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"For the twelfth successive year, identity theft topped the consumer complaint database of the Federal Trade Commission with the largest number of complaints, perhaps owing to the rampant use (and misuse) of online services such as social networking and e-commerce websites.   From the 1.8 million complaints the FTC got in 2011, almost 300,000 are about identity theft. The information of FTC has included complaints filed to them or from other states and federal consumer protection groups.   Most of the complaints of identity theft are coming from consumers saying that their personal details are used in government documents without their knowledge, with scammers aiming to collect benefits. Last year, government-related identity theft was 27% of the total complaints in that category, increasing by 11% since 2009. Accounting for the 14% of identity theft complaints is credit card fraud, with the rest consisting of complaints of bank, utilities and phone fraud.   More than half of all the complaints last year were related to fraud and taxpayers reportedly paid a total of over USD 1.5 billion in fraudulent schemes, with the average amount paid being USD 537. Moreover, 43% of the victims acknowledged that scammers reached them through email messages.   The top three states that have the most per capita rate of fraud reported are Colorado, Delaware and Maryland as first, second and third, respectively.   Generally, FTC discovered that people are either more willing to file complaints or they simply have more complaints now. The total amount of complaints they have received has increased by over 20% - from 1.5 million to 1.8 million in 2011 - that includes both identity theft and fraud complaints.   The following is the complete list of FTC's top 10 consumer complaints for the year 2011:   1. Identity theft 2. Debt collection 3. Lotteries, sweepstakes, prizes 4. Catalog sales, shop-at-home, 5. Lenders and Banks 6. Internet services 7. Auto-re

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http://newscenter-springhillgrouphome.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/south-korea-springhill-group-oft-tested.html http://www.thenational.ae/business/energy/oft-tested-routine-for-nuclear-reactor-vips Oft-tested routine for nuclear reactor VIPs KORI, SOUTH Korea // Visitors to the construction site of Korea's latest model in nuclear reactor technology are first treated to a video about its many safety advantages. As the film about the APR-1400 reactors ends in the darkened room, automated shades draw back from floor-to-ceiling windows to reveal the immense concrete domes and construction cranes at the edge of the blue sea. Steam floats from a boiler undergoing tests, and workers in blue hard-hats confer at the base of the reactor buildings that seem as vast as a mall in Abu Dhabi.The design of Shin-Kori 3 and 4, as the reactors are called, is to be nearly identical to the four a South Korean consortium is building in the UAE. Adjustments for the Gulf's climate, from larger pumps to more air-conditioning units, are undergoing review, along with the rest of the design, by the UAE regulator. On a recent day at Kori, visitors representing some of the highest levels of the nuclear industry, from Japan to the Czech Republic, crowded towards the irresistible view. South Korea has a well-rehearsed routine for international visitors to the world's newest nuclear exporter, from photo ops to specialearphones for listening to engineers in the noisy interior of functioning plants nearby. The first reactor is scheduled to come online next year, five years after the first spadefuls of earth were dug from this spot on Korea's south-east coast. The second reactor is due to follow in 2014. Another four are planned at the same site. "The construction schedule is going well," said Lee Young-il, a vice president at Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, the company hosting the visit. ayee@thenational.ae

http://www.jeteye.com/jetpak/f3f754c0-9122-449b-a365-01861c9e34e6/ http://www.thenational.ae/business/energy/oft-tested-routine-for-nuclear-reactor-vips Oft-tested routine for nuclear reactor VIPs KORI, SOUTH Korea // Visitors to the construction site of Korea's latest model in nuclear reactor technology are first treated to a video about its many safety advantages. As the film about the APR-1400 reactors ends in the darkened room, automated shades draw back from floor-to-ceiling windows to reveal the immense concrete domes and construction cranes at the edge of the blue sea. Steam floats from a boiler undergoing tests, and workers in blue hard-hats confer at the base of the reactor buildings that seem as vast as a mall in Abu Dhabi.The design of Shin-Kori 3 and 4, as the reactors are called, is to be nearly identical to the four a South Korean consortium is building in the UAE. Adjustments for the Gulf's climate, from larger pumps to more air-conditioning units, are undergoing review, along with the rest of the design, by the UAE regulator. On a recent day at Kori, visitors representing some of the highest levels of the nuclear industry, from Japan to the Czech Republic, crowded towards the irresistible view. South Korea has a well-rehearsed routine for international visitors to the world's newest nuclear exporter, from photo ops to specialearphones for listening to engineers in the noisy interior of functioning plants nearby. The first reactor is scheduled to come online next year, five years after the first spadefuls of earth were dug from this spot on Korea's south-east coast. The second reactor is due to follow in 2014. Another four are planned at the same site. "The construction schedule is going well," said Lee Young-il, a vice president at Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, the company hosting the visit. ayee@thenational.ae

