Net Crimes & Misdemeanors

I couldn't make this up if I tried. . .Authorities probe game character theft http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2012/12/2 7/Authorities-probe-game-character-theft/U PI-64841356629202/ Authorities in Turkey said they are investigating after a college student reported someone hacked his Knight Online game account and stole his character. Ahmet Kaya, 18, of Kutahya province, said he spent eight years developing his character in the multiplayer role-playing game and he eventually decided to put the character up for sale, Hurriyet Daily News/Dogan News Agency reported Thursday. "My character costs about 2,500 Turkish Liras ($1,396.96) in the market, but I needed money urgently, so I was selling it for 600 Turkish Liras ($335.27)," Kaya said. The student said he received an email and a phone call from an interested buyer, but he soon discovered his email account information had been stolen and the perpetrator used the information to access his account in the game and steal his charac...

I could't make this up if I tried. . .Robot seal brought to Swedish elderly home http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2012/12/2 3/Robot-seal-brought-to-Swedish-elderly-h ome/UPI-88061356300495/ Residents at a a southern Swedish elderly home will soon be able to cuddle up with a robotic seal from Japan, officials say. The Japanese robots, which respond to touch and to show signs of appreciation, are used in therapeutic care for children and elderly people, The Local.se reported Saturday. "The seal has appealing eyes and soft fur which is pleasant to touch," Berit Lundstrom, chair of the nursing home, told the local Skanskan newspaper. "It could bring comfort to elderly people who feel anxious." Lundstrom said bringing in a robot has many advantages over a real cat or dog. A robot is easier to handle and to take care of and there are no risks for allergic reactions. And, "If you put it in someone's lap it stays there," said Lundstrom. * * * * * * * * * * * * ...

I couldn't make this up if I tried. . .Contest over: We have the headline of the year http://jimromenesko.com/2012/12/12/cont est-over-we-have-the-best-crime-story-of-t he-year/ Sandusky Register design desk chief Mike Schaffer gets the credit for this headline. “It was a no-brainer,” he says. “That song title popped into my head right away. …We were joking about it in the newsroom, saying things like, He’s lost that loving feeling. We’ve had a lot of fun with it.” Schaffer, 47, says of Hall and Oates: “I’ve seen them in concert before; I know all of their songs. Some of the younger people in the newsroom didn’t get it.” Emil Whitis, the 27-year-old reporter who wrote the story, was one of them. “I’d never heard of them,” he says. “The sheriff deputies were rolling with laughter and I didn’t get it. Then they played the song for me.” Whitis’ story ran on A2, but had a page one teaser ­ with the suspect’s mug shot ­ that read “Watch out, here he comes!” * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ...

I couldn't make this up if I tried. . .Man posed illegal gun picture on Twitter http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2012/12/0 5/Man-posed-illegal-gun-picture-on-Twitt er/UPI-58991354739475/ A New Jersey man was arrested after police said they spotted a picture of him holding an illegal weapon, a sawed-off shotgun, on his Twitter account. Jersey City police said they arrested Khalid McClenton, 22, Nov. 28 after they saw the photo of him holding the gun online, The Jersey Journal, Jersey City, reported Wednesday. McClenton was charged with unlawful possession of several prohibited weapons, including the shotgun, a handgun and two knives. McClenton's bail was set at $40,000 cash or bond with a 10 percent option. His lawyer, public defender Alicia Lera, unsuccessfully argued for the bail to be lowered to $35,000 cash or bond with a 10 percent option. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit WHOA on the web at http://www.haltabuse.org * * * * * * * *...

I couldn't make this up if I tried. . .Fake plane crash fools TV station http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2012/11/3 0/Fake-plane-crash-fools-TV-station/UPI-5 2281354310082/ A Chicago TV station spent about 15 minutes reporting on a plane crash that turned out to be simulated for the TV series "Chicago Fire." WGN-TV reported on the crash, which was a simulated scene around 8 a.m. Friday for NBC series "Chicago Fire," complete with a small plane with its left wing splintered off, police cars and ambulance and extras acting as spectators, WMAQ-TV, Chicago, reported Friday. Police said they did not receive any calls about the fake plane crash, but the Chicago Fire Department sent out an alert asking residents to disregard the scene. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit WHOA on the web at http://www.haltabuse.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * NEWS TO USE AND PASS ALONG! (DISCLAIMER:...

