WHO@ Newsletter - October 15, 2012
I couldn't make this up if I tried. . .Junk removers find $114k in savings bonds
http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2012/10/1
The owner of a Massachusetts junk removal business said his crew discovered $114,000 worth of savings bonds in a hope chest hauled away from a home.
Leo Guarente, owner of the Junk Depot in Saugus, said a woman who asked to be identified only as Marie hired his crew to remove junk from her mother's Medford home and his workers used sledgehammers to open the chest and discovered a cache of savings bonds stamped by the Charlestown Savings Bank, the Boston Globe reported Wednesday.
The bonds had a face value of more than $20,000, but had matured to a worth of about $114,000, Guarente said.
"I could've used that $114,000 just like anyone else," Guarente said. "I haven't been on vacation in 10 years. But I did not think for one minute that I was going to keep that money."
Marie said she was ecstatic to receive the bonds.
"I was in a state of shock," she said. "I went backwards a little bit. Good thing my brother was [standing] behind me."
Guarente said he has received a flood of emails praising him for his actions and a businessman has offered to pay his phone bill for a year as a reward for returning the bonds.
"It's been great to hear all of the feedback," he said. "That's my reward."
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Visit WHOA on the web at http://www.haltabuse.org
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
NEWS TO USE AND PASS ALONG!
(DISCLAIMER: The following news items were found on the web and were not written or endorsed by WHO@; they are for informational purposes only)
Woman Arrested For Spreading Facebook Photos Of Undercover Cop - 10/15/12
http://houston.cbslocal.com/2012/10/1
A North Texas woman has been arrested after being accused of posting Facebook photos of an undercover policeman who testified against her friend in court. Mesquite police arrested Melissa Walthall, 30, for allegedly posting the photo of the officer, who authorities say recently testified in a drug case against her friend.
Amanda Todd: Suicide girl's mum reveals more harrowing details of cyber bullying campaign that drove her daughter to her death - 10/15/12
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-n
The mother of Amanda Todd has revealed the full harrowing details of the shocking cyber bullying campaign which drove her 15-year-old daughter to suicide. Amanda was found hanged in her home in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada, on Wednesday just weeks after she posted a harrowing video on YouTube telling of her battle with internet bullies.
Rape victim’s hard drive preserved - 10/14/12
http://www.heraldandnews.com/members/ne
A copy of a computer hard drive that was central to a Bend rape trial will be preserved in case of an appeal, a judge has ruled. Thomas Bray, 38, was sentenced to 25 years in prison last month for the February 2011 rape of a woman he had met on an online dating site. The trial and verdict followed a months-long battle over whether the defense could delve into the contents of the victim’s computer. Defense lawyer Stephen Houze sought the information because the woman told police she had gone online after the attack to look for information about Bray and the legal definition of rape.
North Wales woman comes face to face with stalker after his release - 10/13/12
http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-w
A SINGER who was subjected to an internet hate campaign by her stalker said her “heart stopped” when she bumped into him in the street after his release from prison. Former Miss Prestatyn Chloe Hopkins thought her nightmare was over when Anthony Mantova was jailed for 18 weeks in July.
Nanaimo police say the issue of harassment through social media has become a 'constant problem' - 10/13/12
http://www2.canada.com/nanaimodaily
The pain and hurt from online bullying is something all too familiar to Jesse Moxam. The teen turned to Nanaimo RCMP after bullies posted threatening taunts against him on Facebook. The tragic suicide of 15-year-old Amanda Todd after relentless cyberbullying has raised questions about how to prevent the misuse of social media by young people.
Cyber Criminals Target Kids in New Venue - 10/12/12
http://www.kspr.com/news/kspr-cyber-cri
We don't know for sure but the 47-year-old was the teen's friend on the social networking site, and that's pretty common. Chip Root with the Joplin Police Department is a member of the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force. But-- oddly-- he spends very little time at the computer. "When we first began these types of cyber crime investigations we were more pro-active, so we would go out on the internet and we would form undercover identities, look for people who have a sexual interest in children," explains Root.
Hillsborough judge vows to send prospective juror to jail - 10/11/12
http://www.tampabay.com/news/courts/cri
A prospective juror may have picked the worst possible judge to defy by ignoring the judge's written warning not to research a death-penalty murder trial getting started this week and not to talk about the case with other jurors.
Lake Charles man accused of cyberstalking, harassment - 10/11/12
http://www.kplctv.com/story/19786988/la
A Lake Charles man is accused of cyberstalking and harassment, according to a news release from the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office. On Sept. 11, the Sheriff's Office received a report from Andrew J. Benoit, 33, of Lake Charles, advising that he was being harassed and stalked by a woman via text messages and Facebook.
