Beware of Phone Scammers Using Social Media

New York State Police are warning upstate New York residents of telephone scams involving social media:

There have been reports of individuals receiving phone calls from a person pretending to be a relative or friend stating that they are in trouble and that they require immediate financial assistance. The perpetrator will request a sum of money be transferred via Western Union to a location which is typically out of the country.

It is believed that the person(s) involved in this scheme, obtain the victim's personal information via social networking websites such as MySpace or Facebook. The suspect(s) are able to obtain information as to where the friend or relative may be vacationing to add legitimacy to the call.

Posting information on when you will be vacationing invites the possibility of criminal activity and makes an excellent tool for criminals to plan their activities.

Former Supervisor Cleared of Ethics Charges

Finger Lakes Times:

Former Fayette Supervisor Edward Barto has been cleared of ethics charges filed against him by Concerned Citizens of Seneca County.

County Attorney Frank Fisher reached that decision in a Jan. 15 opinion, but it was not made public until this week by Barto’s attorney, Steven Getman of Ovid.....

Barto, reached Tuesday, said he was pleased that the complaint was dismissed. But he expressed frustration at the group’s tactics and the fact that Fisher’s decision was not given to him or made public by the citizens group.

“I’m glad to hear that the county confirmed that I did nothing wrong,” Barto said. “I always did my best to uphold the integrity of my office, and this opinion supports that.”

“At the same time, I think it stinks that this special interest group had no problem smearing me publicly when it suited their political whim and then, after I was cleared, they never said anything about it,” he said. ““I had to get an attorney to find out the complaint had been dismissed.”

Getman said he hopes the parties can discuss their issues more amicably in the future.

“Reasonable people can and do disagree on environmental issues,” Getman said. “But it ill-serves the public debate when one side or another tries to criminalize policy differences.’’

Speeding cushion no more?

According to Syracuse news channel YNN, "more and more drivers nationally are getting pulled over and ticketed for only being just a few miles over the limit":

A study published in the Journal of Law and Economics found the number of tickets officers write goes up when the economy is down especially as states and cities across the country use traffic enforcement to balance their budgets.

A speeding ticket, whether deserved or not, can have serious impacts on your insurance rates and even your privilege to drive within the state. If you receive a ticket, even if it is for only a few miles over the speed limit, you may wish to consult a qualified attorney to protect your legal rights.