Consider this scenario: You’re stuck in heavy traffic on a busy highway. Another car cuts off the driver in front of you, forcing him to slam on the brakes. You try to stop, but there’s no time … and you rear-end the guy in front of you.
An everyday accident? Not this time. Turns out you’ve been had by a well-organized criminal ring that staged the entire thing.
This particular scam is called the “swoop and squat.” (The first car “swoops” in while the second car “squats” in front of you.) After the “accident,” everyone in the car you rear-ended—usually crammed full of passengers—will file bogus injury claims with your insurance company. Each will complain of whiplash or other soft-tissue injuries—things difficult for doctors to confirm. They may even go to crooked physical therapists, chiropractors, lawyers, or auto repair technicians to further exaggerate their claims.
We’re talking big money here. Staged accidents cost the insurance industry about $20 billion a year. Those losses get passed on to all of us in the form of higher insurance rates—an average of $100-$300 extra per car per year.
Here are some similar scams to look out for:
The drive down. You’re attempting to merge when another driver waves you forward. Instead of letting you in, he slams into your car. When the police arrive, he denies ever motioning to you.
The sideswipe. As you round a corner at a busy intersection with multiple turn lanes, you drift slightly into the lane next to you. The car in that lane steps on the gas and sideswipes you.
The t-bone. You’re crossing an intersection when a car coming from a side street accelerates and hits your car. When the police arrive, the driver and several planted “witnesses” claim that you ran a red light or stop sign.
How can you protect yourself?
If you’re in an accident, call the police immediately.
Report accident claims to your insurance company. Don’t settle on site with cash.
Be careful with your personal information, mindful of identity theft.
If you can, photograph the car and passengers and write down names, addresses, and phone numbers.
Use medical, car repair, and legal professionals you know and trust.
Don’t tail gate … drive safely.
What are we doing to protect you from these schemes? Plenty. Like Operation Soft Tissue, where a Chicago agent posed as a corrupt lawyer and caught hundreds of these con artists and crooks red-handed. We’ve investigated more than 90 staged accident fraud cases over the past decade. With more to come
I recently came across a new online language learning site called Livemocha. I am using it to learn Spanish and thought that you might find it useful too.
It's a great way to learn new languages and connect with native speakers. They have fun lessons for a variety of languages including English, Spanish, French, German, Mandarin Chinese, Hindi and more -- and its free to join.
There are lots of lonely women out there hoping to meet Mr. Right, and instead of going out to try and meet someone, they go to dating sites on the web like e-harmony. This post is about a meeting that took place on myspace.
A woman started a cyber romance with who she thought was a single man and he thought he was corresponding with a beautiful 20 something yr.old woman. There was nothing but lies and deception between them.
The biggest deception occured when he wanted a picture of her, instead of sending her picture, she sent a picture of her beautiful young daughter because she had lied about her age to him,she was really 46 years old.
She was not only having a cyber romance with him but also another young man had caught her eye and she started a cyber romance with him. She also sent him a picture of her daughter.
The married man got careless and his wife found out about the other woman.His wife got in touch with the woman and told her that he had lied on the internet about being single, and that he was actually married an had 4 children and to leave her husband alone.
The woman continued her cyber romance with both of them.
We live in a Big world, right? So what is the possibility of the men not only knowing each other but work for the same company. They found out about each other when the young man started flashing the picture around of his girlfriend that he had met on myspace. The married man became very jealous when he saw the picture because he was really in love with the same woman.
To make a long story short, One night after work he killed him, thinking like all criminals that no one would ever find out.
After the investigation and checking with his coworkers and his computer, the investigation led to him, he was arrested and charged with the murder. Can you imagine his surprise when he found out that the beautiful young woman in the picture that he was so in love with and that he had killed for was actually the picture of the womans daughter.
So be careful with cyber romances, what you see is not always what you get.
Marriage changes passion.
Suddenly you're in bed with a relative.
I saw a woman wearing a sweat shirt with 'Guess' on it.
So I said 'Implants?' She hit me.
How come we choose from just two people to run for president and over fifty for Miss America ?
Now that food has replaced sex in my life, I can't even get into my own pants.
I signed up for an exercise class and was told to wear loose fitting clothing. If I HAD any loose fitting clothing, I wouldn't have signed up in the first place!
When I was young we used to go 'skinny dipping,' now I just 'chunky dunk.'
Don't argue with an idiot; people watching may not be able to tell the difference.
Wouldn't it be nice if whenever we messed up our life we could simply press 'Ctrl Alt Delete' and start all over? AMEN, AMEN !!
Why is it that our children can't read a Bible in school, but they can in prison?
Wouldn't you know it....
