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Police & Fire
Scammers Spoofing Phone Numbers Of State Agencies To Get Personal Info Scammers Spoofing Phone Numbers Of State Agencies To Get Personal Info
Scammers Spoofing Phone Numbers Of State Agencies To Get Personal Info State agencies in New York are cautioning residents to be wary of the latest scam to hit the area, this one involving opportunistic fraudsters posing as state officials. There has been a rash of reports of scammers spoofing official state phone numbers that will show up on caller IDs. The fraudsters then attempt to ascertain personal information. There have been reports of scammers posing as the New York State Inspector General’s Office, New York State Police, and the Social Security Administration in recent weeks. Several individuals have received phone calls from what appears to be a pri…

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by Zak Failla
News
Don't Fall For It: Alert Issued For 'Clever' Fake Check Scam Don't Fall For It: Alert Issued For 'Clever' Fake Check Scam
Don't Fall For It: Alert Issued For 'Clever' Fake Check Scam Residents in the area are being warned about a new phony check scam that has been making the rounds in the region. There are several variations to the scam, officials said, but the most common involves a resident receiving notice that they won a “sweepstakes” with a faux check or first installment. Other versions involve letters from allegedly foreign countries that require the deposit of cash into a bank account for safekeeping, while others offer “too good to be true” or “work at home” proposals. Authorities said that, “the checks look real, and might have the names of real companies on t…

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by Zak Failla
News
O&R: Beware Of Bill Payment Scam O&R: Beware Of Bill Payment Scam
O&R: Beware Of Bill Payment Scam O&R is warning its customers of a new bill payment scam that has been targeting the public. Scam callers have been contacting O&R customers and claiming to be associated with the company in hopes of stealing money. The scammer will typically threaten to shut off the customer’s service unless the customer sends a Green Dot or other prepaid debit cards. O&R never has and never will accept prepaid debit cards as a form of payment. Anyone asking for O&R bill payment via prepaid debit is attempting to scam the caller. Furthermore, O&R does not implement immediate shutoff as …

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by Valerie Musson
Politics
State Cracks Down On Pharmacies Failing To Comply With Drug Pricing Law State Cracks Down On Pharmacies Failing To Comply With Drug Pricing Law
State Cracks Down On Pharmacies Failing To Comply With Drug Pricing Law At least 44 pharmacies failed to post drug prices as required by law, New York State Attorney General Letitia James announced on Thursday. As a result of the investigation, the Attorney General’s Office sent cease and desist letters to the pharmacies found to be in violation, mandating compliance with consumer protection laws that require that pharmacies maintain a list of their prices for the 150 most commonly prescribed drugs.  Pharmacies in violation of these laws were located in: Binghamton, Brooklyn, Buffalo, Nassau County, Northern Manhattan, Plattsburgh, Rochester, Suffolk Count…

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by Jon Craig
News
Police Issue New Social Security Scam Warning Police Issue New Social Security Scam Warning
Police Issue New Social Security Scam Warning Police in the area are cautioning local residents to be wary of a new phone scam that has been making the rounds. Last week, police officials found that they received multiple calls from area residents who received phone calls threatening to suspend their social security number if cash isn’t paid to the caller. Police noted that social security numbers “do not get suspended. This is just a scam that’s after your SSN, bank account number, or money.  Please hang up if anyone calls about your social security number.” In an effort to keep residents safe, police offered a series of tips: …

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Chestnut Ridge Generic Drug Company Accused In Price-Fixing Scheme Chestnut Ridge Generic Drug Company Accused In Price-Fixing Scheme
Chestnut Ridge Generic Drug Company Accused In Price-Fixing Scheme A generic drug company based in Chestnut Ridge and a drug sales and marketing executive from Bardonia are among those charged in what authorities called “one of the most egregious and damaging price-fixing conspiracies in the history of the United States.”  A complaint filed by the 44 states in U.S. District Court in Connecticut names 20 companies and 16 individuals accused of participating in the scheme. Par Pharmaceutical Companies, Inc., of Chestnut Ridge, and Ara Aprahamian, of Bardonia, the vice president of sales and marketing at Taro Pharmaceuticals U.S.A, Inc., in Hawthorn…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Westchester Store Must Pay Civil Penalty For Deceptive Advertising, State AG Says Westchester Store Must Pay Civil Penalty For Deceptive Advertising, State AG Says
Westchester Store Must Pay Civil Penalty For Deceptive Advertising, State AG Says A retail store in Westchester will have to pay a civil penalty for lying to its customers, New York State Attorney General Letitia James announced. The state reached the settlement with the Hartsdale pet store after it falsely advertised and claimed that it specialized in the sale of high quality, responsibly-bred animals, when, in reality, the store sold animals that were bred at large-scale commercial mills, James said on Friday, May 3. Deborah Koehler, owner of Westchester Puppies & Kittens, is also prohibited from making false representations about the quality of the breeders a…

