Scammers Try Every Which Way To Exploit BP Oil Leak
Posted by Michelle Moquin on September 8th, 2010
Good morning.
I’m keeping my write this morning short and slick. :) Here’s the latest from scambusters:
Scammers Try Every Which Way To Exploit BP Oil Leak
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Whatever the final outcome of the BP oil leak, there’s no doubt that disaster scam tricks related to the incident will, like the clean-up, run for many years.
In fact the cleanup, rather than the oil leak, is the main source of scams that add to the woes surrounding this catastrophe.
This criminal activity spreads the impact of the BP oil leak well beyond the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, tricking investors and would-be workers and helpers out of their money.
Let’s take a look at the main disaster scams linked to the oil leak.
BP Oil Leak Investment Scams
Within weeks of the BP oil leak, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (Finra) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) suspended trading in several companies that claimed to be working with BP on a clean-up solution.
They issued a warning about “pump and dump” schemes (though not necessarily related to these firms) that drive up a company’s stock price before it collapses when claims fail to materialize.
Read more about pump and dump schemes in this earlier Scambusters issue.
http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=8JUKO&m=1agEvDBSHmtWfo&b=BL073iD_FFxqcyg7EAP3BQ
John Gannon, Finra’s investor education chief, was quoted in the Wall Street Journal as saying that investors “need to be careful because those companies may not have the technology or ability to do what they are touting they can do, and may be making claims like having contracts with BP or the Environmental Protection Agency that investors need to be careful about trusting.”
Investment scam warning signs that should put you on the alert include:
* Unsolicited information promoting a stock via email or regular mail.
* The stock is traded “over the counter” rather than on the New York Stock Exchange (though, of course, many legitimate companies also trade this way).
If you’re concerned about the reliability of a company you’re considering as an investment you should speak first to your trusted financial advisor and check out the company’s filings with the SEC at http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=8JUKO&m=1agEvDBSHmtWfo&b=EO.r_Dh9oeVtKaTI_7.DuA.
Other BP Oil Leak Financial Scams
BP has set up its own fund to compensate victims of the oil spill.
Now scammers in various guises — bogus BP or government officials, or phony finance companies — have shown up, offering financial help to individuals and companies affected by the spill.
In some cases, they prey on human weaknesses by even telling people who wouldn’t normally qualify for aid that they can cash in.
In most cases, this is an advance fee fraud coming from Nigeria. After convincing you they can get the money, they ask for an arrangement fee.
Read more about advance fee fraud in this earlier Scambusters issue.
http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=8JUKO&m=1agEvDBSHmtWfo&b=jmffNTwx_JMIkMofJM2Q2g
In a few other cases, funding may be provided but at exorbitant interest rates.
Another financial scam recently reported by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) happens when crooks posing as “adjusters” approach victims of the BP oil leak who already have a claim in the pipeline, offering to expedite their claim, again for a fee.
The fact is that all claims have to undergo a vetting process and cannot be expedited.
For more information on the claims process and how to file a claim, call BP’s phone claims line at 1-800-440-0858.
Oil Leak Cleanup Scams
In addition to dubious investment and financial scams, con artists also focus on the actual clean-up operation, including the costly rescue and cleaning of oil-smeared wildlife by cashing in on public concern and compassion.
Their tricks include:
* Bogus fund-raising — scammers prey on our sympathies and use legitimate or official sounding charity names as a cover to convince people to donate.
The requests arrive by email, regular mail and sometimes by phone, with the caller frequently using high-pressure techniques to force victims into donating.
In a recent variation, crooks launched a lottery scam in which victims receive notification that they’ve won a big cash prize from a clean-up aid fund.
Hard to believe, we know. But BP themselves have issued a warning about this on their website.
http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=8JUKO&m=1agEvDBSHmtWfo&b=klkoX8dL9vqXqBJxErWP3Q
If you want to donate, the Better Business Bureau lists accredited charities raising funds for the oil spill clean-up on its website.
http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=8JUKO&m=1agEvDBSHmtWfo&b=zaBq92iO1xAcZkAqpPX0Lg
* Malware — you get an email with a supposed photo attachment or a link to a website that claims to have news or pictures from the tragedy.