I couldn't make this up if I tried. . .Prank ad seeks James Bond-style spy http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2012/11/2 4/Prank-ad-seeks-James-Bond-style-spy/UP I-10511353738275/#axzz2DLHZY31R An ad seeking a "target elimination specialist" willing to travel to exercise a license to kill was posted Friday on a British government website. Unfortunately for those with James Bond fantasies, the ad was a prank, The Daily Telegraph reported. There were some tipoffs, like the suggestion that candidates should prefer martinis "shaken and not stirred." A spokeswoman said the Department of Work and Pensions is investigating how the fake posting got onto the job center website and whether a government employee was involved. "It is disappointing that somebody would want to post a false advert when people are looking for real jobs," she said. "It has now been removed." The listed salary was 50,000 to 60,000 pounds ($80,000 to $96,000) a year with fringe benefit...

I couldn't make this up if I tried. . .Man: Bathroom cam was for supervising http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2012/11/1 4/Man-Bathroom-cam-was-for-supervising/U PI-34581352922197/ Police in Florida said a JCPenny worker accused of planting a camera in the women's bathroom said he wanted to make sure his co-workers were doing their jobs. Authorities said the Loss Prevention Officer at the West Palm Beach Store noticed the ceiling fan in the bathroom was dislodged just after 9 a.m, Monday and a closer examination revealed a cellphone aimed toward the bathroom's toilets was recording video, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported Wednesday. The officer told police she suspected employee Raphael Dieguez to be behind the incident and the found phone rang when officers called the number the worker had given his employers. Police said Dieguez revealed during questioning that his real name was Marco Bartolon-Velasquez, 26, and he had been using his brother's name for "employmen...

I couldn't make this up if I tried. . .Tattoo parlor tiles floor with pennies http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2012/11/0 8/Tattoo-parlor-tiles-floor-with-pennies/U PI-66001352398524/ The owner of a Pittsburgh tattoo parlor said she found covering her shop's floor with pennies was cheaper than buying tile. Mel Angst, owner of the Artisan tattoo shop, said she and a team of helpers spent about 300 hours gluing 250,000 pennies to the floor of her store, the New York Daily News reported Thursday. "Amazingly enough, we found it's a lot cheaper to just glue money to your floor than to actually buy tile. It's about $3 a square foot," Angst said. Angst said anyone who spent at least 30 hours helping with the floor will receive a complimentary Abraham Lincoln penny tattoo. "Some days it was just me. I think the most [people helping] we ever had was seven," Angst said. "But on average, three or four people a day for about 10 to 16 hours a day, for about three ...

Call for victims: I have a woman writing a dissertation for her doctorate and the subject is cyberstalking. She is looking for victims who were cyberstalked after a breakup. She would like to do this via Skype or in person (she is in Columbia, Missouri). If you are interested in this, please reply here or email me at whoa@haltabuse.org

I couldn't make this up if I tried. . .Firefighters arrive to find fireplace DVD http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2012/11/0 1/Firefighters-arrive-to-find-fireplace-D VD/UPI-74311351791265/ Swedish firefighters said they responded to a report of flames seen through an apartment's window only to discover it was a DVD of a fireplace. Jonkoping firefighters said they were called Wednesday by workers at a senior care home who spotted flames through the window of a nearby apartment building, Swedish news agency TT reported Thursday. "We quickly realized that it was one of those DVDs of a fireplace," firefighter Jerker Sturedahl said. Emergency responders said the TV screen fire video was quite relaxing. "We even stayed and watched the fire for a while afterward," police officer Goran Gunnarson said. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit WHOA on the web at http://www.haltabuse.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ...