True Crime Online Newsletter - November 11, 2013
I couldn't make this up if I tried. . .Under Armour can't protect against prank 911 call
http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/Blog/2013/1
Baltimore City Police responded to a 911 call threatening employees at Under Armour’s headquarters on Sunday afternoon, shutting down the building for hours and leaving workers unable to go home.
The 911 call came in around 2 p.m. prompting a SWAT team to search the building. After the search was completed, officials ruled that the 911 call was a very unfunny prank.
“We took that threat seriously, we came out. Our SWAT teams cleared the facility, we cleared the employees inside,” said Sgt. Eric Kowalczyk of the BPD. “False calls put a lot of people in danger and take resources from the city.”
Kowalczyk said the prankster will face justice.
“I think it’s great, you know. If a threat is called upon, they know what they’re supposed to do,” said an unidentified Under Armour employee.
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Visit WHOA on the web at http://www.haltabuse.org
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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)
Growing number of cyberstalking cases catches UPD's attention - 11/11/13
http://www.gwhatchet.com/2013/11/11/gro
A growing number of students at GW and across the nation have become the targets of cyberstalking, and University police say many are unaware of the resources law enforcement can offer victims. Eight of the 15 harassment cases reported to the University Police Department this fall have involved electronic devices, which includes texts, emails, messages from social media sites and phone calls. Suzanne Combs, UPD’s coordinator of victims’ services, said because sending texts or online messages feels more anonymous than following someone in person, the problem can become more extreme.
Katy Burns: Cyber bullies - 11/10/13
http://www.concordmonitor.com/opinion/9
Deborah Lielasus is a 54-year-old freelance grant writer from Portsmouth who has spent much of her adult life working in the nonprofit sector, particularly the arts. She is also – take your pick – a “parasite,” a “useful idiot,” a “professional beggar,” a “scammer,” a “phony,” a “leech,” a “government hack,” a “panhandler,” a “big scab on society” and – bizarrely – “a crack whore from Toledo.” She’s an “Obama minion” and “a dupe.” She has had “a long and pathetic career in bilking others out of their hard-earned money.”
Man charged with threatening, stalking Cook County Sheriff - 11/09/13
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2
A 49-year-old west suburban man was arrested Friday and accused of cyber-stalking Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart after sending him threatening emails for six months. Steven Cleary, of the 10100 block of West Chestnut in Franklin Park, was charged with threatening a public official and cyber-stalking, according to a press release from Dart's office.
The Craigslist killers: the full story - 11/09/13
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/n
More than 100 men replied to an advert on Craigslist offering work on a farm. Some of them were shot dead. The killers thought no one would miss their victims but, as Hanna Rosin reports, their story reveals a surprising truth about the emotional lives of men in a time of recession and family breakdown.
Nazi memorabilia dealer apologises for trying to sell 'fake' death camp uniform on eBay for £11,000 as victim's family call for police probe - 11/09/13
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art
A Nazi memorabilia dealer who tried to sell a concentration camp victim’s clothes on eBay for more than £11,000 has apologised – and pledged to return the garment to the man’s family. Dealer Viktor Kempf, 62, claimed the striped uniform belonged to Wolf-Gierszon Grundmann, who died in Auschwitz in 1941. Last night Kempf said: ‘I am ready to present the uniform to the family as a donation. And I would like to apologise to them for awaking sad feelings and bad memories.’
Scam artists targeting online dating sites - 11/08/13
http://www.actionnewsjax.com/content/to
Dorothy McDuffie didn’t want to tell anyone. “My family knew something was wrong with me because I was acting so different. I wouldn't let them in to help me. I thought I could take care of myself,” she said.
Internet calls for improvement after Home Depot tweets racist photo - 11/08/13
http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/Blog/2013/1
Home improvement mega-chain Home Depot needs to work on its social media skills after it tweeted out a photo Thursday which many people understood to be racist. As part of its sponsorship of ESPN’s College Game Day, Home Depot tweeted a photo of two African-American bucket drummers and a person dressed as a monkey with the caption, “Which drummer is not like the others?”
