Larry Craig Police Interview Transcripts

Senator Larry Craig Police Interview Transcripts

The following is the transcription of a recorded interview between Sen. Larry Craig and a police officer after his arrest in the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

CRAIG: Am I going to have to fight you in court?

OFFICER: No. No. I'm not going to go to court unless you want me there.

CRAIG: 'Cause I don't want to be in court either.

OFFICER: Okay. I don't either.

(inaudible)

OFFICER: Um. Here's the way it works. Um. You'll be released today. Okay?

CRAIG: Okay.

OFFICER: All right. I know I can bring you to jail, but that's not my goal here, okay? (inaudible)

CRAIG: Don't do that. You. You.

OFFICER: I'm not going to bring you to jail.

CRAIG: You solicited me.

OFFICER: Okay. Were going to get. Were going to get into that. (inaudible)

CRAIG: Okay.

OFFICER: But there's the, there's two ways, yes. You can, you can, ah, you can go to court. You can plead guilty.

CRAIG: Yep.

OFFICER: There'll be a fine. You won't have to explain anything (inaudible) I know.

CRAIG: Right.

OFFICER: And you'll pay a fine, you'll be (inaudible) done. Or if you want to plead not guilty, ah, and I, I cant make these decisions for you.

CRAIG: No, no. Just tell me where I am (inaudible) I need to make this flight.

OFFICER: Okay. Okay. And then I go to people that are not guilty, then I would have to come to court and end up testifying. So those are the two things, okay. Did I explain that part?

CRAIG: Yes.

OFFICER: Okay. Um, ah. I'm just going to read you your rights real quick, okay? You got it on?

OFFICER: Okay.

OFFICER: Ah, the date is 6/11/07 at 1228 hours. Um, Mr Craig?

CRAIG: Yes.

OFFICER: Sorry about that. (ringing phone)

OFFICER: You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to talk to a lawyer now or have a present, a lawyer present now or anytime during questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed to you without cost. Do you understand each of these rights the way I have explained them to you?

CRAIG: I do.

DK: Do you wish to talk to us at this time?

CRAIG: I do.

OFFICER: Okay. Um, I just wanna start off with a your side of the story, okay. So, a

CRAIG: So I go into the bathroom here as I normally do, I'm a commuter too here.

OFFICER: Okay.

CRAIG: I sit down, um, to go to the bathroom and ah, you said our feet bumped. I believe they did ah because I reached down and scooted over and um, the next think I knew, under the bathroom divider comes a card that says Police. Now, um, (sigh) that's about as far as I can take it. I don't know of anything else. Ah, your foot came toward mine, mine came towards yours, was that natural? I don't know. Did we bump? Yes. I think we did. You said so. I don't disagree with that.

OFFICER: Okay. I don't want to get into a pissing match here.

CRAIG: We're not going to.

OFFICER: Good. Um,

CRAIG: I don't, ah, I am not gay, I don't do these kinds of things and...

OFFICER: It doesn't matter. I don't care about sexual preference or anything like that. Here's your stuff back sir. Um, I don't care about sexual preference.

CRAIG: I know you don't. You're out to enforce the law.

OFFICER: Right.

CRAIG: But you shouldn't be out to entrap people either.

OFFICER: This isn't entrapment.

CRAIG: All right.

OFFICER: Um, you you're skipping some parts here, but what what about your hand?

CRAIG: What about it? I reached down, my foot like this. There was a piece of paper on the floor. I picked it up.

OFFICER: Okay.

CRAIG: What about my hand?

OFFICER: Well, you're not being truthful with me, I'm kinda disappointed in you Senator. I'm real disappointed in your right now. Okay, I'm not, just so you know, just like everybody, I, I, I, treat with dignity. I try to pull them away from the situation.

CRAIG: I, I

OFFICER: And not embarrass them.

CRAIG: I appreciate that.

OFFICER: And I.

CRAIG: You did that after the stall.

OFFICER: I will say every person I've had so far has told me the truth. We've been respectful to each other and then they've gone on their way. And I never had to bring anybody to jail because everybodys been truthful to me.

CRAIG: I don't want you to take me to jail and I think.

OFFICER: I'm not going to take you to jail as long as you're cooperative but I'm not going to lie. We…

CRAIG: Did my hand come below the divider? Yes. It did.

OFFICER: Okay, sir. We deal with people that lie to us every day.

CRAIG: I'm sure you do.

OFFICER: I'm sure you do too, sir.