Clicking on either one could result in a virus or spyware download to your PC.
Resist the temptation to explore!
* “Miracle” cleaning products and equipment, sold door-to-door to waterfront homes.
This is an obvious scam. If such products existed, the clean-up agencies would be using them.
* Phony jobs and training scams – involving both paid and voluntary work. Offers have been posted on sites like Craigslist and sent via email.
Scammers may ask victims to pay for employment information, training or security checks.
They may also ask for confidential personal information, supposedly to check out references but in reality seeking information for identity theft.
BP has posted guidance on how to spot and avoid recruitment fraud on its website. Use the BP link given above.
For genuine job information, visit the BP website at
http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=8JUKO&m=1agEvDBSHmtWfo&b=vohK5IdG6tkfFNxtNVUuNQ, the
Deepwater Response site at
http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=8JUKO&m=1agEvDBSHmtWfo&b=m5ppzqFiZFWgicic2kZx5w (or call them at 1-866-448-5816) or, in the Gulf area, check out your state’s employment website.
Meantime, never pay for employment opportunities or give confidential information to people you don’t know or 100% trust.
The lesson from all of these scams is that for trustworthy information, whether for employment, investment, or financial aid (giving or receiving) you should deal with BP, state governments or established, reputable financial advisers and charities.
If you suspect someone of operating a scam relating to the BP oil spill, call the National Center for Disaster Fraud on 1-866-720-5721. There’s also a BP fraud hotline at 1-877-359-6281.
Goodness knows, the BP oil leak has already wrought havoc on the environment and probably hundreds of thousands of people, without scammers adding to the misery.
Readers: I’m up and out very early. Carry on as usual….
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my ‘loyal’(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the ‘”Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)
September 8th, 2010 at 8:57 am
The Amazing Power of Aspirin
Randall S. Stafford, MD, PhD
Stanford Prevention Research Center
It costs pennies a pill — but for heart disease and stroke, the number-one and number-three killers of Americans, aspirin can be just as powerfully preventive as more expensive medications, such as cholesterol-lowering statins.
Two-thirds of people at high risk for heart attack and stroke don’t take aspirin daily — leading to an estimated yearly death toll of 45,000 people who might have lived if they had taken a low-dose aspirin every day.
And recent evidence shows that aspirin also plays a role in fighting colon cancer and possibly other diseases…
HOW ASPIRIN WORKS
Aspirin is acetylsalicylic acid — a compound that blocks the action of cyclooxygenases (COX), enzymes that are found in every cell.
COX help manufacture prostaglandins, hormones that control pain, fever and inflammation. COX also help produce thromboxane, which allows cells in the bloodstream called platelets to stick together, forming blood clots.
By impeding prostaglandins, aspirin lowers fever, relieves acute pain such as headache, and eases the soreness that accompanies inflammation. By reducing thromboxane, aspirin helps stop the formation of blood clots, reducing the risk for a heart attack and stroke.
PROTECTING DISEASED ARTERIES
If you’ve had a heart attack, taking aspirin daily reduces your risk for a second attack by 23%. If you have angina — chest pain that signals serious heart disease — daily aspirin reduces heart attack risk by 51%.
Type 2 diabetes — which damages arteries, increasing risk for heart attack and stroke — is another reason for daily aspirin.
Taking aspirin if you have diagnosed heart disease or type 2 diabetes is called secondary prevention — it’s too late to prevent the problem, but you’re controlling it.
What to do: If you have heart disease or type 2 diabetes, talk to your doctor about aspirin therapy.
The recommended dosage for secondary prevention is 81 milligrams (mg) daily, or one “baby aspirin.”
There continues to be debate about whether 162 mg daily may be more protective for some people with heart disease or diabetes — ask your doctor.
