Víctor Lei
Friday, February 11, 2011
Your Fate Of Life
Human's life just like a speciality dish with five different tastes, salty, sour, bitter, spicy and sweet. That's the fate of life, and you have to taste them all. Unfortunately, I never taste sweet. Many people look down on me, my relatives, my colleagues, they all think I'm useless. Every time when I heard that, it just tastes like something bitter and sour…
Thursday, February 10, 2011
FW: Re: Amazon customer inquiry: Received Damaged, Defective, or Wrong item norman blumberg
what a poor guy... You are such a poor guy...
----Forwarded Message----
From: lei_victor@sbcglobal.net
To: wnwhhz51c08rt8c@marketplace.amazon.com
Sent: Wed Dec 1st, 2010 4:52 PM PST
Subject: Re: Amazon customer inquiry: Received Damaged, Defective, or Wrong item norman blumberg
Hi, thanks for your email.
First I would like to apologize anything that causes inconvenience and
misunderstandings. But if you take a look on the packaging slip that enclosed
in the shipment, at the "comments" line, I put on this statement in all capital
letters: "IMPORTANT: SCREEN PROTECTOR IS NOT INCLUDED" I'm selling the case
only, not with the screen protector.
I'm so sorry that something makes you misunderstand, I did not intend to cheat
or to do something like that, but it has been the problem of Amazon.com for
years, especially for those individual sellers. What I mean is that Amazon.com
doesn't allow non-professional individual sellers to create their own product
page or listings, while eBay allows sellers to do so. In many cases, sellers can
only list an item under the Amazon.com's pre-created listings. That's what it
happened. I could only list the item under the product with the closest
description. What I could do was to put a statement on the "comments" line and
tell the buyers what would be missing with the product, I also tried to keep the
price as low as possible to deduct the price of things that missed. I know that
it often causes problems of misunderstanding, I asked the people at Amazon.com
if there was a solution, they said I could create my own product page on their
website only if I sign up as a "Pro Seller", which cost me $40 a month. $40 a
month, that is a huge expense for me, I only sell two or three items a month on
average, With $40 a month, I have to sell about 45 - 50 of those protective
cases you bought each month to fully cover the monthly cost and other fees and
expenses.
Again, I'm sorry about that inconvenience. If you would like a refund, simply
return it to me before Wednesday 12/8, and I'll be happy to initiate a refund.
Thank you very much for understanding and wish you have a great day.
________________________________
From: norman blumberg - Amazon Marketplace
<wnwhhz51c08rt8c@marketplace.amazon.com>
To: marshallpgov <lei_victor@sbcglobal.net>
Sent: Wed, December 1, 2010 3:56:20 PM
Subject: Amazon customer inquiry: Received Damaged, Defective, or Wrong item
norman blumberg
Order ID 002-9841801-4771428:
1 of 4G Touch Twin Pack Black & Clear Silicone Protective Armour Case Cover +
Screen Protector Kit for New Apple iPod Touch 4th Generation - 8GB 32GB 64GB
[ASIN: B0041NO012]
------------- Begin message -------------
I got 2 pieces of gel that fit on the back of the ipod.I got nothing to protect
the screen--gel or screen protector. I ordered a screen protector and it was not
included and it says that on the invoice. What's the deal? I order something and
I don't get the full product. I want to return this but I'm not paying the
postage because it is not worth it. What I can do is give you negative feedback
about this product and the seller. I'm not that kind of person but I don't like
ordering something and not getting what I ordered.
If you send me a screen protector I will be satisfied. Otherwise, negative
feedback and a call to Amazon will be necessary.
------------- End message -------------
For Your Information: To help arbitrate disputes and preserve trust and safety,
we retain all messages buyers and sellers send through Amazon.com for two
years. This includes your response to the message above. Amazon.com uses
filtering technology to protect buyers and sellers from possible fraud.
Messages that fail this filtering will not be transmitted.
We want you to buy with confidence anytime you purchase products on Amazon.com.
Learn more about Safe Online Shopping
(http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?ie=UTF8&nodeId=10412241)
and our safe buying guarantee
(http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?ie=UTF8&nodeId=537868).
[commMgrTok:AW6EB4J6I09GH]
Scavengers cash in on illegal recycling around SF
Scavengers cash in on illegal recycling around SF
Many cashing in on recycling rip-offs around SF
Video updated on: 2011.02.09 at 07:01 PM PST
San Francisco lawmakers opened the debate on Wednesday over who should get the city's lucrative recycling contract. Trash is big business, but it's also a source of income for some and it's not always legal.
