Kinship of the Remy: Nile River, Kemetian Influence on Ancient Rome, Foundation Myths and Legends as History
Incredible Discovery: A modern day Remy with a birth date that falls on St. Remy’s Catholic Feast Day; a DNA trail from Europe; a rare DNA origin from Egypt; with Freemason grandfathers; and with a glassmaker ancestry; discovers through his own ancestry findings that are beyond compare:
Private Investigators vs. Retired Cops
Diligentia Group has a few things to say about prior cops acting as current private investigators.
Wolverine Investigations
Wolverine Investigations is a new private investigations agency in Alaska. Wolverine Alaska private investigators are the best of the best in Alaska and Wolverines mission is to provide superior service and earn our clients trust as we succeed over and over again with some of life’s most sensitive secrets. https://wolverineinvestigationscom.wordpress.com
David Grunwald Remains Believed To Be Found – Teen Arrested for Murder
PALMER — Remains believed to be those of missing Palmer teen David Grunwald were found by Alaska State Troopers near Knik River Road on Friday at 2 p.m.
Palmer teen Erick Almandinger, 16, has been charged as an adult with kidnapping and murder in the first degree in the case. Troopers said they have identified others involved in the murder, but have not yet made additional charges. Almandinger was arraigned Saturday morning.
Grunwald had been missing since Sunday evening, on Nov. 13.
Brenda Paradise, a private investigator with the non-profit Guardian Search and Investigations, said that out of the 425 missing persons cases she’s worked on over seven years, Grunwald’s case sticks out.
“I never, ever thought I would see such dark evil in small town Alaska,” she said. “Knowing what happened to this boy, it’s time to clean up this town. It’s time to take out the trash. I don’t want the death of David to go in vain. This isn’t over. This is just the beginning. Now it’s time for justice for Grunwald.”
Guardian Search and Investigations, a non-profit that serves veterans and their families, partnered with Alaska Investigation Agency, and fed leads to troopers, whom Paradise lauded for their hard work in the investigation. She also thanked the hundreds of volunteers who searched for Grunwald.
Paradise said that leads in the investigation pointed early on to Erick Almandinger, who was charged in the case, and to other perpetrators as well.
“Everything from the beginning had pointed to the same people,” she said. “I do believe that more (arrests) will follow.”
She said it’s time for the community to come together to support the Grunwald family and assist troopers with information to get “a solid conviction for these people and clean up this town.”
Alaska State Troopers are still asking for help from the public with any leads, including surveillance video that might have captured Grunwald on the evening of Nov. 13 or his vehicle, a 1995 blue Ford Bronco that was found burned near Schrock Road in Wasilla the day after Grunwald went missing
Troopers said the remains discovered on Friday have been sent to the Office of the Medical Examiner to confirm the identity and investigate manner and cause of death.
Grunwald’s parents were not immediately available for comment.
Marijuana taxes won’t solve Alaska’s state budget, as many people seem to hope
Marijuana taxes won’t solve Alaska’s state budget, as many people seem to hope. Every resident of legal age would need to buy 10 pounds a year to do that, according to a Department of Revenue official.
As the first pot shops open around the state, many expectations about what commercial marijuana will look like could be wrong. By experimenting with marijuana, as only the third state to legalize a recreational industry, we could be in for a good high, a bad trip or, as I’ve usually experienced with weed, “Meh.”
My sense is more people will use marijuana. With pot in more homes, more kids will try it. There will be more stoned drivers on the road. Some folks will make a go of it with mom and pop businesses. Many will fail.
In a few years, as more states legalize and the federal government removes barriers, bigger investors will take over. That’s when we can expect political influence and corruption to start, as often comes with heavily regulated industries.
Alaska is licensing many more marijuana businesses than can survive, as some industry members agree. If you’re anywhere on Spenard Road, you’ll rarely be more than a couple of blocks from a marijuana shop. Thanks to regulations controlling their distance from schools and such, and the lack of bank financing, most shops occupy rundown buildings and look seedy.
Who will shop at these places?
