| How to avoid fees
Ignorance is not bliss when it comes to checking accounts. You must be aware of fees if you want to avoid them. For most consumers, a free checking account is the best place to start. You won't have to worry about maintaining a balance or sticking with a preset number of checks that you're allowed to write each month. Some banks give you free checking if you set up direct deposit for a check that you receive on a routine basis -- a payroll or government check. Some institutions might require a certain minimum balance for free checking. If you can live with those stipulations then there's nothing wrong with signing up. One of the best ways to avoid fees is by finding the account that's right for you. But there are plenty of fees that can be charged in conjunction with a free account.
ID victim thanks police
I am a victim of identity theft. I was out of the country for a few months and unable to check my bank account. When I finally did come back, to my amazement there were charges that were not mine on my account. The bank asked me to go to the Princeton Borough Police Department. They assigned a detective, Christopher Tash, to my case. The thief took numbers from the bottom of my checks and used them to pay his Verizon, PSE&G, insurance and charge accounts, from my bank account. Because of the splendid work done by Detective Tash, the thief was located and arrested. This man was an illegal immigrant who worked on jobs for me and was able to use checks that I had paid him with. .
Sacramento woman sentenced to 2 years for bank fraud
U.S. Federal District Judge Frank Damrell Jr. on Monday sentenced a 27-year-old Sacramento woman to more than two years in prison for using the mail to commit bank fraud. Michelle T. Rodriguez pled guilty Sept. 24. Rodriguez and conspirators manufactured checks using the account numbers of other people, which she would get from people who stole mail. She also used fake identification to cash the fake checks. Law enforcement got a tip about Rodriguez from a Crime Alert Bulletin, which led officers to a motel in Sacramento earlier this year. Rodriguez and her alleged accomplice, Curtis Martinez, saw the officers as they approached the hotel and fled, leading to a high-speed chase on Sacramento city streets. When officers caught them, the car was found to have 25 manufactured checks with various names, as well as Social Security cards and other documents belonging to other people.
ATM scam hits region
John Evans said he regularly checks his bank account online and found something quite odd Wednesday. According to his transaction list, he recently took money out of an ATM near Rockefeller Center. Just one problem: Neither Evans nor his wife has been anywhere near downtown Manhattan recently. Wachovia employees have told Evans he was probably the victim of something called ATM skimming. And he might not be alone. Skimming refers to someone stealing personal identification numbers and bank account information at ATM machines. It often involves some kind of device placed either on an ATM card slot or inside a machine that reads or hears information as a transaction happens, said Bob Bucceri, spokesman for the Electronic Funds Transfer Association. Also, a camera can be employed to watch potential victims enter their PINs.
ATM Skimming Investigation
Wachovia Bank is warning its customers to check their bank statements. In the past 24 hours they've received reports of possible "skimming" from ATMs in the York area. That means someone is stealing your personal identification numbers and bank account information at the ATMs. It happens when a device is placed on at ATM card slot or inside a machine that reads the information as the transaction happens or a camera that is set up to watch you enter your pin. There is no word yet on how many customers or ATM machines are involved in the investigation. .
Russian national faces sentencing in probe of massive ATM scheme
OREGON CITY (AP) - Wells Fargo Bank depositors began complaining in February about money missing from their accounts.For months, bank employees matched the complaints to ATM withdrawals in California. The same man appeared repeatedly in surveillance photos, linking him to nearly 400 victims and $463,000 in missing money.At the same time, agents from the U.S. Secret Service and the Manhattan district attorney’s identity theft unit in New York were tracking a network of tech-savvy identity thieves believed responsible for 95,000 stolen credit card numbers and more than $4 million in ID theft.It all came together May 30 in Oregon, when a check-cashing teller in the town of Clackamas recognized Eduard Kholstinin, a 30-year-old Russian national.His capture offered new insight into cybercrime, which accounts for $67.2 billion stolen each year from U.S.
Security firm urges caution when donating online
Internet users are being urged to exercise caution when making online donations to charitable causes, such as today's Children in Need appeal. Security firm Webroot Software warned that users must be extra vigilant to avoid exposing personal information to cyber-criminals.Webroot stressed that it does not want to discourage people from donating to worthy causes, but to make sure that the donation reaches the intended recipient."We are seeing increases in spoofing and typo-squatting around events driving traffic on the web," said Nick Banks, managing director in EMEA for Webroot. "Internet users need to think about protection and good habits when surfing online for information or donating."Cyber-criminals are targeting heavily trafficked websites, and donors seeking to contribute to worthy causes must use caution when visiting these sites."Children in Need fundraising activities have been taking place throughout the year, but the televised events today will prompt many people to visit related websites with the intention of donating.Webroot said that a potential spike in system monitors and key-loggers allows hackers to obtain personal information such as credit card or bank account numbers.The company also recommends that users ensure that security software is up to date, look for the padlock symbol on the browser when entering private information, and check bank accounts regularly for unexpected transactions.
OVERCAST
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (AP) — A man was killed and his friend was injured when a 9 mm pistol accidentally discharged during a hunting trip, Gulf County authorities said. Jayson Decker, 31, of Panama City Beach, died at the Gulf County campsite Saturday night. James Cook was treated and released from an area hospital, The News Herald of Panama City reported. Decker picked up the loaded gun and tossed it to Cook, Sheriff Joe Nugent said. When Cook caught the gun it fired. A single bullet passed through his left hand and struck Decker in the head, Nugent said. Cook ran to a nearby boat ramp to call for help. The men were camped on the bank of the White City Canal. Investigators determined evidence from the scene matches Cook's account of the shooting, Nugent said. .
Deputies arrest 2 in vandalism
Deputies arrested two juveniles Wednesday for the vandalism of graves in Colonial Cemetery.Deputies with the criminal investigations division of the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office arrested a 12- year-old and a 14-year-old, according to Blair Foster, department public information officer. Foster said the two boys were taken into custody Wednesday afternoon.“They were identified through a confidential informant," she said.The two are being charged with 109 counts of gravesite desecration and criminal trespassing for the vandalism incidents in August and over the past weekend.They were taken to the Florida Parishes Juvenile Detention Center which is east of Robert. .
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