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Real Estate Agent catches land selling scam

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:50 GMT

BENNINGTON, Vt. (NEWS10) — The Vermont District Attorney’s office says identity theft is one of the top ten scams in the state. But Jenifer Hoffman, Owner of Hoffman Real Estate, had no idea that a potential client looking to sell land was a possible scammer who had stolen someone’s identity.“When I ultimately sent them all of the marketing information. And we went back and forth talking about the pricing strategy; he said that he agreed with everything I was proposing and that they were ready to proceed,” she said. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Even though none of the meetings were in person … she couldn’t help but feel that the deal was running too smoothly, especially when she asked for ID and then received passport photos. Hoffman looked deeper and found out that the real owners had moved out of the area 30 years ago, and while they still owned the land, they had not contacted her to sell it for them. The town was able to...

City sells stolen car in error; won’t share profits with victim

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:50 GMT

BALLWIN, Mo. – A double dose of bad news for a Ballwin woman, whose car was stolen, then recovered, and then mistakenly sold by the tow lot.Her car was stolen in St. Louis, where the city tow lot admitted its mistake. However, it won’t turn over profits on the sale.“It’s pretty sad that I’m a victim twice,” Rachel Addison said.Addison said her 2006 Pontiac G6 was stolen within a week of her buying it. She hadn’t yet secured insurance for the vehicle when a car thief struck in south St. Louis this past May. One month later, her car was recovered and taken to the city’s impound lot.“Every day I hoped I’d get it back, but I never got that phone call,” she said.Addison only learned it had been recovered when she took the initiative to keep calling, but the tow lot reported they’d sold it.A city hall spokesperson confirmed this to FOX 2: “The tow lot staff acknowledges this mistake and has taken corrective action with the employee.” Close Thanks for signing up! ...

SNAP scam: Mother reports EBT card hacked

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:50 GMT

GRANITE CITY, Ill. – Illinois state officials are warning of a new scam that could affect your family. It comes after a Granite City woman said she went to pay for her groceries with her government benefits, only to find out a thief had drained her account. And she's not alone.Leeann Abbott and her two children, Rylee, 6, and Ronnie, 2, rely on SNAP benefits. Abbott is a single-working mom. But when she tried to use her electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card Monday at a nearby grocery store, she was told she didn't have enough money in her account. Abbott receives $750 per month to spend on groceries for her young family.Abbott said the money was supposed to go into the account by midnight Monday. She said she immediately filed a fraud report with the Illinois Department of Human Services. They told her it would be 10 to 15 days before she'd be reimbursed and printed her a record of her EBT card transactions. Those transactions showed the card was used in California and drained with...

St. Louis hockey club mandates neck guards following pro’s death

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:50 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Hockey can be a dangerous sport.“We are basically skating on razor blades,” Mike Richards, the director of hockey at St. Louis Rockets Youth Hockey Club, said.With players moving at high speeds and crashing into one another, “It can happen just like that.”William Meyland-Smith plays for the club’s 8-and-under team.“You could like fall on the ice and crack a bone,” Meyland-Smith said.To keep himself protected, he wears all the usual gear, like elbow pads, a helmet, shin guards, and shoulder pads. Results: November 7 Missouri Special Election William and all the other 600 players in the club are now also wearing neck guards.“Player safety is always on our mind,” Ron Skinner, the Rockets executive director, said.According to Skinner, the Rockets are the first club team in the Missouri Hockey League to mandate neck guards. Neck guards are a relatively thick layer of material that is worn around the neck to prevent cuts and lacerations.“I think that down the road we are goi...

Nonprofit celebrates 30 years of home repair assistance for St. Louisans

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:50 GMT

ST. LOUIS – The nonprofit Rebuilding Together St. Louis is celebrating three decades of helping people in the community with home repairs."Where I had the leak, they redid the ceiling for me and they did the yard. I am truly grateful and blessed," Sandra Walls said.Walls said Rebuilding Together changed her life when they came out earlier in the year to fix her home with repairs, some of which she didn't even know she needed."They gave me a new roof; they put in LED lighting in the hallway and basement; and then they also gave me a new hot water tank," she said.Walls attended Wednesday evening’s event to celebrate 30 years of the organization that helps so many people across the area. Results: November 7 Missouri Special Election "Over the last 30 years, we've helped more than four thousand homeowners in St. Louis City and St. Louis County. We've done more than 70 community spaces where we work on community centers or schools or community gardens," Elaine Powers, Rebuilding Togeth...