PREVENTING HEART ATTACK
The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has recommended the daily use of aspirin for primary prevention — preventing heart attack and stroke in people who don’t have diagnosed cardiovascular disease.
Because older age is a risk factor for heart attacks and strokes, the recommendation included all men between the ages of 45 and 79 and all women between the ages of 55 and 79.
Among these groups, the USPSTF said to use aspirin for primary prevention only in cases in which the benefits are likely to outweigh the risks.
When aspirin blocks the production of blood-clotting thromboxane, it increases the risk for internal bleeding.
The benefits of taking aspirin are likely to be greater than the risks in those with an elevated risk for heart attack and stroke.
These risk factors include high total cholesterol, lower than normal HDL (good) cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoking and older age.
Factors that may indicate aspirin is too risky for you include…
Recent bleeding from a stomach ulcer or hemorrhagic stroke, caused by a ruptured blood vessel.
History of gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding caused by other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
Taking an anti-inflammatory corticosteroid, such as prednisone.
Rheumatoid arthritis.
AGE 80 OR OLDER
The USPSTF didn’t include a recommendation for people age 80 or older, because there’s not enough scientific evidence to know whether aspirin protects this age group.
However, your risk for heart attack and stroke increases with age, so those over 80 are likely to benefit from aspirin, but they also are more likely to have GI or brain bleeding.
What to do: If you’re 80 or older, ask your doctor about taking aspirin.
You probably shouldn’t take it if you have a history of GI bleeding or falls (a head injury is more likely to cause hemorrhagic stroke in someone taking aspirin).
COLON CANCER
A study by researchers at Harvard Medical School, published in the August 12, 2009, issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association, showed that people with colorectal cancer who began taking aspirin regularly after diagnosis had a 29% lower risk of dying from the disease than those who never used aspirin.
Researchers also found that those who used aspirin regularly before their diagnosis had a 61% lower risk of dying from the disease.
Aspirin reduces inflammation, which may play a role in the progress of colon cancer.
What to do: If you’ve been diagnosed with colorectal cancer, talk to your doctor about taking aspirin.
There is not enough scientific evidence to justify taking aspirin to prevent colorectal cancer.
USING ASPIRIN WISELY
Don’t worry about the formulation. In most cases, aspirin doesn’t cause GI bleeding because it irritates your GI tract — the bleeding is caused by a systemic effect on COX. That means enteric-coated tablets don’t decrease the risk for GI bleeding.
Be cautious of blood-thinning supplements. Fish oil and the herb ginkgo biloba also affect platelets, increasing the risk for internal bleeding.
If you’re taking aspirin, talk to your doctor about whether it’s safe to take those supplements.
Don’t take aspirin and another NSAID at the same time. Recent research shows that NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen and naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn), interfere with aspirin’s ability to affect COX.
If you take another NSAID, take it four to six hours before or after taking aspirin.
Think twice about stopping aspirin before surgery. Surgeons often ask patients to stop taking aspirin about two weeks before surgery.
But if you take aspirin for secondary prevention, the risk for a heart attack may outweigh the risk for additional bleeding during surgery. Ask your physician.
If you think you’re having a heart attack, call 911 immediately and take aspirin. Chew an uncoated full-strength (325-mg) aspirin right away.
Taking aspirin once a day for the next month can reduce the risk for death by 23% and may significantly reduce damage to the heart.
ASPIRIN ALSO MAY HELP PREVENT…
Though there’s not enough evidence to recommend taking aspirin to prevent these problems, research indicates that it may help…
Breast cancer. In 2008, a study of more than 127,000 women showed that those who regularly took aspirin had a 16% lower risk for estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer.
Asthma. In an analysis of more than 22,000 healthy male physicians, scientists at Harvard Medical School found that those who regularly used aspirin had a 22% lower risk for newly diagnosed adult asthma.
Diabetes. A 2009 study from Japan found that men who regularly used aspirin had a 14% lower risk for type 2 diabetes.