It's the night before trash pickup in SoMa and the recycling bins are being raided. Rikki Ercoli sent us uReport video he filmed earlier this month, and it infuriates him to see people taking recyclables from his bin.
"Here in San Francisco, we love recycling. I know I do, but 100 percent of my efforts are going directly into the hands of people I'm not doing the work for. If it was going to the city, great, but it's not," he said.
In fact, fewer bottles and cans for the Recology Company to pickup and sell is said to ultimately cost consumers about $5 million a year. Much of that theft comes from organized rings, and Ercoli said trucks pick up the ripped off recyclables on his block.
"So it affects increases in your garbage bill in future years. If that material is stolen, the money is stolen with it," Robert Reed from Recology said.
Stealing recyclables is illegal and state and local penalties are as much as $2,000. The District Attorney's Office recently put out a newsletter calling it, "The issue of the month." For many neighborhoods, it's a quality of life issue with noise and litter. One strategy being discussed is reducing the cash incentive and Supervisor Scott Wiener is considering pushing for a change in state law to require recycling centers to offer vouchers for food and other products instead of money.
"We've seen in the areas around some recycling centers some issues around alcohol abuse and drug dealing," he said.
Ed Dunn runs a recycling center and is critical of the proposal to swap cash for food.
"The vast majority are very middle class people who might want to use the money for rent or to fill up their tank again," he said.
The voucher program would be a change in state law, so Wiener wants to make sure he has enough support before he moves forward with that.
uReport:
Take part in the news. Upload videos and photos to uReport.abc7news.com , or e-mail them to uReport@kgo-tv.com .
Story posted 2011.02.09 at 07:05 PM PST
All material © 2011 ABC Inc., KGO-TV Inc. & 2004-2011 LSN, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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Víctor Lei
Long lines expected for new Verizon iPhone
Long lines expected for new Verizon iPhone
Long lines expected for new Verizon iPhone
Video updated on: 2011.02.10 at 12:03 AM PST
Verizon will start selling the new iPhone on Thursday. Up until now, AT&T had an exclusive hold on the ubiquitous Apple device. So now many are wondering how this will affect the iPhone's performance on either network.
San Francisco users are hoping this new phone improves iPhone service if it means that fewer people will be clogging up AT&T's network. The consensus from many local iPhone users is that they love the iPhone, but hate the service.
The doors open early at 7 a.m., but workers at the Verizon store on Market Street are bracing for lines before the sun even comes up.
"We are expecting people to line up at wee hours of the morning and we are expecting it to be nuts," said Krysten Gregg, the Verizon store manager.
It could be as nuts as the worst kept secret in the tech world -- Verizon's iPhone launch. The phone goes on sale this week and many smart phone users have one word to say..."finally!"
"I came in to move from AT&T to Verizon," said James Roten, a San Francisco iPhone customer.
AT&T has been the exclusive carrier of the Apple iPhone and in San Francisco AT&T has become synonymous with dropped calls and complaints about service. Roten can't wait to make the switch.
"Their service is horrible, it's absolutely horrible. I can't tell you how many times a day my calls get dropped," said Roten.
"People have really looked to Verizon's as sort of the answer to their prayers," said Kent German, a CNET senior editor.
This cell phone columnist is testing the phone for a review and his take so far is that it is better.
"In our testing at CNET we found that the Verizon phone for right now does make better calls, connects faster, it can connect to more calls," said German.
But as to whether a Verizon iPhone will mean less demand on AT&T's network and therefore fewer dropped calls, German said it's too early to tell. It may also be too early to tell whether there will even be enough Verizon iPhones to go around on Thursday morning.
"People want to know will we have them in stock and will they be able to rely on our network? The answer is they will be able to rely on our network, absolutely," said Gregg. When asked if they will have them in stock, she said, "I'm not sure. We're excited to sell them like hotcakes."
So what might happen to Verizon's service if people line up to buy the new iPhone? Will all the new users flood the system as many say it has with AT&T? German said Verizon has likely learned from AT&T's mistakes and won't let that happen.
However, even if you wait in line, you may not be able to walk away with the phone. There's another catch -- iPhone users under contract with AT&T will have to pay to switch to Verizon service, and it may cost up to $325.
Story posted 2011.02.09 at 11:56 PM PST
All material © 2011 ABC Inc., KGO-TV Inc. & 2004-2011 LSN, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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Víctor Lei
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Job seekers hit pavement again at Concord job fair
Job seekers hit pavement again at Concord job fair
ABC7 is co-sponsoring a free job fair in Concord
Updated on: 2011-02-08 15:25:34
Job seekers hit pavement again at Concord job fair
Updated on: 2011-02-08 23:06:11
There is some discouraging news, if you're hunting for a job. Employers advertised 3.1 million job openings in December -- that's a drop of 140,000 from the month before. Temp jobs, construction, manufacturing, education, even medical jobs all dropped off. Still, there were dozens of jobs available in Concord at an ABC7/Job Journal HIREvent.
