E-Mail Fraud: Not Just For Nigeria Any More

Most Internet users have grown sophisticated enough to know that former princes in Nigeria don’t realy need their assistance to transfer funds to the United States. They sympathize with those correspondents who have just been diagnosed with terminal illnesses but resist the widely-broadcast plea to become executors of their estates — with the odd requirement to place large amounts of cash in escrow first. With a few exceptions, including a minister’s wife who wound up murdering her husband after blowing $14,000 on an e-mail scam, Americans know better than to fall prey to the scamsters.
Unfortunately, that doesn’t apply to corporations. Minnesota-based Supervalu sent millions of dollars into fraudulent accounts because of an e-mail scam that the supermarket chain never bothered to confirm:

Supervalu Inc., the Eden Prairie-based grocer, fell prey to an e-mail scam this year, sending more than $10 million to two fraudulent bank accounts, according to federal court filings.
The company discovered the ruse soon after it began and reported it to police, who coordinated with the FBI to recover the money from banks in Arkansas and Miami Beach, Fla., before it could be withdrawn, according to a pair of forfeiture cases filed under seal earlier this year. They were filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho.
The company said it received two e-mails — one from someone purporting to be an employee of American Greetings Corp. and another from someone claiming to be with Frito-Lay, according to the documents. Both e-mails claimed that the companies wanted payments sent to new bank account numbers.
Supervalu sent more than $6.5 million in nine payments between Feb. 28 and March 6 to the phony American Greetings account at HSBC Bank in Miami Beach. The company also sent nearly $3.6 million during the same period to the phony Frito-Lay account in Arkansas. The recovered money has since been claimed by Supervalu, American Greetings and Frito-Lay. A federal judge will decide who gets it.

I wonder what their Sarbanes-Oxley compliance records look like. Someone gets new bank account numbers for millions of dollars of transfers and doesn’t bother to check with the vendors to confirm the change? The scamsters must have laughed all the way to the bank, even if they didn’t get there in time.
The Sarbanes-Oxley requirements put in place by Congress directly address this very point in corporate accounting. It forces publicly-held corporations to develop reporting systems and operating procedures that minimize risk of internal and external fraud. At least, that’s its purpose, but as we can see, it has about as much meaning as an ISO 9000 certification. All the burdensome SOX machinery does is demonstrate that a company can write procedures and test them, but it doesn’t eliminate fraud or stupidity.
In the meantime, expect plenty of e-mails from Nigerian princes and terminal aristocrats to make their way to the Supervalu domain. It seems that they have discovered a fresh market in naivete.

Another Liberal Fantasy Hits Hard Reality

Earlier today, the port side of the blogosphere erupted in righteous indignation as reports that Air America radio host Randi Rhodes got mugged began to swirl. Many bloggers started blaming a nameless conservative mugger, and then began extending the indictment to the entire conservative movement. It served their prejudices to think that conservative meanies would lay in wait for Rhodes just to keep her from speaking Truth to Power, etc etc etc.
The only fly in the ointment? Rhodes never got mugged at all (via Michelle Malkin):

Air America radio host Randi Rhodes is temporarily off the air, but claims she was brutally attacked near her Manhattan apartment are bogus, her lawyer and a police source said today.
Fellow host Jon Elliott claimed on the liberal radio network that Rhodes had been mugged while walking her dog, Simon, on Sunday night. Elliot, who said Rhodes lost several teeth in the attack, waxed about a possible conspiracy.
“Is this an attempt by the right-wing, hate machine to silence one of our own?” he asked on the air, according to Talking Radio, a blog. “Are we threatening them? Are they afraid that we’re winning? Are they trying to silence intimidate us?”
A police source said Rhodes never filed a report and never claimed to be the victim of a mugging. Cops from Manhattan’s 17th Precinct called her attorney, who told them Rhodes was not a victim of a crime, the source said.

So what are we to make of this?
1. Air America lies, even when stories involve their own personnel. No one thought to give Randi a call to see how she was doing before Elliot decided to air his report? And no one thought to do so afterwards? The police ended up calling to see why no one reported the incident to them. That’s just marvelous journalistic ethics.
2. Anyone who thinks that bigotry has no place in the liberal mindset has — once again — just received a material lesson to the contrary. Even without knowing anything about the attacker, several bloggers just decided that it had to be a politically motivated assault by a conservative. That’s not leaping to conclusions, that’s flying at jet speed to Paranoialand.
3. How long do you think it will take for these same bloggers to offer an apology — one not accompanied by a litany of rationalizations about how mean conservatives are, and how it was impossible not to convict an entire class of people for an imaginary crime? Longer than the next time they trot out an argument for innocent-until-proven-guilty for the detainees at Guantanamo Bay, I’d bet.
What an embarrassment, especially for Air America. They have once again demonstrated why no one listens to them, and it has nothing to do with the Fairness Doctrine. It has everything to do with credibility. They can’t even do fact-checking with their colleagues, let alone anywhere else.
Addendum: I’m sorry to hear that Rhodes injured herself in a fall, and hope she feels better soon. I’m glad that she apparently still has all her teeth, too.

