Showing posts with label scam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label scam. Show all posts

Monday 17 December 2018

Once again peak scam is here for the summer


Throughout the year there are periods where I receive scam calls up to twice a week.

Sometimes I am warned about my imminent arrest for tax evasion, sometimes I am informed that I have compensation money coming to me from a motor vehicle accident in which I was allegedly involved, but most often I am told by a fake Telstra representative that there is something wrong with my computer [substitute various alternative scenarios here] and that my Internet service will be cancelled unless I power up my PC and follow instructions.

I stopped listening to their spiel years ago and now simply hang up.

However, telephone and email scamming is now ubiquitous and peak scam is on us for another holiday season.......

ACCC ScamWatch, 11 December 2018:

Watch out for holiday season scams

Scamwatch is warning people to be careful about being caught out by holiday season scams.

“Scammers will take advantage of special days or major events like Christmas to fleece people of their money or personal information,” ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said.

Here are three common holiday season scams people should look out for:

Online shopping scams: scammers will set up fake online stores or post goods for sale in buy‑swap-sell groups or online classified sites to trick people into buying items that don’t exist. This scam has cost Australians nearly $3 million in 2018, with more than 8,700 reports.

Travel scams: scammers trick people into believing they’ve won a holiday or scored a really good deal on a travel package, like a cruise. Unfortunately the prize or the cheap accommodation are phony. In 2018, nearly $135,000 has been lost to this scam.

Parcel delivery scams: scammers may ask you to print off a label, do a survey, claim a prize, or view the status of your delivery by clicking on a link or downloading an attachment. Some scammers may even call or text with claims about an unsuccessful delivery. These scams are aimed at getting people to download malware onto their computer, or give up their personal information. People have lost about $31,000 to these scams in 2018.

“Scamwatch has also seen a massive influx of reports and money lost to tax scams. In November we received 7,500 reports of these scams and $400,000 was reported lost,” Ms Rickard said.

“This isn’t a usual holiday season scam, however a lot of people are getting calls from scammers pretending to be from the tax office or the police and threatening them with arrest over unpaid tax debts.”

“This is a scam. If you ever get a call or email containing threats like this, hang up the phone or delete the email,” Ms Rickard said.

Ms Rickard added that the key to avoiding a scammer’s con these holidays is a healthy dose of scepticism and research.

“We love snagging a great deal online for a loved one’s Christmas present and the idea of a bargain holiday is perfect for many after a long year. But don’t fall for it,” Ms Rickard said.

“Be sceptical about an online store you haven’t used before. Do some research to see if they’re legitimate and don’t be fooled by big discounts. With travel deals, call the accommodation provider directly, for example the cruise line or hotel, to check if the deal is legitimate.”

“If you see a seemingly great deal on an accommodation rental website like Airbnb, make sure you only communicate and pay through the official site to avoid getting stung by a fake listing,” Ms Rickard said.

“We’re all expecting parcels this time of year but be careful about online links and never download attachments. If you’re wondering if a delivery notice is legitimate, check the tracking number at the Australia Post or other delivery company website, or call them directly using a number you find from an online search or the phone book.”

“While with friends and family over the holidays, consider taking the opportunity to spread the warnings about these scams particularly to those loved ones who may be vulnerable.” Ms Rickard said.

Further information about holiday season scams is available at www.scamwatch.gov.au. People can also follow @scamwatch_gov (link is external) on Twitter and subscribe to Scamwatch radar alerts to get up-to-date warnings.

The Daily Examiner, 15 December 2018; p.5:

When Jenny Hall had a missed call on her phone and a message claiming to be from Centrelink in relation to an adjustment to some payments, she didn’t give a second thought in calling back.

However Ms Hall was sceptical of the man who answered the phone when she called back and when he called her a “f------ b----” after his legitimacy was questioned, her suspicions were confirmed.

“I rang back and they gave me a number to call and a claim number so I thought it sounded real,” she said.