Job hunters attended a job fair to meet with recruiters. Talking to a recruiter is a great first step; next is going to the company online.
"We are looking for individuals who love to wake up in the morning and come to work and make another person's day," says Ayana Stevenson from Umpqua Bank.
The lines are still long, but the opportunities are few. Unemployment in Contra Costa County is nearly 11 percent. Companies are offering jobs, but not as many as they once did.
"It's brutal because all the different companies are looking… they know they have the upper hand, so to speak," says Catrin Tiscareno, a job seeker.
Tiscareno has been out of a job for four months. The man standing in line in front of her has been looking for six months for a banking job, which has made his personal finances challenging.
At the job fair networking is important. Patience and a great resume are required.
"We try to determine why it may not be working for them. Then we try to give them pointers on how to strengthen the resume," says Linda Hamilton from Hamilton Resume Services.
State figures show there have been seasonal job gains, but it's still a tough market.
"The employers are coming out of a brutal recession. So they're slowly starting to hire more, but once again we would like to see more jobs out there," says Kathy Caricato from the Jobs Journal.
Next Job Fair
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
12 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Hotel Whitcomb
1231 Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
1-888-THE-JOBS
Story posted 2011.02.08 at 08:08 PM PST
All material © 2011 ABC Inc., KGO-TV Inc. & 2004-2011 LSN, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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Víctor Lei
Woman billed $8,000 for cigarette back taxes
Woman billed $8,000 for cigarette back taxes
Woman billed $8,000 for cigarette back taxes
Updated on: 2011-02-07 22:08:10
The state is intensifying pressure on consumers to pay taxes on purchases made online. Shoppers who buy items from out of state retailers online don't get charged a sale tax, but are expected to pay them later. Many don't and now the state is stepping up efforts to go after those it finds out about.
"I'm pretty upset. I don't think it's fair. I mean, why should I be held responsible? They should already be charging the tax," Anita Dealmeida said.
She recently received final notice for the collection of about $8,000 in back taxes, including $2,000 in interest and penalties. The taxes were for cigarette purchases she made online for clients at Tia Maria's Family Home, an assisted living center she runs for the developmentally disabled.
"We have clients that smoke and we're on a limited income, so when we can find the cheapest, that's the route we go," Dealmeida said.
The Hayward resident purchased the cigarettes between 2005 and 2007 and she says the cigarettes were bought so long ago, she doesn't even remember where she bought them and wonders why the retailer didn't collect the tax back then.
Betty Yee, chairwoman of the State Board of Equalization, explains the law doesn't require out of state retailers to collect taxes, but those that sell cigarettes are required to report its sales to the state under the federal Jenkins Act passed in 1949.
"Often times, we have a lag of when the out of state retailer provides the information to us about the purchaser in California. We will work with any purchaser to reconcile what really took place," Yee said.
The Jenkins Act applies only to cigarette sales. Consumers are required to pay tax on other out-of-state Internet purchases including computers and electronics, but compliance is pretty much voluntary. In December, the Board of Equalization approved a new fine on all delinquent taxpayers.
"Those who still owe excise taxes and sale taxes on Internet purchases of cigarettes and have not paid their liability are subject to a new cost recovery collection, cost recovery fee," Yee said.
The fee ranges from $195 to $925 and the stakes are high. California estimates its owed $50 million in back taxes for cigarette purchases alone and $1.3 billion in back taxes for all out of state sales.
"I can understand if I owe the tax, I'll pay the tax. It's the interest and penalties I'm not OK with when I wasn't notified," Dealmeida said.
She says the final notice she received in late December was actually the first time she had been notified she owed the tax and just a few days ago, her bank informed her that the state had removed from her account nearly $8,000 in back taxes, interest and penalty.
"So I will definitely personally help her and if the invoices need to get resolved, I will certainly give her assistance to help her do that," Yee said.
Yee says out of state purchases can be reported on your state income tax form or via a use tax return. Since 2006, the state has collected about $6 million in delinquent cigarette sales taxes.