The heavy users will probably continue getting weed from their black market dealers. If you’re addicted, which to me means you use so much your life is messed up, you can’t afford to switch to a product that costs more due to taxes, testing, overhead and the absurd amount of regulation the industry faces.
That problem could strangle the market. For comparison, the alcohol industry makes most of its money from alcoholics. The top 10 percent of drinkers, who average over 10 drinks a day, buy more than 50 percent of the booze in our country. If you shifted those addicts to a black market, the legal alcohol industry would collapse.
Alaska’s marijuana regulations are designed to block current dealers from coming into the legal industry. This reminds me of President George W. Bush’s decision to disband the Iraqi army after conquering their country. Saddam Hussein’s soldiers didn’t disappear, they became insurgents. Today’s marijuana dealers won’t quit either.
Most of the new business owners are not druggie types. They use drug culture lingo — I’ve never heard any other plant cultivation business called a “grow operation,” for example — but most of those I’ve met would be comfortable at a chamber of commerce meeting.
Their product will be pure. Testing goes far beyond what is required for food or even nutritional supplements like vitamins.
The co-owner of Dankorage, a shop opening next month at Benson Boulevard and Spenard, is a former kindergarten teacher. Lily Bosshart said her business plan relies on new users.
“If you smoke marijuana, everyone’s got a guy who sells it to you,” she said. “I’m hoping that people who don’t have a guy, but who are interested, adult professionals, maybe users when they were kids, in high school or in college — hopefully not in high school but in college — they stopped because they became adults and they didn’t want to buy illegal drugs anymore, but now that its legal, having a place to go.”
Bringing in those new users will require some clever marketing. Adults who don’t use marijuana because they respect the law won’t frequent dodgy pot shops that look like pull-tab stores.
While traveling earlier this month, I visited a marijuana store targeting this new market in the affluent neighborhood of West Seattle. The shop, called Origins, is on a residential street in a building shared with a children’s physical fitness business. It looked a lot more inviting than most of the grungy places opening in Anchorage.
On a Saturday afternoon, a musician drew customers in with an electric guitar. A guy who looked like a nightclub bouncer politely checked our identification. The showroom was bright and clean, with fashionable tile work and flooring and big TV monitors that advertised the company’s sophisticated marketing message.
Sales staff offered product lines for those who were just sticking a toe into drug use, those who might use moderately for relaxation or social anxiety, or for heavy users looking for the strongest high. They asked customers to self-identify by “Lifestyle” categories with names like, “Adventurous,” “Social,” or “Holistic.”
Origin’s website describes the “Self Discovery” lifestyle this way: “You want to challenge your mind. Reflection is important to you and it’s about becoming a better person. On the other hand, maybe you just don’t know who you can be because life has been holding you back. Well, let’s explore this together.”
Skilled corporate marketers will be far better pushers than street dealers ever could be. I’ve been offered pot before, but no one ever told me it would make me a better person.
When Alaskans voted for recreational marijuana two years ago, I think most were just tired of seeing people get in trouble for an activity they considered relatively harmless.
But to win votes, proponents promised a highly regulated industry. Regulation has given us a complex system of marijuana cultivation, testing and sales that must spawn new users to survive.
Source: https://www.adn.com/opinions/2016/11/26/the-new-marijuana-industry-may-not-be-what-we-bargained-for/
U.S. Attorney’s Office, FBI, And DEA to Present Heroin/Opioid Addiction Awareness Events in Alaskan Communities
Alaska is Part of the National Epidemic
Anchorage, Alaska – U.S. Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced today that representatives from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, FBI, and DEA are holding events this month in a series of rural Alaskan communities, as part of National Heroin and Opioid Awareness Week, to increase awareness about the dangers of opioids and heroin addiction.
The Obama Administration is announcing a “week of action” to raise awareness about the rising public health crisis caused by drug overdoses. As part of this effort, the Department of Justice designated the week of Sept. 18-24, 2016, as National Heroin and Opioid Awareness Week. Heroin and Opioid Awareness Week gives us the chance to educate the public about the dangers of heroin and opioid abuse, as well as how everyone can participate in the effort to help stop the epidemic that is killing so many of our children, friends and neighbors. For those communities hardest hit by this epidemic it is truly terrifying, and it is spreading rapidly across the country, including Alaskan communities.