The mean moms of Facebook: Mothers create group dedicated to sharing photos of other people's DISABLED and 'ugly' children - 11/08/13
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar
A facebook group dedicated to criticizing 'ugly' babies proves that bullying is not just an act of teenagers. The private facebook group, which has since been removed, is composed of grown women around the country who grab photos of toddlers from other mothers' facebook pages without approval and post them online for criticizing. The group was originally designed to trade and sell children's clothing but took a nasty turn.
NPD detective honored for solving cyberstalking case - 11/07/13
http://www.newarkpostonline.com/news/ar
A Newark Police detective was honored Oct. 28 for his role in catching a man who was allegedly cyberstalking his ex-girlfriend. Det. Michael Watson received the Officer of the Quarter award from the Knights of Columbus St. Michael Council #4548, which has given the award four times a year since 1991.
Upstate woman fights back against cyber bully - 11/07/13
http://www.foxcarolina.com/story/239006
We use social media to post comments, tag pictures and to find old friends, but for one Upstate woman social media turned into a case of cyber bullying. Hope Marthers said a woman took a photo of her holding her 7-week-old son at a Spartanburg County Walmart, then posted it on a website shaming her for it.
Tanning salon offers 'sexy color' of American Indians - 11/07/13
http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2013/1
A tanning salon chain based in Alabama apologized for any offense caused by an ad promising customers the "sexy 'color'" of American Indians. The Club Sun Color Studios advertisement, which has since been removed from the company's website and Facebook page, depicted a woman in an American Indian costume and a fair-skinned female pilgrim, The Kansas City (Mo.) Star reported Thursday.
Bar apologizes for 'ladies night' Facebook post - 11/07/13
http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2013/1
A Florida bar manager apologized for the business' Facebook post that some interpreted as promoting taking advantage of intoxicated women.Marina Decennia, manager of Fire Bar and Grill in Tampa, said the Facebook post was made without her knowledge, WFTS-TV, Tampa, reported Thursday. "Ladies night at Fire tonight. Ladies get $2 martinis and $3 wines. Guys get drunk ladies," the Tuesday post read.
Man Faces Cyber-Bullying Charge In Ex-Girlfriend’s Fake Adult-Date Profile - 11/07/13
http://5newsonline.com/2013/11/07/man-f
River Valley businessman William Gregory was arrested this week on suspicion of cyber bullying in using his ex-girlfriend’s identify to set up a fake Adult Friend Finder account, according to a news release Thursday (Nov. 7) from the Van Buren Police Department.
Think before hitting send - 11/06/13
http://www.quchronicle.com/2013/11/thin
The university has dealt with four cases of cyber bullying this year alone, according to Chief of Public Safety David Barger. In Connecticut, cyber bullying amounts to harassment which can lead to serious consequences with the law such as fines, restraining orders and/or additions to one’s permanent record. “Bullying is up close and personal,” Barger said. “The thing about cyber bullying, although it is still personal, it’s not up close. That is the greater danger.”
Cyberbullies and Internet trolls: What are they thinking? - 11/06/13
http://www.examiner.com/article/cyberbu
Cyberbullying has increasingly been in the news lately with the recent suicide of a young girl who was being harassed by her peers. According to a Nov. 6 article on USNEWS, Facebook has established an Online Bullying Prevention Hub to help teens deal with incidences of online bullying. USNews quotes: "Today on Facebook, we encourage anyone who sees harassment or bullying to report it, and we even offer teens the ability to connect with a trusted adult to get help as part of our social reporting tool," according an advance copy of the new safety page, which goes live on Wednesday afternoon.