CRAIG: And gentleman so do I.

OFFICER: I'm sure you do. We deal with a lot of people that are very bad people. You're not a bad person.

CRAIG: No I don't think I am.

OFFICER: Okay, so what I'm telling you, I don't want to be lied to.

CRAIG: Okay.

OFFICER: Okay, so well start over, you're gonna get out of here. You're gonna have to pay a fine and that will be it. Okay, I don't call media, I don't do any of that type of crap.

CRAIG: Fine.

OFFICER: Okay.

CRAIG: fine

OFFICER: All right, so lets start from the beginning. You went in the bathroom.

CRAIG: I went in the bathroom.

OFFICER: And what did you do when you…

CRAIG: I stood beside the wall, waiting for a stall to open. I got in the stall, sat down, and started to go to the bathroom. Ah, did our feet come together, apparently they did bump. Well. I won't dispute that.

OFFICER: Okay. When I got out of the stall, I noticed other stalls were open.

CRAIG: They were at the time. At the time I entered, I stood and waited.

OFFICER: Okay.

OFFICER: Were you (inaudible) out here while you were waiting? I could see your eyes. I saw you playing with your fingers and then look up. Play with your fingers and then look up.

CRAIG: Did I glance at your stall? I was glancing at a stall right beside yours waiting for a fella to empty it. I saw him stand up and therefore I thought it was going to empty.

OFFICER: How long do you think you stood outside the stall?

CRAIG: Oh a minute or two at the most.

DK: Okay. And when you went in the stalls, then what?

CRAIG: Sat down.

DK: Okay. Did you do anything with your feet?

CRAIG: Positioned them, I don't know. I don't know at the time. I'm fairly wide guy.

OFFICER: I understand.

CRAIG: I had to spread my legs.

OFFICER: Okay.

CRAIG: When I lower my pants so they won't slide.

OFFICER: Okay.

CRAIG: Did I slide them too close to yours? Did I, I looked down once, your foot was close to mine.

OFFICER: Yes.

CRAIG: Did we bump? Ah, you said so, I don't recall that, but apparently we were close.

OFFICER: Yeah, we'll your foot did touch mine, on my side of the stall.

CRAIG: All right.

OFFICER: Okay, And then with the hand. Um, how many times did you put your hand under the stall?

CRAIG: I don't recall. I remember reaching down once. There was a piece of toilet paper back behind me and picking it up.

OFFICER: Okay. Was your was your palm down or up when you were doing that?

CRAIG: I don't recall

OFFICER: Okay. I recall your palm being up. Okay

CRAIG: All right.

OFFICER: When you pick up a piece of paper off the ground, your palm would be down, when you pick something up.

CRAIG: Yeah, probably would be. I recall picking the paper up.

OFFICER: And I know it's hard to describe here on tape but actually what I saw was your fingers come underneath the stalls, you're actually to touching the bottom of the stall divider.

OFFICER: You don't recall

CRAIG: I don't believe I did that. I dont.

OFFICER. I saw. I saw.

CRAIG: I don't do those things.

OFFICER: I saw your left hand and I could see the gold wedding ring when it went across. I could see that. On your left hand, I could see that.

CRAIG: Wait a moment, My left hand was over here.

OFFICER: I could tell it with my, ah. I could tell it was your left hand because your thumb was positioned in a faceward motion. Your thumb was on this side, not this side.

CRAIG: well we can dispute that. I'm not going to fight you in court and I, I reached down with my right hand to pick up the paper.

OFFICER: But I'm telling you that I could see that so I know that's your left hand. Also I could see a gold ring on this finger so that's obvious it was the left hand.

CRAIG: Yeah, ok. My left hand was in the direct opposite of the stall from you.

OFFICER: okay. You travel through here frequently, correct?

CRAIG: I do.

CRAIG: Um,

CRAIG: Almost weekly.

OFFICER: Have you been successful in these bathrooms here before?

CRAIG: I go to that bathroom regularly.

OFFICER: I mean for any type of other activities.

CRAIG: No. Absolutely not. I don't see activity in bathrooms.

OFFICER: It's embarrassing.

CRAIG: Well its embarrassing for both. I'm not gonna fight you.

OFFICER: I know you're not going to fight me. But that's not the point. I would respect you and I still respect you. I don't disrespect you but I disrespected right now and I'm not trying to act like I have all kinds of power or anything, but you're sitting here lying to a police officer.