Here in Alaska, we are holding a series of community events. Each will feature a screening of “Chasing the Dragon,” a documentary film collaboratively produced by the FBI and DEA, which depicts the harsh reality of heroin and opioid addiction. The film was designed to better educate students and young adults about these drugs’ dangers and the tragic consequences that often accompany them. The film will be followed by an interactive community discussion with federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, as well as behavioral health and medical professionals, about the issues that the film raises and how this epidemic is impacting Alaskan communities.
In addition, similar presentations are being held in schools in each community the U.S. Attorney’s Office, FBI, and DEA are visiting as part of this initiative.
Earlier this month, events were held in Kotzebue for the Northwest Arctic Borough School District’s Youth Leaders Program, and Kotzebue Middle/High School. Yesterday, in Barrow, events were held for Barrow High School students, and the community.
Future community events are listed below:
HEROIN/OPIOID AWARENESS EVENT IN BETHEL, ALASKA
WHEN: MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2016; 5:30-7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Bethel City Hall, Council Chambers, 300 State Highway, Bethel, Alaska
HEROIN/OPIOID AWARENESS EVENT IN KETCHIKAN, ALASKA
WHEN: TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2016; 5:00-7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Discovery Center, 50 Main Street, Ketchikan, Alaska
HEROIN/OPIOID AWARENESS EVENT IN NOME, ALASKA
WHEN: THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016; 5:30-7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Nome Eskimo Community Trigg Hall, 200 W. 5th Avenue, Nome, Alaska
HEROIN/OPIOID AWARENESS EVENT IN KODIAK, ALASKA
WHEN: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016; 7:00-9:30 p.m.
WHERE: Kodiak High School Auditorium, 917 Rezanof East, Kodiak, Alaska
HEROIN/OPIOID AWARENESS EVENT IN PETERSBURGH, ALASKA
WHEN: (Date/time TBD)
WHERE: Petersburgh High School, 109 Charles W St., Petersburg, Alaska 99833
Additional events are being planned this fall in other Alaskan communities.
U.S. Attorney Loeffler commends the Alaska State Troopers and local law enforcement partners, as well as the behavioral and medical health professionals, in each of these communities for their assistance with these events.
Note: Additional Resources and guidance can be found at: www.FBI.gov/ChasingTheDragon.
Press inquiries regarding logistics should be directed to Chloe Martin at Chloe.Martin@usdoj.gov
Top 11 Scams
Source: https://www.scamguard.com/types-of-fraud/
Attention US Residents: Personal data, including social security numbers and residential addresses of over 100 million consumers has been stolen this year in the United States alone. Scammers trade information through black markets to use in future identity theft operations.
The criminals use your identity in order to obtain credit cards, fake mortgages, loans, and cash advances. Once an identity theft occurs, it is a very difficult task to undo the damage. It often costs upwards of $10,000 in legal fees just to clean up the mess created by these criminals.
We strongly recommend that you follow these steps to prevent identity theft:
1. Please consider obtaining identity theft protection service. We recommend using LifeLock. Lifelock provides coverage against identity theft for as low as $8.49 per month (including a 15% limited holiday season discount) and up to $1 Million Stolen Funds Replacement. You can start your 30 day protection absolutely Risk-Free here.
2. To understand the general precautionary measures to keep your identity safe, please read the following article: www.scamguard.com/identity-theft/
Jump to scams: Tech Support Scams, Fake/Counterfeit Merchandise, Pets-for-Sale Scams, Grant Scams, Collection Agency Scams, Property Rental Scams, Payday Loan Scams, Timeshare Scams, Dating Scams, Work From Home Scams, Fake Check Scams.
#1. Tech Support Scams
Reported countries: India and Pakistan. In many cases, scammers used U.S. VOIP phone numbers.
