Urgent Public Phone Scam Announcement

Beware: Don't Return Calls To These Area Codes

This is vital "must know" information if you want to keep informed.  It affects everyone internationally, Caribbean people have the potential to become victims of these scams.

One of our more popular post in the past has been the Caribbean Web Site Scam Alert has been read and shared over and over.  Hopefully it saved one person from making a costly mistake.

Today, the focus is on mobile phone scams that are usually perpetrated by unscrupulous international con artists.  It may never happen to you but at least you will be able to advise a friend of what can be done to report a scam.  Read the entire post, share it with anyone you think may need to know.

The source is US Federal Trade Commission but you can report scams even if they occur outside of the US.

The information follows:

BLUF:  DO NOT return any Area Code 809, 649, 284, or 876 calls, unless you are absolutely sure of the number you're calling.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has recently learned that an old long distance phone scam that leads consumers (mostly elderly and retirees) to incur high charges on their phone bills may now affect wireless consumers. In the past, consumers have been fooled into making expensive international calls by scam artists who leave messages on consumers' answering machines or their email accounts. The messages urge consumers to call a number with an "809," "284," "876," or some other area code to collect a prize, find out about a sick relative, or engage in sex talk, etc.

Wireless consumers are now receiving similar calls from phone numbers with three-digit area codes that appear to be domestic, but are actually associated with international pay-per-call phone numbers. While wireless companies are working to block suspicious numbers on their networks, some consumers may become victims of this scam. 

The Scam Works Something Like This:
==============================

====

+ Your wireless phone rings once or twice and then disconnects the call. When the number appears in your wireless phone log as a missed call, it appears to be a typical domestic telephone number starting with a "649" area code; or you get an email or voicemail (on your residential wired telephone) telling you to call a phone number with an "809", "284", "876" or some other three-digit international area code.

+ When you return the call, you assume you are making a domestic long distance call - as "649," "809," "284," "876" and other area codes involved in this scam, appear to be typical three-digit U.S. area codes. 

+ When you dial the three-digit area code plus the number, however, you are connected to a phone number outside the United States, often in Canada or the Caribbean, and are charged expensive international call rates, and may be charged for pay-per-call services as well. (In this case, "649" goes to the Turks and Caicos, "809" goes to the Dominican Republic, "284" goes to the British Virgin Islands, and "876" goes to Jamaica.)

+ You don't find out about the higher international call rates until you receive your phone bill.

NOTE:  Many Caribbean countries can be dialed using the "1" prefix that's used to dial long distance in the US.


What You Can Do to Minimize the Risk of This Happening to You:
==============================

==============================
=

+ Check any unfamiliar area codes before returning calls.

+ Be aware that there are many 3-digit area codes (mostly in the Caribbean) that connect callers to international telephone numbers.

+ If you do not otherwise make international calls, ask your local or wireless phone company to block outgoing international calls on your line.


Filing a Complaint with the FCC in the US:
==============================

= 

If you are billed for a call you made as a result of this scam, first try to resolve the matter with your telephone company. If you are unable to resolve it directly, you can file a complaint with the FCC. There is no charge for filing a complaint. You can file your complaint using an FCC online complaint form. You can also file your complaint with the FCC's Consumer Center by calling 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322) voice or 1-888-TELL-FCC (1-888-835-5322) TTY; faxing 1-866-418-0232; or writing to: 

  Federal Communications Commission 
  Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau 
  Consumer Inquiries and Complaints Division 
  445 12th Street, SW 
  Washington, DC 20554. 

The best way to provide all the information the FCC needs to process your complaint is to complete fully the online complaint form. When you open the online complaint form, you will be asked a series of questions that will take you to the particular section of the form you need to complete. If you do not use the online complaint form, your complaint, at a minimum, should indicate:

+ your name, address, email address and phone number where you can be reached; 

+ the telephone and account numbers that are the subject of your complaint; 

+ the name and phone numbers of any companies involved with your complaint; 

+ the amount of any disputed charges, whether you paid them, whether you received a refund or adjustment to your bill, the amount of any adjustment or refund you have received, an explanation if the disputed charges are related to services in addition to residential or business telephone services; and 

+ the details of your complaint and any additional relevant information. 


Filing a Complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC): International
==============================

=========================== 

If you feel that you are a victim of an international phone scam, you can file a complaint with the FTC online. You can also submit a complaint by calling the FTC toll-free at 1-877-382-4357 (voice) or 1-866-653-4261 (TTY), or by writing to:

  Federal Trade Commission
  CRC - 240
  600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
  Washington, DC 20580.


For More Information:
==================== 

For information about other telecommunications issues, visit the FCC's Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau website, or contact the FCC's Consumer Center using the information provided for filing a complaint.