Alzheimer’s disease. A study by researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that regular users of aspirin and other NSAIDs had a 23% lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Personal interviewed Randall S. Stafford, MD, PhD, medical director of Stanford Prevention Research Center, director of the Program on Prevention and Outcomes Practices at the Stanford Prevention Research Center and associate professor of medicine at Stanford University.
Dr. Stafford is author or coauthor of more than 110 scientific papers in leading medical journals. He is on the advisory panel of experts of “Aspirin Talks,” an educational campaign from the American College of Preventive Medicine.
September 8th, 2010 at 9:31 am
Once again we learn there is nothing sacred. Humans will scam anything.
September 8th, 2010 at 10:16 am
Hi Mischa, oh man…I really want to leave a comment that was long for the women of MM blog bc it is ‘whatevah Wednesday’ and it was a Ben wa moment as well, ahhh, sigh…but my baby boy is coming over for a visit with ZL, so I’ll be busy tucking this 3 month old wonder into my breasts from 11-2 : ) and after that, maybe I’ll stop back and give a brief tantalizing tid-bit but I might have to work – tee hee…depends on Pakistani pals : ) I just love their accent and the way they pronounce Lillian, it has a way of rolling off their tongue that I like.
Another ‘just noticing’ moment, it’s hard to write exactly as you speak but I think we both do, in normal circumstances though, a convo has to start organically for me to chat about ben wa’s and I do, but it has to start on its own, does that make sense…?
Larry, are you flirting with me? : ) and how young are we talking young man? hahaha…
Luv, Zen Lill
September 8th, 2010 at 3:55 pm
What I wouldn’t do to be that three month old lying between those lovely breasts.
And age is merely a number.
September 8th, 2010 at 4:02 pm
This letter arrived from AT&T. Wanna bet it won’t be followed by a notice of decreased service for more money.
Apple gave them a practical monopoly by allowing only AT&T to use its Iphone. And as usual, they will use the moment to gouge the consumer.
Terry Stenzel
Dear
September 8, 2010
I am writing to thank you for choosing AT&T for your wireless service, and to update you on exciting plans we have to make your wireless experience even better.
You already know that AT&T covers 97% of all Americans. And as an AT&T customer, you have access to the nation’s fastest mobile broadband network; a mobile broadband network that allows you to talk and browse the web at the same time; and seamless access to over 20,000 AT&T Wi-Fi hotspots – more than any other U.S. wireless provider.
But you may not know the extent of our plans to improve your experience. In 2010 alone, we plan to invest between $18 and $19 billion in our wireless and wireline networks across the country. In fact, we’ve invested more in our networks over the last three years than any of our U.S. competitors. We’ve already upgraded our cell sites to enable faster mobile broadband speeds when paired with expanded backhaul, and we plan a similar upgrade at the end of the year that will enable even faster speeds.
We’re not stopping there. We are also adding thousands of new cell sites, expanding mobile broadband coverage to millions of customers, installing enhanced fiber backhaul, and increasing the capacity of our data network. Not only do these enhancements provide a better experience today, but they also enable a seamless migration to our next generation of mobile broadband – LTE.
What this means to you is simple: better coverage where it matters most, and fast access to information on the go.
Your satisfaction is always our number one goal. If you have any needs or questions about what AT&T can do for you, I invite you to stop by your local AT&T store, visit att.com, or come tell us what you think at http://www.facebook.com/ATT.
Again, thank you for being our customer.
Sincerely,
Terry Stenzel
Vice President and General Manager
AT&T – Northern California & Reno
September 8th, 2010 at 7:49 pm
Hafa adai
Michelle:
I know it isn’t your fault. But I have been trying to post the latest on the robotic military hardware sent to Guam. Can’t seem to post it.
Peter
September 8th, 2010 at 7:54 pm
Zen gorgeous I’ve been trying to get in to tell you how fine I think you are but It won’t post. I keep getting
“Duplicate comment detected; it looks as though you’ve already said that!”
