Latest news with #misuse
Russia Today
11 hours ago
- Business
- Russia Today
EU Covid grants in Poland spent on yachts, luxury cars and swinger club
Poland has suspended the distribution of EU funds intended for post-Covid pandemic recovery in the hospitality, tourism, and culture sectors, following controversy over alleged misuse of the money. Some of the funds were spent on boats and luxury furniture, as well as a grant registered to the address of a swingers' club, Politico reported. The scandal erupted after the Polish authorities published interactive online maps displaying grant recipients in a bid to showcase openness of the recovery program. The data, however, revealed that the funds bankrolled yachts, a pizzeria that added tanning beds, and, in one widely shared case, a business in southern Poland registered at the same address as a sex club. Finance Minister Katarzyna Pelczynska-Nalecz said on Tuesday that no additional funds would be released until each of the roughly 2,400 grants, totaling around 1.2 billion zlotys (€282.3 million/$330 million), undergoes individual scrutiny. The HoReCa scheme, part of Poland's long-delayed EU Covid recovery plan, aimed to support small tourism and hospitality businesses hit by pandemic restrictions. Poland was eligible for nearly €60 billion from the EU's Recovery Fund, but access was blocked under the previous government due to a rule-of-law dispute. The new government unlocked the funds after the 2023 election by addressing EU concerns. The conservative PiS, which lost its parliamentary majority two years ago, has used the latest findings to attack the current government. PiS MEP Tobiasz Bochenski staged a stunt on Saturday with a mock plaque for the fictional 'Ministry of Herring and Vodka' outside the office of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Tusk has responded by accusing the previous PiS administration of blocking the fund for many years, which, he claimed, forced the current authorities to implement the program under tight deadlines. 'To make sure the money got out, the funds ministry loosened procedures, and some people took advantage, spending in ways that, rightly, people find questionable, if not outright infuriating,' he said on Monday. The European Commission has said Brussels is 'following the situation closely,' but stressed that responsibility for managing the funds rests with Warsaw.
The Sun
06-08-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Shock WhatsApp block bans 6.8 MILLION people from app – exact rules you must never break to avoid same fate
WHATSAPP has revealed its taken down 6.8million accounts in a huge crackdown on serious misuse. The Meta -owned messaging app said the banned accounts were linked to criminal scam centres targeting people across the world. 1 Many were tied to forced labour and run by organised crime gangs primarily situated in Southeast Asia, the firm claims. The 6.8million accounts in question were all banned in the first six months of 2025. "Based on our investigative insights into the latest enforcement efforts, we proactively detected and took down accounts before scam centers were able to operationalize them," the social networking giant said. "These scam centers typically run many scam campaigns at once – from cryptocurrency investments to pyramid schemes. "There is always a catch and it should be a red flag for everyone: you have to pay upfront to get promised returns or earnings." Meta notes one example where it worked with ChatGPT owner OpenAI to disrupt a criminal scam being run out of Cambodia. These tempted people with cash for liking social media posts to promote a fake rent-a-scooter pyramid scheme. It comes as a new group messaging safety overview is rolled out to users from today. This shows users key information when added to a group by someone not in their contacts. Meta has three tips to help individuals avoid being scammed on WhatsApp. WhatsApp reveals exacty how to block one of your contacts Pause Take time before you respond. Question: Question whether what's being asked makes sense and whether it's too good to be true. Verify: If they're claiming to be a friend or family member, make sure that they are who they say they are by contacting