Off the I-15

Normally we would have re-written this account in our own words, but Dan Foster, the author of the following e-mail nails it.

I thought this might be an interesting story ? Yesterday, my girlfriend (Joni) who is a 48 year old dental assistant in Barstow, noticed two black men breaking into her new rental car through the window of her dental office. In her scrubs, and leaving a patient still in his chair with his mouth open, she bolted out the back door and tackled one of them and wrestled him to the ground, thwarting the car theft or robbery. The guy was totally surprised and was screaming and fighting to get her off him. She wrestled him on the concrete until he was able to squeak out of his jacket. He got up and ran away. She got his jacket; she handed it to the police officers.

The other guy was chased by Joni’s co-worker (Tami) back into his apt complex. The girls raised enough attention, that the apt manager noticed and was able to identify the men and where they live.

This long, lanky, muscular 48 year old soccer mom has a few bumps and bruises… but a good story to tell.

Thanks Dan and good job Joni and Tami.

I’ve read the advice before and now even written some of my own, but I know I will be a victim of some sort of e-mail scam in the not too distant future.

Why?

Because I am too curious.

I love getting those e-mails — the ones where I’ve won 3.2 million Euros in the Hungarian lottery or some rich oil tycoon in Yemen recently died and left me his fortune — I love them. It is fun to see the tricks scammers play to get us to believe them. The wording they use, the desperation they can portray and the trust they can solicit.

For a moment, I allow myself to believe I really am a millionaire and then investigate further. I like to click on links to see where they take me. I like to open attachments to see what’s inside. I like to … I am sure this is making our IT person at the paper sick.

Because I am so curious as to how these scams work, I will most likely fall victim to one myself.

Here are a few examples of well-intentioned people falling victim to scams from the U.S. Postal Service and FBI Web site, www.lookstoogoodtobetrue.com.

I went to jail for a scam that I innocently fell into!! My husband and I had recently went to a company party that was held at a nearby casino. While we were there we signed up for give-a-ways. Everything from trips to jackpots for money. When we returned home we didn’t think anything of it again.

Three weeks after our trip, I received a letter in the mail with a $2,900.00 check. It stated that I had won a jackpot. I called the number on the letter and also called the bank that the check was written from. Everything checked out fine. We had never won anything before and I just assumed that my “weird” feeling was from not knowing what to expect when you win. I went to a cashing agent a couple of days later. I had got off work too late to go by my bank.

While I was waiting to have the check cashed, the agent had called the police! Within ten minutes I was handcuffed and lying on the floor. I went to jail and spent the night. Agents from Florida were there 6 hours later to interview me. I was an emotional mess! I have 2 little girls and a husband at home that was scared also. I was not granted a bond until the police investigated the check and my story. Thank God they believed my story and realized that I was an innocent bystander. I was released the following afternoon. I might not have lost any money, but I lived in hell for 48 hours. Beware! I hope no one has to go thru what I did.

Puppy scams. People steal photos from websites. Even photos now with watermark. Send them by email to buyers inquiring through a scam ad they have placed online and in the newspapers. They email these stolen photos and in return ask the buyer to wire the money to get the puppy shipped to them. They are luring people in by asking a minimal amount compared to the usual prices of the breeds. Of course there is no puppy and no recourse from a buyer sending money this way! I bet hundreds of thousands to millions have been scammed by this! I get contacted monthly from buyers who have been scammed or contact me because photos were stolen from my website and sent to them by these scammers.

— Aaron Aupperlee | Staff writer

A group of Barstow sheriff’s deputies trained early on Monday with a new piece of equipment, a shield used to protect officers as they advance into a precarious situation.
But before the training could conclude, all responded to a call where they might have employed the new equipment.

Sgt. Rob Ciolli said deputies cut training short on Monday when a call came in from Newberry Springs about an armed man who threatened to kill himself.

“We thought, ‘Wow, we’re going to have use [the shield] right now,’ ” Ciolli said. “But it did not come to that. We didn’t have an active shooter.”

After combing Newberry Springs, with deputies stopping at the post office and various locations believed to be former residences of the man, he was found inside his truck at a gas station. He had two guns, a revolver and rifle, inside the truck.

Ciolli said the man was taken into custody “for his own benefit” without incident and transported to a behavioral health facility in San Bernardino.

The man was not arrested or charged with any crime. Ciolli, however, believes the deputies saved his life by tracking him down.

“He was definitely a threat,” he said. “He would have endangered himself.”