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Phishing And Notorious Scams Throughout History

Scam artists use a lot of energy coming up with their scams, even ones as ridiculous as phishing. They have to work through all the intricate parts of it if it’s a good scam. Sometimes, they have to buy equipment and software if it’s on a big scale. Sometimes, they have to lease office space if it’s on a much larger scale.

What a world it would be if they put all that thought and energy into something legitimate. They’ve already proven that they have all the skills. At least, they’d have something to be proud of at the end of the day rather than taking advantage of people and ruining their lives. But there will always be scam artists among us and these are some of the most historical.

Jerome Jacobson

Jerome Jacobson was a police officer in Florida but an injury kept him from continuing as an officer of the law. He went on to get a securities job and that led him to become responsible for the McDonald’s Monopoly game pieces.

He had access to pieces that were worth up to a million dollars. With all that power, he decided to give pieces to family and friends where he would split the money when they cashed them.

Soon he had a whole network of people he was in business with and he netted over $24 million. When this scam caught up to him, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison and ordered to pay $12.5 million in restitution. The others who were caught in his scam were given probation and ordered to pay back their winnings from out of their pockets.

Victor Lustig

Victor Lustig was a master con man who actually sold the Eiffel Tower twice. Another con he used to run was selling a money box to businessmen. He convinced them that it would duplicate money if they put money in it. With a sleight of hand, he was able to convince them, and they bought it. He even got himself out of an arrest by showing it to a Texas sheriff who bought one from him.

But the Eiffel Tower story is amazing. He was able to convince executives of scrap metal companies, “Because of engineering faults, costly repairs, and political problems I cannot discuss, the tearing down of the Eiffel Tower has become mandatory.” Bids came rolling in and he became rich.

Would this be considered early day phishing?

His crimes eventually caught up to him and he ended up dying in Alcatraz.

Sylvia Browne

I’m not going to spend too much time on Sylvia Browne because I knew she was fake when she was alive and what she was doing was just plain wrong. She claimed to be a psychic and she took advantage of parents who had missing children. She would charge them a huge fee for a consultation, and then she would tell them some of the most horrendous things. She told a few parents that their child was dead and in one case, she told the parents their daughter had been kidnapped into human trafficking and taken to Japan.

In the case of human trafficking, it turned out to be untrue because the child’s body was found in America and had been buried. Sylvia did eventually catch charges for what she was doing and was slapped with community service. Despite being proven to be a fraud, people still believed in her and bought her books so that she could live out her happy life on real dollars earned from her lies and deception.

Anna Sorokin

Anna Sorokin made herself infamous by acting as an heiress of a European tycoon. She was befriended by very influential socialites and people in the art industry. Her exploits became the subject of the Netflix series Inventing Anna in which her role was played by Julia Garner.

She was so influential and charming that she was able to write her own ticket at one time, staying in hotel rooms and working toward building an empire. She almost had the funds, but it all caught up to her and she was found guilty of attempted grand larceny, larceny in the second degree, and theft of services. She was sentenced to prison. She didn’t stay long and was released. But now she’s being detained by ICE and awaiting deportation.

However, her fame didn’t stop there. She has been the subject of documentaries, books, and articles. In fact, Paris Hilton had Anna on her podcast This is Paris.

Charles Ponzi

You might think Bernie Madoff belongs on this list. But he just ran a modern-day Ponzi Scheme which is named after Charles Ponzi who struggled through life when he was young and migrated to America to chase the American dream. After working at a bank that went belly up, he invented his own Securities Exchange Company that earned its money buying postal coupons from weak economic countries and of course, selling them in strong economic countries.

His scheme began as he started attracting investors. He would take their money and put it straight in his pocket. Then, he would pay older investors back their money with new investor funds. At one time, it was reported that he had a net worth of $8.5 million. It eventually caught up to him and he did time in prison before being deported back to Italy. But his name lives on forever with every new scam artist who gives the Ponzi Scheme a try.