that friend directly. "It's positive that WhatsApp has shut down 6.8 million accounts linked to scammers so far this year, but Meta must do much more to stop these criminals across all its platforms," said Lisa Webb, Which? Consumer Law Expert. "In 2023 alone, £341 million was lost to authorised push payment fraudsters - over half of those scams were reported as originating on Meta platforms. "For far too long, Meta has allowed scammers to run rampant across its platforms. "Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp users are being inundated with fraudulent ads for everything from fake investment opportunities to dodgy products and non-existent job offers. 'Meta needs to ensure that scams are prevented from ever appearing on its platforms in the first place." DON'T FALL FOUL OF THE RULES - YOU COULD BE BANNED TOO Few people realise that they themselves could find their WhatsApp account banned if they break the rules. And it's not only being a scammer that could land you in trouble. Don't use fake WhatsApp apps Some people choose to use a WhatsApp ripoff app on Android for different features. GBWhatsApp and WhatsApp Plus are just two well-known copycat apps. They still allow you to message your mates through WhatsApp but the app itself looks and feels very different. However, WhatsApp doesn't want you using these fakes to access their service. If experts at the firm detect that you're using a WhatsApp one of them, your account risks being banned. Sending too many messages Chat all day long on WhatsApp if you like but messaging too often and getting on people's nerves could inadvertently land you in hot water. This is especially the case if you spam too many groups with nonsense. If a large volume of people report you it'll raise the alarm at WhatsApp HQ. It's at this point you could have your account restricted. Spreading hoaxes We all like a laugh but there are limits - and WhatsApp does not like dangerous hoaxes. Spreading fake news and hoaxes is against the rules. If WhatsApp catches you doing this - probably via people reporting you for it - you risk being banned.
CTV News
06-08-2025
- Business
- CTV News
SaskPower out more than $7,500 after misuse of company procurement cards
An employee with SaskPower cost the crown corporation more than $7,500 through the misuse of a company credit card over a period of years. According to the latest round of provincial loss reports, from Nov. 1, 2022 to April 2, 2025 – a SaskPower employee used a corporate procurement card for personal purchases – amounting to a total of $7,526.25. The report did not elaborate what the purchases were exactly. In terms of corrective actions, multiple recommendations were made by an internal audit at SaskPower. They consisted of improving processes, enhancing monitoring, and fixing control deficiencies. The crown corporation apparently put the proposed changes in place in Q4 of 2024-25 to help fix the deficiencies that made it possible for employees to abuse company cards. The employee responsible for the matter was fired, according to SaskPower. The company is currently attempting to recover the funds and is in the process of reporting the incident to police. On Feb. 21 of this year, a term employee took a laptop from SaskPower against instructions from management – costing the company $1,100. Attempts to recover the laptop have been unsuccessful, according to the province. SaskPower reported the incident to police in Q1 of 2025-26. Lastly, in Saskatoon, an employee with the provincial health authority cost the enterprise $577 through the misuse of a parking pass from Aug. 2024 to Feb. 2025. According to the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), the employee had reported their original parking pass as 'lost' and a replacement was issued to them. The SHA says that both of the parking passes were being used by several people, including employees, simultaneously. The employee in question received a 10-day suspension and is currently reimbursing the crown corporation for the full amount owed. Improvements are underway for the SHA's parking system. The changes include enhanced training for staff and the installation of a new parking management system, according to the report.