September 8th, 2010 at 8:29 pm
Looks like Fox is running scared of the CNN pilot the “Parker Spitzer Show.”
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CNN is grasping at straws to stop the rapid decline in ratings. Cancelled Larry King. Pushed out Campbell Brown.
Now, the cable news network seems to think the answer is giving a talk show to prostitute-user Eliot Spitzer.
CNN announced Tuesday that disgraced former New York Governor Spitzer will be on your TV sets every night during the 8 p.m. family hour.
The new “Parker Spitzer Show” will premiere on October 4 and be co-hosted by “conservative” columnist Kathleen Parker.
Only a network started by Ted Turner would think that the American public will change the channel from Fox to CNN to watch the man known as “Client No. 9″ in a high-priced escort service.
Spitzer doesn’t want to be a TV star. He wants to be the mayor of New York City. He has spent the past two years plotting his return to politics and this CNN gig is part of his scheme to clear his name.
The cable news network lost 56% of its prime time viewers in the past year, and will likely lose more as American families protect their children from watching Eliot Spitzer on their TV screens.
Read about how Eliot Spitzer goes from Client No. 9 to CNN — Adam Tragone
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These boys can be nasty, can’t they. Notice the reference to disgraced governor. How many disgraced republican governors can you bring to mind instantly?
Right, most of the refuse to step down. They have no shame. Probably because their constituents are hypocrites who will support any scoundrel as long as he uses god in every other sentence when he is lying about his moral virtues.
Mike
September 8th, 2010 at 9:05 pm
Hafa adai Peter
I found this.
US military plans large-scale exercises near Guam
(AP) – 2 hours ago
HONOLULU — The U.S. military plans to hold a large-scale military exercise near Guam this month.
The U.S. Pacific Fleet said Wednesday an aircraft carrier, amphibious ships, Marines and an Air Force expeditionary wing are due to participate.
The 10-day Valiant Shield exercises are scheduled to start Sunday near Palau. Ships then will steam east and the drills will end near Guam.
The military had its first Valiant Shield exercise in 2006. This year’s drills are the third time they’ve been held.
Guam is a U.S. territory about 3,700 miles southwest of Hawaii and 1,500 miles south of Tokyo.
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Interesting huh? Why do we need all this fire power n little ole Guam?
Lea
September 8th, 2010 at 9:27 pm
Now the Right is going for a network of their own besides Fox. You gotta love their use of titles.
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We are proud Americans. And we’re inspired by the many Americans before us who’ve stepped forward.
So today RIGHTNETWORK steps forward, as America’s first right-minded entertainment network.
To start a new conversation and stir up the status quo with a potent point of view.
A place to be inspired, provoked, to laugh together, or just sit back and enjoy.
Join us online, on tv and on mobile.
Click here to get the party started.
=======================
The money behind these guys is scary.
Madge
September 8th, 2010 at 10:05 pm
Hafa Adai
The republican chairman gave a speech to the republicans. I went for the show.
RNC Chairman Steele Says Guam Republicans Are Setting the Pace for the Rest of Nation
Last Updated on Wednesday, 08 September 2010 20:20
Written by David Macaluso
Wednesday, 08 September 2010 17:02
Guam – Guam News
Guam – In a keynote address to Guam’s GOP Tuesday night, National Republican party Chairman Michael Steele congratulated the island’s Republicans for their strong showing in last Saturday’s Primary Election and said they’re setting the pace for republican victories in the rest of the country.
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This guy is a joke.
Lorena
September 8th, 2010 at 10:51 pm
WHY ACUPUNCTURE BANISHES PAIN
In China, people have sought acupuncture treatment for thousands of years based on reports of its usefulness from patients — what we call anecdotal evidence.
That’s worked for the Chinese, but scientific evidence is what matters to most people here in the West – for better or worse — especially to our medical professionals!
Not only has there been precious little of that, but what our Western research has found mainly affirms that acupuncture does work — providing few if any insights into why.
