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BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. -- A warning going out to home buyers or renters tonight. There's another scam to watch out for. This one involves properties advertised on Craigslist. A local woman nearly fell for the scam and would have been out hundreds of dollars.

I absolutely agree with you, GREAT POST!!:)

Guns don't kill people; people kill people; and people with guns kill even more people. They also save more people who would otherwise be at the mercy of the criminals. SPRINGHILL TOWNSHIP, Pa. - An 85-year-old great-grandmother in Fayette County busted a would-be burglar by pulling a gun, then forcing him to call for help while she kept him in her sights. http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/17232825/detail.htm… Venus Ramey, 82, confronted a man on her farm in south-central Kentucky last week after she saw her dog run into a storage building where thieves had previously made off with old farm equipment. Ramey said the man told her he would leave. "I said, 'Oh, no you won't,' and I shot their tires so they couldn't leave," Ramey said. She had to balance on her walker as she pulled out a snub-nosed .38-caliber handgun. "I didn't even think twice. I just went and did it," she said. "If they'd even dared come close to me, they'd be 6 feet under by now." http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,267540,00.html Hancock County Sheriff's Investigator Andre Fizer said about an 84-year-old man's decision to shoot through a house door at another man who was trying to barge into the house: "You could tell he was devastated. You could tell he was scared." And rightfully so. Twenty-year-old Wade Ledesma made repeated attempts to break in to the house at about 5 a.m. on July 27, threatening to kill him throughout. Ledesma "tried to break through the front door and also tried to enter through a back door and a rear window of the residence. The resident called 911 and reported that the intruder was trying to force his way into the home…. [The elderly man] held himself against the door to keep [Ledesma] from entering," reported the Sun Herald. The resident became tired from holding the door and, worded about his and his wife's safety, asked his wife to get his pistol. He fired a shot through the door, meant to merely be a warn

Guns don't kill people; people kill people; and people with guns kill even more people. They also save more people who would otherwise be at the mercy of the criminals. SPRINGHILL TOWNSHIP, Pa. - An 85-year-old great-grandmother in Fayette County busted a would-be burglar by pulling a gun, then forcing him to call for help while she kept him in her sights. http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/17232825/detail.htm… Venus Ramey, 82, confronted a man on her farm in south-central Kentucky last week after she saw her dog run into a storage building where thieves had previously made off with old farm equipment. Ramey said the man told her he would leave. "I said, 'Oh, no you won't,' and I shot their tires so they couldn't leave," Ramey said. She had to balance on her walker as she pulled out a snub-nosed .38-caliber handgun. "I didn't even think twice. I just went and did it," she said. "If they'd even dared come close to me, they'd be 6 feet under by now." http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,267540,00.html Hancock County Sheriff's Investigator Andre Fizer said about an 84-year-old man's decision to shoot through a house door at another man who was trying to barge into the house: "You could tell he was devastated. You could tell he was scared." And rightfully so. Twenty-year-old Wade Ledesma made repeated attempts to break in to the house at about 5 a.m. on July 27, threatening to kill him throughout. Ledesma "tried to break through the front door and also tried to enter through a back door and a rear window of the residence. The resident called 911 and reported that the intruder was trying to force his way into the home…. [The elderly man] held himself against the door to keep [Ledesma] from entering," reported the Sun Herald. The resident became tired from holding the door and, worded about his and his wife's safety, asked his wife to get his pistol. He fired a shot through the door, mea

We all hear this often, laughter is the best medicine. Despite the fact that this may be an old saying, it still holds as true up to present. Laughter grants a lot of health benefits. And what makes it a lot better, best of all, it is free and easy. Laughter helps to unite people going through difficult times this is according to HelpGuide.org. It can be able to also mend feelings of defeat and resentment, make anger softer, and generally help people become resilient or even losing someone. The therapeutic effortlessness of a soft smile or a hearty belly laugh has more of benefits than what was mentioned. It is much like of an exercise, there are many benefits plus the physical benefits of laughter can last for hours. These helpful gains may aid to: * Brighten mental clarity * Reduce blood pressure * Spark the immune system * Relax muscles and ease digestion * Release endorphins to dampen pain * Boost oxygen levels to the brain and circulatory system As a universal lingo, laughter is capable of also building social ties and dispersing anxiety. It smooths the progress of relationship and permits attachments while dropping social fear factors. Steve Wilson, Director of National Humor Month and Founder of The World Laughter Tour, started an international happiness epidemic in laughter clubs and outreach programs led by Certified Laughter Leaders. His methodology "utilizes a systematic activity approach that is based on a foundation of both ancient practices and modern medical science," and it supports primary treatment as an adjunctive therapeutic modality. Group laughter can also save you away from pain and depression through natural release even though anger and crying has long been conventional vehicles for catharsis and release in psychotherapy. Its consequence can be in impulsiveness of thinking and make the horrifying more reachable. This constructs a height of consciousness where one can move a bit further and w