“I rang the number and some guy answered the phone and at one point we got cut off, so I called back and the same person answered and I thought that was strange.
“He claimed they went through some records and taxes which were linked to Centrelink, which I said was strange because I get an accountant to do my taxes.

“Then he started saying that I needed to get a lawyer because I had a big tax bill. I said wait there and I asked for his name and started asking him some questions.
“I said I wanted to talk to his superior and he said that he was in charge and that’s when I knew he was lying.”

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s Scamwatch website revealed reports of tax scams threatening arrest or jail over unpaid debts have jumped significantly in the past month…..

The Daily Examiner, 15 December 2018; p.13:

A Casino woman has a message for shoppers after being scammed by a market stallholder at the Jacaranda Festival Markets.

Kelly-ann Oosterbeek bought a powdered anti-inflammatory product in Grafton, and paid the $80 by Eftpos.

Mrs Oosterbeek was then told the item would be posted to her.

“If you feel like anything is slightly off with any purchase you are making, walk away,” she warned.

The “supremely weird” transaction process made Mrs Oosterbeek feel nervous.
She was concerned enough to take photos of the stall, and she asked to see the stallholder’s business credentials. She also took photos of the registration, ABN and insurance, and got a signed receipt saying the product would be posted.

“I was standing there with my hubby, four of my six kids and my daughter’s partner – I had so many witnesses,” Mrs Oosterbeek said.

But the product never came.

“I want to warn people of the Northern Rivers because the lady told me she was heading north with her market stall,” Mrs Oosterbeek said.

Trying to give the stallholder the benefit of the doubt, Mrs Oosterbeek waited a few days before contacting her to make sure the product had been posted, but she claimed Mrs Oosterbeek had been given it on the day.

“They wouldn’t budge with their claims, saying I was trying to rip them off and eventually saying my husband had taken the product and not told me,” she said.

“I wasn’t too worried – I’d done everything right as a consumer and I felt really covered – so I took the case to Fair Trading.

“Even with all of my evidence, witness statements, and a signed receipt promising postage of the item there was nothing they could do.”


Sunday 15 July 2018

Scammers have cloned MyGov website and are sending out fake emails


Stay Smart Online, 4 July 2018:

Scammers have set up a clone of the myGov website to trick you into sharing your login and bank account details.

The scam starts with a phishing email that looks like it is from Medicare, asking you to update your Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) details, so you can start receiving payments for Medicare benefits and claims.



If you click on the link in the email you are taken a replica of the real myGov website. You’ll note the URL includes ‘.net’ instead of ‘.gov.au’, which is an indication the website is not a legitimate Australian Government domain!



Wednesday 2 May 2018

Q. If Telstra steals est. $60 million, repays $5 million in compensation and is fined $10 million, leaving a profit of $45 million - how big are the telco’s performance bonuses this year?



Readers with a Telstra mobile phone account need to check that their phone was not set to ‘Premium Direct Billing’ before 3 March 2018.

Because although Telstra put out a media release there was no promise to proactively contact all mobile customers with this news below and, the telco will be be deciding which individual account holders (who have been overcharged for a service they did not consent to) will be contacted concerning compensation.

It is possible it will not manage to contact every customer who had been improperly charged. So if you suspect that you may have been then phone Telstra.

New Matilda, 27 April 2018: 
      
Ordinarily, when you get caught stealing, you have to pay the money back, and the punishment you receive is meant to dissuade you from stealing again.

Unless you’re a major Australian corporation. In which case, you can steal tens of millions of dollars from your ‘valued clients’, pay a fine that represents a tiny proportion of what you pinched, issue a few million in refunds… and then keep the rest.

Introducing Telstra and its third-party ‘Premium Direct Billing’ scam, which netted Australia’s biggest Telco a cool $45 million profit, after fines and refunds.

Yesterday, the Federal Court fined Telstra $10 million for the rip-off after it found that Telstra “did not adequately inform customers it had set the Premium Direct Billing service as a default on their mobile accounts. If customers accessed content through this service, even unintentionally, they were billed directly by Telstra”.