Story posted 2011.02.08 at 01:34 PM PST
All material © 2011 ABC Inc., KGO-TV Inc. & 2004-2011 LSN, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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Víctor Lei
Lee, supes hope to keep Twitter headquarters in SF
Lee, supes hope to keep Twitter headquarters in SF
Lee, supes hope to keep Twitter headquarters in SF
Updated on: 2011-02-08 21:34:25
San Francisco's mayor and two supervisors emerged from behind closed doors on Tuesday and announced what they hope will be a deal to keep Twitter from leaving the city and entice new businesses to move in.
The social media company has outgrown its current location on Folsom Street. Twitter had 22 employees in January 2009 and has 350 today. The company has talked about leaving San Francisco for larger and possibly cheaper space.
San Francisco officials are now hoping to offer tax breaks to Twitter and any other company that relocates to the seedy side of Market Street. The area between 5th and 10th streets is in desperate need of revitalization and legislation proposed by Mayor Ed Lee, and Supervisors David Chiu and Jane Kim would exempt the companies who locate in that area from paying the payroll tax on any new employees hired for six years.
"I would be very disappointed if I didn't have the facts in front of me, but I'm fully confident," Lee said.
"What we're doing is saying there's going to be an opportunity if they grow jobs that don't exist, for those new jobs not to lead to a payroll tax," Chui said.
Gabriel Metcalfe is the director of SPUR, a public policy think tank that focuses on urban issues. He says as long as the deal isn't just for Twitter, he thinks it's a great idea.
"If it's the whole area, if it's geographically targeted for a place that needs the help, if it's for new jobs, it's a great idea," he said.
Supervisor John Avalos isn't so sure and worried the proposed tax break will set a bad precedent with other corporations threatening to leave town unless they get exemptions.
"We have an economic downturn. Do we have to give away all the stores so that we attract corporations to be here," he said.
Twitter had no comments other than an official saying, "We prefer conversations behind closed door and not in public."
Story posted 2011.02.08 at 07:15 PM PST
All material © 2011 ABC Inc., KGO-TV Inc. & 2004-2011 LSN, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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Víctor Lei
Facebook moving to Menlo Park from Palo Alto
Facebook moving to Menlo Park from Palo Alto
Facebook moving to Menlo Park from Palo Alto
Updated on: 2011-02-08 21:30:25
Social media is on the move -- not just virtually, but literally here in the Bay Area. Facebook has outgrown its headquarters in Palo Alto and is moving to Menlo Park. Nine existing buildings on roughly one million square feet of space will make up Facebook's new campus in Menlo Park.
"Facebook has been looking for a place, a setting where we could plant some roots, pull together all our Bay Area employees in an area where they can work together collaboratively, feed off each other's energy and ideas and build the future of the company," Facebook CFO David Ebersam said.
Facebook struck a deal with Oracle to lease the complex for 15 years with an option to buy in five. The amount was not disclosed. Oracle purchased former tenants Sun Microsystems in 2009 and then laid off thousands of Sun employees. Facebook has started remodeling the first of the nine buildings.
"That building will hold about 500 folks and it will be ready in the June/mid-June time frame," Facebook Director of Real Estate John Tenanes said.
The goal is for Facebook to have most of its 1,400 Bay Area employees on campus within 12 months. The company will keep its Palo Alto facilities until the leases expire in 2013.
Facebook told reporters the company did not receive any tax breaks from the city. Menlo Park's mayor said with Facebook, the future looks good for the city.
"And we are going to be able to do some things that this city hasn't been able to do in years and that is bring more revenue and planning and ideas into that community," Mayor Richard Cline said.
Facebook also purchased a second 22-acre property across from the new campus. Both are connected by a pedestrian tunnel. That too will eventually be developed.
"We are in it for the long term and have every hope and expectation that the area around it can be a place that grows and offers and interesting amenities and service that our employees enjoy," Ebersam said.
Bez Zahedi owns a restaurant in downtown Menlo Park. He is worried any expansion in that area will affect small businesses, especially restaurant owners.
"I was excited to have them hopefully bring some business to small businesses in downtown Menlo Park and other areas, but hearing that they plan to have their own malls and facilities over there is a little concerning," Zahedi said.
On March 5, Facebook and city officials will hold a public planning session to get feedback on how Facebook will best fit into the community.
Story posted 2011.02.08 at 06:33 PM PST
All material © 2011 ABC Inc., KGO-TV Inc. & 2004-2011 LSN, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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Víctor Lei
Saturday, February 5, 2011
La Niña promises drier months ahead for California
La Niña promises drier months ahead for California
La Nina promises drier months ahead for California
Updated on: 2011-02-03 22:31:08
From unseasonably wet to incredibly dry. That sums up our rainy season so far this year. And with nearly half the season left and no rain in sight, is it time to push the water supply panic button?