Home for the aged is a general term for a facility that cares for elderly people. It is not a question of where but a question of how. How is home for the aged can do good for our elderly? In a fast phase world like ours, finding time for fun and leisure is hard and finding time for family is harder. Sometimes we are left with no choice. We are forced to leave our elderly family members in a nursing home or more popular as home for the aged. There is always two sides in a story, leaving elderly family member in a caring home has advantages and disadvantages. Number of senior citizens suddenly seemed to multiply since 1950's. In 1900 the average life expectancy was forty-five, by 1950 the average life span was almost seventy years; the population has doubled but the number of people65 and over had quadrupled to become 8% of the total. In 1950's more and more population of "retirees" are supposed to get their pensions. Due to this case, extended families are seemed to be an obligation, where elderly had to stay with their sons, daughters or grandchildren. People then began wondering how to accommodate this burden. They started taking about nursing homes, retirement houses, or apartments where they can leave their elderly. Golden years are supposed to have a positive connotation but now the phrase developed into a different meaning. Instead of the "golden years" being now, I a one's old age golden refers to the good old days. Studies showed that people in developed countries are not only living longer, but also remain healthy for much of their lives, unlike in less developed countries, where the elderly tend to be plagued with serious illnesses. Causing them to live longer which means government has to support them because they are already retirees. In order to support them, one must work and working means no one to take care of the elderly. Elderly has a special healthcare although facilities like home for the aged are design

On Blogger - Springhill Care Group A programme that gets pharmacists to help make sure nursing home residents take their medicines promptly and safely will be extended to more homes and home-care providers. It follows a successful one-year pilot at six nursing homes in the last year. They are St Theresa's Home, Society for the Aged Sick, Tai Pei Social Service, Sree Narayana Mission Home for the Aged Sick, Jamiyah Nursing Home and Moral Home for the Aged Sick. A spokesman for the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC), an entity under the Ministry of Health that oversees the long-term care of the elderly, said it would start getting in touch with other nursing homes and hoped to extend the programme to all eventually. For the pilot, pharmacists from Guardian Health & Beauty, Watson's Personal Care Stores, NTUC Unity Healthcare and the National Healthcare Group visited the six homes and met individual residents to sort out their medications. View full story at: http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/singapore/story/medication-programme-extended-more-homes-home-care-providers-20120930

Extending the medication programme is really been a good news..thanks for the organization who support this programme..

This is just so inspiring it made my day.

Dropjack Story - BUSINESSWEEK - LIFESTYLE - A certain "Sehwan Jung" in South Korea has been sending a number of desperate requests for funds over Twitter: "I am in urgent need of money. Can you lend me 500,000 dollars?I will make it up to you later." A diabolical plot, indeed, though Mr. Jung's scam is unlikely to work. For one, people can see everything someone sends on Twitter and quickly realize he's sent the exact same message over and over. For another, he is tweeting almost exclusively to celebrities, including Channing Tatum, Rosario Dawson, Carly Simon, journalist Nicholas Kristof (who today sarcastically answered, "Sure!"), and the foreign minister of Bahrain, Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa. "Now this one is a real winner," says Dan Ring, a spokesperson for Boston-based data protection company Sophos. "Sehwan Jung's list of celebrities is almost as entertaining and as random as his actual request, and it's one of the more optimistic requests out there. I hope there's no way someone will fall for this." The "Sehwan gambit" joins the following examples as one of the laziest scams in Internet history. * "JOHN" fails to mention what he even wants to con you out of: Subject: what are you sale Greetings,My name is JOHN, i am highly interested in buying your{ what you want to sale } from you ,I will like you to give me the FINAL ASKING price and the lastes condition,also i will like you to scan the pics for me for proper verifycation. * This scammer doesn't even attempt to establish a personal connection before offering $18 million: Beloved, I am Elizabeth Etters, a Christian.I picked your email randomly for an inheritance of $18M. Please contact me for more details via [redacted]. * One malware attack came in the form of a bogus Christmas card-sent on March 19: Date: 2010-03-19 09:27:15 "You have just received a Christmas greeting card! To see your custom card and who sent it, please check