“Thousands of Telstra mobile phone customers unwittingly signed up to subscriptions without being required to enter payment details or verify their identity.

By introducing and operating the Premium Direct Billing service, Telstra generated substantial profits by exposing customers to unauthorised charges,” Chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission Rod Sims announced in a media statement.

The prosecution was launched by the ACCC with powers delegated from the Australian Securities & Investments Commission. You might remember that sleepy Australian corporate watchdog from such scandals as the banking royal commission....

“Telstra estimates it has provided refunds of at least $5 million, and it will review any future complaints in light of this action and deal with those customers in good faith. The ACCC estimates further refunds may be in the order of several million dollars.”

Sunday 17 September 2017

Phone scammer stung by ABC radio presenter


ABC News, 12 September 2017:

A man claiming to be from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has given an expletive-ridden spray to ABC presenter Nick Rheinberger after being told their conversation was being recorded.

It was a voicemail likely to make even the most honest taxpayer frightened — a message from someone claiming to be from the tax office accusing you of tax fraud and asking you to call back immediately.

This is what happened to the ABC Illawarra presenter recently, so he called them back from his radio studio.


The phone call (which was not broadcast live) started politely with a man identifying himself as an ATO employee, who then asked for Rheinberger's details.

The conversation quickly turned offensive when the ABC presenter told him he was in a radio studio.

"I need to let you know I'm recording this call as well," Rheinberger said.

"F*** you, and the recording, and put this recording to your ass as well mother f***er," the man said.

"Right, OK, that's what I'd expect from the Australian Taxation Office," Rheinberger said sarcastically.

"OK? So go and get f***ed, go and f*** your mum."

The call was recorded because Rheinberger suspected it was a scam and wanted to highlight the problem, which the ATO warns has already scammed Australians out of $1.5 million this year.

The caller (who sounds as if he is an Australian resident) has been attempting to make contact with a number of people this month. See http://www.reverseaustralia.com/lookup/0253062283/

The name “Michael Anderson” or “Mike Anderson” appears to be associated with a number of scams and more than one scammer – lottery win, advance fee, cash advance debt recovery, scam victims compensation fund, next of kin inheritance fraud, unlawful prescription drug purchase, application fee, romance and more.

One of these “Michael Andersons” was caught, charged and convicted sometime between 2006 and 2008.

A number of the other Mr. Andersons appear to still be busy dialling and emailing – trying to get the unwary to either hand over their cash or volunteer enough personal information to allow the caller to attempt identity theft.

Saturday 2 September 2017

Political Tweet in the Week


Centrelink not seeing the irony of tweeting a warning about people seeking payment under false pretences. #NotMyDebt

Sunday 31 July 2016

Young Libs foul their political nest again


This article excerpt was removed due to a confidential defamation settlement between Fairfax and unidentified parties.
Note that the details of this web address registration were altered on 28 July 2016

Monday 29 September 2014

Aunty gets taken for a ride by Queensland Premier


On 5 December 2013 the Australian mainstream media reported that Qld Premier Campbell Newman had appointed Retired Brigadier William Julian Andrew "Bill" Mellor to control the state government's anti-bikie strategy.

ABC News was one of the media outlets which ran with the story that had apparently come to light after transcripts of Parliamentary Crime and Misconduct Committee (PCMC) hearings were tabled in Parliament in November 2013.

The ABC’s initial reporting revealed the house number and suburb in which Mellor lived. Campbell Newman complained to Prime Minister Abbott about what he called a security breach and, insisted that the Australian Broadcasting Commission should pay for a security upgrade to the Mellor residence.

An upgrade Bill Mellor’s own security consultancy firm has since supplied for an undisclosed sum.

While ABC Managing Director Mark Scott would be Internet savvy enough to realise that it would take a burly bikie with a laptop just minutes to track down Bill Mellor’s home address from information already listed on Google’s search engine before December 2013; Messrs Abbott and Newman either did not know or did not care that Mellor’s full residential address and current telephone number for his home-based business had been placed on a website with which he was connected by the man himself.