Two bodies found burned, shot within hours in St. Louis City, County

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:50 GMT

ST. LOUIS – There are two homicide investigations spanning the city and county of St. Louis after two men were found dead and burned.St. Louis County Police were called just after 2 p.m. Tuesday for a suspicious death.When detectives arrived, they found a man dead and his body burned on the side of the road in the 12600 block of Columbia Bottom Road.An autopsy performed Wednesday determined the man had been shot.About 12 hours earlier, in south city, St. Louis police officers were called to an alley near Oregon Avenue after a man had been set on fire.Police sources said it appeared the victim had also been shot. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Breaking News SIGN UP NOW Dr. Angelo Brown is a criminal justice and criminology professor. He's also a member of the Ac...

Suspect wanted for murder, tampering with body in Englewood shooting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:50 GMT

Englewood police are searching for a 41-year-old man suspected of first-degree murder in the shooting death of Suany Melgar Almendarez on Sept. 10.Jose Bustamante, is wanted on suspicion of first-degree murder and tampering with a deceased human body, according to the Englewood Police Department.Officers responded to the area of Vallejo Street and West Adriatic Place on Sept. 11 for a welfare check. They found Almendarez deceased in an alleyway from a single gunshot wound.We have identified the suspect in the murder of Suany Melgar Almendarez as Jose Bustamante. A 5-million-dollar warrant has been issued for his arrest for 1st Degree Murder. See the below Crime Stoppers Alert and check Facebook for more information. pic.twitter.com/fo88CiMMaI— Englewood Police Department (@PoliceEnglewood) November 9, 2023Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Man convicted of first-degree murder in 2022 shooting outside Aurora bar Crime and Public Safety | She ...

'Timepiece Gentleman' busted for stealing $3 million from customers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:50 GMT

A 35-year-old man from Los Angeles, known as “The Timepiece Gentleman,” who operated a luxury watch consignment business in Beverly Hills was arrested Tuesday by agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation on charges of defrauding customers out of an estimated $3 million, authorities announced on Wednesday.  Anthony Farrer founded his business, Gentlemen Timepieces, in Texas in 2017 and opened his Beverly Hills location in 2022, according to a news release from the United States Attorney’s Office.  Until recently, the 35-year-old lived in a luxury rental apartment in downtown L.A., was known to drive a Lamborghini and Ducati motorcycles and traveled frequently to gamble in Las Vegas.  Between late 2022 until the summer of 2023, Farrer promised customers he would sell their high-end luxury watches on consignment and collect a 5% commission on the sale, federal officials said. However, instead of giving his customers their money after the sale, he kept the proceeds ...

Fremont man arrested in connection with October homicide

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:50 GMT

FREMONT – A 37-year-old man was arrested Wednesday in connection with a fatal shooting last month in Fremont, police said.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Police seek suspect after fatal shooting inside Pittsburg residence Crime and Public Safety | Baby dies from fentanyl exposure; Fremont mother arrested Crime and Public Safety | Two arrested after police confront suspects coming out of East Bay home with property Crime and Public Safety | Oakland’s Ale Industries shuts down, blames ‘rising rate of crime’ Crime and Public Safety | Oakland police sergeant shoots and kills person near City Hall The victim was found dead with a gunshot wound to his chest behind a business in the 3100 block of Walnut Avenue on Oct. 25, according to the Fremont Police Department.Detectives went on to identify the primary suspect as Fremont resident Marquice McClinton.On Wednesday, officers encounte...

Security for APEC summit: Where drivers, pedestrians are allowed and not allowed

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:50 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- We are less than a week away from the opening of APEC, the Asian Pacific Economic Forum. President Joe Biden and leaders from across the globe will be among the 20,000 or so expected. With that will come security like San Francisco has never seen before, impacting where and how people can get from one place to another. On Wednesday afternoon, law enforcement updated the media on those security protocols.The San Francisco Police Department is staffed up to prepare and make sure that this event is safe for everyone. Police Chief Bill Scott says the police force along with federal and state law enforcement agencies are ready for next week's APEC summit. San Francisco bakery burglarized in SoMa neighborhood, community contributes to recovery efforts "We are fully mobilized all of next week, which means every able-bodied officer will be working," Scott said. "We will be working 12 to 14-hour shifts and will have coverage daytime and nighttime. Our goal is to be ...