Springhill Opaque Colors Paper 24/60 Basis Weight Springhill Opaque Colors Paper 24/60 Basis Weight, Paper Size 8.5X11 - 500 Sheets Gold by international Color Paper Be the first to review this item | Like (0) Price: $22.99 Color: Gold Blue GoldGray Green Ivory Pink Tan Canary Orchid In Stock. Ships from and sold by M & H Shoppers. Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: A Night to Remember The most helpful favorable review The most helpful critical review 119 of 123 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Best Titanic movie yet. Cameron's film has its moments, but in truth I only liked it for the chance it gave me to see a great old ocean liner brought to life again on screen. In "A Night To Remember", the effects are not nearly so impressive, but the story is far better. It's very much in the style of a docudrama, but its a docudrama about one of the most fascinating and enduring stories in... Read the full review › Published on December 9, 2002 by Darren B. O'Connor › See more 5 star, 4 star reviews 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful: 3.0 out of 5 stars Distorted Aspect Ratio (Region 2) I have just viewed "A Night to Remember" from Granada Ventures (ITV DVD) purchased from Amazon.co.uk (Region 2 PAL). The Amazon.co.uk web-site describes the aspect ratio as 4:3 (1.33:1). The DVD packaging claims the aspect ratio to be 16:9 (1.78:1). It is in fact a letterbox presentation that has been stretched (east-west) from the cinema 15:9 (1.66:1) matted version... Read the full review › Published 10 months ago by Diotima

http://news.springhillcaregroup.net/ It is quite a challenge sometimes to talk or to communicate to elderly because you may need to consider and deal with differences in ages, ideals, priorities and perhaps even hearing or mental cognition issues on top. Don't close your mind and take it for consideration that your elderly friend or loved one may have been raised differently. Generation gap is another issue why it can be hard to communicate with the elderly but once understood, you will find many wonderful things to learn from one another if you just take the time to listen. When talking to the elderly, look them in the eye. We all know that looking in the eye when talking to someone is a sign of respect. That is a general rule and that has always been and forever will be. An honest person will never be afraid to look you in the eye and it is also a sign of a genuine interest in the person you are conversing with. Do not use or maybe you could turn off you mobile devices, more often than not they do not understand these things and they will feel destructed by it and worse will feel like they are playing second fiddle to a piece of equipment that can lead to them to shut down and lose interest in talking to you. Always be respectful, this applies to everyone. You might confuse this with being sweet and condescending but these two are different from respect. Listen to them, or maybe if fitting you can place your hand on their hand or arm. Remember, they are your elderly and not your children so never call them names like, 'sweetie', 'honey', or 'darling', that will be rude! Never ever shout at them, if they have troubles hearing you or the surrounding get them hearing aide. They may pull away from communicating with anyone and even become bitter if this is taken for granted. And they may not admit this so it is up to you to notice if they cannot hear properly anymore or have them checked regularly. Never make them feel that being there for

Getting older could sometimes be a bit frustrating that is why socialization is very important to have socialization for seniors. As much as it is important to everyone it is as important twofold for the elderly. These may come a bit hard to do when we were younger as we were too busy bringing home the bacon and at the same time taking care of the family. As we get older, as life is slowly taking paces as if everything is slowing down including time literally, seniors now has all the time to socialize but the thing now is there is no much of someone to socialize with. As this point in time many friends may have been lost along the way and are no longer part of your long-term friendships. It will be great if you have friends from the past that you still have contact with and remained friends up to the golden age. It will be best for both sides to keep in touch, calling once in a while is a good idea and meeting at least once a month will do great on both parts too. It will also help if you invite new people, it will be more exciting still having to meet new friends and don't worry if you think that you have nothing to do. There will always be lots to do, such as going to a museum, to a park, movies perhaps or stay home eat and talk about books you have read, share stories and experiences. Do not frustrate yourself because possibilities are endless and new relationships as well. If unfortunately this cannot be done anymore, don't worry, there are senior centers that offer socialization. Bingo may sound old and actually a traditional game to play but still fun and popular up to this day. Everyone can still enjoy it. Like earlier there are endless of possibilities, everyone at any age can still enjoy shopping maybe do it once in a while. To add excitement and feel like young again, maybe you can try to choose to make it a girls' night out or a boys' night out so you can plan an afternoon at your favorite restaurant, then shopping afterwards. Maybe

