07.06
WQCH Radio, 07/05/12:
- “A HUGE DEBIT CARD SCAM HIT LAFAYETTE AND NORTHWEST GEORGIA LAST THANKSGIVING, AND NOW, INVESTIGATORS SAY IT ORIGINATED OVERSEAS.
- “LAFAYETTE POLICE CHIEF BENJIE CLIFT SAID INVESTIGATORS THINK A LOCAL EMPLOYEE PROBABLY ACCESSED A ‘COMPANY COMPUTER’ AT WORK, FOR PERSONAL USE. THE COMPUTER WAS APPARENTLY INFECTED WITH A VIRUS THAT RETRIEVED THE DEBIT CARD INFORMATION AND SENT IT OUT TO THE CRIMINALS, OVER THE INTERNET.
- “MORE THAN 500 CUSTOMERS FROM SEVERAL AREA BANKS WERE AFFECTED, AND TENS-OF-THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS VANISHED FROM THEIR COLLECTIVE ACCOUNTS. MOST WERE REIMBURSED FOR THE LOSS BY THEIR BANKING INSTITUTION. THE FBI WAS THE LEAD AGENCY IN THE INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATION.”
They’re being very careful not to say where the “local employee” worked – so what company would have enough credit card numbers on ONE computer at the same time to allow 500+ people’s cards to be stolen?
The same one we’ve said since day one.
LU broke this story on Facebook, and it was initially dismissed as a Facebook rumor. Once it became too big to ignore, law enforcement said it was a card clearing house, not done locally, and definitely not possibly Walmart.
- “Check with your bank for unauthorized charges to debit or credit cards in the last few weeks. A local bank confirms cards from ‘almost every’ local bank have been compromised, possibly through a hacked computer system at LaFayette Walmart.”
Turns out we weren’t wrong, at all. And it only took seven months..
LU Blog: Takesgiving Day
Last week Walker County mayors delivered updates on their respective cities. In LaFayette we have new leaders, golf, the airport, street renovations downtown, and a couple of positive changes in the small business community.
The only new info in this about LaFayette is the change at Syntec. Seems like nobody ever mentions Syntec but good to hear they’re doing well.
The TSPLOST sales tax is committed to ten specific projects in Walker County, valued at $34 million. Of that, only one worth $1.7 million, is for the 30728 ZIP code. The rest is for Chickamauga. $20 million is dedicated to the Wilson Rd. extension to nowhere. It also promises FORTY THOUSAND jobs, all in construction, and none local.
Meanwhile, Citizens for Transportation Mobility, a group dedicated to passing the TSPLOST sales tax, has yet to file state required reports about campaign finances. This org is spending tens of thousands of dollars to “sell” you on a tax you don’t need, but they haven’t said where the money is coming from and probably won’t until after the vote.
But apparently it all complies with state law:
- “Part of the reason we have campaign disclosure laws at all is so that the public can be informed about who is donating to any particular campaign. The sources of campaign funding are part of how voters form opinions about candidates. But in Georgia, since early voting starts on July 9 and ballot committees are not required to disclose donations received or spent until the July 15th (at the earliest) a good number of voters will not be able to get that information until after they have voted. Citizens for Transportation Mobility did not write the disclosure laws, and they are adhering to them.”
An Anti-TSPLOST group is filing an open records request trying to figure out if the Secretary of State discussed controversial ballot language with any of the groups dedicated to pushing the measure through.
Georgia won’t enforce new laws requiring welfare recipients to take drug tests until similar laws in Florida have survived court challenge.
Austin Whitten Update: All Together for Austin.
More friends and campaign supporters of Nathan Deal have been appointed to influential state committees.
Quite a few people will have computer trouble next week when the government takes down a malware server some PC’s have become dependent on. Make sure you’re not infected before they pull the plug.
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