While a number of other easily accessible websites*, along with an online newsletter, all list the suburb where Bill Mellor lives. The Sensis online telephone book also gives his current residential 'phone number & address and, Google Images has a link to that webpage with his full residential details.

Campbell Newman also obviously did not remember that in a February 2013 media release he identified Bill Mellor as being connected with the association which owns the main website in question.

So Premier Newman himself would have led any interested bikie straight to Brigadier Mellor (he certainly led me) and Google Earth would have done the rest by supplying an image of the basic layout of the Mellor home and the streets leading into the little 14-house cul-de-sac in which Mellor lives.

However, it seems that no bikies were interested in where Bill Mellor lives, as according to The Courier Mail on 28 September 2014 It is understood that no threats or incidents have materialised.

Perhaps Campbell Newman can complain about another aspect of the ABC’s coverage and get Mr. Mellor enough money to inject some life and colour into his rather tired front garden.

* Even the then Governor-General unwittingly became part of the information overload by publishing Bill Mellor's full residential address at the time he received his Member of the Order of Australia - which was but four mouse clicks away from revealing the amount of money he paid for this house and years later received from its sale, as well as the price paid for his present residence.

Wednesday 10 September 2014

Is PayWave picking your pocket at the checkout?


Tweed Daily News 3 September 2014:

PAYWAVE card payments have improved efficiency at the checkout, but the experience of one South Grafton man suggests you should be vigilant near one of the terminals.
Last week, Don Booth, of South Grafton, was waiting behind another customer at the cash register of a Grafton business.
As he watched the cashier, he noticed she did something different and asked her what happened.
He was shocked to find that instead of billing the customer in front of him, the terminal had picked up the card in his wallet and completed the transaction with his money.
"Because the girl at the checkout noticed it, we were able to fix it up straight away," Mr Booth said.
He said the girl at the checkout told him it was not her first experience of a payWave transaction going wrong.
"She said it happened in Coles to a customer, in the same way it happened to me," Mr Booth said.
Mr Booth said he would be taking extra care to check his next card statement.

Perhaps the rise in credit card fraud NSW Police Coffs Clarence Police Command has recently complained about may also be a result of flaws in wireless near field communication technology.

In October last year Among Tech posted this information on electronic pickpocketing:

The fact that you can use your smartphone to pay at a restaurant or a store is great and with NFC (Near Field Communication) technology you can do just that, but what else? Several months back a report from CBC showed us how easy it is to steal credit card credentials using an App and NFC technology which is integrated in most of the high end Android smartphones, but even after 6 months it is still possible to download one of these Apps and hack someone’s credit card and Google has made no changes to its software in order to make it harder for people to steal someone else’s credit card info.
Apps like SquareLess allow users to see a credit cards number, security code and expiration date which later can be used by hackers to purchase products online without the credit card holder to give them permission to do so. SquareLess is just one of the many apps available on the Play Store that allow you to do just this, which is a very serious issue. A study done by xdadevelopers that any of the following credit cards can be hacked using NFC:
American Express Blue Cards
Barclaycard
Chase Credit Cards
MasterCard PayPass
Visa payWave Cards
So, How can an App and NFC read credit card credentials? NFC technology is also what is used in stores to read our credit card, a credit card will give its information which allows you to make the transaction once it finds a valid payment terminal device but the credit card doesn’t look at what type of terminal device this is (since it doesn’t know this information), it is just interested in finding one. Making the smartphone function like a payment terminal can allow you to “fool” the credit card making it think it is what it is looking for, easily allow the app to read all the necessary credentials. In order to do so, all that is required is for the smartphone with NFC to be approximately 10cm close to the credit card. Here is a video demonstrating just how easy it can be done……

Channel 7 Today Tonight also broadcast an item on this subject in July this year.

Internet websites are now offering RFID-shielding passport holders/wallets/sleeves to prevent remote scanning and skimming of Paywave or touch-and-go-credit cards, although the effectiveness of these products is open to question.