Print Outs
==========
Calls from "809," "649," "284" Area Codes Guide 

Bureaus & Offices: Consumer & Governmental Affairs <> 

Related Topics
==============
Consumers
Fraud 
Telephone
Beware of Area Code Scams
809, 284, 649 or 876 Area Code Scam


-------
SOURCE:  Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Web Site

You Only Need One Set of Anti Theft Wheel Locks

A Common Sense Savings Tip

This is a tip that I borrowed from a note post on my Facebook Page, How To Buy A Used Car In T&T.  If you drive a vehicle in the Caribbean you may need this tip.   

You know the anti theft wheel lock purchased so that some desperate misfit don't steal the four wheels off your car.  These wheel log nuts comes in a set of four per pack and cost about $200 TTD.  

ONLY BUY ONE SET OF THESE ANTI THEFT LOCK NUTS.

Too many times I notice that cars are outfitted with one set of four per wheel.

That is 3 sets of extra anti theft  locking wheel nuts.  The store loves this but it only makes

the vehicle owner look like a dumb dumb or overly paranoid.  It does not make sense. 

Here's the logic.  Each tire only needs one lock nut.  The other three nuts on the wheel

should be the regular wheel nuts.  It's impossible for a thief to remove the tire if you

have just one lock nut. Unless of course you think the have the key and it will take them 

longer to take off four nuts instead of one. 

Buying 3 extra sets and bolting down your tires is overkill.  And besides, you could save

about $600.   

If you know of someone with four lock nuts on each wheel, wispher this tip. On the other

hand, say nothing; why should they take off 3 perfectly good sets of anti theft wheel nuts.  

Your better move would be to try to prevent others from doing it before it's too late.

Share this note with your friends, if you love them.  :)   

If you like this tip and you are on Facebook, join the page here.  

Have a great day. 

Chinese People Mix like Oil in the Caribbean Melting Pot

Almost Every Tasty Pot Needs A Little Oil


The Caribbean is known for being one of the most diverse melting pots in the world. Here we accommodate all races without prejudice.

Maybe it has a lot to do with our history of accepting whichever super power claimed ownership of the islands. In those old Viking days the Chinese never venture in these waters so they have always been strangers to us. Now it seems that there is a covert plan to colonize the Caribbean from the inside out.

A friend related a story about a Chinese restaurateur who was constructing a restaurant

My friend is a plumber and he was hired to run pipes in the new building. According to him every piece of hardware to build the restaurant was shipped from China. That included all the tiles, lumber, sinks, pipes and fittings came down in a container. In his opinion, it seems as if the Chinese government financed his entire business.

Why would they do that? Well, speculating you would come to the conclusion that they wanted quality and the only quality they know is “Made in China”. Or maybe they could have gotten it a lot cheaper in China despite the cost of shipping. Whatever it is, it does not seem a fair deal to the host country that they expect to derive their income to take that approach.

And, while we are on the restaurant topic; have you noticed the number of Chinese restaurants on the Eastern Main Road? The last count was 22 and two under construction. Fast Chinese food is big business in Trinidad and Tobago and they are taking advantage of it.

The immigration people have cracked down on them and find that there are many illegal Chinese employed in these establishments.

OK, that’s just one thing. Here is another. If you are in the business of selling anything, the Chinese are the hardest people to sell. Maybe it is because they buy everything from China but some things they are compelled to purchase here. When they do they usually start the conversation with “What is your best price?” They consider buying things like advertisement, a book or any service as unnecessary. It’s like they went to school in China that teach them to “nat interested” .

How many interracial couples have you seen with one partner being a Chinese? Almost none in Trinidad, maybe there are one or two but have you seen them?

In this great big melting pot we call the Caribbean; the Chinese are establishing themselves without becoming attached to the communities in which they live. They are no doubt hard workers and dedicated to their work but other than that what can we gain from the Chinese? Seems like they came here for a purpose and most of us just haven’t figured out what that is yet.

Have you had any Chinese experience.

What The Hell Does China Want In The Caribbean?

“We Give Them What They Want, We Will Get What We Want”

This must have been the guiding thought for the Chinese strategy makers when it came to  Caribbean foreign policy.   

The Chinese are a deliberate people; we must understand that while Westerners make long range plans for 3 to 5 years; the Chinese make 100 year plans. 

It is no secret that China is still a communist country ruled by an autocratic government that blatantly ignores human rights and transparent justice.   

Most Caribbean politicians seem to forget this little known but well publicized fact.  A high school student could conclude that if a country does not respect the basic human rights of its own people, it cannot respect the rights of any people.  

It is easy to understand why the Chinese are firmly established in every country rich in commodities.  China has the largest population and currently is the richest country in the world.  They have embarked on a strategy of investing in any country by way of outright loans, direct investments and even multi-million dollar gifts.  