What a difference a month makes. Before the new year, Northern California saw copious amounts of rain and snow. And then, as if someone turned off the spigot, it all stopped.
"We're in a La Niña," said UC Davis climatologist Bryan Weare.
Northern California's dry spell can be blamed at least in part on cooler ocean temperatures in the Pacific.
"People make so-called outlooks based on what's happened in the past during La Niña events and that outlook is for basically dry California, especially Southern California for the next couple of months," said Weare.
In January, statewide rainfall totals were just 30 percent of average for the month, but for the season 130 percent.
Meteorologist Jan Null says this water year will be defined not so much by what happened in January, but rather what comes next.
"I think it's a little too early to be worried," said Jan Null with Golden Gate Weather. "It's fairly typical that we have a mid-winter dry spell. I think it averages about 19 days of dry weather sort of sandwiched between our normal rainier periods."
What matters most is the High Sierra and whether the current snowpack will last, even if the rest of the season is relatively dry.
Currently, water content in the Sierra snow is 135 percent of average for this time of year. In the major reservoirs water supply is 111 percent of normal at Shasta, 109 at Pardee, and 93 percent at Folsom.
"There's a lot of carry-over storage from last year," said Jennifer Allen with the Contra Costa Water District. "There was a cool summer last year and we're optimistic that in the next couple of months we'll see some more rain and snow coming in."
Even with the optimism, water managers say it's always good for people to do what they can to conserve.
Story posted 2011.02.03 at 07:20 PM PST
All material © 2011 ABC Inc., KGO-TV Inc. & 2004-2011 LSN, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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Víctor Lei
Bill aims to crack down on toll evasion loophole
Bill aims to crack down on toll evasion loophole
Bill aims to crack down on toll evasion loophole
Updated on: 2011-02-04 22:04:26
Electronic toll taking has made life more convenient for many people, but for some it has also made it a whole lot cheaper, too. A confidentiality law originally meant to protect police officers and other public servants means the state is losing out on millions in tolls and toll violation revenue.
Blow through a bridge toll booth without paying, and you will soon get a bill for it plus a $25 fine, unless you are one of the 1.5 million Californians protected by the confidential address program.
"The fact of the matter is it's very hard for us to find some of these folks," said Randy Rentschler with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), which manages Bay Area tolls and fines.
A bill working its way through the state Legislature aims to change that. A 1978 law designed to protect police officers and other public officials from harm keeps their home addresses secret, even from those government agencies who want to send them a ticket.
In Southern California where there are many toll roads, the confidentiality program caught the attention of Assemblyman Jeff Miller, R-Orange County, who says in the last fiscal year the state lost out on $13 million in uncollected tolls. He has authored a bill to change that.
"The goal is not to diminish any of the protection to any of these individuals, it's to simply make sure that nobody is above the law and that they pay their fines just like everybody else," he said.
There was a time when anyone could walk into the Department of Motor Vehicles with a license plate number and walk out with a home address for someone not in the confidentiality program. That changed after actress Rebecca Schaeffer was killed by a stalker who did just that. Now everyone's address is protected.
However, the program remained in place and continued to grow. The covered categories now include not only sworn and non-sworn law enforcement employees, politicians and bureaucrats -- their spouses and children -- but also categories like museum guards and park rangers.
"Oh, it's outrageous the amount of categories that are out there that are protected by confidentiality," said Miller.
In the two-year period from June 2008 to May 2010, more than 4,000 drivers in the confidentiality program went through Bay Area bridge toll booths more than 27,000 times without paying. Only about a third of those were collected. One of those drivers skipped a $4 toll and the associated fine 467 times in an 18-month period.
"There's very few, maybe a couple dozen folks who clearly know that they're not paying their toll," said Rentschler. "They use the bridges every single day and they're ether asking the state and us for an interest-rate loan or trying to get out of paying."
Miller's bill would make them easier to find.
"My bill would simply require a business address be put on the DMV form so in case they did get a ticket and did have confidentiality, they would have a business address to be able to mail the ticket to," said Miller.
"We don't believe that anybody is above the law," said Ron Cottingham, executive director of the Peace Officers Research Association of California, a lobby also known as PORAC. "We would support something that says we're going to collect this fine from you."
Miller's bill will be making its way through committee starting in February or March.
Story posted 2011.02.04 at 07:08 PM PST
All material © 2011 ABC Inc., KGO-TV Inc. & 2004-2011 LSN, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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Víctor Lei
Friday, February 4, 2011
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Happy Chinese New Year!
