Latest news with #WXIN
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Scammers pulling double-whammy credit card schemes
WXIN/WTTV – Like the old saying goes: fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. And that's exactly what some scammers are trying to do with fake websites designed to steal not one but at least two of your credit cards. Not only is A.I. making it easier for criminals to make websites that look like legitimate shopping sites, according to Scamicide, it's making it easier for them to get even greedier. Crooks who make copycat websites often try to get victims to enter credit card information, thinking they're making a purchase. When the victim enters the card information, thinking they're buying something, the scammer simply keeps the information and starts making purchases of their own or sells the info to someone else. However, one card isn't enough for some bad guys, according to Scamicide. In some cases, when you try to use your credit card, the site might say it was declined and you need to try another card. If you do, you've now turned over two credit cards to the bad guys. Experts point out that even if a website comes up high in an internet search, the scammers may have paid for that high position or tricked the search engine into pushing it toward the top. Scamicide says if you plan to make a purchase on a website, make sure the web address starts with https. The 's' is important because it means your communication on the site is encrypted and most copycat sites aren't. Also, if the domain name doesn't seem at all related to the company name, that's a sign of a possible fake. There are also several websites where you can enter a web address and see if it checks out as legitimate or not. Google Safe Browsing Transparency Report allows you to type in the web address and see if Google thinks it's a scam. You can also use a site called Whois to see who owns a particular website and how long it's been registered online. If you think you're shopping on a popular website like Amazon or Best Buy, but the search shows the site has only been around for four months and it's owned by someone in India, it's a fake site. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Miami Herald
6 days ago
- General
- Miami Herald
Man planned sex acts with girl, told her he's ‘built like Spongebob,' PA cops say
An Indiana man is accused of trying to meet a runaway teen for sex acts, but it really was police waiting for him, officials say. James Raber of Arlington is facing charges of attempted child molestation and child solicitation, Randolph County court records show. Raber is 63 years old, WXIN reported. Over the course of several weeks, Raber sent sexually explicit messages through Facebook Messenger to a 13-year-old girl named Steph — but Steph was actually a fake profile used by a detective with the Randolph County Sheriff's Department, according to a probable cause statement filed May 30. In the highly graphic messages, Raber repeatedly told Steph about sex acts he wanted to do with her, according to the statement. 'How's my sexy girl this morning?' Raber asked in a May 14 message, the statement said. The detective responded about 12 hours later as Steph, saying she had run away from home and was 'hiding' at a male friend's home. Raber 'constantly' asked her if she was having sex with the friend, said that he was jealous and that she should stay with him instead, and could stay with him 'long term' if she wanted, the statement read. He asked her if she would meet with him in person, documents read. She agreed and they made plans to meet at a Village Pantry convenience store in Farmland, at which point they would leave together and get a hotel, the detective said. On May 29, the day of the meeting, Raber described himself to Steph, documents read. 'Now l'm a very big tall guy, 6'4' 295lbs, I'm built like SpongeBob,' he said, according to documents. 'So if you ever had a fantasy about … SpongeBob, that's me'. Raber stopped at a nearby bar and had a beer, then parked at the Village Pantry, the statement read. Police pulled in right after and arrested him, according to the detective. He was booked into the Randolph County Jail, records show. Randolph County is a roughly 80-mile drive northeast from Indianapolis.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mail theft and check fraud continue to increase
WXIN/WTTV – While most Americans have moved on from writing checks and dropping them in the mailbox on a regular basis, the U.S. Treasury Department said check fraud has increased 356% since the COVID-19 pandemic, costing Americans a billion dollars a year. The FBI and other agencies have consistently warned about increases in mail theft over the last several years. The thefts often lead to check fraud. With modern technology, it's not difficult for a crook to steal a check from an envelope in your mailbox, use a simple bleach to wash off the payee and amount and write it out to themselves for whatever amount they want. To guard against this, Scamicide says it's a good idea to avoid using a ballpoint pen and go with a gel pen instead. That's because the ink is much more difficult to wash off using chemicals. However, more tech savvy criminals can also scan your check and use software to change the writing on it. Gel pens won't help against that. This is why it's important to check your bank statement frequently. As opposed to a scam where a victim gets tricked into giving someone their money, this kind of fraud is outright theft. Banks are much more likely to reimburse the stolen money as long as it's reported within 30 days. After that, the bank isn't required to. Obviously, the surest way to protect against check fraud is to use electronic transactions for paying bills and exchanging money. Of course, crooks are always looking for ways to target us there, too. That's why you should make sure your passwords and online accounts are more secure than your mailbox. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Post
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Indiana man who died in plane crash wrote own comedic obit: ‘I am completely dead now'