CRAIG: I, I, I,

OFFICER: I'm not a (inaudible) I'm getting from somebody else. I'm (inaudible)

CRAIG: Inaudible.

CROSSTALK

OFFICER: I am trained in this and I know what I am doing. And I say you put your hand under there and you're going to sit there and...

CRAIG: I admit I put my hand down.

OFFICER: You put your hand and rubbed it on the bottom of the stall. With your left hand.

CRAIG: Now, wait a moment.

OFFICER: And I, I'm not dumb, you can say I don't recall...

CRAIG: If I had turned sideways, that was the only way I could get my left hand over there.

OFFICER: It's not that hard for me to reach. (INAUDIBLE) It's not that hard. I see it happen everyday out here now.

CRAIG: (inaudible) you do. All right.

OFFICER: I just, I just. I guess, I guess I'm gonna say I'm just disappointed in you sir. I'm just really am. I expect this from the guy that we get out of the hood. I mean people vote for you.

CRAIG: Yes, they do.

OFFICER: Unbelievable, unbelievable.

CRAIG: I'm a respectable person and I don't do these kinds of...

OFFICER: and INAUDIBLE respect right now though.

CRAIG: But I didn't use my left hand.

OFFICER: I thought that you...

CRAIG: I reached down with my right hand like this to pick up a piece of paper.

OFFICER: Was your gold ring on your right hand at anytime today?

CRAIG: Of course not, try to get it off, look at it.

OFFICER: Okay. Then it was your left hand. I saw it with my own eyes.

CRAIG: All right, you saw something that didn't happen.

OFFICER: Embarrassing, embarrassing. No wonder why we're going down the tubes. Anything to add?

DETECTIVE: Uh, no.

OFFICER:Embarrassing. Date is 6/11/07 at 1236 interview is done.

CRAIG: Okay.

Monster Job Website Attack Steals User Data

US job website Monster.com has suffered an online attack with the personal data of hundreds of thousands of users stolen, says a security firm.
A computer program was used to access the employers' section of the website using stolen log-in credentials.

Symantec said the log-ins were used to harvest user names, e-mail addresses, home addresses and phone numbers, which were uploaded to a remote web server.

The stolen data could be used to send phishing and spam e-mails.

"This remote server held over 1.6 million entries with personal information belonging to several hundred thousands of candidates, mainly based in the US, who had posted their resumes to the Monster.com website," reported Symantec.

Security breach

The firm has contacted Monster.com to inform them of the security breach.

Symantec said it had seen reports of phishing e-mails sent out to Monster.com users which were "very realistic" and contained "personal information of the victims".

The e-mail encouraged users to download a Monster Job Seeker Tool, which was in fact a program that encrypted files in their computer and left a ransom note demanding money for their decryption.

"To the best of our knowledge, this is not a hack of Monster's security, rather, legitimate customer credentials are being used to log in to the database," said Patrick Manzo, vice president of compliance and fraud prevention at Monster.

He added: "There have been reports of this as an issue of identify theft.

"We are not aware of any cases of identity theft. In fact, the information that is gathered from Monster is no different than that displayed in a phone book."

The program used to access Monster.com user data was a Trojan, which are commonly used to gain access to bank details, usernames and passwords.

More than 8,000 new variants of Trojans are found each month, according to internet security specialists Sophos.

Last year, a British nurse was blackmailed by hackers who had used a Trojan to access her personal e-mails.

They threatened to reveal personal details unless she paid them.

Symantec said users should always limit contact information posted to job websites and to use a disposable e-mail address.

"Never disclose sensitive details such as your social security number, passport or driver's license numbers, bank account information to prospective employers until you have established they are legitimate," said the firm.

Source BBC
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Dating Tips, Dating Advice, Dating Online Success

Dating Tips, Dating Advice, Dating Online Success

Don't Be A Loser Dating Advice. Dating Secrets - Dating Success
Free dating tips, Dating advice. Online dating tips, top online dating sites. Don't be a loser or a geek when it comes to dating. Learn the proven techniques for dating men, dating women. Become a winner with free dating tips for men and women. If we can't help you, you're screwed.

Visit this tip dating advice and tips site today!!!

The Wold's Tallest Man As Of May 2007

The Wold's Tallest Man As Of May 2007

The world's tallest man finds life at the top is a living hell

Relatives remember Leonid Stadnyk as the smallest boy in his class at school. Then he began to shoot up, and 20 years later he has not stopped growing.