http://www.thenational.ae/business/energy/oft-tested-routine-for-nuclear-reactor-vips Oft-tested routine for nuclear reactor VIPs KORI, SOUTH Korea // Visitors to the construction site of Korea's latest model in nuclear reactor technology are first treated to a video about its many safety advantages. As the film about the APR-1400 reactors ends in the darkened room, automated shades draw back from floor-to-ceiling windows to reveal the immense concrete domes and construction cranes at the edge of the blue sea. Steam floats from a boiler undergoing tests, and workers in blue hard-hats confer at the base of the reactor buildings that seem as vast as a mall in Abu Dhabi.The design of Shin-Kori 3 and 4, as the reactors are called, is to be nearly identical to the four a South Korean consortium is building in the UAE. Adjustments for the Gulf's climate, from larger pumps to more air-conditioning units, are undergoing review, along with the rest of the design, by the UAE regulator. On a recent day at Kori, visitors representing

http://springhillgrouphome.multiply.com/journal/item/65/South_Korea_Springhill_Group_Oft-tested_routine_for_nuclear_reactor_VIPs_-_The_National_ http://www.thenational.ae/business/energy/oft-tested-routine-for-nuclear-reactor-vips Oft-tested routine for nuclear reactor VIPs KORI, SOUTH Korea // Visitors to the construction site of Korea's latest model in nuclear reactor technology are first treated to a video about its many safety advantages. As the film about the APR-1400 reactors ends in the darkened room, automated shades draw back from floor-to-ceiling windows to reveal the immense concrete domes and construction cranes at the edge of the blue sea. Steam floats from a boiler undergoing tests, and workers in blue hard-hats confer at the base of the reactor buildings that seem as vast as a mall in Abu Dhabi.The design of Shin-Kori 3 and 4, as the reactors are called, is to be nearly identical to the four a South Korean consortium is building in the UAE. Adjustments for the Gulf's climate, from larger pumps to more air-conditioning units, are undergoing review, along with the rest of the design, by the UAE regulator. On a recent day at Kori, visitors representing some of the highest levels of the nuclear industry, from Japan to the Czech Republic, crowded towards the irresistible view. South Korea has a well-rehearsed routine for international visitors to the world's newest nuclear exporter, from photo ops to specialearphones for listening to engineers in the noisy interior of functioning plants nearby. The first reactor is scheduled to come online next year, five years after the first spadefuls of earth were dug from this spot on Korea's south-east coast. The second reactor is due to follow in 2014. Another four are planned at the same site. "The construction schedule is going well," said Lee Young-il, a vice president at Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, the company hosting the visit. ayee@thenational.ae

Source : http://newscenter.springhillgrouphome.com/ http://springhillgrouphome.multiply.com/journal/item/59/Springhill_Group_Home_Top_10_Fraud_Schemes Springhill Group Home: Top 10 Fraud Schemes http://newscenter.springhillgrouphome.com/2012/03/springhill-group-home-top-10-fraud-schemes/ For the twelfth successive year, identity theft topped the consumer complaint database of the Federal Trade Commission with the largest number of complaints, perhaps owing to the rampant use (and misuse) of online services such as social networking and e-commerce websites. From the 1.8 million complaints the FTC got in 2011, almost 300,000 are about identity theft. The information of FTC has included complaints filed to them or from other states and federal consumer protection groups. Most of the complaints of identity theft are coming from consumers saying that their personal details are used in government documents without their knowledge, with scammers aiming to collect benefits. Last year, government-related identity theft was 27% of the total complaints in that category, increasing by 11% since 2009. Accounting for the 14% of identity theft complaints is credit card fraud, with the rest consisting of complaints of bank, utilities and phone fraud. More than half of all the complaints last year were related to fraud and taxpayers reportedly paid a total of over USD 1.5 billion in fraudulent schemes, with the average amount paid being USD 537. Moreover, 43% of the victims acknowledged that scammers reached them through email messages. The top three states that have the most per capita rate of fraud reported are Colorado, Delaware and Maryland as first, second and third, respectively. Generally, FTC discovered that people are either more willing to file complaints or they simply have more complaints now. The total amount of complaints they have received has increased by over 20% -- from 1.5 million to 1.8 million in 2011 -- that includes both identity theft and fraud compl