The Chinese know that Westerners are materialistic souls.  Money can buy almost anything in the West.  Politicians want to make a difference in their country, they want to leave a legacy, and by ignoring everything else about the Chinese they can be successful.  Their long term plans are but a couple months on the Chinese calendar. .  

But here is the $64 dollar question:  what does the Chinese want in the Caribbean?

Except for the oil and gas in Trinidad and Tobago the Caribbean is not big on commodities.  

Why did the Chinese advance a 6.3 billon investment in the Caribbean islands last year?  They are investing heavily in island countries like Barbados, Bahamas, Grenada, Costa Rica and Dominica.  What do these islands have that the Chinese want?

Their investment in Latin America is even more significant.  According to a China/Latin America report titled  The New Bank in Town they have invested over $75 billion since 2005?  In 2010 they have pledged to invest 37 billion.  Why are they lending more than the World Bank, the Inter-American Bank and the US Import/Export banks combined?

In the case of Dominica it has been pointed out that as a UN General Assembly member, Dominica whenever it’s crucial that the China’s gets its way.  That is the macro view; the bigger picture is that China understands the strategic importance of the Caribbean and the intangible benefits that can be derived from being a permanent partner with member states in the region.

 From strictly a militaristic perspective, in his book the Art of War, Sun Tzu teaches; “Keep your friends close but your enemies closer”; China is 190 miles from the United States.  Ironically there already exists a significant population of Chinese in America.  How much closer can they get. 

  

For sure, the Chinese is not revealing the details of their master plan.  

According to Dennis C. Shea, Chairman of the U.S.-ChinaEconomic and Security Review Commission, “With China you have to be wary of possible policy goals behind the effort.”  

OK so let’s get personal here, all we have been talking about is at the government level.  Look out for the next post when we examine how the Chinese treat with the local population.  You know how they stick together like white rice.   

Clannish maybe but they support each other in their new homes away from home.  

You wanna hear the sad part of this story.  It does not matter, and they know, it does not matter that you know or I know or a million people in the world know; the plan has been executed and nothing can stop its unfolding. 

Maybe, just maybe one day China will rule the world the way it now rules China.  The central government will decide our official language.  If they let us say anything.  Our worlds are changing right before our very eyes and few of us recognize or can see the changes.   

Stay tuned to the Caribbean Blogger.

From Malaysia To Trinida & Tobago - A Net Friendship That Hurts

If you don’t know, know now; Malaysia is a country where the sentence is death by hanging for possession of drugs.  A few Asian countries do it, China, Turkey and some Arabian countries.   

In the West, the death penalty for drugs no matter how much is inconceivable.  The fact is that if you get caught with enough drugs and you can get so much time that it’s a slow one day at a time death penalty.  If you live in the Caribbean and deal with drugs; pay attention.   

This is what my young niece likes to call, a “true story”.  It’s so true that it would not qualify for reality TV.   

  

A few years ago I started using yahoo instant messenger and Skype.com. Within a short space of time I had a number of “friends” on both networks who I chatted with regularly.   One of those friends was a lady by the name of Eleanor, a forty eight year old single Filipina.  

She’s or maybe was (tell you why later) living in Malaysia and attending a Christian Church.  My perception of Eleanor was that she was a giver.  She had started a school with the help of her sister in the Philippines that catered for orphaned Filipino children.  She provided financial support for the school from the work she did in Malaysia.  It’s amazing how many things that can be done with a change in currency.   She did not have much but that was only one of her charities.  

She was a Domestic Helper working for a Malaysian family.  To add to her income she arranged for other Domestic Helpers from the Philippines to come to Malaysia.  She would locate jobs, contact other Domestic Helpers at home and arrange to lend them the funds to come to Malaysia.  She was paid the equivalent of one month salary over a three month period and reimbursed for the cost of the plane ticket.  It worked for her.

She encouraged me to help support the school financially.  Mind you, I’m as suspicious as anybody else online so I satisfied my skepticism by having the school checked out by another friend in the Philippines. Further I never sent money to her but through my friend to her sister who managed the school.  I did not ask but her sister took the trouble to send with copies of receipts for the items purchased for the children.  Pictures of book bags, paper and pencils; I was satisfied that I was helping good cause.  

She was able to get her daughter, family members and quite a few Filipinas into Malaysia to work.   To cut a long story short one day she disappeared.  I thought nothing of it but after a few months of sending occasional messages with no responses, I gave up.   I realized that something was wrong.  Not that it worried me but I was a little concerned. 

Then about a year later, I got a message.  Guess what she had to tell me? No, don’t.   I know you would not be able to because I knew het or thought I did then bigger more serious questions came to mind.  It would be too long to tell it all in this post so…  

 I will share it with you in my next post.  It just builds the belief that life and reality is stranger than fiction.  Sometimes we find ourselves in positions that there is nothing we can do but watch life unfold and accept it. 

See you soon.   

Take a guess at what it was if you dare.