Damages reported: $100-$1000 and the cost of real technical support after to fix the damaged computer. As scammers usually ask for payment via credit card, many victims have also reported having their identities stolen afterward.
It’s rare that any technician from a PC manufacturer or tech support company would cold call non-client computer users and tell them that there’s an immediate threat to their computers and that the company needs remote access to fix the problem. Yet, many people fall for this scam.
Operating usually out of India, scammers call victims and allege that they’re with a big name tech company. Victims are told that their computers are either already infected or about to become infected with malware that can cause significant damage, such as operating system corruption or identity theft. The “technicians” then urge users to allow them to have remote access to troubleshoot and fix related issues. Scammers use these opportunities to infect systems with malware or perform other damage; or send users to third-party websites that cause damage. All of these actions are focused on the singular goal of giving scammers access to computers so they can cause errors and then charge for unnecessary repair services.
ScamGuard advice: Never give anyone remote access to your computer. Instead, hire a local computer repair service whenever necessary.
Example complaints: Complaint #4644, Complaint #1316, Complaint #2856.
Identity theft risk: High – If you’ve been affected by a similar scam, your identity is at risk. We recommend locking your identity from unauthorized changes using Lifelock. Lifelock provides coverage against identity theft for as low as $8.49 per month (including a 15% limited holiday season discount) and up to $1 Million Stolen Funds Replacement. To activate your Risk-Free 30 day protection services, click here.
#2. Fake/Counterfeit Merchandise Scams
Reported countries: China
Damages reported: $100-$1000. As scammers usually ask for payment via credit card, victims have also reported identity theft at a later time.
With so many online stores available, it’s sometimes very difficult to know the difference between a legitimate e-commerce site and a fake one set up to steal money or a person’s identity.
Operating predominantly out of China, scammers set up generic online stores that sell name brand items or mimic the websites of big name brand companies. On these sites, scammers sell fake or counterfeit products at significantly reduced prices designed to attract buyers looking for big deals on name brand merchandise. The over-reaching goal of these scammers is to gain access to the credit card numbers of their victims and then use the numbers to fraudulently make purchases, or make a buck with the information on the black market. In some cases, the criminals even go so far as to send fake or counterfeit products to victims. As the merchandise ships from international locations, victims often remain unaware of any wrong-doing against them until weeks have passed. Although many brand companies discover these sites and shut them down, it’s usually too late.
ScamGuard advice: To verify the identity of a website in question, always contact the brand company using the phone number on the company’s official Contact Us or similar page. Consumers can also contact ScamGuard on our Contact Us page to verify the legitimacy of any website in question.
Example complaints: Complaint #5730, Complaint #5156, Complaint #6455.
Identity theft risk: Medium – If you’ve been affected by a similar scam, your identity is at risk. We recommend locking your identity from unauthorized changes using Lifelock. Lifelock provides coverage against identity theft for as low as $8.49 per month (including a 15% limited holiday season discount) and up to $1 Million Stolen Funds Replacement. To activate your Risk-Free 30 day protection services, click here.
#3. Pets-for-Sale Scams
Reported countries: Unknown
Damages reported: $200-$2000
The promise of cuddly and cute puppies, kittens and other pets is another scam and has harmed a lot of people in 2014.
Pets-for-sale scammers create fake websites that claim to be associated with pet adoption or animal nurseries. On these sites, they offer a wide selection of pets for adoption or sale at prices significantly below the norm. Some sites even offer puppies for free to attract victims. With this scam, victims are told that they must pay for at least the insurance, shipping and other services associated with processing and delivering the pets. Victims are then required to make their purchases and/or pay their fees with non-returnable, cash-like forms of payment, including but not limited to: Moneygram, Western Union, Vanilla prepaid cards or wire transfer to a foreign bank account.
ScamGuard advice: Avoid paying for a pet using any type of cash transfer method. Additionally, contact ScamGuard for more information about any pet breeder in question.
Example complaints: Complaint #2176, Complaint #4484, Complaint #1962.
