Elderly Amish Man Caught on Film With Prostitute, Blackmailed
When a 75-year-old Amish widower slept with a prostitute, he -- we feel certain -- felt pretty bad about it the next morning. As if that guilt weren't enough for the old man, the prostitute and her boyfriend demanded $67,000 from him, claiming that they had filmed the scene with wall-mounted cameras and would upload the recording to the Internet. The pair was later arrested and, we can only imagine, the Amish man abhorred technology more than ever.
Bank Robber Gets Away With the Help of Craiglist
In October, a bank robber -- wearing a safety vest, blue shirt, face mask and goggles -- eluded police with the help of Craiglist. Just outside the bank, while the robbery was in progress, stood a group of men who were responding to a Craiglist day labor opportunity. As the advertisement required, they were all wearing safety vests, blue shirts, face masks and goggles.
Nude New Zealander Arrested After Responding to Fake Sexy Text Message
Late in 2007, a Wellington, New Zealand man received a racy text message from two anonymous "ladies," giving him only an address and a request that he show up naked. Well, he indeed showed up naked... at the home of one appalled, unsuspecting New Zealander. Both the nude Romeo and the sadistic texter were arrested, though neither were prosecuted.
Fake Craiglist Ad Costs Man Most of What He Owns
Last Spring, a post appeared on an Oregon Craigslist board stating that the owner of a specific house was leaving all of his worldly possessions (still in said house) to whoever wanted them. When homeowner Robert Salisbury rushed home -- on a tip from a woman suspicious about the offer of a free horse -- he found his house being ransacked by 30 strangers. We suggest he take that horse and collect some vengeance Clint Eastwood-style.
17-Year-Old Jailed for Stealing Virtual 'Furniture'
When a 17-year-old Dutch boy hacked into several accounts on the Second Life-style site 'Habbo' in 2007, the the law got involved. The boy was discovered to have stolen $5,800 worth of virtual furniture and knick-knacks. Apparently, crime -- whether actual or virtual -- does not pay.
Phishers Going After Your Phones in New 'Vishing' Trend
Over the past year, sneaky spammers have begun to forsake the worn-out territory of e-mail in favor of cell phones' fertile frontier. The result? "Vishing." Get it? Voice mail phishing. It might be more ominous if it didn't sound like a James Bond villain saying, "Wishing."
Burglars Break Into Restaurant, Steal HDTV, Leave Money / Food Behind
Around Halloween of last year, a truckload of thieves drove into -- that's right, into -- a Pennsylvania Mexican restaurant, where they -- apparently uninterested in the cash register -- stole a mid-grade 47-inch HDTV and fled the scene. We've all heard about how this generation is lacking in ambition, but this generation's thieves, too?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Roy said 11:43AM on 9-04-2007
No doubt the goldbricks and cheats in society will enlist the support of the ACLU to fight this "injustice."
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It needs to be said said 12:21PM on 9-04-2007
Big brother is watching you.
It should be against the law for this to happen in ANY company. We are employees, not indentured servants and this is 2007 not 1707.
What gives anyone the right to monitor people especially when they haven't been informed that the company would be watching its employees through surveillence equipment?
This is another indication that our freedom is being eroded bit by bit. When will it stop?
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raisinsmith said 12:42PM on 9-04-2007
This gentleman was monitored using a cellphone that was provided (and probably paid for) by his employer. GPS trackers on cellphones is not new technology, and anyone who doesn't want to be tracked should decline the cellphone and use their own. Just like if you use your computer that is provided at work, you know your employers can track what websites you go to. If you're spending company time and resources to do something that is not work-related, you should expect to pay the consequences. If you are doing what you're getting paid to do, then you have nothing to worry about. By accepting the cellphone from his employer, this gentleman essentially gave them permission to confirm his hours and his timesheets. I wonder if he read the fine print.
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dolfan said 12:44PM on 9-04-2007
No, we arenot indentured servents, but any company can monitor the whereabouts of their employees while on the clock. This guy was stealing from the company. If people didn't steal from their employers, they wouldn't have to worry about such things. He wasn't told so he shouldn't be fired. What a joke! The guy is a thief and should be lucky that he isn't sued for the money he stole. It's time to stop defending the criminals. The cost of EVERYTHING continues to rise, and a major part of that is shrink (theft) both by consumers and EMPLOYEES. He should be so lucky that he only loses his job. They were tracking him for 5 months; how many YEARS was this going on before they CAUGHT him?
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MEL said 12:48PM on 9-04-2007
"WWHHHOOO" SOUNDS LIKE HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN A
"TEACHER" WITH HIS "HIGH MORAL STANDARDS" HE
WOULD FIT RIGHT IN WITH THE "SEXUAL DEVIANTS"
THAT ARE MOULDING YOUR KIDS MINDS. 1ST CLASS
WOULD BE "SEX IS GREAT AND HOW TO HATE AMERICA!"
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Jan Chnupa said 12:49PM on 9-04-2007
Employee dishonesty is never ok. The same goes for how employees are treated.
Great, profitable companies can't survive without great employees.
This man doesn't deserve to be with this employer. The sad thing is he'll probably not take any responsibility or have any remorse for his actions and will only do it with his next employer.
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Robert Williams said 1:00PM on 9-04-2007
John Halpin and Larry VanMeter are a lot alike.