Today is the first day of the Chinese New Year, I wish everyone have a brilliant and prosperous year. Kong Hei Fat Choi!
Punxsutawney Phil predicts an early spring
Punxsutawney Phil predicts an early spring
Story posted 2011.02.02 at 06:13 AM PST
The world's most famous groundhog predicted an early spring Wednesday, but wasn't willing to go out on a limb to forecast whether the nearby Pittsburgh Steelers will win Sunday's Super Bowl.
Punxsutawney Phil emerged just after dawn on Groundhog Day to make his 125th annual weather forecast in front of a smaller-than-usual crowd who braved muddy, icy conditions to hear his handlers reveal that he had not seen his shadow.
Including Wednesday's forecast, Phil has seen his shadow 98 times and hasn't seen it just 16 times since 1887, according to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club's Inner Circle, which runs the event. There are no records for the remaining years, though the group has never failed to issue a forecast.
Two years ago, Phil's forecast also acknowledged the Pittsburgh Steelers' Super Bowl XLIII win the night before. This year, Sunday's game was mentioned in the forecast but no winner was predicted between the Steelers and the Green Bay Packers, who meet in Dallas for Super Bowl XLV.
"The Steelers are going to the Super Bowl," Mike Johnson, vice president of the Inner Circle, said just before the forecast was read, drawing cheers from the clearly partisan crowd gathered on Gobbler's Knob, a tiny hill in this borough of about 6,100 residents some 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.
The Groundhog Day celebration is rooted in a German superstition that says if a hibernating animal casts a shadow on Feb. 2, the Christian holiday of Candlemas, winter will last another six weeks. If no shadow was seen, legend said spring would come early.
In reality, Pennsylvania's prophetic rodent doesn't see much of anything. The result is actually decided in advance by 14 members of the Inner Circle, who don tuxedos and top hats for the event.
The celebration usually draws 10,000 to 15,000 spectators when it falls on a weekday, Groundhog club spokesman Luke Webber said. The area was under a winter weather warning and while heavier snows and sleet never materialized, rain falling in about 35-degree temperatures made for a below-average crowd, said Webber, who offered no specific estimate.
Story posted 2011.02.02 at 06:13 AM PST
All material © 2011 ABC Inc., KGO-TV Inc. & 2004-2011 LSN, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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Víctor Lei
Job ad fronts for scam targeting unemployed
Job ad fronts for scam targeting unemployed
Page 1 of 2
Job ad fronts for scam targeting unemployed
Updated on: 2011-02-01 22:04:21
A Bay Area woman fell victim to a scam targeting the unemployed. With millions of people struggling to find work, it is a growing problem -- con artists are going after job seekers.
This is an old scam that has found a huge new pool of victims -- the unemployed. They should be warned scammers are out there taking advantage of the fact many folks are desperate to find work and they're taking what little money these job seekers have left.
Karina Jennings has been unemployed and searching for work for nearly a year now, all the while struggling to support her two year old son.
"It's been tough, I'm willing and ready to try anything," said Karina.
So Karina got pretty excited when she found a ad in the San Francisco Chronicle. It was an opening for a flight attendant, offering full training and an excellent salary package.
"I immediately jumped on it and got excited, 'Oh, something different…flight attendant,'" said Karina.
Karina called the number in the ad and with that seemingly harmless act, she took her first step into a big trap.
"Everything sounded great, the benefits, the money," said Karina.
The man on the phone told Karina she'd be a stewardess on a chartered jet, carrying wealthy passengers to private cruise ships. She'd earn up to $1,150 per week and be home each night by 6 p.m. So did she want to fly to Miami for an interview?
"I said, 'Wow, that sounds cool. Definitely, I'd would be very interested,'" said Karina.
With that, she took the second step into the trap. The man said she could buy her own plane ticket to Miami, or he would buy the ticket for her, at a reduced price of $372. Karina found the cheapest fares were well over $1,400.
"So I said, 'You know what? Let me just go ahead and call back and ask him what was the other option one more time,'" said Karina.
That was mistake number three. Karina agreed to let the man buy her plane ticket. He told her to wire him half the fare, $186. The man said she'd be reimbursed when she arrived in Miami.
"Gail Maxwell would meet me at the gate when I got there, she'd have a black suit on and as soon as I shook her hand, she'd put the reimbursement of the money that I just wired in my hand," said Karina.
Karina went to the nearest Western Union office and wired the $186 to Orlando, Florida. And yes, that was her final mistake. Later, when she checked the flight that was supposedly purchased for her, she found, there was no such flight. There was no such charter jet company. There was no such job.
