But our chief storytellers are not novelists. They’re PR hacks and lobbyists. As evangelists of hardline, anti-social economic theory, they spin yarns of self-interest for oligarchs.
The think tanks funded by these
billionaires, and the lobby-mills they employ, are how vested interests enthral
our policymakers and achieve state capture.
Their darkest success has been the
obstruction of positive action on climate and environmental law.
For nearly 40 years, the fable they’ve spun, the tale that’s
managed to set the agenda for all of us, has been a noxious myth fixated on the price of
everything and the value of nothing.
Their story urges us to pursue lives of endless consumption and
pitiless competition powered by the fuels that are killing the world.
This fable promises liberty and happiness for all. But it’s a
false promise – and a cruel one.
Tim Winton: Australia’s challenges are mounting, but the risk is too high to not tackle them
Will you look at us by the river! The whole restless mob of us on spread blankets in the dreamy briny sunshine skylarking and chiacking about for one day, one clear, clean, sweet day in a good world in the midst of our living. Yachts run before an unfelt gust with bagnecked pelicans riding above them, the city their twitching backdrop, all blocks and points of mirror light down to the water's edge.
Life was something you didn't argue with, because when it came down to it, whether you barracked for God or nothing at all, life was all there was. And death.
Cloudstreet inside the Western Lucky 🍀 Country
Ningaloo
Nyinggulu : ABC iview
HOW PEOPLE CAN USE YOUR PHONE TO TRACK YOU. WITH BONUS ON HOW TO TURN IT OFF IF YOU HAVE AN ANDROID: The Global Surveillance Free-for-All in Mobile Ad Data.
FTC releases annual report to Congress on scams and older victims
- Seniors less likely to be victims but lose more money
- But five times more likely to be victims of tech support fraud
- Three times more likely to be subject to lottery/prize frauds
- Lose more through bank to bank transfers and crypto
Scam losses in Australia totaled $2.74 billion last year; top scams were investments (crypto romance), romance fraud; tech support, phishing, and payment redirection (business email compromise)
Fraud Studies: Here are links to the studies I’ve written for the Better Business Bureau: puppy fraud, romance fraud; BEC fraud, sweepstakes/lottery fraud, tech support fraud, romance fraud money mules, crooked movers, government imposters, online vehicle sale scams, rental fraud, gift cards, free trial offer frauds, job scams, online shopping fraud, fake check fraud and crypto scams
Fraud News Around the world
Alabama: Man arrested for hacking the SEC’s Twitter account
Australia issues new alert about bank impersonation scams
Singapore police investigating 292 scammers and money mules in two week operation
Tennessee: Canadian woman arrested for grandparent fraud after she went to victim’s home to pick up money
Global Anti-Scam Alliance releases survey of fraud in Asia; estimates losses at $688 billion
India busts operation selling vitamin pills on Amazon that were really filled with starch
Maryland: Police nab man (Chinese?) who went to vicitim’s home to pick up gold bars; caller had claimed to be with FTC IG and that victim was an ID theft victim
Nigeria: Ten convicted of internet fraud
Meta shuts down 1600 Facebook groups being used by Nigerian Yahoo boys
India busts tech support call center, arrest 12
Scotland to vastly strengthen consumer protection laws
New York county indicts man (Chinese?) for bank impersonation fraud; sent courier to victim home to pick up money
New York state police detective indicted for buying credit card information on the dark web and doing video on how to use them
BBC: Meta to introduce facial recognition to fight scams using photos of celebrities
India introduces system to block robocalls that are showing local number on Caller ID
UK: Action Fraud reports 33,000 have reported having their online accounts hacked in the last year
EU issues report on the ecosystem of counterfeit goods
Humor
- Ontario Provincial Police arrest Vermont man for drunk driving who didn’t realize he was in Canada
- State of the art firehouse in Germany burns down because it had no fire alarms
- CFPB files suit against student loan company over false claims about schools it was lending for
- CFPB resolves case against Goldman-Sachs over the use of Apple Cards; to pay $89 million
- Buffalo: Man gets 18 months prison for PPP fraud
- UK: Bulgarian man gets seven years prison for arranging for Bulgarians to fly to the UK, apply for welfare benefits, and then fly home; got £2.2 million
- New Jersey: Former bank manager gets 65 months prison for helping others get fraudulent PPP loans; at least $5 million lost
- Missouri: Man gets 12 years prison for PPP fraud; got $12 million
- Sacramento: Three indicted for scheme that stole unemployment benefits; got $900,000
- Jacksonville: Woman indicted for PPP fraud as well as using ID theft to get credit and obtain money
- Hits Calgary public library in Canada
- US Office of Medicare confirms it lost data during ransomware attack
- Attack cripples UK trading firm ION
- Hits Boston Children’s Health Physicians group
- Attack on Vietnamese electric motor company Nidec
- Hits German speaking school in Switzerland
- Jamaica: Police arrest two for lottery fraud; seize $100 million in cash
- Jamaica: Man extradited to South Carolina for lottery fraud
- Australian woman, romance scam victim, nears trial for acting as a drug mule
- Minnesota: Man (Nigerian?) gest more than five years prison for romance fraud; got $2.1 million