Identity theft risk: High – If you’ve been affected by a similar scam, your identity is at risk. We recommend locking your identity from unauthorized changes using Lifelock. Lifelock provides coverage against identity theft for as low as $8.49 per month (including a 15% limited holiday season discount) and up to $1 Million Stolen Funds Replacement. To activate your Risk-Free 30 day protection services, click here.
#4. Grant Scams
Reported countries: India and Pakistan
Damages reported: $100-$2000+
Representatives of the United States government don’t call American citizens with offers to sell them grant money. Operating usually out of India and Pakistan, scammers who deal in selling grants purchase consumer information from legitimate companies that run payday loan affiliate websites. The companies usually have no idea that they’re dealing with scammers. Instead, they believe that the scammers can offer some of their payday loan applicants financial assistance. Scammers also acquire consumer personal details from unsuspecting advertising agencies who run lead generation campaigns targeting consumers in need of loans. The scammers then contact the people from these lists and claim they represent the United States government. They advise victims that they can provide access to grant money for a “processing fee”. As with the Pets-for-Sale scenarios, scammers require victims to pay via non-returnable payment methods that act like cash.
The processing fee is merely the beginning of the crime. Grant scam artists then use the banking information of their victims to gain access to additional funds or sell the information to the highest bidder on the black market.
ScamGuard advice: Block callers who offer access to grant monies for a fee. If you have been a victim of this type of scam, report it here.
Example complaints: Complaint #2723, Complaint #3381, Complaint #3156.
Identity theft risk: High – If you’ve been affected by a similar scam, your identity is at risk. We recommend locking your identity from unauthorized changes using Lifelock. Lifelock provides coverage against identity theft for as low as $8.49 per month (including a 15% limited holiday season discount) and up to $1 Million Stolen Funds Replacement. To activate your Risk-Free 30 day protection services, click here.
#5. Collection Agency Scams
Reported countries: India and Pakistan
Damages reported: $100-$2000+
Some scammers are well aware that collection agencies have the right to contact consumers who owe money to them or companies they represent. Criminals involved with collection agency scams use this knowledge to their advantage to steal money.
Representing a fake collection agency, or even the United States Attorney General’s office, scammers make cold calls to victims and threaten lawsuits or embarrassing on-the-job confrontations unless the victims start making payments. Sometimes, the scammers support their claims with real details about outstanding loans. This type of scam can go on for months. After repeated harassment, victims cave to demands and pay a fee. Some time later, the scammers repeat the tactic with the same victims or sell/share the information to other scamming organizations who repeat the vicious cycle. Fee payment is also expected via non-returnable methods, such as Moneygram, Western Union, Vanilla and wire transfer.
ScamGuard advice: Unless you have bad debt and owe money to collection agencies who have purchased it, block all collection calls. Additionally, if possible, report collection agency scammers to ScamGuard and/or the appropriate government agency.
Example complaints: Complaint #6628, Complaint #6323, Complaint #6224.
Identity theft risk: High – If you’ve been affected by a similar scam, your identity is at risk. We recommend locking your identity from unauthorized changes using Lifelock. Lifelock provides coverage against identity theft for as low as $8.49 per month (including a 15% limited holiday season discount) and up to $1 Million Stolen Funds Replacement. To activate your Risk-Free 30 day protection services, click here.
#6. House/Vacation Property Rental Scams
Reported countries: Unknown
Damages reported: $500-$3000+
After the housing market scandals of the last few years, many consumers have opted to rent home and vacation properties, and scammers have targeted this trend.
Scammers advertise properties that they don’t actually own on classified ads websites, such as Craigslist and Backpage, with attractive pictures and detailed descriptions. Typically, they associate the ads with desirable, rich or low crime rate neighborhoods and offer prices that fall well below local rental averages. Instead of in-country phone-based contact, scammers use VOIP numbers from foreign countries and text messaging to communicate with buyers and renters. All payments are requested via non-returnable methods like Moneygram, Western Union, Vanilla and wire transfer.