Brain cells come and brain cells go, but FAT cells live forever.
Why do I have to swear on the Bible in court when the Ten Commandments cannot be displayed outside?
Bumper sticker of the year:
'If you can read this, thank a teacher -and, since it's in English, thank a soldier' AMEN!
remember: life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.
Ya just might want to pass this along....
Some people should not own a dog or be allowed to keep one for a relative.
When I read about the woman in Oregon who decided to punish a little dog by putting it on a leash and dragging it behind her car, I was so angry,how cruel is that?
Severalpeople called the police after seeing the poor dog being dragged.
She appeared in Municipal Court to answer to one charge of second-degree animal abuse, a Class B misdemeanor.
She pleaded guilty before Judge Kevin Kinney and he sentenced her to 80 hours of community service with Homeward Bound Pets and ordered her to pay $500 restitution to Yamhill County Dog Control.
Witnesses said the car was not speeding, but it was traveling fast enough that the dog was unable to keep all four feet on the ground all the time. She said she regarded her actions as a form of punishment for the dog and said the dog, belongs to a relative.
The dog was a Lhasa Apso, described as a tiny dog with a double coat that drapes over its entire body, making the dog look like a small version of an Old English Sheepdog.
She will be allowed to care for and/or own animals in the future.
I don't think that she should ever be allowed to own a dog.
Can you cry under water?
How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of just murdered?
Why do you have to "put your two cents in"... but it's only a "penny for your thoughts"? Where's that extra penny going to?
Why does a round pizza come in a square box?
What disease did cured ham actually have?
How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?
Why is it that people say they "slept like a baby" when babies wake up like every two hours?
Why are you IN a movie, but you're ON TV?
Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?
Why do doctors leave the room while you change?
They're going to see you naked anyway.
Why is "bra" singular and "panties" plural?
WHY DO WE PARK IN AN DRIVEWAY AND DRIVE ON A PARKWAY ?
Why do toasters always have a setting that burns the toast to a horrible crisp, which no decent human being would eat?
If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a stupid song about him?
Can a hearse carrying a corpse drive in the carpool lane ?
If the professor on Gilligan's Island can make a radio out of a coconut, why can't he fix a hole in a boat?
Why does Goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on all fours?
They're both dogs!
If Wile E. Coyote had enough money to buy all that ACME crap, why didn't he just buy dinner?
If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, what is baby oil made from?
Do the Alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the same tune?
Why did you just try singing the two songs above?
Why do they call it an asteroid when it's outside the hemisphere, but call it a hemorrhoid when it's in your butt?
Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him for a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?
This is the story of four people:
Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody.
There was an important job to be done,
And Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it.
Anybody could have done it,
But Nobody did it.
Somebody got angry because it was Somebody's job.
Everybody thought that Somebody would do it.
But Nobody asked Anybody.
It ended up that the job wasn't done
And Everybody blamed Everybody,
When actually Nobody asked Anybody.
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A Dad gives hope
When life is low
A Dad's a place
Where you can go
A Dad is honest
A Dad is true
A Dad is precious
My DAD is You
Happy Father's Day to all Dads.
I have been knowing a young woman at my church for quite awhile. I was sad when I heard that she got arrested for stealing the first time.
she was sent to a juvenile facility and seemed to have made a change in her life.
She eventually married and had two beautiful kids. I am the Godmother of one child. I saw her in church often and thought that she was trying to stay out of trouble.
She moved to Texas for awhile and was arrested there for identity theft of a close friend of her's,
She served some time and was put on parole. She started coming to church again and appeared to be doing well.
Bad news, again she has been arrested for theft. I am sure that she is going to have to serve some serious time because this is not her first time.
This girl came from a loving middle class family with no reason to go down this path. The question is why?
I don't know the answer.
I was reading tonight about the "Bunny Lady" and her obsession with them. She has been arrested more then once for having to many rabbits.
She was first arrested in 06 when she was found with 250 rabbits in her home, and about 100 dead ones in freezers and refrigerators. She was arrested and put on probation and ordered not to own any for 5 years. She also was told not to go within 100 yards of a rabbit.
She has remained "pretty quiet" — until this week,
On Tuesday, animal control officers removed eight adult rabbits, five young ones and a dead one from her hotel room,
She was to be arraigned on animal neglect charges.
I feel so sorry for this woman, she has an obsession that she can't control and is in need of medical help.
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Doing for others is a very nobel thing to do so I was really touched when I read about the man that crochet hats, not for himself or his family but to give to the homeless.
He not only makes them for the poor, he also personally disperses them among what arguably are some of Grand Rapids' most unapproachable residents.