"I had been officially, first time scammed and it hurt," said Karina.
Karina went from elation over believing she had finally landed a job, to the depths of realing she'd been conned.
"It really upset my husband and I," said Inez Jennings, Karina's mother.
Inez couldn't stand the idea that someone stole money from her struggling daughter and her grandson.
"I said to my daughter, 'We really need to call Seven On Your Side," said Inez.
Next >>
All material © 2011 ABC Inc., KGO-TV Inc. & 2004-2011 LSN, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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Víctor Lei
Survey: SF ranked as vainest city in U.S.
Survey: SF ranked as vainest city in U.S.
Story posted 2011.02.02 at 05:56 AM PST
San Franciscans spend more money on looking good than people anywhere else in the country. That's according to a new survey by the website "The Daily Beast."
It looked at things like time spent in a spa, hours in the gym, dieting, tanning and grooming.
San Francisco residents spend an average of $111 a month on personal care. 50 percent are not overweight and 20 percent belong to a gym.
As for other cities rounding out the top 3 - people in Boston spend about $106 a month, followed by New York.
Story posted 2011.02.02 at 05:56 AM PST
All material © 2011 ABC Inc., KGO-TV Inc. & 2004-2011 LSN, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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Víctor Lei
Google unveils next-gen Android platform for tablets
Google unveils next-gen Android platform for tablets
Story posted 2011.02.02 at 07:07 PM PST
Google was doing a full-court press Wednesday morning to provide developers to create new applications for tablets. The company is unveiling Android 3.0 Honeycomb, the latest version of its mobile platform, designed specifically for tablets. In a demonstration for media at its Mountain View headquarters, Google is showing that it is anxious to take on Apple's iPad, currently the market leader in tablets.
"Well, I think it's an entirely different experience; Android is different from all the other platforms out there, we have our unique character, and you'll see that continued in Honeycomb as well, and we hope that users enjoy it," Google Director of Engineering Hiroshi Lockheimer said.
Honeycomb appears to be strong on graphics and video. It can handle both 2D and 3D graphics. Google has redesigned its email service, GMail, so it is more fluid on the tablet screen. It will support both a front-facing and user-facing camera. A game maker is already working on adapting existing games to take advantage of Android 3.0's features. CNN gave a sneak preview of its forthcoming Android app for accessing news and for creating user-generated content for its iReport service.
To encourage developers to jump on board, Google announced that it is adding a web-based version of its Android Market for purchasing apps.
"You can buy an app on the web and it magically shows up on your device a second later, so that integration... that cloud integration that Google likes to talk about so much, I really like what it does for the user," Disney Mobile General Manager Bart Decrem said.
Disney Mobile was at the event to announce it is bringing three of its popular apps to Android -- Radio Disney, Jelly Car and Tap Tap Revenge 4. Disney Mobile says it has sold 60 million mobile apps on other platforms, and it is looking forward to expanding to Android-powered devices.
Disney Mobile, like ABC7, are part of The Walt Disney Company.
Disney Mobile is also demonstrating a new trend in purchasing mobile apps, known as in-app billing.
Story posted 2011.02.02 at 07:07 PM PST
All material © 2011 ABC Inc., KGO-TV Inc. & 2004-2011 LSN, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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Víctor Lei
Sunday, January 30, 2011
"King's Speech" Director Wins Top DGA Award
LOS ANGELES - Tom Hooper pulled off an upset win Saturday for the top film honor at the Directors Guild of America Awards for his British monarchy ...
Víctor Lei
Comcast takes control of NBC Universal
Comcast takes control of NBC Universal
Story posted 2011.01.29 at 01:59 PM PST
The nation's largest cable TV company, Comcast Corp., took control of NBC Universal after the government shackled its behavior in the coming years to protect online video services such as Netflix and Hulu.
The deal closed shortly before midnight EST on Friday.
The takeover gave the cable-hookup company 51 percent control of NBC Universal, which owns the nation's fourth-ranked broadcaster, NBC; the Universal Pictures movie studio and related theme parks; and a bevy of cable channels including Bravo, E! and USA.
The combination had raised fears that Comcast might abuse its control of NBC Universal to favor its most valuable customers: the 23 million who rely on it for cable TV service and the 17 million who pay for Internet connections.
But the Justice Department and Federal Communications Commission imposed conditions that prevent Comcast from keeping to itself NBC Universal's popular shows such as "The Office" and movies including "Despicable Me" for the next several years.
NBC's "30 Rock" on Thursday night spoofed Comcast's impending takeover from General Electric Co. As a clock bell sounded, a neon "GE" atop an office building fizzled out and was replaced by a "K" inside a swoosh resembling Comcast's logo.