Phishing schemes don’t have anything on this guy!

Elizabeth Holmes

Elizabeth Holmes in my book is one of the sickest people on the planet. When your scam involves giving people who have serious health issues a promise that you don’t plan on delivering, you have reached a whole new level of scum.

Theranos is the company she founded where she claimed that she could provide an on-the-spot medical diagnosis from a single drop of blood from a patient using her rapid blood-testing machine. Investments poured in the billions and she was highlighted in the biggest magazines that carried her story. But it was all a hoax. The machine didn’t work and anyone working for her who questioned it was fired.

Wall Street Journal reporter John Carreyrou broke the story about her, “I think she absolutely has sociopathic tendencies. One of those tendencies is pathological lying.”

She has been found guilty on four counts of defrauding investors and faces up to 20 years in prison. Sentencing is set for October 17, 2022.

To pick up on a statement I made earlier. Phishing is a ridiculous scam. An email that shows up in your inbox might look like it’s from a legitimate company. If you click on a link, you might think you’re on a legitimate page. But if you pay attention to details, you won’t caught up in a phishing scam.

Look at the sender’s email. I’d be willing to bet that the domain is not the same as the “legitimate” company. That’s a red flag. If you click the link, I bet it doesn’t take you to the company’s official domain. That’s another red flag. The best practice is to google the company and contact them directly. Then, ask them if the email that you received is legitimate. Don’t take any action by clicking links through the phishing email itself.

Stay safe!

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‘Saints Row’ Inspires New Reality Game Show

Gamers are always looking for the next great thing. What makes a great game is how real it is. “Innocent Bystander” is a new reality show soon to hit the air on Big Reality TV inspired by the video game “Saints Row”.

Imagine walking down the street and the next thing you know, you’re caught up in a crime spree. Immediately, roommates you didn’t know you had run up to you and start calling you “Boss.” That’s when you learn you’re the leader of a gang and there’s a rival gang coming after you.

The difference between this game and “Saints Row” is this isn’t a video game at all. It’s a reality game show with cameras stationed everywhere following your every move while live broadcasting for the viewers at home. They watch as you plan a heist, stock up on weapons, and turn your home into a headquarters where your hardcore posse hangs.

This Is Satire

To conduct a gang war, you need money. So, you are going to have to move a lot of cash within a few short hours. The thing is you belong to a gang! So, normal protocol dictates that you do some blow and get some girls up in your crib.

But the party can’t go all day long. You have to pull the crew back and go stack up them Benjamins. In the biggest heist you’ve ever pulled off in your life, you and your posse leave headquarters and head for the place where you know there’s an obscene amount of money.

As you rush the local liquor store in monkey masks, you pull your guns and scare everyone down to the floor. Grabbing all the money you can fit in your bag along with a ton of liquor, you split the scene to find out that the popo is coming.

Total Fiction

Now, you’re in a high-speed chase with cops coming after you. You’re whipping your whip through town and taking turns like a champ, another skill you didn’t know you had. You weave in and out of traffic, and then you take it to the highway. And remember, you could have taken this game any way you wanted. But you’ve made these decisions, and here you are getting chased onto the highway.

A dozen police cars are on your rear and they are trying to maneuver around you. While one gets your attention on the right, another passes you on your left and hits you in a Pit Maneuver. You spin so fast that the car flips and you roll to a stop upside down.

The police pull your body out of the car and arrest you on the spot. They charge you with everything from robbery to reckless endangerment and speeding. You share a cell that night with a group of drunk and disorderly inmates.

Not True At All

Five years later, you get out of prison and you get invited to the Reunion Show where you find out other contestants have gone on to win millions and are Instafamous. But they’re amazed by your story of prison life and the interesting inmates you met along the way. Of course, you sue and you’re offered a six-digit deal to design a new brand of prison attire. Thank “Saints Row” for inspiring a game that took your life away and then tried to give it back.