Standing 2.54 metres tall in his bare feet, Mr Stadnyk, 33, is believed to be, by a considerable distance, the world's tallest living man. The softly spoken giant, who lives in a remote village in Ukraine, is a clear 17.8 centimetres taller than the man now recognised as the Guinness world record holder. But while the 2.36-metre Radhouane Charbib, from Tunisia, revels in his international celebrity, Mr Stadnyk makes a reluctant record-holder.

"This is my punishment from God," he lamented last week. "What sin I have committed, I do not know. All my life I have dreamed of being just like everyone else. My height is my curse."

He lives in abject poverty with his mother and sister in the village of Podoliantsi, 182 kilometres west of Kiev. He is, quite simply, a staggering sight. His head grazes the branches of tall trees; his mother barely comes up to his waist.

Mr Stadnyk suffers from acromegalic gigantism, a condition caused by a tumour on his pituitary gland that makes it produce too much growth hormone. In the past two years he has grown 30 centimetres,and a suit bought in 2002 is already far too small. If his condition is not treated he is likely to become the tallest man in recorded history, beating Robert Pershing Wadlow, from Illinois, who was 2.71 metres by the time he died in 1940 at the age of 22.

But it is not a milestone that Mr Stadnyk craves. Although his height has been verified by Ukrainian officials, and the Guinness Book of Records is seeking independent confirmation, he would rather be left alone. Already self-conscious about his appearance, he rarely leaves his home village for fear of being ridiculed.

He has never had a girlfriend and will not get married because of his illness.

"I don't really have any friends," he says with a sigh. He relies on his mother Galina, 62.

"If anything happens to my mother, I don't even know how to buy food. I haven't been to the market for five years."

When he was 12 doctors removed part of the tumour, but a piece remained lodged in his brain.

Doctors in Britain say that his condition will deteriorate rapidly unless he has urgent surgery, but he cannot afford the cost of transport and medical care.

"I haven't been for a medical check-up since I was a child," he said.

Even so, he has to labour in the fields on his family's scrap of land because he cannot survive on his monthly disability allowance of 165 hryvnia ($43).

"I fall down, I swear, I get up again," he said. "It's very hard for me, but I have no choice."

By Tom Parfitt in Podoliantsi, UkraineMay 3, 2004

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New Mortgage Guidelines

New Mortgage Guidelines

· All borrowers must have one blue eye and one brown eye to qualify.

· LTV > 65% SIVA requires minimum credit score of 849.

· For all LTV > 65%, 360 months of payment reserves now required.
· Borrower's must have no previous bankruptcies in their family history going back
three generations.

· A minimum of 25 years self-employment history now required for all NIV Programs
(at same location).

· Minimum Credit Score for Subprime Loans raised to 720.

· All non-arm's length transaction borrowers (mortgage, real estate professionals,

family members) will be required to provide full-documentation, subject to criminal background checks, wire tapping, strip-searches, and a minimum of 12 hours of interrogation by the Department of Homeland Security.

Please note that these changes will go into effect within the next five minutes. So please
lock you existing loan immediately. All existing loans in your pipeline must fund by noon
tomorrow.

We apologize for the inconvenience. We realize these are tough times in the mortgage
industry for all of us. Be assured that we have a commitment to remaining strong and
weathering out the storm. We ask for your understanding and cooperation.

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12 Step Program Of Recovery For Web Addicts

12 Step Program Of Recovery For Web Addicts

1) I will have a cup of coffee in the morning and read my PAPER newspaper like I used to, before the Web.

2) I will eat breakfast with a knife and fork and not with one hand typing.

3) I will get dressed before noon.

4) I will make an attempt to clean the house, wash clothes, and plan dinner before even thinking of the Web.

5) I will sit down and write a letter to those unfortunate few friends and family that are Web-deprived.

6) I will call someone on the phone who I cannot contact via the Web.

7) I will read a book... if I still remember how.

8) I will listen to those around me about their needs and stop telling them to turn the TV down so I can hear the music on the Web.

9) I will not be tempted during TV commercials to check for email.

10) I will try and get out of the house at least once a week, if it is necessary or not.

11) I will remember that my bank is not forgiving if I forget to balance my checkbook because I was too busy on the Web.

12) Last, but not least, I will remember that I must go to bed sometime... and the Web will always be there tomorrow!