South Korea Group of Springhill | edublogs.org May 22, '12 12:35 AM by SpringHill for everyone http://tonybricks96.edublogs.org/ http://tonybricks96.edublogs.org/2012/05/21/scrap-n-test-china-tells-n-korea/ China has been quietly and gently pressuring North Korea to scrap plans for a third nuclear test, said two sources with knowledge of closed-door discussions between the countries, but there is no indication how Pyongyang will react. If North Korea goes ahead with the test, China would consider taking some retaliatory steps, but they would not be substantive, a source with ties to Pyongyang and Beijing said. North Korea has almost completed preparations for the test, Reuters had reported in late April, a step that would further isolate the impoverished state after last month's failed rocket launch that the United States says was a ballistic missile test. "China is unhappy … and urged North Korea not to conduct a nuclear test near Changbai Mountain," said the source, who declined to be identified. China feared a radiation leak and damage to the environment from a blast, the source added. "China also complained about the environmental damage to the area after the first two tests." When North Korea conducted nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009, it caused environmental damage to the mountain straddling the border with China. North Korea ceded part of the mountain to China in 1963. It was unclear if the secretive North Korean government, typically unwilling to bow to outside pressure, would defer or drop the plans. China is the closest thing to an ally that North Korea has. "The impact on China's northeast would be huge," the source said of a third test. Chinese officials have discussed whether threats of diplomatic action would be effective, but any action might be restricted to some economic measures to signal China's displeasure and would not affect vital food aid for North Korea, the source said. A Western diplomat, who also asked n

SOUTH KOREA Despite success and promise, the wide-scale deployment of integrated gasification combined-cycle IGCC in South Korea is a few years away. The country has negligible domestic coal production, only possessing 149 million tons of recoverable coal reserves, and must import coal to satisfy demand. Over the years, South Korea has become the world's second-largest coal importer, after Japan. The electric power sector accounts for more than half of coal consumption, though IGCC promises a much cleaner future for coal-fired power plants. While IGCC is in line with South Korea's new and renewable energy program, the country cannot afford to wait for new technology to be employed, nor drastically decrease imports in favor of emissions reduction. Currently, most of the world, including South Korea, employs pulverized-bed boilers PBB in coal-fired power plants and these, along with past types of boilers, have given coal-powered plants very poor reputations. PBB plants require that coal be ground into a fine dust before being fired at high temperatures escaping emissions, such as sulfuric oxides and nitric oxides, are ineffectively collected by scrubbers. Coal plants have the reputation of being among the most pollution-inducing types of power plant. A new boiler technology is rapidly taking hold in the world of coal-derived energy, and this new technology may serve as a more-than-suitable bridge between PBB and IGCC. Circular fluidized-bed combustion, known better as FBC, utilizes fluidized-bed boilers FBB that do not require coal dust or extremely high temperatures. Granulated coal is loaded onto a suspended boiling before held aloft by upward-blowing air currents, tumbling the coal. This tumbling motion allows for more effective combustion and requires lower combustion temperatures. Combustion in FBBs occurs below the threshold temperature at which nitric oxides are produced, thus eliminating the need for that type of emissions capture. Internal limesto

SOUTH KOREA Despite success and promise, the wide-scale deployment of integrated gasification combined-cycle IGCC in South Korea is a few years away. The country has negligible domestic coal production, only possessing 149 million tons of recoverable coal reserves, and must import coal to satisfy demand. Over the years, South Korea has become the world's second-largest coal importer, after Japan. The electric power sector accounts for more than half of coal consumption, though IGCC promises a much cleaner future for coal-fired power plants. While IGCC is in line with South Korea's new and renewable energy program, the country cannot afford to wait for new technology to be employed, nor drastically decrease imports in favor of emissions reduction. Currently, most of the world, including South Korea, employs pulverized-bed boilers PBB in coal-fired power plants and these, along with past types of boilers, have given coal-powered plants very poor reputations. PBB plants require that coal be ground into a fine dust before being fired at high temperatures escaping emissions, such as sulfuric oxides and nitric oxides, are ineffectively collected by scrubbers. Coal plants have the reputation of being among the most pollution-inducing types of power plant. A new boiler technology is rapidly taking hold in the world of coal-derived energy, and this new technology may serve as a more-than-suitable bridge between PBB and IGCC. Circular fluidized-bed combustion, known better as FBC, utilizes fluidized-bed boilers FBB that do not require coal dust or extremely high temperatures. Granulated coal is loaded onto a suspended boiling before held aloft by upward-blowing air currents, tumbling the coal. This tumbling motion allows for more effective combustion and requires lower combustion temperatures. Combustion in FBBs occurs below the threshold temperature at which nitric oxides are produced, thus eliminating the need for that type of emissions capture. Internal limes