You’ll never be involved in a game more realistic than that. Available to you are all the features life has to offer and there is no cheating. There isn’t any possibility anyone can cheat at this game because your actions either come with good or bad consequences. Gamers are already lining up to find out how they can play.

Not a bit of this is true. There is no such game. This has been a joke, and only a joke. If this had been real, you would have been given instructions on where to seek therapy and how to decompress from this experience. Again, this has only been a joke.

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Annoying Habits People Do In Public

Annoying people can be the worst. I know. I normally am that person. For he is me. But, I’m talking about really obnoxious people who don’t seem to know how annoying their habits are.

I have literally been at a party and a friend of mine from across the room texted me. Come talk to me, bro! If you have something to say, I’ll meet you halfway across the room. I’ll even come all the way over there if you need me. We’re at a party! No texting from across the room is allowed.

But that’s nothing when you consider how many times we’re around other people and they all have their faces in the phone. How ridiculous is it that you crave social attention so much that Facebook and Instagram have become your savior and yet, you have people all around you? Socialize with them. They’re right there.

But that only scratches the surface. Sometimes, people on planes can go beyond annoying. If you’re sitting behind me, don’t put your bare foot on my armrest. To the person sitting beside me, don’t lean over me to look out the window. And definitely don’t fall asleep and put your head on my shoulder. I don’t even know you. Our relationship isn’t quite there yet.

But one of the most annoying things to me is when I’m talking and someone interrupts me to relate to the most insignificant part of what I’m trying to say. First of all, I wasn’t finished yet and I hadn’t gotten to my point. But more importantly, that’s not what I’m talking about. It’s not even close. It’s a mini bullet point at best to a much bigger theme if you’d just give it some time.

Anyway, those are just a few habits that get on my nerves. You might relate. You might not. But, what you’re about to see is totally relatable.

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Mark Wahlberg And Kevin Hart Talk Michael Jordan

When you get Mark Wahlberg and Kevin Hart together, you never know what’s going to happen. One thing about them though, is they are both sneakerheads. And when it comes to good sneakers, you have to talk about Michael Jordan.

To begin with, Mark Wahlberg and Kevin Hart are promoting their new 2022 film Me Time coming real soon on Netflix. The release date is August 26. That’s how soon I’m talking. Check out the trailer to get an idea of what’s in store for you:

Okay to get back to the story, Mark and Kevin got with Complex and were doing some Sneaker Shopping. Now, that can be done in a mall or any shoe store really. But these guys don’t do anything normal.

They went to some huge Michael Jordan store. It has nothing but thousands of Nike shoes all dedicated to the GOAT of basketball himself. That’s when Mark Wahlberg made an interesting point.

First of all, Mark and Kevin have both accomplished great things. They have movies and companies they are both involved in to keep the cash flow right. In fact, they both have shoes of their own just like the man himself.

But Mark was looking around the store and he was overwhelmed. It made him feel like he hadn’t accomplished a thing in his life when compared to Michael Jordan. That’s not true at all. He has and Kevin has, but it’s hard to not be humbled in the face of Jordan’s greatness.

As it turns out, Mark and Michael Jordan are good friends. You have to hear the story about how Kevin Hart got on Jordan’s bad side and how asking Mark to help him get back in good with the GOAT isn’t going to happen.

It’s all good. You know it is. So, this visit to Flight Club in New York City will have you rolling while you wait for the release of Me Time.

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These Great Movie Moments Were Not Scripted

Filmmakers labor over catching great movie moments in their films. They want that memorable moment that will still be discussed years from now. Sometimes, they write a scene over and do a scene over until the entire staff is about to fall out. Then sometimes, they happen by pure accident.

In the 1971 film Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, Gene Wilder first introduces himself as a man who needs a cane to walk. But when he approaches the crowd, he falls forward and does a flip before addressing everyone. Gene came up with that himself.