Getting older could sometimes be a bit frustrating that is why socialization is very important to have socialization for seniors. As much as it is important to everyone it is as important twofold for the elderly. These may come a bit hard to do when we were younger as we were too busy bringing home the bacon and at the same time taking care of the family. As we get older, as life is slowly taking paces as if everything is slowing down including time literally, seniors now has all the time to socialize but the thing now is there is no much of someone to socialize with. As this point in time many friends may have been lost along the way and are no longer part of your long-term friendships. It will be great if you have friends from the past that you still have contact with and remained friends up to the golden age. It will be best for both sides to keep in touch, calling once in a while is a good idea and meeting at least once a month will do great on both parts too. It will also help if you invite new people, it will be more exciting still having to meet new friends and don't worry if you think that you have nothing to do. There will always be lots to do, such as going to a museum, to a park, movies perhaps or stay home eat and talk about books you have read, share stories and experiences. Do not frustrate yourself because possibilities are endless and new relationships as well. If unfortunately this cannot be done anymore, don't worry, there are senior centers that offer socialization. Bingo may sound old and actually a traditional game to play but still fun and popular up to this day. Everyone can still enjoy it. Like earlier there are endless of possibilities, everyone at any age can still enjoy shopping maybe do it once in a while. To add excitement and feel like young again, maybe you can try to choose to make it a girls' night out or a boys' night out so you can plan an afternoon at your favorite restaurant, then shopping afterwards. M

http://springhillcaregroup.net/archives/255 According to a new study from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, seniors work hard to keep their marriages alive and well, even after one spouse falls ill and goes into a long-term care facility. Community-dwelling spouses were greatly drawn in the lives of their partners who are inside the institution, and that a lot of the couples remained active together may it be inside or outside the nursing home Researcher Robin Stadnyk was surprised to discover about this. Stadnyk is a post-doctoral researcher in the University of Alberta's Department of Human Ecology. She reviewed data from a qualitative study of 52 community-dwelling spouses in three Canadian provinces: Alberta, Manitoba and Nova Scotia, for her PhD research. According to her research, the participants were heavily involved in their spouses' lives, not only through caretaking duties like doing laundry and helping with personal hygiene, but also through nurturing activities that brought them closer together. "Most participants described close relationships with their spouses before the placement in a long-term care home. They simply found ways they could continue that closeness within the institutional walls," Stadnyk noted. Marriage-sustaining activities included watching TV together, studying travel brochures and reviewing diaries to relive old memories, even taking painting lessons together. For regular weekly and even daily visits, some spouses do is they bring their partners home. A loving story of an 82-year-old man in the study took weight-training just so he could lift his wife in and out of the car for the weekly trip home. "The findings defy the common assumption that the partnership of marriage effectively ends when one spouse enters a care facility," Stadnyk said. Changing roles as give-and take-partners to compassionate caretakers, husbands and wives of partners with dementia carry on with nurturing their marriages. One of the thi

South Korean police said Tuesday they were investigating 27 North Korean refugees for swindling private insurance firms out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in bogus medical claims. Police said the refugees faked illness in collusion with hospitals to claim a total of 1.04 billion won ($909,000) from insurance firms between 2007 and 2010. While listed as hospitalised, they frequented saunas, restaurants and even nightclubs. The scam also involved a 71-year-old doctor and five hospital employees who conspired with the refugees to claim a separate 104 million won from the state health insurance agency, police said. Police are also investigating two brokers on suspicion of helping the refugees send some of the proceeds to relatives in the North. Fraudsters involved in medical insurance rackets have previously made use of North Koreans. In 2008, police charged 41 refugees involved in bogus medical claims. More than 23,500 North Koreans have settled in the South since the 1950-53 war. They get government financial help along with job education but many fail to adapt to their new environment.

