When Florida businessman David Krop’s two laptops were stolen from his car back in February, he didn’t have much hope of getting them back. But he decided to try to log in using some remote access software he had installed on one of the computers. The software, LogMeIn, let him in, and he soon found himself seeing the world through new eyes. “Unaware that Krop was spying on his activities, the user of the Toshiba laptop visited porn site after porn site, taking breaks to check e-mail … and place ads to Craigslist.com for what Krop said appeared to be some kind of female modeling business, ” PC World reports. “My eyes just lit up,” Krop says. “Just the fact he was online at that moment was amazing.”
Government Policy
Maker of Yummy Vat-Grown Fungus Sued Over "Dangerous Reactions"
By 9.17.09
The food-safety watchdogs at the Center for Science in the Public Interest report that an Arizona woman is suing the makers of Quorn, a meat substitute made from vat-grown fungus. According to the CPSI, the company does not disclose “the fact that some people have serious allergic reactions to the main ingredient in its Quorn line of meat substitutes.” The lead plaintiff in the class-action suit, Kathy Cardinale, says that she became violently ill when eating Quorn’s Chik’n Patties. “I felt like the soles of my feet were going to come out of my mouth, I was vomiting so hard,” she said.
Bernie Madoff's Beach House Sells For $8.75 Million
By 9.17.09
An unidentified person has offered $8.75 million cash–more than the asking price–for Bernie Madoff’s beachfront home in Long Island. Bidders made sealed offers for the property, and the realtors say they won’t reveal any more details until after the deal closes. The house is supposedly very fancy, but if we lived there we’d just tear it up looking for hidden piles of cash. This is why we can never have anything nice.
Advice: Don't Try To Open A JC Penney Account With The Person You're ID Thefting
By 9.15.09
Did you hear about the identity thief in Seattle who tried to open a JC Penney credit card account with one of the very women whose identity she had stolen?
Video: Guy Installing Skimmer On ATM
By 9.14.09
LiveLeak has posted surveillance video footage from earlier this month of a guy in Brazil installing a skimming device onto a bank ATM. The second half of the tape shows him being arrested and officials revealing the device, which just reminds us that the next time we use an ATM, we’re first going to take off a shoe and hit everything on it like it’s covered in giant ants. See the video below.
Parents Sue Dunkin' Donuts After Rogue Hash Brown Burns Toddler
By 9.13.09
Continuing this weekend’s unintentional theme of “toddlers and food service,” today we bring you the sad tale of a Quincy, Mass. 23-month-old whose parents are suing Dunkin’ Donuts after he was burned by a hash brown. A hash brown that fell out of his mouth and onto his neck.
Shoplifter Shoves 3 Pounds Of Bacon In His Pants
By 9.13.09
In a case that makes a compelling argument for the use of anti-meat-shoplifting dogs, a man in Mary Esther, Florida was caught when grocery store personnel noticed that he was “looking suspicious.” He looked suspicious because of the 48 ounces of bacon he had stuffed in his pants.
Do Not Sign For Your Neighbor's Packages, Then Pawn Them
By 9.12.09
Fedex delivered a Florida woman’s new laptop computer when she wasn’t home. It was okay, though—her neighbor signed for it. Then, allegedly, he pawned it. Somehow, authorities tracked him down. Maybe it was the part where he signed his name.
Beware Fake Theme Park Passes
By 9.11.09
Everyone knows that you should never purchase gift cards on eBay or Craigslist, but it turns out that theme park passes in the form of gift cards are just as likely to be fake.
ID Theft Ringleader Pleads Guilty
By 9.11.09
Albert Gonzalez, a 28-year-old from Miami who was arrested last year and charged with leading “a worldwide ring that stole more than 40 million credit and debit card numbers from major retail chains,” plead guilty today as part of a plea bargain. He faces up to 25 years in prison.
16-Year-Old Unwittingly Stars In Homemade Abercrombie & Fitch Dressing Room Video
By 9.10.09
A teenager is suing Abercrombie & Fitch and one of its former employees after she caught someone filming her in one of the store’s dressing rooms.
Old Workers Vs. Young In A Tough Labor Market
By 9.10.09
Forget about mall-walking and midday bingo games. It seems that workers over 55 just aren’t interested in retiring. This is problematic for the young people who, under different circumstances, would have replaced them in the workforce.
By 9.10.09
../../../..//2009/09/10/great-news-homeowners-drywall/
Great news, homeowners! Drywall manufactured in China from waste byproducts may have a horrible stench and corrode everything in your house, but the Consumer Product Safety Commission has concluded that at least it’s not radioactive. [Consumer Reports Safety]
New FoodSafety Website Helps You Stop Accidentally Poisoning Your Family
By 9.10.09
The USDA and Health and Human Services (HHS) today unveiled a new website focused on food safety at foodsafety.gov. It’s got lots of info on how to keep food from spoiling, but better still it’s a good launching pad for filing complaints, or keeping track of what’s going on in your state (check the “state agency” widget in the bottom right column).
McCurry Defeats McDonald's In Trademark Infringement Lawsuit
By 9.9.09
In a victory for little guys worldwide, the Malaysian restaurant McCurry has won an epic trademark battle against McDonald’s. Yes, McDonald’s. McCurry has been open for ten years, and has spent eight of those fighting McDonald’s. They won on the grounds that nobody could possibly ever confuse the two restaurants.
Video: Man Crashes Car Into Store To Steal Sex Toy
By 9.9.09
An Ohio man smashed into an AdultMart store with his car, picked up the sex toy he wanted — after picking up a more expensive model and dropping it — then sped off. And the store’s security camera’s caught it all on video.
There's A New Ponzi Schemer Under Arrest, And He Has A Mail Order Porn Business
By 9.9.09
The smaller versions of Madoff are still out there, convincing people to hand over their savings for foolproof investments that don’t actually exist, but every once in a while the authorities nab another one. This week it’s Philip G. Barry, a Brooklyn-based guy who operated out of my own neighborhood and happened to run a pornography business.
