Woman accused in Nassau County jail phone scam

One more interesting note. Hope you will like it!

Nassau prosecutors said a Brooklyn woman helped inmates at the Nassau County jail make telephone calls through accounts registered to bogus companies, racking up big bills that went unpaid while lining the woman’s pockets with fees collected from inmates.

Amanda Coates, 25, of 676 Cleveland St. in the East New York section, was arraigned in First District Court in Hempstead Thursday on two counts of first-degree identity theft, first-degree scheme to defraud, three counts of first-degree falsifying business records and three counts of theft of services. She was held on $15,000 cash or bond and is due back in court Monday. She was represented by the Legal Aid Society.

Coates faces up to seven years in prison if convicted in what prosecutors called a lucrative scheme she conducted for up to three years, serving inmates in state prisons including Bare Hill, Franklin, Riverview, Collins and Auburn correctional facilities, as well as at the Nassau jail.

Nassau inmates can make only collect calls. An inmate using Coates’ services could call the phony business, and Coates would have the call forwarded to the number the inmate really desired.
The receiver of the call could accept the charges, but the fake business would be billed. Prosecutors said the receiver of the call could be an associate who could serve as a conduit for more crime, such as setting up drug deals or intimidating witnesses.

Prosecutors said Coates charged up to $195 a month for her services, which allowed prisoners to call phone numbers the jail’s surveillance apparatus could not detect because the calls were forwarded to an unknown number.

“The danger in this crime is that these inmates could be talking to anybody about anything, and investigators going through call logs would have no idea,” Nassau District Attorney said.

Prosecutors said Coates probably had dozens of clients and had set up many accounts. They seized from her home detailed ledgers with information about clients and accounts, some of which were set up in the names of real businesses or individuals and some that were fake.

She dropped inmates’ accounts if they didn’t pay their bills, prosecutors said.

But the cost of the phone services that were not paid for – could reach into hundreds of thousands of dollars, officials said.

Phone scams among inmates are not new.

Some inmates have devised strategies in which they make a collect call, then convince the receiver to forward the call to another number by dialing *72, making that person serve as a middleman and also sticking him or her with the bill.

In Ohio, inmates used text telephone yoke devices for the hearing impaired to commit credit card fraud, terrorize victims, coordinate drug transactions and import weapons.

Some states recently asked the Federal Communications Commission to jam signals from cell phones inmates smuggle into prison.

BB in phone voting scandal

Hey! I would like to ask you, if you are interested in reality-shows. Do you watch them at all? Because I have found some information about one of them, and I believe you will enjoy it.

Big Brother bosses face a public backlash after they put up the SAME telephone number for Kris and Marcus on the BB website. The pair are up for eviction this Friday alongside Freddie, Charlie and Sophie.

Confused fans thought they were voting for Kris, but instead voted for Marcus.

Fans voiced their anger on internet chat forums. Many called for a full refund for all those who had voted. Others have reported the error to Phonepay Plus, the phone services regulator.

One fan wrote, “This is a disgrace. People have been wasting their money on the wrong person.”

A spokesman for the reality TV show said the mix-up – which was only on the show’s website – had lasted for one hour and there were not a high number of calls during that time.

She added refunds would be issued if customers contacted Channel 4 and all incorrect votes brought to their attention would be subtracted from Friday’s eviction night total.

“We would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused by this error,” she added.

Automated phone services press the wrong buttons

Hey! I found a very interesting note for everyone who is fed up of wrong phone services. Read next!

Telephone users are fed up with talking to machines, voice recognition that doesn’t work and long queues for an operator, the telecommunications regulator says.

An annual survey of customer satisfaction by the Australian Communications Authority found widespread unhappiness with directory information services. Almost a third of callers (27 per cent) were dissatisfied – and the biggest reason was interactive voice response systems that did not work.

Consumers said they did not like “talking to a computer”, while small business callers complained of “rude, discourteous or unhelpful operators”.

Most calls to a call centre, meanwhile, met a keypad menu system. Thirty-seven per cent of household callers said it took too long to be put through to an operator, and too often they got the wrong person.

A Telstra spokesman said the telco’s voice-recognition directory assistance system only recognised 2500 names. “Some people interpret it not recognising names as not working,” he said.