LOS ANGELES, Iowa - The fearsome guns of the USS Iowa protected FDR from torpedo attacks and helped destroy the Japanese military in World War II. They shelled North Korea in the 1950s and patrolled the Central American coast during the Cold War. On Saturday, with the grand opening of the country's newest battleship museum in the Los Angeles community of San Pedro, the artillery that struck so much fear in America's enemies got a new role: photo op. More than 3,000 people walked up the Iowa's gangplank on its inaugural day and nearly every one seemed to want a photo with its 16-inch guns. "I want them to be part of history," said retired Marine Brian Tisdale of his two children, whom he captured posing at the gun barrels. Whether a snapshot on the Iowa deck will become as mandatory to a southern California vacation as a picture in front of the Hollywood sign remains to be seen. Officials said they were pleased with the museum's first day, especially given the breakneck pace of the project. The opening came just a month after the Iowa, one of the largest battleships ever, arrived in Los Angeles' harbor and just 10 months after the Navy selected San Pedro as the site of the museum. "It's unheard of. It usually takes about three years," said battleship enthusiast Robert Kent, who led the campaign to bring the Iowa to L.A. and now serves as director of the non-profit that runs the museum, Pacific Battleship Center. Built in 1940, the Iowa was an important part of the Navy fleet for five decades. It ferried President Franklin Roosevelt to Casablanca during World War II and later fought in the Pacific, sailing victoriously into Tokyo Harbor. The Iowa served in the Korean conflict and plied the Persian Gulf in the 1980s. Only about 15 percent of the ship is open to the public so far. Visitors are funneled down a single route that passes through a wardroom where officers ate and relaxed, around the vessel's upper decks and thr

South Korean police said Tuesday they were investigating 27 North Korean refugees for swindling private insurance firms out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in bogus medical claims. Police said the refugees faked illness in collusion with hospitals to claim a total of 1.04 billion won ($909,000) from insurance firms between 2007 and 2010. While listed as hospitalised, they frequented saunas, restaurants and even nightclubs. The scam also involved a 71-year-old doctor and five hospital employees who conspired with the refugees to claim a separate 104 million won from the state health insurance agency, police said. Police are also investigating two brokers on suspicion of helping the refugees send some of the proceeds to relatives in the North. Fraudsters involved in medical insurance rackets have previously made use of North Koreans. In 2008, police charged 41 refugees involved in bogus medical claims. More than 23,500 North Koreans have settled in the South since the 1950-53 war. They get government financial help along with job education but many fail to adapt to their new environment.

The move came after the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) obtained information that a Thai company had struck a deal to buy 10 billion pseudoephedrine-based cold tablets from a Chinese firm. Previously, the DSI obtained information that the firm also signed a deal to buy 850 million tablets, or 40 tonnes of the medicine, from South Korea. The DSI found that 87 million cold tablets were transported into Thailand from South Korea by plane on nine occasions since 2010. They had false air cargo manifests to avoid attracting attention from the authorities. The DSI suspected the medicines were smuggled in from South Korea. The DSI is investigating two companies suspected of being involved in the smuggling of the pills from overseas. The companies are UTAC Thai Co Ltd, a supplier of integrated circuits, and TVR Group Co Ltd, a car dealer and vehicle hire firm. Some information relating to the drug purchases was uncovered at the companies during recent searches of their premises but the firms denied any involvement. Mr Tarit said yesterday DSI officials also discovered a contract to buy 10 billion pseudoephedrine-based cold tablets from China during the search at UTAC Thai Co Ltd. Under the contract, the first batch of 2 million tablets was to have been shipped to Thailand on July 31, 2009. He said the DSI also found a photo showing a man collecting the pills from Suvarnabhumi airport cargo warehouse. The cold tablets from China and South Korea have the same brand name of COLCOLCO, he said. Mr Tarit said DSI officials also searched the company's factory but there was nothing amiss.

The Australian Crime Commission has estimated that 2600 Australians have lost more than $113 million due to investment fraud, in the last five years. The findings come in a new report, published yesterday, titled Serious and Organised Investment Fraud in Australia (PDF). The report was put together by Taskforce Galilee, a consortium of 19 government departments, including the Crime Commission, the Attorney-General's Department, the Australian Tax Office, the Department of Human Services and the Australian Communications and Media Authority. In addition to offers for shares in companies, the fraudsters offer green energy investments, new technology shares, lotteries and sweepstakes and foreign currency trading, among others. The report found that most of the operations targeting Australians were based overseas. Many were based in Asia, but were not run in Asia. Those who cold-called victims were generally Australia, English, Scottish, Kiwi or South African. The report stated that the fraudsters commonly used Voice-over-IP, email, phone, mobile phone or SMS to contact victims, and developed fake websites with log-ins that would displace fake balances, to keep the victim investing money in the scam. The victims tended to be male, aged over 35 years, but generally over 50. Small business owners, self-funded retirees and those who are socially isolated were common. The report said that Australian victims were found to be well-educated and computer literate. Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare said in a statement that people could be strung along for months before catching on. "This is what happens. The criminal syndicate cold calls the investor, refers them to a flash website and sends them a brochure, promising strong investment returns. After taking their money, they string them along for months or even years, and then the money disappears," he said. "People's entire life savings are stolen by criminals, with the click of a mouse. This type of