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Pat said 3:19PM on 9-04-2007
If "Big Brother" is paying you to be somewhere working then "Big Brother" sure as hell has the right to make sure you're there. The guy was a malingering turd who deserved to be fired.
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petiteprincess said 9:16PM on 9-04-2007
this would have been an invasion of privacy had it been on his own time. During work hours, you have made a commitment to be there, and your boss has the right to see where you don't show up for work.
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Larissa said 10:06PM on 9-04-2007
I think the company had every right to track where their employee was. I agree w/Jan when she says that the employee is lucky that all he got out of this episode was being fired. I really don't think the man learned his lesson and I agree that in his next position he is likely to do similiar things...a fine to make him think twice would have been nice rather than a slap on the wrist
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christina said 10:40PM on 9-04-2007
didn't anybody read the comment about him working for the NYC school district? What if you were paying this clowns salary via your tax dollars. If he finished early and wanted to go on home, fine. But, dont lie and say that you were working.
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Tina said 9:14AM on 9-05-2007
Fair is Fair... All employees should be advised in advance that they are being watched, gps'd, etc. Hopefully, by letting them know, they will be where they are SUPPOSE to be! and this can increase productivity and less loss. However, not advising the man, then axing him, this is all Negative! Where is the positive learning curve from this? The increased employee moral? The higher productivity? Hmmmm?
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Tina said 10:39PM on 9-05-2007
You know, I have been thinking....this guy is a 29 year veteran of this job. Lots of experience. Hmmm... Had this gps phone for 5 years...FIVE YEARS now... why did his superiors wait and waste the taxpayers money for so long??? I mean, any good supervisor would have said something a lot sooner to generate more productivity and get this person in line...unless of course, someone else in that office was covering for him and someone else got wind of it, which is when it came to light? Yes, this man did Wrong! He hurt everyone by doing this. But someone else did wrong too all along the way and they should probaly check their internal staff a little closer, I would think.
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Sean O'Leary said 12:01PM on 9-06-2007
It's funny to read the comments from all the unintelligent, sanctimonious and brainwashed little "worker bees" who pronounce leaving work a bit early a sin. Who hasn't done it in one's lifetime? The real life questions that should have been posed are 1) is he/was he doing his job? That is, whatever the job was that he was performing that particular day, did it get finished? 2) Who was harmed by his leaving early? That is, what did he really steal and who really suffered? Would it be better that this man came in and left every day at exactly the correct hour but slowed his pace to a crawl to extend and stretch his job out over a course of several days??? Isn't it better to keep morale high by letting a person work at their own pace so if they choose to leave a bit early to try to beat the rush-hour throngs it's no big deal? This concept may be foreign to morons who possess a brainwashed work ethic akin to what was expected of people in the 1800's, but in today's post-industrial revolution workplace, the employee's good should come first. That way the company ultimately benefits.
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JRS9000 said 1:25PM on 9-06-2007
This man was lucky he wasn't charged with theft by deception--accepting pay for work he wasn't doing.
What this ultimately boils down to is this: If you don't like your employer's policy on GPS tracking, you don't have to work there. You have a choice.
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momma knows said 12:05PM on 9-07-2007
Apparently sean isn't very intelligent either. first off the guy was caught doing this more than once.He was basically stealing from every tax payer in NY city(Had he been caught doing so on the street may have earned him a beating) And i don't know what world you live in but most americans punch into and out of work via time clock everyday. You have to work to EARN a pay check. I know if I leave work early I'm docked pay. And if I were to do it too many times I would get fired for poor attendance.Not everyone can come and go as they please.Glad he was fired.
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trish said 2:44PM on 9-07-2007
Did they offer him the phone? Did they tell him it had a GPS tracker in it? If so then it is on him. If they did not tell him I have mixed feelings. They were paying him to be in one place and he was in another. Now did he get his jobs finished and just go other places afterward. Was the work completed? There are questionable actions. I don't think they gave us all the details. I think it is a little creepy.Big brother is definitly watching.
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Donnie said 4:26PM on 9-07-2007
Look, the simple matter is he was found guilty of falsifying official company documents. That can get you fired or worse from any company these days. All the GPS data did was confirm that the document entries were false, it wasn't like they were telling him to be somewhere and then they were tracing him via GPS.
Now, to be fair, on the flip side I believe the proper thing to do from the employer's side would have been to have a talk with him after the first discrepancy, and find out what is going on. And make sure that he knows this isn't tolerated. Then, if he still continues to do this and produces falsified time sheets, then you have your case.
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Sam said 10:47AM on 12-05-2007
If the employer is paying for 8 hours he deserves 8 hours of time. BUT since the employer is paying you for only 8 hours you should be leaving "the companies" cell phone at work in your locked desk or locker or another secure place designated by the employer. You should not be responisble to take it home or carry it after hours since the employer is not paying for your off the clock time and the employer could easily track you off duty movements just as they track you on duty which could be an invasion of your privacy...if any tracking is done during non-work time hours. Play it safe...leave the company provided cell phone at work.
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Kathleen Harris said 3:27PM on 12-05-2007
The managers in the retail office supply/computer store I work in, have not been on time the 6 years I have worked there, they take excessive lunches, and instead of being out on the floor, they spend time in "command central".
I would love these people to get a phone, that monitored their comings and goings.
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