Sunday 27 July 2014

Scammers posing as Qantas and Virgin Australia appear to be contacting NSW North Coast residents


From the Australian Communications and Media Authority:

SCAM ALERT - Scammers posing as Qantas and Virgin Australia

Consumer Alert: Scammers posing as Qantas and Virgin Australia
The ACMA has received an increase in reports from members of the public about automated voice calls. The call suggests to 'press 1' to claim a loyalty reward or redeem a prize from Qantas, Virgin Australia or similar. These are scam calls.
Where members of the public do 'press 1', they are taken to a human operator who will ask a number of questions, including a request for credit card details.
You should never provide your credit card details under these types of circumstances.
If you receive a call, or repeated calls like this, simply hang up.
For more information on this specific scam, see the ScamWatch alert: Automated scam calls claiming to be from Qantas with bogus holiday win.http://www.scamwatch.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/1139946
You can report phone scams to http://www.scamwatch.gov.au or by calling 1300 795 995.

Saturday 12 October 2013

Julie, Teresa, Barnaby, Scott, Stuart and Tony join George in the parliamentary entitlement rort corner - will more MPs follow?



Hot on the heels of Australian Attorney-General George Brandis being outed in the media for having inappropriately claimed attendance at a 2011 private wedding as a expense arising from duties as a member of Parliament, he is joined by the Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, Brisbane MP Teresa GambaroImmigration Minister Scott Morrison, Assistant Minister for Defence Stuart Robert and, serial offenders Nationals Deputy-Leader Barnaby Joyce and Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

The Sydney Morning Herald 7 October 2013:

On Sunday, Fairfax Media revealed that three Coalition MPs - Julie Bishop, Barnaby Joyce and Teresa Gambaro - had claimed more than $12,000 in travel expenses to return from a lavish wedding in India where they were guests of billionaire Gina Rinehart.
Mr Abbott also confirmed he repaid $1095 spent in travelling to the wedding of former colleague Sophie Mirabella seven years ago. The return of the money was prompted by media inquiries last week.

The Attorney-General also attended the Mirabella wedding The Australian reported on 7 October:

Attorney-General George Brandis is checking his records to see if he claimed taxpayer-funded entitlements to attend former colleague Sophie Mirabella's wedding...

However, he later asserted that he had made no travel claim for that wedding.

Then Liberal Party MP for Makin Trish Draper and Liberal Party MP for Farrer (and present Assistant Minister for Education) Sussan Ley attended the 250 guest Mirabella wedding on 11 June 2006, but it is as yet unclear whether they claimed travel expenses. 

Liberal MP and intended Speaker in the House of Representatives Bronwyn Bishop was another Mirabella wedding guest - Ms. Bishop stated she paid her own expenses.

In what can only be described as a politically dark twist the Prime Minister, who as Opposition Leader relentlessly pursued the then Speaker Peter Slipper in relation to alleged parliamentary entitlement rorts, has admitted claiming travel expenses as a minister in the Howard Government for attending Slipper's 12 August 2006 wedding:


TONY Abbott has quietly repaid $609 in taxpayer-funded entitlements he claimed to attend the 2006 wedding of one-time colleague Peter Slipper.... 


The then Federal Treasurer Peter Costello was also one of the 200 plus guests at the Slipper wedding and claims that he was reimbursed for travel expenses as he had official business in Brisbane during that period. While fellow guest the then Attorney-General Phillip Ruddock is firmly stating that he has no intention of repaying expenses claimed as Slipper was a work colleague.


Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Scott Morrison at first flatly denied he had claimed travel expenses to attend the the wedding of WA Liberal MP Steve Irons, but soon had to join Assistant Minister for Defence Stuart Robert in repaying money for that particular 21 October 2011 event.

Stung by the public reaction to these disclosures, Coalition Government members are busy ferreting though the expense claims of the Labor Opposition and, thus far it has been relatively slim pickings


* Cartoon by Alan Moir

UPDATE

In November 2012 Liberal Party Member for Canning Don Randall and a family member flew from his home state of West Australia to Cairns in Queensland on unexplained "electoral business" which may have been connected with his investment property there - billing the taxpayer $5,259  for this trip and apparently charging multiple associated taxi fares to the public purse as well.