TLC Singer Denounces Claims Her Son is Gay as CyberBullying - 11/06/13
http://blogs.christianpost.com/hollywoo
TLC Singer Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas launched an online cyberbullying petition after the gossip site MediaTakeOut.com published a number of stories suggesting her 16-year-old son Tron Austin is gay. Thomas wrote "Recently my son was targeted negatively by popular gossip site MediaTakeOut.com. I can’t describe the anger I felt at my son being ridiculed continuously by MediaTakeOut.com for no other reason than the fact that he’s my son."
New cyber bullying tool: 'text bombing' - 11/06/13
http://www.krem.com/news/230814141.h
A new form of cyber bullying, called text bombing, allows kids to torment one another by sending hundreds, or even thousands, of text messages simultaneously. Text bombing is often used after break-ups. A jilted teen will use social media to spread someone’s phone number, and then encourage friends to bomb that person with thousands of mean texts.
Utah man pleads guilty to email threat over Lance Armstrong ban - 11/05/13
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/57087
A Sandy resident pleaded guilty Monday to sending a threatening email to the head of the United States Anti-Doping Agency as it investigated cyclist Lance Armstrong. Robert Hutchins, 60, will be sentenced on Feb. 10, 2014, in U.S. District Court of Colorado. He faces a potential penalty of up to five years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine.
Ottawa to fund projects aimed at preventing sexual violence, online harassment - 11/05/13
http://thechronicleherald.ca/canada/116
The federal government is inviting proposals from community organizations to prevent online harassment and other sexual violence against girls and women. One category of eligible projects involves preventing and eliminating cyberviolence, such as Internet bullying, luring and cyberstalking of young women and girls.
Virtual Child “Sweetie” Used To Catch Pedophiles Around The World Stalking Pre-Teen Children - 11/04/13
http://americanlivewire.com/virtual-chi
A virtual child named “Sweetie” is being used to trap online pedophiles from all over the world. Sweetie is a 10-year-old virtual girl from the Philippines who talks and looks just like a young child who has been forced to work in the world of cyber sex and exploitation. With in just two months of existence Sweetie and the team of men behind her have caught over 1,000 sexual predators.
http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/Blog/2013/1
Baltimore City Police responded to a 911 call threatening employees at Under Armour’s headquarters on Sunday afternoon, shutting down the building for hours and leaving workers unable to go home.
The 911 call came in around 2 p.m. prompting a SWAT team to search the building. After the search was completed, officials ruled that the 911 call was a very unfunny prank.
“We took that threat seriously, we came out. Our SWAT teams cleared the facility, we cleared the employees inside,” said Sgt. Eric Kowalczyk of the BPD. “False calls put a lot of people in danger and take resources from the city.”
Kowalczyk said the prankster will face justice.
“I think it’s great, you know. If a threat is called upon, they know what they’re supposed to do,” said an unidentified Under Armour employee.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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)
Growing number of cyberstalking cases catches UPD's attention - 11/11/13
http://www.gwhatchet.com/2013/11/11/gro
A growing number of students at GW and across the nation have become the targets of cyberstalking, and University police say many are unaware of the resources law enforcement can offer victims. Eight of the 15 harassment cases reported to the University Police Department this fall have involved electronic devices, which includes texts, emails, messages from social media sites and phone calls. Suzanne Combs, UPD’s coordinator of victims’ services, said because sending texts or online messages feels more anonymous than following someone in person, the problem can become more extreme.
Katy Burns: Cyber bullies - 11/10/13
http://www.concordmonitor.com/opinion/9
Deborah Lielasus is a 54-year-old freelance grant writer from Portsmouth who has spent much of her adult life working in the nonprofit sector, particularly the arts. She is also – take your pick – a “parasite,” a “useful idiot,” a “professional beggar,” a “scammer,” a “phony,” a “leech,” a “government hack,” a “panhandler,” a “big scab on society” and – bizarrely – “a crack whore from Toledo.” She’s an “Obama minion” and “a dupe.” She has had “a long and pathetic career in bilking others out of their hard-earned money.”