He goes virtually every week to hang homemade caps in trees and along fences.
and doesn't want any publicity or extensive credit. He just wants to help keep people warm
Crocheting is a skill Ernie taught himself largely by watching instructional videos on YouTube. He only learned how to crochet in January. And already, by his own estimate, he's tramped downtown to hang "between 30 and 35" caps for the homeless and others to discover.
Each one carries a little handwritten note.
"Take me, I'm free!"
"Free to a good head."
You deserve this."
"Enjoy!"
"Smile!"
Ernie never sticks around to meet or even spy the recipients, mostly, he says, because "it goes toward honoring their dignity." They suffer from bad luck, poor decisions and a poor economy.
The only thing that he wants people to know about him is that he's a recently divorced father of two who graduated high school in this county, served a stint in the U.S. Coast Guard and works in the service industry.
HE said everybody should be treated as a human being. And if everybody did just one little thing, it would improve the lives of so many people."
There comes a point in your life when you realize:
Who matters,
Who never did,
Who won't anymore...
And who always will.
So, don't worry about people from your past,
there's a reason why they didn't make it to your future.
While a man was polishing his new car, his 4 yr old son picked up stone and
scratched lines on the side of the car. In anger, the man took the child's
hand and hit it many times; not realizing he was using a wrench. At the
hospital, the child lost all his fingers due to multiple
fractures. When the child saw his father.....with painful eyes he asked,
'Dad when will my fingers grow back?' The man was so hurt and speechless;
he went back to his car and kicked it a lot of times. Devastated by his
own actions.......sitting in front of that car he looked at the scratches;
the child had written 'LOVE YOU DAD'.
The next day that man committed suicide. . . Anger and Love have no limits;
choose the latter to have a beautiful, lovely life.....
Things are to be used and people are to be loved, But the problem in today's
world is that, People are used and things are loved...During this year,
let's be careful to keep this thought in mind: Things are to be used, but
People are to be
loved ... Be yourself....This is the only day we HAVE.
Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become
actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits they
become character; Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
I'm glad a friend forwarded this to me as a reminder..God bless you; I hope
you are having a wonderful day!
Did you read the story about the blogger that got caught in her own lie?
She wrote of being pregnant and unmarried and decided to give birth to the baby even though the baby was supposed to be terminally ill.
Thousands of people prayed for her unborn baby. They sent her donations, They cried when she said the infant died just hours after birth. It turns out she was never even pregnant, and the whole thing was a sham. Now she's got a lot of explaining to do.
Her website had nearly a million hits. When she posted a picture of herself with a swaddled-up doll, the jig was up.
The picture was of a doll that one reader actually owned and many people recognized it as a doll and not a baby. The lie soon unraveled to the outrage of all the people that kept up with her blog.
She admits now that the entire story was made up and she wasn't a single expectant mother who lay awake at night terrified her unborn child would die at any time, She is a 26-year-old social worker from the Chicago suburb of Mokenka who says she didn't know how to free herself from the web of lies she wove. "Soon I was getting 100,000 hits a week, and it just got out of hand,"
The woman's story about giving birth to a child diagnosed while in the womb as terminally ill hit a nerve. Every night for the last two months, thousands of abortion foes from across the nation logged onto a blog run by the woman who said she was unmarried, pregnant and identified herself only as "B" or "April's Mom."
People said they prayed that God would save her pregnancy. They e-mailed her photos of their children, shared tales of heartache and redemption and sent letters of support and gifts.
When the hoax blew up she deleted her website and Twitter and Facebook accounts. It was too late, however. Someone found out her true identity: She said she knows it was wrong but she was so caught up in the lie and the attention that she couldn't stop.
She has since apologized for the lie but I would not want to be in her shoes, that is why it pays to tell the truth.
Fresh strawberry season is here, this is a good recipe for some delicious strawberry shortcake cookies:
>
> Ingredients
> Makes about 3 dozen
>
>
> 12 ounces strawberries, hulled and cut into 1/4-inch dice (2 cups)
> 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
> 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
> 2 cups all-purpose flour
> 2 teaspoons baking powder
> 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
> 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
> 2/3 cup heavy cream
> Sanding sugar, for sprinkling
>
>
>
> Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine strawberries, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining 7 tablespoons granulated sugar in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter, or rub in with your fingers, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in cream until dough starts to come together, then stir in strawberry mixture.
> Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment, spacing evenly apart. Sprinkle with sanding sugar, and bake until golden brown, 24 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool. Cookies are best served immediately, but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day.
>
Some people are just plain mean and greedy, the FBI just released the story about a man and his with who are both Doctors and making lots of money has held a woman captive in their home since she was 19 years old, forcing her to work as their domestic servant and illegally harboring her for 19 years in their Brookfield, Wisconsin, residence.