Now, at long last, scientists are beginning to pin it down, as two groundbreaking research studies provide new insights into how acupuncture works its soothing magic.
CAN YOU PROVE IT?
The Eastern explanation that acupuncture moves chi, the body’s energy force, thus correcting its flow along a series of pathways called the meridians, gives no satisfaction to scientists who want to quantify its effects on such things as the nervous system, neurotransmitters and the like.
I called a researcher who has made a career of bridging these worlds, Lixing Lao, MD, PhD, LAc, director of Traditional Chinese Medicine research at the Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
According to Dr. Lao, the quest for scientific proof regarding acupuncture has been a long and difficult one — he described it as being like constructing a puzzle with several decades of experiments filling in one tiny piece at a time.
For example, scientists did preliminary studies to determine whether signals from acupuncture needles in the body reached the brain.
They tried blocking local nerves to see if this would prevent acupuncture from having any effect — it did. Then they unblocked the nerves and tried again — this time patients did respond as anticipated to acupuncture, thus demonstrating that somehow its signals do, in fact, travel to the brain. Okay, so how?
IT’S COMPLICATED…
Dr. Lao says it is important to realize that acupuncture is multidimensional and doesn’t work in just one way — inserting the needles at the appropriate sites (not always where the pain is) serves to trigger a number of different biological events that affect perception of pain…
Pain signals are blocked so they don’t get to the brain.
The placement of needles stimulates a signal that travels predictably along the same pathway as pain signals to the spinal cord, overwhelming and blocking their entry.
The brain is signaled to release helpful neurotransmitters. The needles stimulate nerve pathways to the meridians that cause the brain to send out pain-reducing endorphins.
Adding to that research, these two newest studies provide strong physical evidence of how acupuncture accomplishes those feats.
In the first, from the University of York and the Hull York Medical School in the UK, researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging to scan the brains of 17 participants receiving acupuncture for pain relief.
The pictures showed that specific neural structures in the brain were altered, effectively deactivating areas of the brain associated with processing pain.
That’s important, but Dr. Lao told me that the second study — a mouse study done at the Center for Translational Neuromedicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center — provided even more hard evidence.
Researchers gave acupuncture treatments to mice whose paws they had previously made sore with an inflammatory substance.
They found that the acupuncture soothed their pain (they could tell because the mice took longer than other mice with hurt paws to retreat from touch or heat applied to the injured paw).
Researchers also found measurable biological change — in the tissue where the needles were inserted, levels of a neurotransmitter called adenosine that inhibits nerve signals and inflammation were 24 times higher.
This study demonstrates quite clearly that acupuncture works by elevating adenosine levels, Dr. Lao explained, adding that until now the evidence was “based on clinical observation of its results.”
With these two studies demonstrating physical changes from acupuncture,” we are starting to have an explanation of what we have been seeing,” Dr. Lao says.
In other words, this so-called “voodoo medicine” (a term some mainstream doctors use to deride acupuncture) isn’t exotic or strange at all — in Western terms, it’s anatomy, biology and chemistry.
Source(s):
Lixing Lao, PhD, LAc, professor, family and community medicine, and director, Traditional Chinese Medicine Research Program, Center for Integrative Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore.
September 11th, 2010 at 11:28 am
[...] Zen Lill: Hey. I realized I neglected to address your question the other day. I am not sure that I write exactly the way I speak, and I’m not sure I understand what you mean by “normal circumstances”. I used to think my writing was my speaking in print, but the more I write the more I doubt it. [...]
October 13th, 2011 at 9:06 am
manda lumber…
[...]Michelle Moquin's "A day in the life of…" » Blog Archive » Scammers Try Every Which Way To Exploit BP Oil Leak[...]…
October 28th, 2011 at 7:01 am
acupuncture…
[...]Michelle Moquin's "A day in the life of…" » Blog Archive » Scammers Try Every Which Way To Exploit BP Oil Leak[...]…