Man charged with threatening, stalking Cook County Sheriff - 11/09/13
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2
A 49-year-old west suburban man was arrested Friday and accused of cyber-stalking Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart after sending him threatening emails for six months. Steven Cleary, of the 10100 block of West Chestnut in Franklin Park, was charged with threatening a public official and cyber-stalking, according to a press release from Dart's office.
The Craigslist killers: the full story - 11/09/13
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/n
More than 100 men replied to an advert on Craigslist offering work on a farm. Some of them were shot dead. The killers thought no one would miss their victims but, as Hanna Rosin reports, their story reveals a surprising truth about the emotional lives of men in a time of recession and family breakdown.
Nazi memorabilia dealer apologises for trying to sell 'fake' death camp uniform on eBay for £11,000 as victim's family call for police probe - 11/09/13
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art
A Nazi memorabilia dealer who tried to sell a concentration camp victim’s clothes on eBay for more than £11,000 has apologised – and pledged to return the garment to the man’s family. Dealer Viktor Kempf, 62, claimed the striped uniform belonged to Wolf-Gierszon Grundmann, who died in Auschwitz in 1941. Last night Kempf said: ‘I am ready to present the uniform to the family as a donation. And I would like to apologise to them for awaking sad feelings and bad memories.’
Scam artists targeting online dating sites - 11/08/13
http://www.actionnewsjax.com/content/to
Dorothy McDuffie didn’t want to tell anyone. “My family knew something was wrong with me because I was acting so different. I wouldn't let them in to help me. I thought I could take care of myself,” she said.
Internet calls for improvement after Home Depot tweets racist photo - 11/08/13
http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/Blog/2013/1
Home improvement mega-chain Home Depot needs to work on its social media skills after it tweeted out a photo Thursday which many people understood to be racist. As part of its sponsorship of ESPN’s College Game Day, Home Depot tweeted a photo of two African-American bucket drummers and a person dressed as a monkey with the caption, “Which drummer is not like the others?”
The mean moms of Facebook: Mothers create group dedicated to sharing photos of other people's DISABLED and 'ugly' children - 11/08/13
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar
A facebook group dedicated to criticizing 'ugly' babies proves that bullying is not just an act of teenagers. The private facebook group, which has since been removed, is composed of grown women around the country who grab photos of toddlers from other mothers' facebook pages without approval and post them online for criticizing. The group was originally designed to trade and sell children's clothing but took a nasty turn.
NPD detective honored for solving cyberstalking case - 11/07/13
http://www.newarkpostonline.com/news/ar
A Newark Police detective was honored Oct. 28 for his role in catching a man who was allegedly cyberstalking his ex-girlfriend. Det. Michael Watson received the Officer of the Quarter award from the Knights of Columbus St. Michael Council #4548, which has given the award four times a year since 1991.
Upstate woman fights back against cyber bully - 11/07/13
http://www.foxcarolina.com/story/239006
We use social media to post comments, tag pictures and to find old friends, but for one Upstate woman social media turned into a case of cyber bullying. Hope Marthers said a woman took a photo of her holding her 7-week-old son at a Spartanburg County Walmart, then posted it on a website shaming her for it.
Tanning salon offers 'sexy color' of American Indians - 11/07/13
http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2013/1
A tanning salon chain based in Alabama apologized for any offense caused by an ad promising customers the "sexy 'color'" of American Indians. The Club Sun Color Studios advertisement, which has since been removed from the company's website and Facebook page, depicted a woman in an American Indian costume and a fair-skinned female pilgrim, The Kansas City (Mo.) Star reported Thursday.
Bar apologizes for 'ladies night' Facebook post - 11/07/13
http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2013/1
A Florida bar manager apologized for the business' Facebook post that some interpreted as promoting taking advantage of intoxicated women.Marina Decennia, manager of Fire Bar and Grill in Tampa, said the Facebook post was made without her knowledge, WFTS-TV, Tampa, reported Thursday. "Ladies night at Fire tonight. Ladies get $2 martinis and $3 wines. Guys get drunk ladies," the Tuesday post read.