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Top 10 Truly Bizarre, Weird Deaths

Top 10 Bizarre Deaths

1. Francis Bacon (22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626) [Britannica]
Manner of death: Stuffing snow into a chicken

Francis Bacon (1st Viscount St Alban) was one of the most influential English minds of the late 16th century. A statesman, a philosopher, a writer, and a scientist, he was even rumoured to have written some of Shakespeare’s plays.

One afternoon in 1625, Bacon was watching a snowstorm and was struck by the wondrous notion that maybe snow could be used to preserve meat in the same way that salt was used. Determined to find out, he bought a chicken from a nearby village, killed it, and then, standing outside in the snow, attempted to stuff the chicken with snow to freeze it. The chicken didn’t freeze, but as a result of the experiment, Bacon caught pneumonia. Despite attempting to extend his fading lifespan by consuming the fowl that had caused his illness, he died.

2. Horace Wells (January 21, 1815 – January 24, 1848) [Britannica]
Manner of death: Used anesthetics to commit suicide

Wells was an American dentist who pioneered the use of anaesthesia in dentistry, specifically nitrous oxide (or laughing gas).

While in Europe, selling anesthesia for Morton and acting as an European expert on the subject, Wells became addicted to chloroform. In January 1848, Wells self-experimented with chloroform for a week. He became increasingly deranged. One day, delirious, Wells rushed out into the street and threw sulfuric acid over the clothing of two prostitutes. He was committed to New York’s infamous Tombs Prison. As the influence of the drug waned, Wells’ mind started to clear. In despair, he realised the horror of what he had done. Wells then committed suicide, slitting an artery in his leg with a razor after inhaling an analgesic dose of chloroform to blot out the pain.

3. Tycho Brahe (December 14, 1546 – October 24, 1601) [Britannica]
Manner of death: Didn’t get to the toilet in time

Brahe was an important Danish astronomer of the 16th century. His ground breaking research allowed Sir Isaac Newton to come up with the theory of gravity.

In the 16th century, it was considered an insult to leave a banquet table before the meal was over. Brahe, known to drink excessively, had a bladder condition — but failed to relieve himself before the banquet started. He made matters worse by drinking too much at dinner, and was too polite to ask to be excused. His bladder finally burst, killing him slowly and painfully over the next 11 days.

Note: this is the very same manner in which a lady died recently in a competition entitled “Don’t wee to win a Wii” - needless to say she lost. Also note, some historians say death was from a urinary tract infection from holding his baldder for to long...whatever, he is dead.

4. Attila the Hun (406 – 453) [Britannica]
Manner of death: He got a nosebleed on his wedding night

One of the most notorious villains in history, Attila’s army had conquered all of Asia by 450 AD–from Mongolia to the edge of the Russian Empire–by destroying villages and pillaging the countryside.

In 453 AD, Attila married a young girl named Ildico. Despite his reputation for ferocity on the battlefield, he tended to eat and drink lightly during large banquets. On his wedding night, however, he really cut loose, gorging himself on food and drink. Sometime during the night he suffered a nosebleed, but was too drunk to notice. He drowned in his own blood and was found dead the next morning.

5. Aeschylus (525 BC/524 BC – 456 BC) [Britannica]
Manner of death: An eagle dropped a tortoise on his head

Aeschylus was a Greek playwright. Many historians consider him the father of Greek tragedies.
In 458 BC, he returned to Sicily for the last time, visiting the city of Gela where he died in 456 or 455 BC when an eagle (or more likely a Lammergeier), mistaking the playwright’s bald crown for a stone, dropped a tortoise on his head (though some accounts differ, claiming it was a stone dropped by an eagle or vulture that likely mistook his bald head for the egg of a flightless bird).

6. King Adolf Frederick of Sweden (May 14, 1710 – February 12, 1771) [Britannica] Manner of death: Eating too much pudding

During his whole reign (1751-1771) Adolphus Frederick was little more than a state decoration, the real power being lodged in the hands of an omnipotent riksdag, distracted by fierce party strife.

On February 12, 1771 after having consumed a meal consisting of lobster, caviar, sauerkraut, smoked herring and champagne, which was topped off with 14 servings of his favourite dessert: semla served in a bowl of hot milk, he died of digestion problems. He is thus remembered by Swedish schoolchildren as “the king who ate himself to death.”

7. Grigori Rasputin [Григо́рий Ефи́мович Распу́тин] (January 22, 1869 - December 29, 1916) [Britannica]
Manner of death: Drowning after being poisoned, shot, stabbed, and bludgeoned

Siberian peasant and mystic whose ability to improve the condition of Aleksey Nikolayevich, the hemophiliac heir to the Russian throne, made him an influential favourite at the court of Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra.