He wasn’t supposed to do all that. But he thought it would be a good introduction because from that moment on, you never knew if he was lying or telling the truth.

Alicia Silverstone actually mispronounced Haitians during her debate scene in the 1995 film Clueless. But they let it go because they didn’t want her to know that she was actually pronouncing it wrong.

In the 1975 film Jaws, the cast and crew had an inside joke whenever anything went wrong, “You’re going to need a bigger boat.” Roy Scheider thought it would be a great idea to work the joke into the movie and it finally stuck in one of the biggest scenes they shot.

In the 1980 film The Shining, Jack Nicholson improvised when he delivered the line, “Here’s Johnny!” It’s definitely a nod to the late-night talk show host Johnny Carson and Stanley Kubrick almost cut the line from the movie. What a mistake that would have been.

In 1976, Sylvester Stallone was a young actor who was virtually unknown at this point. He wrote Rocky in three days and refused to let anyone else star in it even though United Artists was offering him huge money for the rights. In this scene, there’s a subtle moment when a guy in the marketplace throws Rocky an orange.

That wasn’t scripted. The guy thought Silvester was just some unknown man going on a run and gave him an orange. Little did he know, he was being filmed and would end up in a movie.

Tom Hanks is gold. Anything he touches is sure to become a pure masterpiece. The 1994 film Forrest Gump was bound to be one of them. When he tells Bubba his name and repeats it, he was going off-script.

But it was perfect because he was introducing himself the way Bubba had just done it. That’s why the director went with it. It worked better in the scene than what Tom was supposed to say.

There are great movie moments all over Hollywood. Sometimes, you don’t even know they’re there. But the business of filmmaking will always have those stories of how something was done by accident or they made it up on the spot and it just worked.

Don’t forget to check out The Deeper Dark, a psychological thriller available on Amazon! When a hero comes home from the war, he finds his world went on without him and now he has a new war to fight as a corrupt network of evil threatens the only person he has left in his life.

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One Giant Leap For Menstruation

Thinx has been around since 2013. They have been on a mission to provide a solution for menstruation that doesn’t involve tampons or pads. You can just wear this special underwear and it will absorb whatever your body can throw at it.

I don’t know why I’ve just started hearing about Thinx recently. But these commercials are killing it. They bring a great sense of humor to a serious problem and you have to admit, it’s ingenious.

In this one, an elderly lady is introduced to the underwear. She talks about what life was like back in the day and what she had to go through before Thinx came along. But she delivers a line that is so honest and matter-of-fact, it has me rolling every time.

“I had to search for a string in my butt crack…” If you realized that was the line I’m talking about, you got it right. I just comes from out of the blue. But it’s so true.

It would have been nice if someone would have cared more about women’s needs while we were trying to race to the moon. That part of the joke isn’t missed on me.

Now, this next commercial is why I specifically said that Thinx, “will absorb whatever your body can throw at it.” It’s not just about menstruation. It’s about anything that can happen down there.

Whether it’s an unexpected shart, a prairie dog situation, or full blown diarrhea, Thinx has got your back. Or rather, Thinx has your butt.

I’ve heard women talk about peeing themselves when they laugh. But I’ve never heard of anyone having a poop problem. Well, now I know that exists and Thinx is your answer.

These commercials are the best. They acknowledge the problem and show you the solution by letting you know there are women out there who can relate. And I’m glad that women now have an option where they no longer have to look for a string in their butt crack.

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The No Cry Challenge: “It’s Okay” By Nightbirde

The No Cry Challenge is just that. You have to watch Nightbirde sing “It’s Okay” and try not to cry. But first, you have to know the story.

Nightbirde is the name everyone knows her by. Jane Marczewski was the name she was given when she was born. We met her at America’s Got Talent 2021 auditions and fans fell in love. She told us her story, so I’m going to let her tell you herself.