2012 Junior Calypso King Now The 2012 Calypso Monarch Winner

Few Predicted This 2012 Calypso Monarch Results

As a junior calypso performer he was a look-alike.  He looked like Ian Alleyne, the popular Television crime fighter.  The Calypso that won him the Junior Calypso Crown also contributed to his new win.  The calypso was both witty and creative.  Today he stands tall, and he is, as the 2012 Calypso Monarch Winner. 

With the same rendition, The Hunt Is On” (words made popular by Ian Alleyne), this relatively unknown calypsonians came in and upset the 2012 Calypso Monarch Crown cart.  

 His name is Duane O’Conner who also sung “Long Live Calypso” to take away the grand prize of 1 million dollars. He beat 11 other professional, veteran and previous Monarch winners to walk away with the Crown. Here is his rendition of "The Hunt is On"

The Winner

The Biggest Loser

Also, we must mention the veteran Calypsoian, "Cro Cro" who's performance was also very witty and creative but focused on the inadequacies of Afro-Trinidadians in the government.  His Calypso "Say Something" really hit them with the reality of life in the new administration.  Maybe because of his hard hitting satire he won the least coveted position of all the finalist.  The losing Calypso by "Cro Cro"

The results were as follows:

Calypso Monarch

1. Duane O’Connor (The Hunt is On, Long Live Calypso)

2. Kurt Allen (Long Live Calypso, When Will It End)

3. Karene Asche (Against All Odds, You Will Win The Battle But)

4. Devon Seale (One Is One, Snapshots)

5. Heather Mac Intosh (The Adjective, One Gone)

6. Dr. Hollis “Chalkdust” Liverpool (Shame Mr Shak, How’s Dat)

7. Michael “Sugar Aloes” Osouna (Doh Force Meh Hand, Chinese Kidnapping)

8. Dexter “Stinger” Parsons (My Reason For Being Here, Advice In Song)

9. Brian London (Not Brian, Doh Complain - Come Plain)

10. Sandra “Singing Sandra” Des Vignes-Millington (On Turning 50, Why I Sing)

11. Lesley Ann Ellis (Street Justice, Mothers and Others)

12. Weston “Cro Cro” Rawlins (Say Something, Release Them)

The Carnival King and Queen were also chosen as outlined below.

King of Carnival

1. Roland St George - Ralliez-Vous A Mon Panache Blanc

2. Gerard Weekes - Malak Yahweh, The Praying Mantis

3. Curtis Eustace - The Midnight Messenger, The Mask Of

4. Adrian Young - The Crow

5. Earl Thompson - Icarus Ascending

6. Brian Chin - Prince Siegfried, the story of Swan Lake, tribute to Wayne Berkeley

7. Zainool Mohammed - Kwak Waka Wakin, the Sacred Totem

8. Wade Madray - Flight of Conscience

9. Jhawhan Thomas - Alpha

10. Shane Philip - Tree of Life

Queen of Carnival

1. Chariss Bovell - Mother of Humanity-The Weeping Madonna

2. Roxanne Omalo - Last Dance of the Enchanted Witches

3. Rose Marie Kuru Jagessar - Wachiw-I Dream of a Bustle Dancer

4. Shari Derek - D’Woman and D’Butterflies

5. Kay Mason - Amethyst Rising

6. Lanie Lezama - Harmony

7. Cherry-Ann Patrice Valere - The Limbo Dancer

8. Laura Rampersad - Princess of the Mardi Gras

9. Patricia Bailey - Exotic Sunset on the Horizon

10. Avernell Johnson - Princess Odette, Queen of the Swans

ONE Winner - 2012 Power & Groovy Soca Monarch

Machel Wins It All - Power and Groovy Soca Monarchs 2012

 

Thousands turned up the 2012 Power and Groovy Soca Monarch Competition.  It went till early in the morning and with the stipulation that the artists could not leave before the winners were announced a number of fetes were without a headliner.  

 The absolute winner of both competitions was;  Machel Montano with the results as following:


SOCA MONARCH RESULTS
Power
1. Machel Montano (Pump Yuh Flag)
2. Iwer George (No Pain)
3. Destra
4. Prophet Benjamin (Throw Wine) & Blaxx

Groovy
1. Machel Montano (Mr Fete)
2. Kerwin Du Bois (Bacchanalist)
3. Benjai (People's Champion)
4. Nadia Batson
5. Kees Diffenthaller (Stress Away)

 

Power Soca Monarch Winning Selection  "PUMP YUH FLAG"

CARNIVAL VISITORS - READ 8 ANTI-CRIME TIPS

Groovey Soca Monarch Winning Selection "MR. FETE"

RECENT POST - IS MACHEL MONTANO GUILTY?

Stay tuned more to come. 

DO YOU THINK HE DESERVED BOTH CROWNS?