ScamGuard advice: Always pay rent using a check or a credit card. Checks and credit cards leave paper and electronic trails that law enforcement agencies can track back to criminals. Additionally, if you decide to pay by credit card, the card’s issuing bank can perform a transaction chargeback or reversal for up to usually the first six months after the transaction.
Example complaints: Complaint #5883, Complaint #3078, Complaint #2191.
Identity theft risk: Low
#7. Payday Loan Scams
Reported countries: India, Pakistan
Damages reported: $500 – $3000+
As previously mentioned, scammers love to pick their victims from those most in need — people who are willing to take out high-interest payday loans.
Like grant scams, payday loan scams rely heavily on legitimate leads gathered by payday loan affiliate website companies or advertising agencies. Advertising agencies use cleverly designed small websites to entice consumers who have bad debt to apply for payday loans. Once the information is gathered, they sell it to other companies and re-sell it over and over until a scamming company posing as a legitimate company gains access to it. From there, scammers advise payday loan applicants that they qualify for low interest loans that they can also can get immediately with payment of a processing- or security-related fee. For example, some scammers tell victims that the fee helps confirm that the victims have the means to repay their loans when it’s time. As with similar scams, payday loan scammers request upfront money through cash-like payment methods or wire transfer and then never follow through with any sort of loans. Sometimes these criminals also ask for the bank account details of their details. They claim that they need the information to direct deposit the approved payday loan amount, but in reality they take the information to steal from the accounts later or to sell it to those who will use it to steal.
ScamGuard advice: Never pay any upfront fees to anyone promising a loan over the phone. If unsure, please ask ScamGuard using the contact us page.
Example complaints: Complaint #4195, Complaint #1121, Complaint #3328.
Identity theft risk: High – If you’ve been affected by a similar scam, your identity is at risk. We recommend locking your identity from unauthorized changes using Lifelock. Lifelock provides coverage against identity theft for as low as $8.49 per month (including a 15% limited holiday season discount) and up to $1 Million Stolen Funds Replacement. To activate your Risk-Free 30 day protection services, click here.
#8. Timeshare Resale Scams
Reported countries: USA, India
Damages reported: $200-$3000+
“Don’t have the time or money to invest in your timeshare any longer? Need someone to take it off your hands? We have the perfect buyer for you!”
These lines are what scammers want you to believe.
For decades, criminals have taken advantage of the idea of sharing a single property between multiple owners to reduce costs.
Operating usually from within the United States, timeshare resale scammers tell their victims that they have buyers, or in some cases renters, ready to take over any timeshare at a moment’s notice. The scam? They require an upfront fee to move forward with the process. Timeshare resale scammers give their victims a wide range of reasons for the fee, including but not limited to: appraisal, marketing analysis and fees related to transfer or closing. Some even claim that any fees pay for marketing and go so far as to mock up a contract that has wording to that effect to reassure their victims.
ScamGuard advice: Never pay upfront fees to anyone promising to sell or rent your timeshare or refer you to buyers or renters. Instead, list your timeshare on free or minimum payment timeshare listings websites such as: Redweek.com, TimeshareMarketplace.com and Tug2.net.
Example complaints: Complaint #3049, Complaint #2066, Complaint #5085.
Identity theft risk: Medium – If you’ve been affected by a similar scam, your identity is at risk. We recommend locking your identity from unauthorized changes using Lifelock. Lifelock provides coverage against identity theft for as low as $8.49 per month (including a 15% limited holiday season discount) and up to $1 Million Stolen Funds Replacement. To activate your Risk-Free 30 day protection services, click here.
#9. Dating and Relationship Scams
For information about dating and relationship scams, please review the following article dedicated to this topic.
#10. Work from Home – Inspecting and Shipping Merchandise
Reported countries: Russia, Ukraine and Eastern Europe
Damages reported: Loss of funds for variable amounts. If not reported to authorities immediately, victims can suffer legal consequences if believed to be part of any criminal activities related to product sales or shipping.