Rasputin was poisoned while dining with a political enemy, and supposedly he was given enough poison to kill three men his size. When he did not die, the assassin snuck up behind him and shot him in the head, and while checking Grigori’s pulse the mystic grabbed him by the neck and strangled him. He proceeded to run away, while the other assassins chased. He was caught up to, lying on the ground having been hit with three shots during the chase. The pursuers bludgeoned him then threw him into a river (in Russia in the winter). When his body washed ashore, an autopsy showed the cause of death to be drowning.

8. Isadora Duncan (May 27, 1877 – September 14, 1927) [Britannica]
Manner of death: Strangulation and a broken neck

Born Dora Angela Duncan in San Francisco, California, she is considered by many to be the mother of Modern Dance. Although never very popular in the United States, she entertained throughout Europe.

Duncan died of accidental strangulation and broken neck when her scarf caught on the wheel of a car in which she was a passenger. The brutally honest New York Times obituary read: “The automobile was going at full speed when the scarf of strong silk began winding around the wheel and with terrific force dragged Miss Duncan, around whom it was securely wrapped, bodily over the side of the car, precipitating her with violence against the cobblestone street. She was dragged for several yards before the chauffeur halted, attracted by her cries in the street. Medical aid was summoned, but it was stated that she had been strangled and killed instantly.”

9. Christine Chubbuck (August 24, 1944 – July 15, 1974) [Wikipedia]
Manner of death: Suicide on live TV

During the first eight minutes of her program, Chubbuck covered three national news stories and then a local restaurant shooting from the day before. The restaurant was the Beef and Bottle Restaurant at the Sarasota-Bradenton Airport on U.S. 41. The filmreel of the restaurant shooting had jammed and wouldn’t run, so Christine shrugged it off and said:“In keeping with Channel 40’s policy of bringing you the latest in blood and guts, and in living color, you are going to see another first: an attempted suicide.”

She drew out the revolver and shot herself behind her right ear. Christine fell forward violently and the technical director faded slowly to black.[10] Camerawoman Jean Reed later recalled that she thought it had been an elaborate prank, and it wasn’t until she saw Chubbuck’s twitching body that she realized it was genuine. The station quickly ran a standard Public Service tape and then a movie. Some television viewers had phoned 9-1-1, while others phoned the station to inquire if the shooting was faked.

10. Sharon Lopatka (September 20, 1961 – October 16, 1996) [Wikipedia]
Manner of death: Volunteered to be tortured and murdered

Sharon was a female Internet entrepreneur in Hampstead, Maryland, United States, who was killed in a case of apparent consensual homicide.

Using the Internet, where she also advertised pornography related to unusual sexual fetishes, Lopatka searched for a man who would torture and kill her. After contacting several people who turned out not to be serious, she finally found someone willing to fulfill her request. Glass and Lopatka exchanged many e-mails until they met in North Carolina, where Glass strangled Lopatka using a nylon cord after torturing her for several days. Glass was later convicted of voluntary manslaughter for the act. He was also found to be in possession of child pornography.

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Latest Scams and Ripoffs - Have You Been Scammed

Latest Scams and Ripoffs

The Dinner Party Pyramid Scheme

Across the U.S., secretive groups are luring women in with the promise of financial independence, camaraderie and mentoring. Although it may feel like a dinner party, it's really a pyramid scheme with levels named after a four-course meal. To gain entry into the exclusive club, women at the "Appetizer" level must bring $5,000 cash. In exchange for recruiting more women to the dinner party they are told they will advance another level and when they reach the final level, "Dessert," they will receive a $40,000 pay-off. Ninety percent of the women never see their money again.

Work-from-Home Businesses

A lot of stay-at-home moms dream about finding a well-paying job that they can do from home. Patty and Eric answered an ad in the newspaper for a free seminar about starting a medical billing practice from their house. In exchange for $4,000, they were promised software, training manuals, lifetime support and most importantly, their first billing client. They were thrilled—they actually knew the woman who was promoting the business. But when she demanded cash up front, Patty checked with the Better Business Bureau. When the business came up clean, Patty and Eric wrote a check and waited to see a return. The business deal fell through, the woman left town and is currently avoiding authorities. Patty and Eric never got their money back.