"Wow, out with GE, in with Kabletown," said Tina Fey's character, Liz Lemon. "Seems like one of us should sing 'The Circle Game' right now."
Conditions imposed on Comcast were serious, though.
Regulators forced Comcast to make the full suite of NBC Universal content available as a single package to online competitors on terms comparable to those reached with more established rivals such as Dish Network Corp. and DirecTV.
NBC Universal is also expected to match new deals for smaller chunks of programming between other media firms and online video providers if it has comparable programming on hand. As an example, NBC Universal might have to make the Bravo channel's "The Real Housewives of New York City" available to Netflix Inc. if Viacom Inc. cuts a similar deal for MTV's "Jersey Shore."
The company also had to give up the decision-making power associated with its 32 percent share of Hulu, the online video service it co-owns with The Walt Disney Co., News Corp. and Providence Equity Partners. Hulu is one of the services that makes viewing "30 Rock" possible online.
The rules highlight the new battleground for entertainment in the home between traditional power players such as Comcast, which has lost subscribers in the economic downturn, and companies such as Netflix, which added them with its cheap service and compatibility with a range of devices. Netflix ended the year with 20 million customers after adding 3.1 million during the fourth quarter, by far the most during any three-month period since its service launched in 1999.
In the deal, Comcast paid General Electric just under $6.2 billion in cash and contributed its pay TV channels such as E! Entertainment Television and The Golf Channel, worth $7.25 billion, to NBC Universal.
GE's stake in NBC Universal fell to 49 percent from 80 percent, but GE plans to diminish that to zero by being paid out from the venture over about seven years. Earlier this week, GE bought out the 20 percent stake held by France's Vivendi SA for $5.8 billion in order to complete the deal.
As part of Comcast's takeover, NBC Universal changed its corporate logo to NBCUniversal -- without the space, the peacock or the globe silhouette. Officially, the company's name is still NBC Universal, but the space-less design is meant to represent the unity of its two main divisions.
Ahead of a town hall meeting with their new corporate bosses on Thursday, some 25,000 NBC Universal employees each received a certificate for 25 Comcast shares, worth $22.84 each on Friday; a family pass to one of the Universal theme parks; and other materials, including a "Big Idea Book" in which they were to record their own.
Story posted 2011.01.29 at 01:59 PM PST
All material © 2011 ABC Inc., KGO-TV Inc. & 2004-2011 LSN, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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Víctor Lei
Social Security charges man $180 from 1990
Social Security charges man $180 from 1990
Social Security charges man $180 from 1990
Updated on: 2011-01-27 22:45:02
Imagine hearing from a federal agency that you owe them money from two decades ago. That's what happened to one Concord man.
Bill Sexton was having a very old issue with the social security administration.
"I got a letter in 2009 that they had overpaid me $180 back in 1990," he said.
Now they want their $180 back, and now bill was given an opportunity to seek a waiver and he did and got it -- or at least should have.
"The only things that they would send me back were these letters that said, 'we are not going to take the money,' but I would write them back and say, 'you have already taken the money and I want it refunded,'" he said.
They waived the charge and took the money anyways. Sexton went to the Walnut Creek Social Security office and got everything straightened out. He received more letters, but no refund and he contacted 7 On your side. We quickly went to work and now he has his money back.
"In a way, I am sorry I started this whole thing. I mean this is only part of the paperwork, for this money, I should have just said all right forget it and be done with it," Sexton said. "But $180 is $180.You did great, you did great and I am really happy with it."
Social Security deals with millions of checks each month, and I like knowing they pay attention enough that they want overpayments from 19 years ago.
Story posted 2011.01.27 at 07:39 PM PST
All material © 2011 ABC Inc., KGO-TV Inc. & 2004-2011 LSN, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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Víctor Lei
Survey: SF among places where it's cheaper to rent
Survey: SF among places where it's cheaper to rent
Story posted 2011.01.27 at 05:33 PM PSTThe survey from the real estate search engine Trulia confirmed what most already know-- it's generally more affordable to buy than to rent.
However, San Francisco may be one of the few exceptions.
The survey looked at the 50 largest cities in the United States.
In 72 percent of them, Trulia concluded home ownership is more affordable than renting.
The exceptions are New York, Seattle, Kansas City and San Francisco.
Trulia reached its findings by comparing the median list price in a city to the median rental price.
Story posted 2011.01.27 at 05:33 PM PST
All material © 2011 ABC Inc., KGO-TV Inc. & 2004-2011 LSN, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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Víctor Lei
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