Many people around the world dream of working from home. After all, who wouldn’t want to give up the stresses from commuting to work or dealing with co-workers? For some, job ads and websites claiming to offer at-home work opportunities seem like the perfect answer.
In reality, these offers are usually the bait for various types of scams.
One big scam in 2014 involves at-home merchandise inspection and shipping. Scammers set up professional-looking websites and claim that the sites are owned by shipping and logistics intermediaries. Some also set up sites to state that they can offer these work-at-home opportunities because they represent large merchant companies in the United States that don’t have international shipping services.
Scammers use job search website ads to attract victims or target victims using job board profiles. They go through the interview process with each victim, usually via an Internet communications application like Yahoo Messenger, and then offer a job to every single person they interviewed. Once they’ve “hired” their virtual workers, scammers use stolen credit cards to purchase merchandise and then ship it to their new work-at-home “employees” with instructions on how to open the packages, inspect the merchandise and ship it elsewhere.
Not long after, usually a week, the scammers cut all ties with their recent batch of employees or go a step further and attempt to scam their victims with fraudulent paychecks made out for amounts that are much greater than the compensation for time worked. Victims are then advised to deposit their checks and use the overpayment amount to perform a bank transfer of the funds to one or more people who supposedly weren’t paid for some type of service, such as document verification or office supplies. The check then bounces and victims to their horror that not only worked for free, but they also lost extra money.
ScamGuard advice: Never agree to receive and ship packages from home. Additionally, never refund money from a paycheck as a bank transfer. Instead, ask the company to re-issue the check for the correct amount.
Example complaints: Complaint #2908, Complaint #4411, Complaint #4772.
Identity theft risk: High – If you’ve been affected by a similar scam, your identity is at risk. We recommend locking your identity from unauthorized changes using Lifelock. Lifelock provides coverage against identity theft for as low as $8.49 per month (including a 15% limited holiday season discount) and up to $1 Million Stolen Funds Replacement. To activate your Risk-Free 30 day protection services, click here.
#11. Fraudulent/Fake Check Scams
Reported countries: Nigeria, India and USA
Damages reported: $200-$3000+
One of the most popular scams involves scammers convincing unwitting victims to accept fraudulent/fake checks.
Victims with banks accounts in the United States receive checks for whatever reason at much higher amounts than expected. Scammers then use a variety of creative, clever stories to explain any compensation discrepancies and convince victim to send back overpayment via cash-like payment methods or wire transfer. When these checks bounce, the victim discover that they have been fleeced. Over the years, this scam has been used with a variety of consumer actions, including purchase of vehicles and renting property.
ScamGuard advice: Never accept checks with amounts over the agreed upon price. Never agree to send money back. Ask the bank if the check has cleared before releasing the merchandise to the alleged buyer.
Example complaints: Complaint #5004, Complaint #1401, Complaint #1632.
Identity theft risk: High – If you’ve been affected by a similar scam, your identity is at risk. We recommend locking your identity from unauthorized changes using Lifelock. Lifelock provides coverage against identity theft for as low as $8.49 per month (including a 15% limited holiday season discount) and up to $1 Million Stolen Funds Replacement. To activate your Risk-Free 30 day protection services, click here.
How does identity theft occur? Find out here.
AST: Naked burglar arrested in Wasilla – KTVA 11
A naked man was arrested Friday for attempting to break into a house and exposing himself to a woman and her children, according to Alaska State Troopers (AST). In a dispatch from the state agency, troopers wrote that they were notified of the incident on Engstrom Road at 10:29 a.m. Friday. Investigators discovered 39-year-old Jesse …
Successful Professional Private Investigations – Managing Expectations
Sometimes cases are successful and sometimes they are not, even if the client knows work was completed and product was provided. So why would they still be unsatisfied?
In this situation: The likely reason they may be irked, despite case success, is because their expectations we’re off from the beginning.
Unrealistic promises may have been made, guarantees of case success may have been made, etc. which is mostly unfortunate for the actual PI.
Setting an up front and honest tone from the onset with any client is a huge component to case success. Just be up front with finances, do not guarantee success and be clear of the risks.