Work-at-Home Red Flags

Work-at-home offers can sound appealing, but be skeptical of a company that's overly eager to sign you on. Money-back guarantees can often be scams. You can usually tell if a company is legitimate by its references. Start by calling the Better Business Bureau (BBB) first to see if a company has had complaints. If you find a clean record from the BBB, keep doing your research. Visit www.ftc.gov for dozens of suggestions and pamphlets on how to protect yourself.

Jobs Through Online Job Firms

Quinn was devastated when he lost his high-paying computer job. Quinn turned to the Internet to post his résumé with online employment services. Soon his e-mail inbox was filled with companies interested in him, including one that called itself an executive placement firm. The company phoned him to set up an interview. Quinn met with the company president, who promised they could find him a position making a six-figure salary. He signed a deal, agreeing to pay the company $3,600 in advance. The job leads he received were all dead ends. The contacts didn't exist; the e-mails didn't work. Eventually, the company stopped returning his calls. Then Quinn's worst fear was confirmed: A news report exposed the firm as a fraud.

Job-Seeking Schemes
Be skeptical of employment firms that charge upfront money.
When you get a cold call from an employment agency, question the motive.
Check with your state's Attorney General to see if the business is properly licensed.

Online Escrow Accounts

These days, you can buy almost anything online—even a new car! Recently, the information highway took Bruce, a doctor and a father, for a very expensive ride. Bruce's family outgrew his Jeep and he decided he wanted a BMW. When the dealership told him there was a six-month waiting list, Bruce turned to online traders. A website out of Germany was selling a BMW for $55,000 that listed as $72,000. It seemed like a good deal to Bruce! Before the seller would ship the car overseas, Bruce had to put money into an escrow account at an online escrow company that the seller provided. Bruce wired the money, but the seller never sent the car. The online escrow company was a phony front created by the seller.

Online Auction Scams

Escrow transactions are usually a safe way to protect buyers and sellers; however, scam artists use the anonymity of the Internet to their advantage and invent false companies. Never take a seller's word about an escrow company. Research escrow companies carefully yourself and get references. If the company claims to be government-endorsed, that's a lie. The government does not endorse escrow companies.

Premature Pearls

How long can you expect cultured pearls purchased at national jewelry store chains to last? Pearl expert Antoinette Matlins says in some cases, not nearly as long as you'd expect. Most pearls today are cultured. They start as shell beads that are placed inside oysters. The oysters grow a coating around the beads called the nacre. Pearls stay inside the oyster for as long as two years until a nacre coating has formed. Matlins says to meet the demand, many pearls are removed too soon, before the nacre coating has thickened. If the pearl coating is tissue-paper thin, it's going to peel off and leave just the bead. Unlike diamonds, retailers have no grading system for pearls. Price isn't an indication of quality. Examine the pearls yourself, checking for chipping around the drill holes.

Fake ATM Machines

Thieves have figured out a way to scam the public by outfitting ATMs with fake keypads. Police say con artists modify ordinary laptop computers equipped with card-scanners so they can fit over the ATM screen. They place signs written in both English and Spanish over the slot where you would insert your bank card. The sign instructs you to use the new or alternative mode of swiping the card. With just one swipe of your bankcard into this device, thieves can capture your debit card and pin numbers...and use that information to drain your accounts! If an ATM machine looks suspicious, it probably is. Call your bank or the machine vendor before you insert your card.

The Secret...It Will Not Heal, It Will Not Make You Rich, It Will Not Grow Hair . It Will Take Your Money

"The Secret" Scam, the "Law of Attraction" and the "Science of Getting Rich" exposed/explainedSo much has been written about the most hyped movie and marketing campaign seen in recent times, it's difficult to know where to start! "The Secret" is a $30 DVD movie that has sold millions of copies by being featured on Amazon, Oprah Winfrey (making even more money from it), Larry King and other TV shows. It is available free to watch on YouTube and through various other links. But what it promulgates is really no secret at all, as the 'phenomenon' known as the Law of Attraction has been around for centuries! Its principles have been recognised and employed by some very well known names in history, so that part is true. "You can have what you think about" is the philosophy. But "The Secret" is part of a huge and intensive marketing campaign that's taking in millions dollars AND people, making the program creators very rich, especially!

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Fake government e-mails could cost you

Fake government e-mails could cost you

Internet thieves have no scruples, but they sure do have chutzpah.

"They will do anything to get you to believe that it's a legitimate e-mail," says Linda Parness, director of the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Consumer Protection.

Their latest trick - making a bogus message look like it's from a government agency, such as the IRS, Justice Department or the Federal Trade Commission.