The executive manager of the ACA’s telecommunications analysis group, John Neil, said its report showed “consumers do have concerns about the quality of information they are getting from phone companies about services and options”.

There was confusion about “bundling” offers of different services made to households. Mr Neil said phone companies should be particularly concerned at the low levels of satisfaction among small businesses.

The survey found 67 per cent of households believed fixed-line rentals were too high – and that was before Telstra’s April announcement that it would be increasing fixed-line rental costs.

Most people using directory assistance numbers were also charged for the service.

Telstra is required to provide a free directory assistance number, but has recently focused its marketing weight on premium-charged information numbers.

“There could be a question of whether consumers are aware of their options,” Mr Neil said.

Not just another missing dog story

Hi! Found a very touching story!

The 5-year-old dog’s microchip suggests that he came from Saudi Arabia and had a military connection. But nobody has offered a sure answer since Rejuvenezer was found wandering in Valley Center last week, so county animal officials turned to the public for help some time ago.

“We’ve made some phone calls, we’ve sent some e-mails,” said Lt. Dan DeSousa of the animal services department. “We haven’t been able to turn up who (the owner) is.”

Rejuvenezer, from a Middle Eastern dog breed called Saluki, was spotted June 15 on rural Guejito Road. A resident picked him up and brought him to an animal shelter in Escondido, and then he was brought to the county’s Department of Animal Services in Carlsbad.

When county officials analyzed the microchip implanted under Rejuvenezer’s skin, they found that it was sold to the U.S. Military Training Mission, an 800-member command that has been coaching Saudi Arabian military forces since the 1940s.

The chip included the dog’s name, which means “rejuvenate” in Spanish, but not the owner’s.

Rejuvenezer has never belonged to the military, said Nancy Ori, inventory manager for the Department of Defense’s military working dog program in San Antonio. Ori oversees a database with information about dogs used by all service branches.

A posting about Rejuvenezer on an online bulletin board for Saluki enthusiasts hasn’t turned up any clues to the owner’s identity, either.

Wassenaar said Salukis are kept mostly as show dogs, rather than as pets. They are thin and resemble greyhounds but with tufted ears.

Evidence points toward a service member or civilian who adopted Rejuvenezer while serving on a military base in the Middle East.

“Obviously, somebody’s been caring for this dog,” DeSousa said. “He’s a real sweetheart.”

Seeing the Big Picture

A big story of a simple man…

For over a quarter century, Sam Howe has taken calculated risks to create brand recognition and loyalty among cable consumers with much success.

As the chief marketing officer at Time Warner Cable, Howe also helped to create an environment that focuses on company-wide coordination to drive business objectives. He has pushed for consistent and targeted marketing messages that drive the bottom line and create customer loyalty.

“Sam has been instrumental in helping build Time Warner Cable into the powerhouse that it is today,” said Promax/BDA president Jonathan Block-Verk.

Howe considers himself a pragmatist first and a risk-taker second. “A so-called risk doesn’t seem so risky if it’s doable,” he said. “We tend to make things too complicated and complex. Making and building brands isn’t difficult or mysterious. It’s all in the execution.”

When Howe joined Time Warner Cable in 2003, he oversaw marketing of the company’s digital phone product, a relatively new offering for U.S. cable companies at the time. But Howe, who previously worked for Telewest, had been successfully pushing phone service to consumers in the U.K. for years.

Telewest (which has since merged with rival U.K. operator NTL to form Virgin Media) deployed the first triple play product of voice, video and high-speed data in 1995.

The competition was stiff, but there were advantages to be had. U.K. cable companies had a difficult time wresting consumers away from News Corp.’s British Sky Broadcasting, a well-entrenched satellite-TV competitor. However, telephony rival British Telecom’s reputation was tarnished with poor reliability and customer service. It wasn’t long before Telewest was outselling BT in the phone game, and the ability to bundle its other offerings with phone service gave it a competitive edge.

That experience helped Howe when Time Warner Cable hired him to market its product. Most MSOs were bundling voice with video and high-speed Internet service. But Howe knew from his U.K. experience that phone service could be sold on its own merits.