Man Faces Cyber-Bullying Charge In Ex-Girlfriend’s Fake Adult-Date Profile - 11/07/13
http://5newsonline.com/2013/11/07/man-f
River Valley businessman William Gregory was arrested this week on suspicion of cyber bullying in using his ex-girlfriend’s identify to set up a fake Adult Friend Finder account, according to a news release Thursday (Nov. 7) from the Van Buren Police Department.
Think before hitting send - 11/06/13
http://www.quchronicle.com/2013/11/thin
The university has dealt with four cases of cyber bullying this year alone, according to Chief of Public Safety David Barger. In Connecticut, cyber bullying amounts to harassment which can lead to serious consequences with the law such as fines, restraining orders and/or additions to one’s permanent record. “Bullying is up close and personal,” Barger said. “The thing about cyber bullying, although it is still personal, it’s not up close. That is the greater danger.”
Cyberbullies and Internet trolls: What are they thinking? - 11/06/13
http://www.examiner.com/article/cyberbu
Cyberbullying has increasingly been in the news lately with the recent suicide of a young girl who was being harassed by her peers. According to a Nov. 6 article on USNEWS, Facebook has established an Online Bullying Prevention Hub to help teens deal with incidences of online bullying. USNews quotes: "Today on Facebook, we encourage anyone who sees harassment or bullying to report it, and we even offer teens the ability to connect with a trusted adult to get help as part of our social reporting tool," according an advance copy of the new safety page, which goes live on Wednesday afternoon.
TLC Singer Denounces Claims Her Son is Gay as CyberBullying - 11/06/13
http://blogs.christianpost.com/hollywoo
TLC Singer Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas launched an online cyberbullying petition after the gossip site MediaTakeOut.com published a number of stories suggesting her 16-year-old son Tron Austin is gay. Thomas wrote "Recently my son was targeted negatively by popular gossip site MediaTakeOut.com. I can’t describe the anger I felt at my son being ridiculed continuously by MediaTakeOut.com for no other reason than the fact that he’s my son."
New cyber bullying tool: 'text bombing' - 11/06/13
http://www.krem.com/news/230814141.h
A new form of cyber bullying, called text bombing, allows kids to torment one another by sending hundreds, or even thousands, of text messages simultaneously. Text bombing is often used after break-ups. A jilted teen will use social media to spread someone’s phone number, and then encourage friends to bomb that person with thousands of mean texts.
Utah man pleads guilty to email threat over Lance Armstrong ban - 11/05/13
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/57087
A Sandy resident pleaded guilty Monday to sending a threatening email to the head of the United States Anti-Doping Agency as it investigated cyclist Lance Armstrong. Robert Hutchins, 60, will be sentenced on Feb. 10, 2014, in U.S. District Court of Colorado. He faces a potential penalty of up to five years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine.
Ottawa to fund projects aimed at preventing sexual violence, online harassment - 11/05/13
http://thechronicleherald.ca/canada/116
The federal government is inviting proposals from community organizations to prevent online harassment and other sexual violence against girls and women. One category of eligible projects involves preventing and eliminating cyberviolence, such as Internet bullying, luring and cyberstalking of young women and girls.
Virtual Child “Sweetie” Used To Catch Pedophiles Around The World Stalking Pre-Teen Children - 11/04/13
http://americanlivewire.com/virtual-chi
A virtual child named “Sweetie” is being used to trap online pedophiles from all over the world. Sweetie is a 10-year-old virtual girl from the Philippines who talks and looks just like a young child who has been forced to work in the world of cyber sex and exploitation. With in just two months of existence Sweetie and the team of men behind her have caught over 1,000 sexual predators.
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