Now, that you know what I’m talking about, maybe you should grab a seat if you don’t know the rest of the story. Nightbirde had to withdraw early from the competition just before making it to the quarterfinal round. Her health was declining and Simon Cowell agreed that she didn’t need the stress and pressure of the show with what she was going through.

She came up with her name Nightbirde after dreaming of birds singing at her windowsill during the middle of the night. She woke up one night to find them actually there singing, “It felt so poetic that these birds were singing as if it were morning, and yet there was no sign of it yet, and that’s what I want to embody.”

Nightbirde was facing her darkest moment. The story about those birds does embody that. They were singing for the morning, but it was still night. That’s exactly what Nightbirde was going through.

She passed away on February 19, 2022. Everyone who knew, we were broken in two. But she left us with so much inspiration, “You can’t wait until life isn’t hard anymore before you decide to be happy.”

She had a beautiful spirit and she faced her death with courage. We only knew her for a short time, but she made such a huge impact. A person like her doesn’t come around all that often. You want to embrace every moment you get with her.

So, here’s the challenge. You have to watch the video below without crying. But don’t worry if you do. This challenge has a 100% fail rate. And I’m not even ashamed. I cry every time.

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2022 Wimbledon Is Getting The Drama

Wimbledon demands a certain level of respect because it’s the game of tennis. It’s not beer pong or Hockey. The crowd is expected to be silent during play and the players are scolded if they have a temper tantrum.

So, what’s going on in 2022?

Let’s begin with Venus Williams. She and her partner Jamie Murray just wrapped up a win in the second round of doubles when they went before the press conference. That’s when a reporter asked her if she was in it to win it, “Or is it the first target just to get past the third round where Serena and Andy came a cropper?” The reference was to the 2019 Wimbledon involving her sister and Jamie’s brother.

My queen! Just like the queen of tennis that she is answered, “What kind of question is that? We’re in it for a stroll. Come on.” And then she went on to ask the reporter if he was going to, “Write a good article or just a halfway decent one.” Boom!

This response from Venus Williams was brilliant

"What kind of question is that?!" #BBCTennis #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/4e0LozWd9c

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 2, 2022

That was generally a joking experience. But you have to know that questions like that cut deep, especially when you’re considered one of the best in the world and you’re getting questioned about your motive.

In our next installment of drama, we have Rafael Nadal getting upset about something in his match with Lorenzo Sonego. What was it?

We all know that Nadal has his issues. He needs all the tennis balls distributed throughout the court equally. He fools with his drinking bottles when he’s on the designated breaks from the game. Everything has to be in the right place at the right time, and the entire tennis community deals with it because he is such a great player.

But, Nadal had to apologize for his actions while playing Sonego. Nadal had several conversations with his opponent during the game, when he won, and after the match in the locker room. What was it all about?

I think it had something to do with the way Sonego was grunting while playing. But Sports Now has a different scoop on it…

And now, to the best so far. When Stefanos Tsitsipas went to his Press Conference after getting beat by Nick Kyrgios in the Third Round, he had a few things to say about his opponent.

He called him a bully and he didn’t like the constant talking, the constant getting in his head. Then, he called him “Evil.” That’s right! “Evil!”

Sorry Tsitsipas, but that’s the game. You can’t just know how to swing a racket and serve. You have to know the mental game as well.

This is him complaining…

So, those statements were relayed to Nick who has no reason to defend himself. The game is played on two opposite sides of a net. A whole world is watching.

Bullying?

I don’t think so. But if you can’t handle how the man on the other side of the net is playing his game, time to step up yours. Otherwise, seek some therapy and come back next year to Wimbledon. Hopefully, they have much nicer players then to play against you.

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Rosa Parks Was Once Assaulted Despite Who She Was

I find this story to be totally incredible because it happened to Rosa Parks. Hadn’t she been through enough? Criminals don’t care who you are. This particular criminal is proving that he never belongs out of prison again.

