Law and Order/Legislation

Nicolas Cage Broke? Not Really, He Just Owes People Money

How do you define broke?
All kinds of publications, from trashy tabloids to respected newspapers, are reporting that Nicolas Cage is broke. Maybe they are just using “broke” for space reasons, but I don’t think that’s the right word for what Nicolas Cage is.
Nicolas Cage was bilked out of millions by [...]

Image from Flickr.

Cash Advance Loans Store Robbery Gets Man 10 Years

Repeat offenders treated harshly
It’s true, you can’t be thrown in prison for 10 years for robbing a cash advance loans store. However, the situation is different if you have already served time for robbery before. A man who robbed a payday loan store in Minnesota at gun point has been [...]

Its too bad signs like this arent very effective. Image from Flickr.

PBS Documentary | Century-old Murder Case, Leo Frank Lynching

The Case of Leo Frank
Tonight showcases a very contradicting documentary about the case of Leo Frank, and you won’t need quick cash to see it. The documentary will be aired tonight on PBS.
Leo Frank was a Cornell-educated Jewish industrialist who was lynched in Georgia for the murder of 13-year-old Mary [...]

Leo and Lucille Frank during his trial, 1915 (Photo from Wikimedia.org)

Should Government Limit Bank Overdraft Fees?

Over-the-top overdraft fees
The Associated Press reports that some senior congressional Democrats want to draw up legislation that would limit how much banks can charge customers in overdraft fees. Personally, I have been slapped with $105 in overdraft charges before for transactions that equaled a lot less than that, so I [...]

With this debit transaction cost $35 more than you think?

Former Celtic star Antoine Walker – Broke!

More Money, More Problems
No matter how far you go or how much quick cash you have access to, the importance of the responsible use of money remains the same. The more money you make doesn’t necessarily mean you’re the next Bill Gates. As a matter of fact, the more [...]

image by flickr

French Court Finds Church of Scientology Guilty of Fraud

France fines for fraud
The French government has never recognized the Church of Scientology as a religion. It has always viewed it as a “sect” or simply a commercial operation. Now, after two women filed complaints against the Church of Scientology, the French court has said the Church of Scientology is [...]

Tom Cruise, famous Scientologist. Image from Flickr.

Kinsman, IL | Scene of FBI raid

Minuscule town raided by FBI
insman, Illinois is a sleepy little town with a population just over 100.  It’s about 50 miles southwest of Chicago, and there isn’t much there, not even a gas station or a single cash advance store.  All that’s in the town is a church, a Post [...]

Image from Flickr.com.  Coming to a small town near you!

Sweat Lodge Survivor Speaks | Worst $9,000 Ever Spent?

Will Arthur Ray be accused of murder?
James Arthur Ray a couple of weeks ago charged a few dozen of his followers $9,000 to attend a five-day retreat that culminated in spending couple of hours in a makeshift sweat lodge. Three people died and several others were hospitalized.
A lawyer representing a [...]

Pictured: A sweat lodge in Hawaii. Many cultures have used sweat lodges for centuries, but they are very selective about the materials used. Image from Flickr.

ESPN: Steve Phillips Suspended Over Sex Scandal

ESPN Analyst Steve Phillips Suspended
First it was Letterman, now ESPN MLB analyst Steve Phillips is in the spotlight for the same mischievous deed. Steve Phillips has been suspended for a week by ESPN after reports of an affair he had with a 22-year-old production assistant named Brooke Hundley. Things are [...]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/denharsh/ / CC BY 2.0

SpoofCard: Good for Privacy, Bad for Hacking

Is SpoofCard as harmless as it seems?
SpoofCard is, put simply, a service that allows you to change the phone number that shows up on someone else’s phone when you call. It sells its services under the slogan “Be who you want to be,” and advertises itself as a tool to [...]

Hacking into others' phones? Yep, unfortunately, there's an app for that. Image from Flickr.

Bernard Kerik Back in Jail for Putting Confidential Info Online

Former commissioner on trial for conspiracy
Bernard Kerik knows that committing tax fraud is a no-no. He made that clear in 2004, when he withdrew his name from consideration for Secretary of Homeland Security. At that time, Bernard Kerik admitted that he had committed tax fraud.
Bernard Kerik had employed an illegal [...]

Image of Bernard Kerik from Wikimedia.

Adam Jasinski, ‘Big Brother’ Winner, Accused of Selling Drugs

Did Adam Jasinski invest in oxy?

What would you do if you won $500,000? Would you retire, buy a house, travel the world or invest in oxycodone so you could illegally sell it? Well, prosecutors in the case against “Big Brother 9″ winner Adam Jasinski would have you believe that Jasinski [...]

Ontario Payday Loan Restrictions Coming into Force

But Nanny State Leanings Make it All Ridiculous
When it comes to short-term consumer lending, few products are as quick and convenient as a payday loan. The bulk of payday loan companies in Canada operate within the bounds of established governmental guidelines into order to provide consumers with a safe, affordable [...]

It's all well and good when you're seven, but Ontario wants to nanny its payday loan customers so they don't have to be responsible. (Photo: flickr.com)

Credit Repair Scams are on the Rise

Credit Repair History
Credit repair services started out with an honorable mission: to help people get out of debt and live the American Dream. They were originally designed to help people get back on track financially, while repairing the damage done due to a variety of circumstances that ruined their credit [...]

If you need credit repair help, make sure you know who you are working with.

Raj Rajaratnam Charged with Insider Trading

America’s net top fraudster
It’s been a good year for scammers — or a bad year, depending on how you look at it. From Bernie Madoff to Sky Capital, people who bilk others out of their money are getting caught. You can add Raj Rajaratnam to that list now, as he [...]

Raj Rajaratnam insider trading scam

Burlington Coat Factory Riot Breaks Out

Woman didn’t keep promise to buy clothes
A word to the wise, people: If you’re ever out shopping and someone marches into the store and says she’ll pay for $500 worth of merchandise for everyone, remember that sometimes people lie. Furthermore, if this happens to you, please exercise further common sense [...]

Image from Flikr.

Class-Action Lawsuit Filed Against Microsoft, T-Mobile

Server outage loses customer data
Last week, one of the biggest tech companies in the United States experienced a server outage. Several Sidekick smartphone owners lost personal data such as appointment dates, phone numbers and other information when Microsoft’s server went down a couple of weeks ago.
Data services for Sidekick users [...]

Sidekick image from Wikimedia.

New Rules Will Prohibit Teens from Having Credit Cards

Drinking age is the new credit card age
When a new piece of legislation takes effect in February, anyone younger than 21 will need a cosigner older than 21 to get a credit card. I believe this is a very positive step that will keep a lot of people from getting [...]

People younger than 21 can no longer get credit cards on their own.

Michael Vick and Nike Contract | No Go, Says Nike

Yet They Endorse Him by Sending Him Nike Products
I understand that professional sports are more about business than they are about the love of the game on an organizational level. A great deal of money is changing hands among fans, advertisers, merchandisers and teams, and that money must be handled [...]

Boycott the Eagles, and now boycott Nike. Don't be like Mike. (Photo: flickr.com)

Randy Quaid Arrest | Wait! You Forgot to Tip the Bellhop!

Hollywood star and wife jailed after skipping out on hotel bill
Most people in this world are honest when it comes to paying their debts. When they need help making ends meet during a temporary crisis, they may even resort to honest means of securing extra funds, like payday loans from [...]

Randy Quaid, cultivator of beards and dangling hotel bills (Photo: flickr.com)