Springhill Group : Facebook might be reading your text messages The online community is all abuzz on Sunday after an explosive report has accused Facebook of snooping in smartphone users' text messages. Though Facebook admitted to reading SMS of users who have downloaded their app, they said they are only doing so as part of a limited testing phase prior to launching their own messaging service and not to deliberately expose users to fraud. The Facebook app running on Android is authorized to process, read, receive and write SMS, something they have declared in their terms beginning from the 1.7 version. Facebook said this is in anticipation of new features that will integrate Facebook tools with user texts. Now, if Facebook eventually introduces a feature that will be applicable to those permissions, they are ensuring the users even now that it will be accompanied by proper educational and guiding materials. Facebook retorted that users should be aware that it said it might access their messages, contained under "Permissions" - that long article you are expected to have read before downloading/using the app. Unfortunately, 70% of smartphone users do not seem to have the time for reading the terms and conditions attached to an app. Other popular companies that are using smartphones to access data and other personal details of users include Yahoo Messenger, Badoo, Google and Flickr. Several companies can reportedly control smartphone features remotely, which includes taking images and video using the camera, as in the case of YouTube. Also, details like contacts list, location and browser history are accessed and can be passed on to third-parties like advertisers. According to a statement issued by Facebook, it does not read user text messages and described the Sunday Times report as 'completely wrong' on their terminology and the impression they have made. But Facebook gave an explanation anyway: "…w

Over 200 people have been arrested in connection with a massive bank card fraud that may have bilked banks and clients out of a billion yuan ($159 million), the Xinhua News Agency reported yesterday. The Ministry of Public Security detained 208 people in eight provinces and municipalities. Police said they confiscated thousands of bank cards and have frozen 150 bank accounts. Police in eight regions coordinated the bust on June 11, following a lengthy investigation of key suspects including a Taiwanese surnamed Wu and a South Korean surnamed Park. The investigation began in November 2011, when two Taiwanese were caught using a counterfeit bank card to withdraw cash from an automatic teller machine (ATM) in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, according to the ministry. A similarly faked card was used three days later when another suspect tried to withdraw money from an ATM on Jiefang Road in the city. The police investigation concludes that banks in South Korea and Thailand were the main targets of the swindle. Local police in Shaoxing confirmed to the Global Times yesterday that 146 suspects were arrested in the city alone. "All 208 suspects are now here for questioning, and no further details can be provided at the moment," a police officer surnamed Sun from Shaoxing public security bureau, told the Global Times. The Shanghai-based Oriental Morning Post reported that the bust involves the largest amount of money and the most suspects of any bank card fraud in China. It is not known how the gang may have managed to swindle hundreds of millions of yuan from Chinese ATMs without being detected earlier. Police say suspects in South Korea bought the phone numbers of bank clients online, and managed to scam them by posing as bank officials who were concerned their accounts were at risk, said Xinhua. The clients were told to use their account number and password to log onto seemingly official South Korean websites. After obtaining the bank client's account in

Springhill Group : Facebook might be reading your text messages The online community is all abuzz on Sunday after an explosive report has accused Facebook of snooping in smartphone users' text messages. Though Facebook admitted to reading SMS of users who have downloaded their app, they said they are only doing so as part of a limited testing phase prior to launching their own messaging service and not to deliberately expose users to fraud. The Facebook app running on Android is authorized to process, read, receive and write SMS, something they have declared in their terms beginning from the 1.7 version. Facebook said this is in anticipation of new features that will integrate Facebook tools with user texts. Now, if Facebook eventually introduces a feature that will be applicable to those permissions, they are ensuring the users even now that it will be accompanied by proper educational and guiding materials. Facebook retorted that users should be aware that it said it might access their messages, contained under "Permissions" - that long article you are expected to have read before downloading/using the app. Unfortunately, 70% of smartphone users do not seem to have the time for reading the terms and conditions attached to an app. Other popular companies that are using smartphones to access data and other personal details of users include Yahoo Messenger, Badoo, Google and Flickr. Several companies can reportedly control smartphone features remotely, which includes taking images and video using the camera, as in the case of YouTube. Also, details like contacts list, location and browser history are accessed and can be passed on to third-parties like advertisers. According to a statement issued by Facebook, it does not read user text messages and described the Sunday Times report as 'completely wrong' on their terminology and the impression they have made. But Facebook gave an explanation anyway: "…we have done some testing of pr