In 1994, Joseph N. Skipper broke into Rosa Parks’ Detroit home. He struck her in the face and robbed her of the $53 in her purse. He didn’t stop to think about the fact that she was Rosa Parks. No, this ignorant soul robbed a national treasure without even blinking an eye.

It didn’t take long for them to catch him, and he was sentenced on June 7, 1995. His sentence was eight to 15 years, and he was released on July 23, 2009, after serving over 14 years. But, he was back in prison for a ten-year bit just four months later.

He was released for that term in August of 2019 and only managed to stay good until New Years when he thought it would be a good idea to break into another building with the intent to rob it. In a similar case to robbing Rosa Parks, he stole about $50 from another elderly lady.

Now, it looks like he won’t be able to get out until 2030. But they can hold him until 2045 if they choose. At the rate he’s going, he won’t do any good out here. They should keep him until ’45 if he lives that long. Maybe karma will handle this one for us.

There is a happy twist to her story as far as Rosa Parks is concerned. Mike Ilitch, the Little Caesars founder and Detroit Tigers owner who passed away in 2017, heard about the Rosa Parks robbery and decided to do something about it.

This part of the story begins with Damon Keith, a Detroit native and federal judge who took it upon himself to find Rosa Parks a safer place to live. The Riverfront Apartments in downtown Detroit were what he set his eyes on, and that’s where Rosa Parks moved.

When Mike Ilitch caught wind of the move, he contacted Keith with the proposal to pay the rent indefinitely. That deal was accepted with arms wide open. Ilitch paid Rosa Parks’ rent until the day she died in 2005. The best part about it is this story was kept under wraps until after Ilitch passed away. He wanted to keep that to himself. But it’s too good of a story to keep quiet. Doesn’t it make you want to order some Little Caesars Pizza tonight?

Even though Rosa Parks made all that fuss in Alabama, sparking an entire movement, you can see that she became a very important part of Detroit’s history as well. As an icon, good standing citizens of the city looked to take care of her, not rob her like the pathetic criminal who can’t seem to do any good in this world. May God have mercy on his soul!

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Taylor Swift Receives Doctorate From NYU

Taylor Swift is steadily building a phenomenal life for herself. She just doesn’t stop. She records hit songs and wins awards while living her best life. Now, she has a doctorate from NYU.

In her commencement speech, she made a few jokes because, after all, she is Taylor Swift, “I would like to thank NYU for technically making me a doctor, not the type of doctor you would want around in case of emergency.”

It is an Honorary Doctorate, which means she didn’t actually attend classes to earn it. But Honorary Doctorates are given to people who have contributed significantly to a field or society in general. For that, I know Taylor Swift has earned it.

First of all, I think she is a wonderful role model for ladies. In a world that is still dominated by men, pay gaps still exist, and respect is often not given, she has a way of fighting through it all and shining with grace. Take her legal battles, for example, she has gone up against the big guys and has fought her way through, coming out smelling like a rose.

That’s Taylor Swift! And that’s why ladies should look up to her.

But she really is a role model for everyone. She is the perfect example of how to enjoy life and make the most of it. She is the perfect example of how to stand up for yourself. She does everything with class, and just because she became a star at such an early age, that didn’t mean that she could shun everything else. She valued her education. She values the rights of others, and she fights for those rights whether they have a voice or not.

The award-winning singer didn’t get to attend her junior or senior year because she was home-schooled. So, she didn’t get to do the graduation walk when she earned her degree. This was her first time.

Taylor Swift wore the gown on stage and was cheered by about 20,000 people. I’m sure it was to capacity. And then, she gave a speech, which was elegant and sophisticated. What else would you expect of a doctor?

Great words, but with a sense of humor, “As long as we are fortunate enough to be breathing, we will breathe in, breathe through, breathe deep and breathe out. I am a doctor now, so I know how breathing works.”

Listen To Her Full Speech

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