Seahorses banned from eBay to stop them being sold illegally to Chinese medicine trade - 10/12/12
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar
eBay has decided to stop the sale of seahorses from its website following pressure from an animal charity. The trade in the delicate creatures is fuelled largely by demand from the Chinese medicine industry, but eBay has now put a block on seahorse trafficking on all of its EU sites. The Seahorse Charity launched its campaign after being alerted to lots ranging from live creatures to 'hideous' baskets of dried seahorses listed online.
Internet troll behind 'Creepshot' forum where users post sexual pictures of unsuspecting girls unmasked as cat-loving grandfather from Texas - 10/12/12
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar
The internet troll behind a disgusting online message board where users post sexual photographs of unsuspecting teenage girls has been revealed as a cat-loving grandfather from Texas. Michael Brutsch, who uses the Reddit name 'Violentacrez', was the main moderator for the social network's 'Creepshot' forum which sparked outrage last month for encouraging the vile pictures.
eBay Olympic torch sale wife Caroline Hereward admits fraud - 10/10/12
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-li
The wife of a Lincolnshire Olympic torchbearer tried to sell her husband's torch on eBay without his knowledge to pay off debts, a court has heard. Police were called in after a bidder paid £3,000 for judo coach David Hereward's torch but never received it. Caroline Hereward, 33, from Ashleigh, Greet Steeping, Spilsby, admitted a charge of fraud at Skegness Magistrates' Court.
Thousands of women misled by £80 torch that claims to detect breast cancer - 10/10/12
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/artic
Thousands of women have been ‘misled’ into buying a torch which claims to detect breast cancer, the advertising watchdog has ruled. The £86 Breastlight device – which is sold online and in Boots – claims to help women spot the first signs of tumours.
'Dear staff. We could do with some positive comments': Hotel boss is caught telling his workers to post fake reviews on TripAdvisor - 10/09/12
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar
A hotel boss ordered his staff to write bogus reviews of his hotel after it had a series of bad reviews online. Frank Long, who runs the Ramada Glasgow Airport Hotel, emailed his staff asking them to post glowing reviews of the hotel on TripAdvisor to boost its ratings. He wrote to his team: 'We could do with some positive comments'.
http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2012/10/1
The owner of a Massachusetts junk removal business said his crew discovered $114,000 worth of savings bonds in a hope chest hauled away from a home.
Leo Guarente, owner of the Junk Depot in Saugus, said a woman who asked to be identified only as Marie hired his crew to remove junk from her mother's Medford home and his workers used sledgehammers to open the chest and discovered a cache of savings bonds stamped by the Charlestown Savings Bank, the Boston Globe reported Wednesday.
The bonds had a face value of more than $20,000, but had matured to a worth of about $114,000, Guarente said.
"I could've used that $114,000 just like anyone else," Guarente said. "I haven't been on vacation in 10 years. But I did not think for one minute that I was going to keep that money."
Marie said she was ecstatic to receive the bonds.
"I was in a state of shock," she said. "I went backwards a little bit. Good thing my brother was [standing] behind me."
Guarente said he has received a flood of emails praising him for his actions and a businessman has offered to pay his phone bill for a year as a reward for returning the bonds.
"It's been great to hear all of the feedback," he said. "That's my reward."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Visit WHOA on the web at http://www.haltabuse.org
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
NEWS TO USE AND PASS ALONG!
(DISCLAIMER: The following news items were found on the web and were not written or endorsed by WHO@; they are for informational purposes only)
Woman Arrested For Spreading Facebook Photos Of Undercover Cop - 10/15/12
http://houston.cbslocal.com/2012/10/1
A North Texas woman has been arrested after being accused of posting Facebook photos of an undercover policeman who testified against her friend in court. Mesquite police arrested Melissa Walthall, 30, for allegedly posting the photo of the officer, who authorities say recently testified in a drug case against her friend.
Amanda Todd: Suicide girl's mum reveals more harrowing details of cyber bullying campaign that drove her daughter to her death - 10/15/12
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-n
The mother of Amanda Todd has revealed the full harrowing details of the shocking cyber bullying campaign which drove her 15-year-old daughter to suicide. Amanda was found hanged in her home in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada, on Wednesday just weeks after she posted a harrowing video on YouTube telling of her battle with internet bullies.