On 18 October 2012 thewest.com.au reported that Don Randall will repay more than $5000 of taxpayer money he used to fly him and a family member to Cairns where he had bought an investment property and that;The latest coalition directory shows Mr Randall employs his daughter Tess as an "executive assistant". Fellow WA Liberal, Senator Chris Back, employs his wife Linda as his electorate officer and media assistant. The couple are in New York as part of a three-month taxpayer-funded delegation to the UN.

The Sydney Morning Herald on 20 October 2013 reported: Federal politicians have repaid taxpayers more than $20,000 in the three weeks since Fairfax Media first revealed two of Prime Minister Tony Abbott's top ministers had claimed thousands of dollars in entitlements for attending the wedding of close friend and Sydney shock jock Michael Smith....
But many MPs have refused to repay money for questionable spending, including Mr Abbott, who has - according to a Fairfax Media analysis - claimed more than $23,000 on trips associated with the 2012 Coffs Coast Cycle Challenge, the 2011 Bathurst V8 Supercar Race, the 2010 Melbourne Cup, the 2010 Boxing Day Test at the MCG and the 2011 Birdsville Races.


The West Australian on 8 October 2013 reported: WA Federal Liberal MP Steve Irons was forced to repay almost $11,000 in wrongly claimed airfares and car transport fees this year....
The West Australian revealed this year Mr Irons spent almost 130 nights in Melbourne and 20 nights in Adelaide over a two-year period, despite being a member for what was then the marginal seat of Swan.....
Travel records show one of the nights Mr Irons spent in Melbourne coincided with the debut AFL match of his son Jarrad for Port Adelaide in round one of the 2011 season. 

ABC News on 6 November 2013: Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce says he will not repay thousands of dollars of taxpayers' money he spent going to rugby league matches last year.
The ABC has calculated Mr Joyce claimed $5,312.57 for flights, travel allowance and government car costs to attend State of Origin II in Sydney on June 13, 2012, and NRL finals matches on September 14 and 30 later that year.
His expense claims say he was on official business, something Mr Joyce reiterated today.
"Because you're an official guest. You've been officially invited by the National Rugby League, the National Rugby League has every right to have access to politicians," he said.
Under the guidelines, official business "is limited to properly constituted meetings of a government advisory committee or task force, or functions representing a minister or presiding officer".....

Tuesday 28 May 2013

Prince George's County Maryland joins the IT scammers


I'm fairly certain that the Prince George's County Executive are blissfully unaware that their IT system and what appears a legitimate staff email addresses is being used to piggyback yet another email scam.

-----Original Message-----
From: Clay, Josephine B. [mailto:JBClay@co.pg.md.us]
Sent: Friday, 24 May 2013 12:17 AM
Subject: Please Confirm Details?

Your email has been announced the winner of the Microsoft E-mail Sweepstakes of 5.6, Million Pounds. Please send these informations:
Full Name:
Address:
Tel / Mobile No.:
Country:
Occupation:
Sex / Age:
Alternative E-mail:
Contact Mrs. Kathrin Rogers : Kath.rogers@msn.com<mailto:Kath.rogers@msn.com> OR Kath.rogers@rogers.com<mailto:Kath.rogers@rogers.com> with details. Sincerely, Josphine B. Clay (Microsoft Management Board, Copyright 1991-2013)


This E-mail and any of its attachments may contain Prince George's County Government or Prince George's County 7th Judicial Circuit Court proprietary information or Protected Health Information, which is privileged and confidential. This E-mail is intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed. If you are not the intended recipient of this E-mail, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, copying, or action taken in relation to the contents of and attachments to this E-mail is strictly prohibited by federal law and may expose you to civil and/or criminal penalties. If you have received this E-mail in error, please notify the sender immediately and permanently delete the original and any copy of this E-mail and any printout.

