young people don’t see a problem with sexting. They think it is nothing but a joke and they laugh about it.
What they don’t understand is sexting is serious because of the dire consequences. Criminal charges can be charged to kids who send out nude pictures. Then there is digital bullying that can occur. The worst consequence in at least two cases is suicide. An eighteen year old girl hung herself after weeks of ridicule at school. She sent a nude picture of herself over her cell phone and when she broke up with her boyfriend he forwarded the picture to other girls.
That’s why parents need to be aware of what their kids are sending over their cell phone. Also, sexting messages that kids send can also be very graphic. A local Denver TV station broke the sexting code text and printed it so parents can be aware of what their kids are texting. For example, a text message of “Code 9” means parents are around. “GNOC” means get naked on camera and “FOL” means found of leather.
Thirteen year olds up to twenty-five year olds are sexting messages to their friends. Unfortunately, about half of all young people say they have been targets of digital bullying.That means someone wrote something about them on the Internet that was mean or a lie, or someone shared an e-mail or instant message that was supposed to be private. Less often, it can be more serious, such as taking pictures or video of someone in a sexual situation and sharing it with others.
Young people need to understand that sexting is not only a crime but also can make their lives miserable. Adults, talk with your kids and let them know that “sexting” is dangerous and can change their lives forever.
The other day, a quiet suburb of Denver, Colorado experienced a Bonnie and Clyde type of bank robbery. A couple walked into a 1st Bank branch in the Denver area and demanded money. The male bank robber was not polite and a heated verbal exchange developed. They made off with an undisclosed amount of money.
Shortly afterwards, police spotted their vehicle and chased the robbers. Both the man and woman robber were shooting at police officers during the chase. However, the police were able to disable their car and shots were fired between the robbers’ car and police. Police say the male suspect, who was driving the car, was killed and pronounced dead at the scene. The woman, who was the passenger, was pronounced dead later at a hospital. Two police officers were injured during the gun battle.
The FBI said that this was the first time that these bank robbers tried to rob a bank in Colorado. They were not residents of Colorado but from another state. According to FBI statistics, this year in Colorado, there have been 158 bank robberies. Last year, there were 150 bank robberies, most of them in the metro area of Denver. Current statistics also show that Michigan as well as Colorado has the most bank robberies throughout the country.
At some time, all of us have experienced some type of road rage when driving. Whether you are the victim or the aggressor, road rage on our highways is not a pretty thing. AAA reported that at least 1,500 people a year are seriously injured or killed in senseless traffic disputes.
We have all experienced drivers following too closely, driving at excessive speeds, weaving through traffic, and even people running stop signs and stoplights. Road rage may even escalate into drivers gesturing in anger or yelling at another motorist. When road rage turns into physical assault and even murder, this is when it is a crime.
Recently the Denver Post reported such a confrontation that turned into a motorist shooting another motorist due to road rage. In Westminster, Colorado, Travis Smith, a 26-year-old man, shot and killed a 21-year-old man. He is being held in the Adams County Jail for investigation of first-degree murder.
Several witnesses saw Travis Smith driving a blue GMC Jimmy beside a tan 1992 Toyota Corolla eastbound on West 120th Avenue just before the intersection at Huron Street. Something happened between the two vehicles and Smith pulled out a gun and shot the 21-year-old man.
The reason for this cold-blooded murder is unknown. Police don’t think it was gang related. Just another road rage incident that is senseless and unwarranted.
With hunting season ending, news about illegal poaching is starting to surface. The Pioneer Press recently ran an article about a Cannon Falls man charged with poaching a white-tailed buck. This buck was a trophy buck with the largest set of eight point antlers ever recorded.
According to reports, Troy Alan Reinke age 32 of Cannon Falls, claimed that he killed three deer within weeks of each other. One was a smaller buck he shot with a bow and arrow. He claims that he couldn’t find the buck until the next day, but took the antlers and meat. The other was a small doe that he took the meat and the third was a trophy buck that he did tag with his license and registered in Cannon Falls. Unfortunately, he possessed only one license and no bonus tags.
The trophy buck’s antlers are considered the biggest eight-pointer ever shot. It has extremely large mass and is very symmetrical. The Department of National Resources (DNR) has confiscated the deer and antlers and officially scored the antlers. The eight-point gross score was 190 5/8 inches on the Boone & Crockett scale, with a net score of 185 inches. DNR officials say the biggest eight-pointer ever shot was a Michigan deer with a score of 180.
As a result, Reinke is a poacher who hunted illegally. He is no stranger to law enforcement. He has previous convictions for domestic assault, theft and fishing with too many fishing lines. He has served 120 days in jail recently for his second domestic assault charge.
With this illegal poaching, he is charged with thirteen counts of illegally taking deer. If convicted he faces $19,000 in fines, up to a year in jail and revocation of his hunting license. This is one of Minnesota’s highest profile cases in recent years.