They were convicted by a Milwaukee federal jury for using threats of serious harm and physical restraint against a Filipina to obtain her services, in violation of federal law.
According to evidence they recruited and brought the victim from the Philippines to the U.S. in 1985 when she was 19 years old. In September 2004, federal law enforcement officers responding to a tip removed the victim, then age 38, from the residence through the execution of a federal search warrant.
The victim testified that for 19 years she was hidden in the home, forbidden from going outside and told that she would be arrested, imprisoned, and deported if she was discovered.
“Human Trafficking is a form of modern day slavery and is simply not acceptable. No person should ever be forced to live in fear, virtual isolation and servitude,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Michelle L. Jacobs for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. “The prosecution of human trafficking offenses is a top priority of the Justice Department, and our office is committed to aggressively pursuing these cases.”
In Fiscal Year 2008, the Department brought a record number of human trafficking cases, including both the highest number of both sex trafficking and labor trafficking cases ever brought in a single year.
This is such a shame.
We need to be more careful when we eat, instaead of just biting down in a sandwich, first look at the sandwich and see if you see an image of any kind.
Did you read about image of the Virgin Mary on a grilled cheese sandwich (an item that fetched $28,000 on eBay) or a beehive shaped like Buddha or a cheetoe shaped like Jesus praying.
There are people out there that collect these weird things and pay big money for it.
OK I am going to go and fix a sandwicch and see if i can make out any weird shapes and I suggest you do the same.
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Cheeto praying.
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International Airlines Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary says the European low-cost giant will indeed start charging customers one pound (about $1.65) to use the toilets on its flights.
The toilet charge is expected to be in place on Ryanair planes within two years. O'Leary adds that he's asking Boeing to look into putting credit-card readers on toilet locks for new jets.
That's not all. it may also begin charging customers for sick bags, if they're needed.
"one of (Ryanair’s) more controversial plans (now) under discussion is (to) introduce new baggage measures, which would see passengers replace baggage handlers to load luggage onto aircraft." That, of course, would help cut costs by eliminating baggage handlers.
I know airlines are losing money but this is ridiculous. I can see a lot of wet seat in the future for this airlne.
RFID means Radio Frequency Identification Device.
Have you ever had to wear an ID badge on your job and forgot an left your badge at home? Of couse most of us have. If you had a small device about the size of a grain of rice inserted under your skin that would no longer be a problem.
Some employers are already requiring that you have one of these devices implanted. These devices can also be placed in badges, passports or drivers license that transmit radio signals.
A bill has recently been introduced that would bar an employer from requiring a person to have one of these devices implanted under the skin. It would also bar use in student badges and drivers licenses before 2011, and set some privacy protection standards in place
We definitely need some privacy protection.
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A Newborn's Conversation with God
A baby asked God, "They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow,
but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?"
God said, "Your angel will be waiting for you and will take care of you."
The child further inquired, "But tell me, here in heaven I don't have
to do anything but sing and smile to be happy."
God said, "Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you.
And you will feel your angel's love and be very happy."
Again the small child asked, "And how am I going to be able to understand
when people talk to me if I don't know the language?"
God said, "Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words
you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will
teach you how to speak."
"And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?"
God said, "Your angel will place your hands together and will teach
you how to pray."
"Who will protect me?"
God said, "Your angel will defend you even if it means risking its life."
"But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore."
God said, "Your angel will always talk to you about Me and will teach
you the way to come back to Me, even though I will always be next to you."
At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from Earth
could be heard and the child hurriedly asked, "God, if I am to leave
now, please tell me my angel's name."
God said, You will simply call her, "Mom."
This is my little teddy. I have been in a crocheting mood so made this last night.
She still need a Ribbon and some frilly panties and then she will be ready.
A woman used a leasing agent to rent her mom's house out after she had to be placed in a nursing home.
The leasing agent called her yesterday to ask if she had listed the house for lease on Craigslist for $1,000/mo. The house is being listed for $1,275/mo. with the agent. She told her "no", that she wouldn't list it on Craigslist for less. So she did some investigating and spoke to another real estate broker who's my friend and he told me that this is the latest Craigslist scam targetting prospective renters.
What the scammers do is steal pictures from listings off the net--they can either be for listings for rent of for sale. They always pick nice homes with good pictures in nice neighborhoods and then list them for rent below the market price. They create a Yahoo email account that sort of resembles the real broker's name or variation. When the prospective renter makes an inquiry, the "broker" talks them into leaving a deposit and executing a leasing agreement and then says they "haven't gotten the keys yet".
And you can figure out how the story ends.
Craigslist used to be a great venue and perfect for listing things, but obviously it's now just a place to get robbed or murdered. Sad.