Author of his own fate. An Indiana man wrote a darkly funny obituary for himself, which was published after he died in a crash involving his homemade plane. Gary Wolflet, 72, fatally crashed his self-made single-engine Express 2000 FT plane in Ohio on May 5, and though he was perhaps not prepared for the accident, he was ready for the inevitable, according to a report from WXIN. Advertisement 3 Gary Wolflet wrote his own obituary that was released after he was killed in a plane crash in Ohio on May 5, 2025. Soller-Baker Funeral Homes 'Hello. I am Gary. I am completely dead now. I am surprised that it took this long to happen,' the deceased man wrote. 'I had several close calls throughout my lifetime. I guess that I was just lucky that something didn't get me long before now.' Advertisement Wolfelt then chronicled a series of cartoonish close calls that occurred over the course of his life — including taking a baseball to the head as a Little Leaguer, being kicked in the stomach by his sister's horse Cricket, getting hit by a car, narrowly escaping a falling chimney, and taking a spill down a flight of stairs while holding a concrete-lined safe that landed on his chest. After that last fall, Wolfelt said he was forced to go to a doctor who discovered he had prostate cancer — 'I had just dodged another bullet.' 'I cannot tell you here what sort of event actually killed me as I wrote this obituary before I was completely dead. Someone else will have to fill in the details later on I guess,' he added, not knowing he'd end up leaving this life doing one of his favorite things. 3 First responders gather near the scene of the plane crash in Ashland County, Ohio on May 5, 2025. FOX 59 Advertisement In a heartwarming turn in the comedic obit, the amateur aviator also laid out his 'most important accomplishments.' 'I stayed lovingly married to the same woman for a long time. I cut about 100 cords of firewood. I fixed a lot of problems for a lot of people over the last fifty years. I paid all of my bills with my own earnings. I only took welfare (Social Security) after I retired,' he stated simply. Wolfelt didn't want children, so instead he and his wife Esther had dogs — which he admitted to liking more than 'most people that I came into contact with throughout my lifetime.' Advertisement Still, he made sure to show his gratitude to those of the humankind whom he did like. 'I would like to thank those of you who loved me while I was here on Earth. It really meant a lot to me. And I appreciate your letting me love you right back,' he wrote. In a P.S., Wolfelt cleared the record on his voting history, writing, 'I also want you to know that I didn't intentionally vote for any socialists during my lifetime.' 'So I am not the least bit responsible for the mess that America is in at the moment.' The prolific posthumous penman said he wouldn't have a funeral, adding, 'In lieu of flowers, please keep the money and take yourself out for a nice dinner or do something nice for someone else.' 'Good bye and Peace. I am hanging up now,' Wolflet concluded. 3 Officials investigate the field where the single-engine plane crashed, killing Wolflet. FOX 59 Wolflet is survived by his wife Esther, three brothers and sisters, and several nieces and nephews, according to an addendum written by Esther. Advertisement 'Hopefully if there is a life after death, I will end up with Esther and all of our dogs in a sunny field of tall grass with music playing all around me. It was music that made me the happiest most of my life,' he wrote. Even in his death, Wolfelt left an impact. Dozens of strangers signed the guestbook section of his obituary, heaping on praise over his autobiographical obit.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘I am completely dead now': Indiana man's humorous, self-written obit reflects on brushes with death
LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WXIN) — It isn't every day someone gets to write their own obituary, let alone one filled with this much wit and humor. But Gary Wolfelt knew one day he would meet his maker. He had had too many close calls not to see the writing on the wall. When at last the time came and Gary found the Grim Reaper calling his number, he was ready. 'I am completely dead now,' Gary wrote in his obituary. 'I am surprised that it took this long to happen.' Wolfelt died in a small plane crash in Ohio on May 5. The 72-year-old from Lafayette was the only person in the single-engine Express 2000 FT plane. Gary built the plane himself, according to his wife, Esther, part of a 17-year endeavor. MLB reinstates Pete Rose and 'Shoeless' Joe Jackson, now eligible for the Hall of Fame But it's not Gary's death that has people talking. It's his life, and the way Gary was given the rare opportunity to announce not only his own death, but also give a summary of his long, fruitful life. A life Gary felt could've ended a half dozen times over. 'I had several close calls throughout my lifetime. I guess that I was just lucky that something didn't get me long before now,' Gary wrote in his unique and humorous obit. He described a 'long series of events and mishaps' which he believes 'should have killed me long ago.' These close calls include a fly ball to the noggin in Little League (his team going a miserable 0-20), a horse kick that nearly left him singing soprano, a brick chimney that almost crushed him flat and a long fall down down a set of stairs with a safe racing down behind him. 'Thank goodness for pain killing drugs!' Gary exclaimed. Gary lovingly and jokingly reflected on his family, pondering if his sister had anything to do with that horse-kicking incident. He apologized to his sixth-grade classmates and reflects on failing math class, which he attributed to the aforementioned fly ball to the head. Never having kids of his own, Gary mused on his love of dogs over people. 'Generally a dog will only bite you when you have it coming. This is not the case with many people.' Among his proudest accomplishments, Gary listed staying lovingly married to his wife for over 40 years. 'Goodbye and Peace. I am hanging up now,' Gary wrote, signing off for the final time. Well, not without a little suggestion about how to best celebrate his life. 'Heroic': Oklahoma men rush towards burning truck to save lives 'In accordance with my wishes, there will be no funeral. I don't want people coming by to look at me all dressed up and stretched out in an expensive box looking as bad as I will probably look in a completely dead condition…. Maybe after a while some of my friends might get together and have a party on my behalf. I will try to remember to have a nice full size stand up cardboard cutout of me available for the event. I am pretty sure someone will want to claim it for a dart board afterwords.' Read Gary's full obituary for yourself by clicking here. Esther did add that her husband was the owner and president of Wolfelt Electronic Security for nearly three decades and had attended Purdue for aviation technology. Gary had also built and flown a helicopter before building his fixed wing airplane. Instead of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made to area animal rescues in Gary's honor. A celebration of life is scheduled for next week in Lafayette, Indiana. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