LOS ANGELES, Iowa - The fearsome guns of the USS Iowa protected FDR from torpedo attacks and helped destroy the Japanese military in World War II. They shelled North Korea in the 1950s and patrolled the Central American coast during the Cold War. On Saturday, with the grand opening of the country's newest battleship museum in the Los Angeles community of San Pedro, the artillery that struck so much fear in America's enemies got a new role: photo op. More than 3,000 people walked up the Iowa's gangplank on its inaugural day and nearly every one seemed to want a photo with its 16-inch guns. "I want them to be part of history," said retired Marine Brian Tisdale of his two children, whom he captured posing at the gun barrels. Whether a snapshot on the Iowa deck will become as mandatory to a southern California vacation as a picture in front of the Hollywood sign remains to be seen. Officials said they were pleased with the museum's first day, especially given the breakneck pace of the project. The opening came just a month after the Iowa, one of the largest battleships ever, arrived in Los Angeles' harbor and just 10 months after the Navy selected San Pedro as the site of the museum. "It's unheard of. It usually takes about three years," said battleship enthusiast Robert Kent, who led the campaign to bring the Iowa to L.A. and now serves as director of the non-profit that runs the museum, Pacific Battleship Center. Built in 1940, the Iowa was an important part of the Navy fleet for five decades. It ferried President Franklin Roosevelt to Casablanca during World War II and later fought in the Pacific, sailing victoriously into Tokyo Harbor. The Iowa served in the Korean conflict and plied the Persian Gulf in the 1980s. Only about 15 percent of the ship is open to the public so far. Visitors are funneled down a single route that passes through a wardroom where officers ate and relaxed, around the vessel's upper decks and thr

The move came after the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) obtained information that a Thai company had struck a deal to buy 10 billion pseudoephedrine-based cold tablets from a Chinese firm. Previously, the DSI obtained information that the firm also signed a deal to buy 850 million tablets, or 40 tonnes of the medicine, from South Korea. The DSI found that 87 million cold tablets were transported into Thailand from South Korea by plane on nine occasions since 2010. They had false air cargo manifests to avoid attracting attention from the authorities. The DSI suspected the medicines were smuggled in from South Korea. The DSI is investigating two companies suspected of being involved in the smuggling of the pills from overseas. The companies are UTAC Thai Co Ltd, a supplier of integrated circuits, and TVR Group Co Ltd, a car dealer and vehicle hire firm. Some information relating to the drug purchases was uncovered at the companies during recent searches of their premises but the firms denied any involvement. Mr Tarit said yesterday DSI officials also discovered a contract to buy 10 billion pseudoephedrine-based cold tablets from China during the search at UTAC Thai Co Ltd. Under the contract, the first batch of 2 million tablets was to have been shipped to Thailand on July 31, 2009.

The Australian Crime Commission has estimated that 2600 Australians have lost more than $113 million due to investment fraud, in the last five years. The findings come in a new report, published yesterday, titled Serious and Organised Investment Fraud in Australia (PDF). The report was put together by Taskforce Galilee, a consortium of 19 government departments, including the Crime Commission, the Attorney-General's Department, the Australian Tax Office, the Department of Human Services and the Australian Communications and Media Authority. In addition to offers for shares in companies, the fraudsters offer green energy investments, new technology shares, lotteries and sweepstakes and foreign currency trading, among others. The report found that most of the operations targeting Australians were based overseas. Many were based in Asia, but were not run in Asia. Those who cold-called victims were generally Australia, English, Scottish, Kiwi or South African. The report stated that the fraudsters commonly used Voice-over-IP, email, phone, mobile phone or SMS to contact victims, and developed fake websites with log-ins that would displace fake balances, to keep the victim investing money in the scam. The victims tended to be male, aged over 35 years, but generally over 50. Small business owners, self-funded retirees and those who are socially isolated were common. The report said that Australian victims were found to be well-educated and computer literate. Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare said in a statement that people could be strung along for months before catching on. "This is what happens. The criminal syndicate cold calls the investor, refers them to a flash website and sends them a brochure, promising strong investment returns. After taking their money, they string them along for months or even years, and then the money disappears," he said. "People's entire life savings are stolen by criminals, with the click of a mouse. This type of c