BBC News
24-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Some asylum seekers misusing payment cards for gambling
Some asylum seekers have been misusing payment cards for gambling instead of their intended use for food and essentials.A Freedom of Information request made by PoliticsHome revealed more than 6,500 payments in gambling settings were attempted by asylum seekers in the past payments were made on ASPEN cards, given by the Home Office to asylum seekers awaiting a decision to avoid them becoming destitute, with small weekly top-ups. A Home Office spokesperson said they were looking at the transactions and if any cards had been misused, urgent action would be taken. When asylum seekers first arrive they are usually first put up in fully catered hotels – and given £9.95 a week on their ASPEN card, rising to £49.18 a week when they're moved to self-catered rather than buying necessities, some asylum seekers have successfully used the chip and pin ASPEN cards to gamble at physical sites such as casinos, slot machine arcades and national lottery retailers. Attempts to gamble online using the cards were made, but were blocked each time, and in some cases, cash withdrawals were made in or near gambling sites, located using the terminal's ID FoI showed a peak of 227 attempts to use the cards for gambling in one week last November and the lowest number of attempts was 40 in a week last shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: "It is shocking that over 6,000 illegal immigrants have attempted to use hard-working British taxpayers' money to gamble. "The British taxpayer has put them up in hotels, and now they slap us in the face by using the money they are given to fund gambling. "These illegal immigrants clearly don't need the money they are given if they are squandering it at casinos and arcades."There are currently around 80,000 ASPEN card users in the UK and there are strict controls and limits on their BBC understands action will now be taken to ensure physical gambling is not possible in future. A Home Office source said: "If any individuals issued with Aspen cards have succeeded in misusing them in the way suggested, then urgent action will be taken to correct that fault." Sign up for our Politics Essential newsletter to read top political analysis, gain insight from across the UK and stay up to speed with the big moments. It'll be delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Chell, Daughtry golf outing with Trump sparks inquiry over use of NYPD security detail
NEW YORK — NYPD Chief of Department John Chell and Deputy Mayor Kaz Daughtry brought their police security details along last month when they visited President Donald Trump on their personal time at Trump's Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club — and the deployment is now attracting scrutiny from a city government watchdog, the Daily News has learned. Police and City Hall sources confirmed Chell and Daughtry brought their details. The City Hall source added the cops did not actually join the men on the golf course. The episode has since led to an inquiry by the city Department of Investigation after activist Brooklyn Rev. Kevin McCall filed a complaint on June 20. In his complaint, McCall said the matter 'involves the public trust' and asked DOI to determine whether the use of NYPD resources such as personnel and vehicles for the jaunt 'violated any NYPD codes of conduct or city ethics rules.' He wrote if Chell was off duty, as the department later said, 'this raises serious concerns regarding the misuse of public resources.' 'As a leader in the community, I am obligated to report concerns through the appropriate channels,' McCall said. 'At a time where we are dealing with cuts from the Trump administration, NYPD personnel resources are being used for personal gain. If this is confirmed, Chief John Chell should be fired immediately.' A city government source said the detail remained a mile or two away while Chell and Daughtry hit the links with Trump before having lunch. The City Hall source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, maintained it was within Chell and Daughtry's rights to have detail members with them, saying they're entitled to protection even on private time. Neither Chell nor Daughtry had been contacted by DOI investigators as of Friday, the source said. Kayla Mamelak, a spokeswoman for Mayor Eric Adams, said city officials are entitled to security at all times if the NYPD determines it's necessary. Mamelak also noted that a DOI complaint doesn't mean anyone has been found liable for any wrongdoing. An NYPD spokesman said the department will 'cooperate with any DOI investigation of this matter' and added that it 'complies with the applicable rules regarding the use of Department resources and personnel.' A spokeswoman for DOI declined comment. McCall said he has been interviewed by a DOI investigator. The golf outing on the weekend of June 7 and 8 prompted broad interest as it took place as tensions ratcheted up over Trump's nationwide immigration crackdown. The outing also came amid continued scrutiny over Adams' relationship with Trump amid fallout from his corruption indictment. Chell and Daughtry, who is Adams' top public safety deputy, posted photos of themselves with Trump June 8 on social media with Daughtry calling it a 'fantastic afternoon.' Chell dubbed it 'good conversation with a few laughs and a great lunch.' 'Even the wife received a call from the big guy!' Chell added, as The News previously reported. Chell and Daughtry have landed in hot water with DOI before, including earlier this year when the watchdog agency determined they violated city rules by going after critics and journalists on social media using their official accounts. A source familiar with their Trump meeting previously told The News there was no talk about politics or immigration. But another unnamed source told the New York Post Trump promised Chell and Daughtry he wouldn't deploy the military to NYC to quell protests as long as the NYPD handled things to his liking. Trump's decision to send National Guard troops to Los Angeles amid ICE protests around that time has sparked widespread concern and criticism. Christopher Ruddy, CEO of Newsmax, previously told The News that Trump personally invited Chell and Daughtry.