The bad guys know you're more likely to do something risky, such as click on a link or open an attachment, if you think you're dealing with the federal government.

Click that link and you'll wind up on a Web site run by the scammers. It may look like a trusted site, but it's there to steal your personal information.

Open the attachment and you could download malicious software - spyware - that can snag your personal information and send it to the cyber-crooks. Or worse yet, you could make it possible for a hacker to hijack your computer.

Be on the look out for an e-mail that claims to be from the IRS alerting you to a refund. The most recent e-mails I've seen list a specific amount -- $103.82.

The message says the money will be refunded directly to your Visa or MasterCard. You're instructed to click the link in the message to provide this information.

Don't do it!

The IRS doesn't send refund notices via e-mail. In fact, the IRS doesn't send unsolicited e-mail. And it does not direct deposit refunds to credit cards.

Get one of these e-mails - hit delete.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The federal agency charged with protecting consumers from Internet scams now finds itself wrapped up in one.

Identity thieves have sent thousands of bogus e-mails purporting to be from the Federal Trade Commission - as well as the Internal Revenue Service and Justice Department - in an attempt to trick consumers into divulging personal financial information.

The agencies are the latest institutions to be exploited in "phishing" scams, long the bane of large banks and credit card issuers.

Analysts who track online crime say that while financial institutions are still the most commonly hijacked brands, the use of federal agencies in the hoaxes is increasing and reflects criminals' desire to take advantage of the familiarity and authority of various government departments.

Phishing typically involves sending fraudulent e-mails that include links that direct recipients to fake Web sites where they are asked to input sensitive data. Phishers may also include attachments that, when clicked, secretly install "spyware" that can capture personal information and send it to third parties over the Internet.

Criminal gangs in the United States and overseas use the information to steal thousands of dollars from consumers or to sell their identities in what experts describe as a sophisticated underground economy surrounding identity theft.

The FTC said in June that corporate and banking executives, among other consumers, have received fake e-mails with spyware attachments purporting to be from the agency.

The Treasury Department, meanwhile, said June 27 it has received over 23,000 complaints about IRS-related phishing scams since an investigative arm of the department began tracking them in November 2005.

The scams have been "unprecedented both in terms of sophistication and the volume of reports we have received," J. Russell George, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, said in a written statement.

Michelle Lamishaw, an IRS spokeswoman, said most of the hoax e-mails tell recipients they are under investigation or that they have a tax refund pending. Some are more sophisticated, including those targeted to small businesses that mention obscure agencies known primarily to business men and women such as the California Franchise Tax Board.

But government officials said recipients of such e-mails should be suspicious of their origin for one simple reason: federal agencies rarely communicate with citizens over e-mail.

Lois Greisman, associate director of the FTC's division of marketing practices, said, "We are the agency that brought you the Do Not Call Registry and CAN-SPAM," she said, referring to a 2003 law restricting commercial spam. "We're not likely to send out unsolicited e-mails."

Peter Cassidy, a spokesman for the Anti-Phishing Working Group, said phishing first surfaced early this decade and took off in 2003. The APWG is a consortium of corporations, banks, software providers and law enforcement agencies whose members include eBay Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Yahoo Inc.

The scams are still growing rapidly: the number of phishing Web sites jumped to 37,438 in May, the APWG said in a report released July 8, more than triple the 11,976 reported in May 2006.

Phishing can carry significant economic costs for the victims and rewards for the perpetrators. Jeff Fox, technology editor at Consumer Reports, said that last September his group estimated consumers had lost $630 million to phishing scams in the previous two years.

A recent report from the Government Accountability Office, Congress's investigative arm, put the figure at $1 billion annually.

Despite efforts to educate the public about the dangers of clicking on unknown links and attachments in spam e-mail, many computer users still do so.

Consumer Reports estimates that 8.2 percent of online households have submitted personal information in response to fraudulent e-mails in the past two years, Fox said. "It's astounding," he added.

An entire underground economy has developed around identity theft, Cassidy said, with some groups specializing in sending fraudulent spam, while others act as brokers for stolen personal information. Both may be hired by organized crime groups that steal and launder money.

The rise of well-organized, financially motivated computer hackers is one of the biggest changes in online crime in the past ten years, said Dave Marcus, a research manager at security software maker McAfee Inc.

They have effectively replaced the stereotypical computer geek who seeks notoriety by creating the latest, nastiest computer virus, he said.

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