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by Joe Lombardi
Business
'Sneaky' Surcharges Reported After Court Gives NY Merchants Right To Charge For Credit Card Use 'Sneaky' Surcharges Reported After Court Gives NY Merchants Right To Charge For Credit Card Use
'Sneaky' Surcharges Reported After Court Gives NY Merchants Right To Charge For Credit Card Use Merchants in New York State, after a years-long court battle, now have the right to charge extra for credit card purchases as long as customers are notified, but some are crying foul, saying businesses are not playing fair. But some people are saying they didn’t find out they were paying more for using their credit cards at all, or, in other cases, until after seeing a "Credit Card Process Fee" on their receipts. The fees generally are in the range of about two to four percent of the bill. Merchants called for the surcharges, saying they pay a processing fee of around two percent for …

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by Joe Lombardi
Politics
Puppy Mill Ban Measure Introduced By NY Lawmakers Puppy Mill Ban Measure Introduced By NY Lawmakers
Puppy Mill Ban Measure Introduced By NY Lawmakers Puppy mills may soon be a thing of the past in New York. New York lawmakers are taking steps to introduce a new bill that would ban the sale of animals at puppy mills. The legislation would include dogs, cats and bunnies from an unregulated breeding facility. The sale of those animals would then be banned at pet stores. Officials have said that puppy mills produce approximately 2 million puppies annually throughout the country. They often spend their lives trapped in cages as they await a pet-owner to purchase them. Under federal law, it is legal for mills to confine dogs in wire, stacked …

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by Zak Failla
News
State Attorney General Issues Alert On Scams As Tax Day Nears State Attorney General Issues Alert On Scams As Tax Day Nears
State Attorney General Issues Alert On Scams As Tax Day Nears As April 15 approaches, the State Attorney General has issued an alert regarding tax scams. “Tax season is ripe with opportunity for scammers to prey on hardworking New Yorkers,” said Attorney General Letitia James. “These bad actors use a wide range of tactics to illegally cheat residents out of their money, including individuals who impersonate the IRS and businesses that bait-and-switch their tax preparation services." Tax scams come in many different forms, but some of the most common types include: Scammers impersonating the U.S. Treasury Department, the IRS, the Taxpa…

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by Valerie Musson
News
Measure To Ban Robocalls Gains Momentum Among State Lawmakers Measure To Ban Robocalls Gains Momentum Among State Lawmakers
Measure To Ban Robocalls Gains Momentum Among State Lawmakers State lawmakers in New York are taking a stand against robocalls, proposing a bill that would stop automated phone calls from being placed without prior consent. New York Sen. Brad Hoylman and Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou, and consumer advocates announced the Robocall Prevention Act in Albany on Tuesday, following a record number of unwanted calls that were made in 2018. According to Hoylman, more than 47.8 billion robocalls were placed nationwide in 2018. “Our bill will stop robocalls from being made to any telephone number owned by a person in New York, unless for emergency purposes or wi…

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by Zak Failla
News
Plastic Bag Ban Measure Passes In Rockland Plastic Bag Ban Measure Passes In Rockland
Plastic Bag Ban Measure Passes In Rockland In an effort to “combat litter, help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect the environment for future generations,” Rockland County s banning single-use plastic bags at retailers, restaurants and grocery stores. In a bipartisan 14-3 vote, legislators in Rockland easily backed a measure that would ban the use of bags. The bill was sponsored by County legislators Laurie Santulli and Nancy Low-Hogan and will be sent to County Executive Ed Day for approval in the next three weeks. "Plastic bags not only make Rockland County look terrible, they cause problems for our solid waste facility a…

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by Zak Failla