Saturday 1 December 2012

Tweet of the Week


 
What are the odds that at the same time on the same day Julie Bishop, Mike Smith, Ralph Blewitt and Steve Lewis are randomly on same st?

Monday 29 October 2012

New definition of Clarence Valley Council management gaining currency


Is it any wonder that Clarence Valley Council management is now frequently referred to as a bucket full of ar$eholes and a few other unprintable phrases?

Spot the not so subtle alteration of the history of Clarence Valley shire councillors’ response to residents’ concerns over the sudden removal of part of the Yamba Road Cycleway by council management without prior community consultation.

These concerns directly related to cyclists' safety when using a section of Yamba Road in the vicinity of the Freeburn Street T-intersection and pedestrian safety on the nearby designated 'shared use' footpath which does not meet council's own minimum width requirements as set out in the Pedestrian access and mobility plan (PAMP) and bike plan (2008).

Click on the images below for a larger and clearer view of the text.

Ordinary Monthly Meeting Minutes of 26 June 2012:

Voting recorded as follows:
For: Councillors Williamson, Comben, Dinham, Howe, Hughes, McKenna, Simmons,
Tiley and Toms
Against: Nil
 

Ordinary Monthly Meeting Minutes of 17 July 2012:

Ordinary Monthly Meeting Business Paper of 16 October 2012:













Included in this council officer's report as Background was Item 021/12 Yamba Road Cycelway, Yamba, containing the precise wording as is set out in the minutes below.

Ordinary Monthy Meeting Minutes of 16 October 2012:

Yes, that’s right. By including that last item in the October official business paper and minutes as it is written, council management totally ignored the fact that the June 26 Ordinary Monthly Meeting did not fully endorse the NSW R&MS Clarence Valley Local Traffic Advisory Committee recommendation (which had been heavily influenced by the very same management advising this committee) and, as Clarence Valley Council's 9 October Civil & Corporate Committee Meeting Business Paper contained the very same wording this was not a simple mistake.

It is a distinct possibility that council management did not make the Local Traffic Advisory Committee aware of the fact that its recommendations had not been fully endorsed and that this external committee has an imperfect understanding of the true status of its recommendations.

It is also possible that councillors have been voting since the beginning of October under a manufactured misapprehension concerning council's own past decisions relating to the Yamba Road Cycleway.

Council management obviously believed that newly-elected and re-elected councillors would not easily recall the details of the Yamba Road Cycleway debate and therefore decided to rewrite the record in order to do exactly as it pleased.

At the same time as council management improperly seeks to go against the 26 June 2012 OGM resolution and erect additional signs directing all bicycle traffic onto inadequate footpaths, it is avoiding any meaningful in-depth evaluation of the problem it created on Yamba Road in the first place

Thereby showing nothing but contempt for the democratic process and once again flipping the bird to the Yamba community behind councillors’ backs.

Sunday 22 April 2012

Dodgy $20 notes doing the rounds in Lismore area

NSW Police Force media release 22nd  April 2012

“Detectives on the state’s north coast are conducting inquiries after a number of fake $20 notes were found in circulation in the Lismore area.
A number of business owners contacted local police on Friday (20 April 2012) after the counterfeit notes were used to pay for good and services.
The phony cash was detected by staff at a Lismore kebab shop, pub, convenience store and fast food restaurant, and by two taxi drivers.
Detectives have launched an investigation in a bid to identify who’s responsible for producing them.
The counterfeit notes, totalling $240, have also been seized for forensic examination.
Richmond LAC Duty Officer, Inspector Robert Cairnduff, warned local residents and business owners to be on the lookout for the notes.
“I would encourage everyone to be extra vigilant when handling their money and if you do notice something odd or that doesn’t look quite right, please contact us immediately,” Insp Cairnduff said.
“The counterfeit notes that we have seized are not of great quality; however, in poor light or to the unsuspecting eye they could quite possibly be passed off as the real thing,” he said.
Inquiries by local detectives are ongoing.
Anyone with information that might assist investigators is urged to contact Lismore Police Station or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.”