Last week, Richard and Mayumi Heene of Fort Collins, Colorado pulled a publicity-seeking hoax that touched off a frantic rescue attempt to rescue their young son, six-year-old Falcon. The Heene’s told police authorities that their son was in homemade helium balloon that was swept away by high winds. When the balloon finally landed in a farmer’s wheat field, the boy was not in the saucer-shaped helium balloon but was hiding and safe at home.
At first it was thought that this was just a misunderstanding but when the six year old explained that it was all for show. Larimer County Sheriff, Jim Alderden, decided to investigate this incident further. The Sheriff determined that this was all a hoax and a publicity stunt that would better market the Heenes for a reality television show at some point in the future.
The parents could be charged with many counts of criminal activity including conspiracy, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, making a false police report and attempting to influence a public servant. It seems that this event was planned for some time. The plan was to create a situation where it appeared that Falcon was in the craft to gain publicity and notoriety for a television show.
The Heenes have appeared in a TV show, “Wife Swap”, and Richard Heene has been described as a storm chaser and amateur scientist who had involved his wife and sons in his activities.
Is this a matter of poor judgment, publicity stunt for notoriety or just plain stupidity? Whatever you call it, Heene and his wife will be facing more than just TV cameras. They will be facing a judge who may sentence them to prison for many years as well as possibly paying restitution to law enforcement and maybe to the farmer where the winter wheat field was damaged by all the police activity.
Voting is a privilege given to every American over the age of eighteen. However, if you have a felony conviction, this privilege is revoked. In some states, such as Minnesota your voting rights are restored after you serve your sentence and probation.
Somehow, Theresa Marie Barslou who lives in Ramsey County, Minnesota, wasn’t told that she couldn’t vote in last year’s election. She is one of twenty-three felons charged with voter fraud in the 2008 election.
According to the Ramsey County Attorney, they usually charge on average one or two felons with voter fraud, however, there was a higher turnout last year and that is why the count is higher. For future elections, election officials will be working more closely with the Department of Corrections to provide convicted felons with more information about being banned from voting while on parole. County officials plan to hand out information to felons close to completing their sentences, so they know when their voting rights will be restored.
Until then, Ms. Barslou could face five years in prison, a $10,000 fine or both. Was this just a misunderstanding by Ms. Barslou or was it truly vote fraud? She was advised when she was released from prison concerning her eligibility to vote. Even when she did vote, the election official allegedly handed her the ballot and did not question her about her felony conviction.
Ms. Barslou will be in court later this month to see if she will be charged with voter fraud.
Recently, the FBI arrested 100 people in both the U.S. and Egypt in an identity theft ring that victimized thousands of people. These criminals ran a “phishing” scheme where they allegedly used computer intrusion and fraud to obtain personal information that allowed them to withdraw money from bank accounts.
This cybercrime involved Egyptian hackers using emails that directed victims to phony bank websites, where they were asked to provide account numbers. Victims lost about $2 million dollars from this phishing scam.
Phishing scams involving carding have become a multi-million dollar business for hackers and identity thieves. This is a result of shadowy online forums. Here criminals learn the tricks of the trade on how to buy, sell and trade stolen sensitive and financial data. These crime forums also help in the spread of phishing Web sites by selling pre-built kits scammers that can be used to set up bogus bank Web sites within minutes. According to a recent report from the Anti-Phishing Working Group, and industry consortium, more than 10,000 phishing Web sites were reported in August alone, roughly double the number found in January.
Always be careful if you receive an email requesting bank information. Banks never request this information from you via email. If you have questions, always check with your bank before entering personal information on bank websites.
There are stupid criminals who do stupid things, there are dumb criminals who don’t think out their crime and then there are vicious criminals who seem to be the most violent criminals of all. The Sun Newspaper reported that the Brooklyn Park Police along with the Secret Service is investigating an alleged hate crime that took place last week.
Two white men from Minneapolis allegedly attacked and beat a black 18-year old man. They yelled racial epithets as well as vowing to kill President Obama and his family. What makes this hate crime so egregious is that the 18-year old man is a vulnerable adult with the mental capacity of an 8 to 10 year old. These thugs allegedly pushed the teen off his bike and called him the N-word. Then the men about three or four of them beat him, made him strip naked and robbed him. They stole his cell phone and some other personal items from the young man.
These vicious criminals armed themselves with an axe or hatchet and a handgun. Police found two unloaded gun magazines in their car when they arrested them. Police arrested two 21-year old white men from Minneapolis, Anthony Peter Kilpela and Bryan Charles Westerlund, and charged them with assault and robbery.
There is no logical reason for this type of crime to be committed. Why did they pick on a vulnerable young adult? Did this make them feel big and important? This is not only a crime against a person but also a crime against humanity.
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