When Time Warner Cable launched digital phone service in San Antonio, Texas, in 2004, it was the first product customer-service representatives pitched to customers who called in. TWC was successful at luring thousands of phone customers and then upselling them to the core video product.

Howe’s years of marketing experience also come into play as the company battles intense competition from companies like Verizon Communications. When the telco launched FiOS TV in New York City last year, Time Warner Cable — and Howe — were ready.

Computer-based phone services tested

I’ve found the review of the famous phone services. You may read it with me.

Best for: range of services
Skype
The most popular VoIP service in the world, with nearly 500m registered accounts, is also one of the most powerful. Easily installed onto a Mac or PC, it can make voice and video calls, offer instant messaging and send text messages. It will also run on a range of Skype-compatible wi-fi home handsets, which start at £40 and work even when your computer is switched off. For about £2.20 a month you can obtain a Skype number so non-Skype users can call from their phones, in effect replacing your landline, and call quality is generally as good. However, as with all these services, a slow internet connection will result in buzz and stuttering. Calls to other Skype users are free, a £3.39 monthly subscription gets you free calls to British landlines and cheap international rates. Mobile rates vary, but are no bargain.
Verdict: Skype handsets offer easy entry into the world of internet calling, while there are enough features to satisfy hardcore computer users too.

Best for: ease of setup
BT Broadband Talk
New subscribers to BT Broadband get a dual Dect/VoIP phone, which swaps between landline and internet calls at the touch of a button. Setting up your VoIP phone number and wireless router is straightforward. However, advanced features such as video calls and presence only work if you’re at your PC. Broadband starts at £15.65 a month; calls to landlines are free, evenings and weekends; calls to mobiles start at 11p per minute; international calls are normal rate.
Verdict: Quick to set up and seamless to use, but you can’t ditch your landline, which means you’re paying for a service you might not need.

Best for: using your existing phone
Vonage
Vonage allows you to use your home phone as a VoIP handset — and keep the same number. You need to plug a bit of hardware into your broadband router, which is free, apart from an £8.99 delivery charge. You then cable your phone into the hardware rather than the phone connection in the wall. The setup was quick and painless. Call quality was good, though some recipients reported a slight echo. A basic, £5.99 monthly subscription includes free calls to UK landlines.
Verdict: Not the cheapest of options, but being able to use your existing phone(s) is a great idea.

Best for: international calls
Jajah
If you want the cost-saving benefits of VoIP applied to international calls, but are daunted by the technology, Jajah has a seductive pitch. Log on to its website, tell it your home or mobile number and the number you want to dial, and Jajah makes the connection. It then calls you back and you’re off, paying local call rates even if the recipient is abroad. To save time, the service can assign dedicated numbers to your regular contacts. You need to pay upfront by adding funds to your Jajah account. Call quality was good.
Verdict: With no need to buy headsets or extra equipment, this is a cost-effective service for overseas calls.

Best for: works with webmail
Google Talk
Google’s VoIP service might not have attracted the same level of hype as Skype, but like its Gmail webmail service it’s constantly having new features added. It’s also free. The downside is that you can’t call landlines or mobiles, only other Google Talk users. It can be accessed from Gmail, so you don’t have to launch extra software. Video chat is included and works well, while the quality of voice calls is impressive. It may lack some of the power features of Skype, but many of these are promised for the upcoming Google Voice service.
Verdict: You won’t want to discard your home phone, but this is a user-friendly and useful extra.

Make Internet fax services work for you

I have found the article by David Strom. He hates faxes but he prefers the Internet Fax because of some advantages. Here they are:

“I hate faxes. When I had a fax machine in my office, I would arrive in the morning and see the accumulation of restaurant menus, insurance come-ons, and other junk that arrived during the night. Plus, I was always running out of the special paper or the ink cartridges would dry out because I would so seldom use it. There is a better way, and I want to review your options with how you can connect your email to your faxing needs.

The idea is a simple one: the Internet fax service provider maintains your fax machine and assigns everything that comes into your “number” to your email inbox. For outbound faxes, you either send to a special email address, or else they supply a special Web or Windows software utility that can send the fax over the Internet. There is no muss, no fuss, and no need for a fax machine.