Recent headlines about the troubled subprime lending industry are making Americans more aware of the consequences of risky lending practices. But unscrupulous lenders and scam artists continue to prey on unsuspecting loan shoppers and homeowners. Unfortunately, loan-related scams aren't restricted to tricking consumers into loans with outrageously high interest rates. Today's sophisticated scammers are using loans as a vehicle to do everything from stealing sensitive personal information to virtually stealing a credit-challenged homeowner's own home. The mortgage experts at Loan.com have identified five top scams that all consumers - mortgage shoppers and homeowners alike - should be on the look-out for. 1. Unsolicited phone calls Americans across the country have reported receiving phone calls from telemarketers posing as representatives from well-known organizations such as Fannie Mae offering to refinance loans at low rates. These "representatives" often ask for personal information, claiming they need it to qualify a victim for a loan. This information is then used to steal a victim's identity. Loan.com's Advice: Be wary of any phone call offering remarkably low interest rates on loans, especially if you have registered your phone number with the Do Not Call Registry. Most major nationwide lenders do not solicit business over the phone. Never give out personal information over the phone unless you are absolutely sure who you are speaking with. 2. "Helpful" contractors Many homeowners have reported contractors - often roofing or remodel professionals - approaching them with an offer to perform upgrades on their home at a reasonable price. These contractors offer financing through low-interest loans. It's not until after signing numerous forms that too many homeowners realize they have signed off on a high-interest home equity loan, and that the contractor has been hired by unscrupulous lenders to sell loans, not impro

Recent headlines about the troubled subprime lending industry are making Americans more aware of the consequences of risky lending practices. But unscrupulous lenders and scam artists continue to prey on unsuspecting loan shoppers and homeowners. Unfortunately, loan-related scams aren't restricted to tricking consumers into loans with outrageously high interest rates. Today's sophisticated scammers are using loans as a vehicle to do everything from stealing sensitive personal information to virtually stealing a credit-challenged homeowner's own home. The mortgage experts at Loan.com have identified five top scams that all consumers - mortgage shoppers and homeowners alike - should be on the look-out for. 1. Unsolicited phone calls Americans across the country have reported receiving phone calls from telemarketers posing as representatives from well-known organizations such as Fannie Mae offering to refinance loans at low rates. These "representatives" often ask for personal information, claiming they need it to qualify a victim for a loan. This information is then used to steal a victim's identity. Loan.com's Advice: Be wary of any phone call offering remarkably low interest rates on loans, especially if you have registered your phone number with the Do Not Call Registry. Most major nationwide lenders do not solicit business over the phone. Never give out personal information over the phone unless you are absolutely sure who you are speaking with. 2. "Helpful" contractors Many homeowners have reported contractors - often roofing or remodel professionals - approaching them with an offer to perform upgrades on their home at a reasonable price. These contractors offer financing through low-interest loans. It's not until after signing numerous forms that too many homeowners realize they have signed off on a high-interest home equity loan, and that the contractor has been hired by unscrupulous lenders to sell loans, not improve

Springhill Group : Facebook might be reading your text messages The online community is all abuzz on Sunday after an explosive report has accused Facebook of snooping in smartphone users' text messages. Though Facebook admitted to reading SMS of users who have downloaded their app, they said they are only doing so as part of a limited testing phase prior to launching their own messaging service and not to deliberately expose users to fraud. The Facebook app running on Android is authorized to process, read, receive and write SMS, something they have declared in their terms beginning from the 1.7 version. Facebook said this is in anticipation of new features that will integrate Facebook tools with user texts. Now, if Facebook eventually introduces a feature that will be applicable to those permissions, they are ensuring the users even now that it will be accompanied by proper educational and guiding materials. Facebook retorted that users should be aware that it said it might access their messages, contained under "Permissions" - that long article you are expected to have read before downloading/using the app. Unfortunately, 70% of smartphone users do not seem to have the time for reading the terms and conditions attached to an app. Other popular companies that are using smartphones to access data and other personal details of users include Yahoo Messenger, Badoo, Google and Flickr. Several companies can reportedly control smartphone features remotely, which includes taking images and video using the camera, as in the case of YouTube. Also, details like contacts list, location and browser history are accessed and can be passed on to third-parties like advertisers. According to a statement issued by Facebook, it does not read user text messages and described the Sunday Times report as 'completely wrong' on their terminology and the impression they have made. But Facebook gave an explanation anyway: "…we have done some testing of pr