Rape victim’s hard drive preserved - 10/14/12
http://www.heraldandnews.com/members/ne
A copy of a computer hard drive that was central to a Bend rape trial will be preserved in case of an appeal, a judge has ruled. Thomas Bray, 38, was sentenced to 25 years in prison last month for the February 2011 rape of a woman he had met on an online dating site. The trial and verdict followed a months-long battle over whether the defense could delve into the contents of the victim’s computer. Defense lawyer Stephen Houze sought the information because the woman told police she had gone online after the attack to look for information about Bray and the legal definition of rape.
North Wales woman comes face to face with stalker after his release - 10/13/12
http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-w
A SINGER who was subjected to an internet hate campaign by her stalker said her “heart stopped” when she bumped into him in the street after his release from prison. Former Miss Prestatyn Chloe Hopkins thought her nightmare was over when Anthony Mantova was jailed for 18 weeks in July.
Nanaimo police say the issue of harassment through social media has become a 'constant problem' - 10/13/12
http://www2.canada.com/nanaimodaily
The pain and hurt from online bullying is something all too familiar to Jesse Moxam. The teen turned to Nanaimo RCMP after bullies posted threatening taunts against him on Facebook. The tragic suicide of 15-year-old Amanda Todd after relentless cyberbullying has raised questions about how to prevent the misuse of social media by young people.
Cyber Criminals Target Kids in New Venue - 10/12/12
http://www.kspr.com/news/kspr-cyber-cri
We don't know for sure but the 47-year-old was the teen's friend on the social networking site, and that's pretty common. Chip Root with the Joplin Police Department is a member of the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force. But-- oddly-- he spends very little time at the computer. "When we first began these types of cyber crime investigations we were more pro-active, so we would go out on the internet and we would form undercover identities, look for people who have a sexual interest in children," explains Root.
Hillsborough judge vows to send prospective juror to jail - 10/11/12
http://www.tampabay.com/news/courts/cri
A prospective juror may have picked the worst possible judge to defy by ignoring the judge's written warning not to research a death-penalty murder trial getting started this week and not to talk about the case with other jurors.
Lake Charles man accused of cyberstalking, harassment - 10/11/12
http://www.kplctv.com/story/19786988/la
A Lake Charles man is accused of cyberstalking and harassment, according to a news release from the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office. On Sept. 11, the Sheriff's Office received a report from Andrew J. Benoit, 33, of Lake Charles, advising that he was being harassed and stalked by a woman via text messages and Facebook.
Seahorses banned from eBay to stop them being sold illegally to Chinese medicine trade - 10/12/12
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar
eBay has decided to stop the sale of seahorses from its website following pressure from an animal charity. The trade in the delicate creatures is fuelled largely by demand from the Chinese medicine industry, but eBay has now put a block on seahorse trafficking on all of its EU sites. The Seahorse Charity launched its campaign after being alerted to lots ranging from live creatures to 'hideous' baskets of dried seahorses listed online.
Internet troll behind 'Creepshot' forum where users post sexual pictures of unsuspecting girls unmasked as cat-loving grandfather from Texas - 10/12/12
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar
The internet troll behind a disgusting online message board where users post sexual photographs of unsuspecting teenage girls has been revealed as a cat-loving grandfather from Texas. Michael Brutsch, who uses the Reddit name 'Violentacrez', was the main moderator for the social network's 'Creepshot' forum which sparked outrage last month for encouraging the vile pictures.
eBay Olympic torch sale wife Caroline Hereward admits fraud - 10/10/12
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-li
The wife of a Lincolnshire Olympic torchbearer tried to sell her husband's torch on eBay without his knowledge to pay off debts, a court has heard. Police were called in after a bidder paid £3,000 for judo coach David Hereward's torch but never received it. Caroline Hereward, 33, from Ashleigh, Greet Steeping, Spilsby, admitted a charge of fraud at Skegness Magistrates' Court.
Thousands of women misled by £80 torch that claims to detect breast cancer - 10/10/12
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/artic
Thousands of women have been ‘misled’ into buying a torch which claims to detect breast cancer, the advertising watchdog has ruled. The £86 Breastlight device – which is sold online and in Boots – claims to help women spot the first signs of tumours.
'Dear staff. We could do with some positive comments': Hotel boss is caught telling his workers to post fake reviews on TripAdvisor - 10/09/12
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar
A hotel boss ordered his staff to write bogus reviews of his hotel after it had a series of bad reviews online. Frank Long, who runs the Ramada Glasgow Airport Hotel, emailed his staff asking them to post glowing reviews of the hotel on TripAdvisor to boost its ratings. He wrote to his team: 'We could do with some positive comments'.
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