I like Internet faxing because it has several advantages over ordinary faxes. First, you can make use of private fax numbers, so no one else in your office can see your communications. Remember when someone’s confidential memo was shared around the water cooler because it was lying on the fax machine? Those days are over, because the fax never has to be printed out and can be viewed on your PC.

Second, when you are on the road and don’t want to share your faxes with your hotel’s staffers, Internet faxing makes a lot of sense. Since the fax gets directed to your email inbox, you don’t have to worry about where you are when you travel.”

Caring for Kids

Hello all!

Have found very touching story by Nicole Boone. Here it is:

The great outdoors is where you’ll find C.J.

He’s 11 years old, and spends his free time outside, doing various activities like skateboarding and riding his bike.  He’s a handsome little boy, with a sweet smile, and he needs a family.

From the moment I met C.J., I knew he was special.  He is kind, caring, has excellent manners, and likes school, especially the subjects of science and reading.  He’s also well liked by his peers.  “I’m kinda of popular because I have skateboard friends that I skate with and I like to do fun stuff with people.“

The sport of skateboarding is something C.J. has enjoyed since he was little. “What kind of tricks can you do?  alley, kick flip, nose dive, manual, grind, 180, 360.“  And it makes sense that C.J. wants to be a professional skateboarder when he grows up.

C.J. also likes to fish.  During our brief time together, he caught this small fish using two sticks. “I just stood still because I didn’t want to scare it away. And then I took two sticks and like did chop sticks, and brought it over here.“

C.J. lives with his foster family, but desires a permanent family. “What kind of family would you like to be a part of? Brothers, sisters, a mom and a dad.“

To learn more about C.J., the adoption process, and see the children up for adoption, you may visit the websites listed below or call the S.C. Department of Social Services toll free number at 1-800-763-6637.

May be there is one kind person who would like to adopt this boy. If you can help him to find a family – do it!

Can you trust that Web site?

Hello World!

When I’m in Internet I always thik if I can trust one or another web site. Today I have striked the article by Dennis O’Reilly. Whe writes about this problem.

“The other day I heard a radio commercial claim that more than half of all health-related Web sites are fronts for law firms trolling for potential malpractice-suit clients. I immediately doubted the ad’s claim. First, it didn’t cite a source for the high percentage of illegitimate health sites it stated. Second, it was an ad itself (for a law firm trolling for potential malpractice-suit clients, of all things). And third, it glossed over the actual name of the firm, but repeated its toll-free number over and over.

Still, the ad got me thinking about all the bogus Web sites out there, and how people can protect themselves in the absence of any third-party monitoring of Web information. There are some controls in place for making safe Web purchases, principal among them are Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates, which are designed to ensure the security of Web servers. When you visit an SSL server, it places a small lock icon in the bottom-right corner of the browser window, and the URL in the address bar begins with “https:”. Even these can be spoofed, however, so they shouldn’t be your only consideration when deciding whether to trust a site with your credit card numbers.”

Keep your pets safe

Hello

Today’s post is for the dogs owners.

If your New Year’s Resolution is to keep your pet safer, there are some new high-tech methods out there. PetSafe will distribute free Micro I.D. Rescue Collars through February to pet owners and pet rescue organizations. The Micro I.D. Rescue Collar includes a 24/7 personalized pet wallet, a 1-800 pet rescue service number and personalized lost dog/cat flyers. Pet owners have depended on the Micro I.D. Rescue Collar as their “call in case of emergency” contact. According to the American Animal Hospital Association, a majority of lost pets are not recovered by veterinarians, animal shelters or humane societies, but by local neighbors. And if the pet has no visible identification, the pets may not be returned. The Micro I.D. Rescue Collar allows you to access your pet’s records at any time – day or night. A “USB Flash Drive” hidden inside the collar stores all of your pet’s personalized data. If a pet wearing the Pet-Safe Micro I.D. Rescue Collar is ever lost, the flash drive on the collar can be plugged right into any computer with a USB port to identify the pet. The rescue collar contains home, work and cell phone numbers, vet records with any medical concerns, pet personality and even pet photos. There also is a toll-free number for the optional Pet-Safe Rescue Service in case an Animal Control Officer or helpful stranger finds your pet and doesn’t have access to a computer. For more information, visit www.petsafe.net.

As for me I think that it is great to know where your dog is in this moment. And it may be very useful.