Code Pink Supports The Troops In Their Own Special Way

As the Left continues its hysteria over the misrepresentation of Rush Limbaugh’s remarks, one wonders when they will denounce Code Pink. In Berkeley, the anti-war contingent defaced a Marine recruiting office, calling Marines predators on children and accusing them of murdering them (via Michelle Malkin and Gateway Pundit):

Marine Captain Richard Lund recruits college students and graduates as candidates for officer positions in the marines. But carrying out that job in Berkeley is not always an easy task.
He has listened to a variety of complaints from members of the anti-war group Code Pink in recent weeks.
“We are so shocked and horrified that the Marines have come to Berkeley to prey on our children,” said Zanne Joi, a Code Pink member.
Last week, the Code Pink group protested by defacing the recruiting center and calling the recruiters liars.

So Rush Limbaugh supposedly calls dissenting soldiers “phony” — he didn’t, but let’s run with this — and the Left screeches about dishonoring the troops. How about calling them predators, murderers, and liars? Does that count as besmirching the troops? Will Media Matters and Harry Reid call for Code Pink to be shut down, and will Wes Clark demand that they have no access to military facilities?
I’ll be waiting for the Left to demand an apology from Code Pink. I’ll be waiting for a Senate condemnation of their slander against the Marine Corps, one of the finest institutions in this nation’s history, and for whom my father-in-law flew missions in the Pacific in both World War II and the Korean War. I’ll be waiting for Media Matters to demand the cessation of funding for Code Pink and its donors to thoroughly reject the organization.
I’ll be waiting, but I won’t hold my breath. Their silence will show the jaw-dropping hypocrisy of the Left on the Rush Limbaugh smear, posing as the defenders of military honor while their allies fling mud at the Marine Corps. I think the troops themselves can see the difference in support between Rush and Code Pink. Certainly, the Marines at the Berkeley recruiting office have recognized it.
UPDATE: My former co-blogger Dafydd at Big Lizards has one of his traditionally comprehensive posts on this topic, and it’s well worth the read, as always.

I Guess Children Should Be Seen And Not Heard

That seems to be the operating philosophy of Bush Derangement Syndrome sufferers in Lancaster County, PA. When George Bush passed through for a visit on Wednesday, workers from a local day-care center led three dozen children in singing songs to greet the President as he arrived. That set off the BDS contingent, who made sure no one heard the children singing:

But for nearly three dozen youngsters from the U-Gro child care center, located just off the president’s motorcade route on Stony Battery Road, it was all about waving hand-drawn flags, singing songs and holding banners welcoming to Lancaster one of the most powerful men in the world.
“What an opportunity this is for our children,” center director Liz Burkhard said while herding children ages 4 to 6 into a compact, orderly row behind the yellow police tape lining Stony Battery at Church Street.
One group of protesters quickly descended on the happy cluster, however, chanting and singing their own songs to drown out the children’s voices.
“Stop brainwashing children to support a president who doesn’t deserve our support,” one man yelled through a bullhorn. Others told the kids to “educate yourselves” and said “your parents are killing you” by supporting Bush and the war.

When children greet a President, they’re not endorsing policy or campaigning for his vote. They sang because of the office, not the person. Whomever would scream at children through bullhorns to promote their own hatred and obsession really needs some psychiatric care. Can you imagine how these children felt when a group of adults descended on them, screaming and shouting through bullhorns?
Even the other protestors objected to their attack on the children. Some of them started shouting at the group to leave the children alone. However, even those excused the BDS by saying that the children represented hypocrisy because “There’s that line of kids, all full of enthusiasm for their president, and he’s vetoing health care for them.” Putting aside the inaccuracy of that statement — he vetoed an expansion of health insurance subsidies into the middle class, not health care — somehow that excuses terrorizing children who just showed up to welcome the head of state.
When people tell you “it’s for the children,” it’s mostly all about themselves. The Bush-haters in Lancaster made that very clear this week.

He’ll Scour The Golf Courses Looking For The Real Thief

Guess who’s back in the sights of investigators? Following a theft of sports memorabilia at Palace Station Casino, law enforcement confirmed that they interrogated OJ Simpson in connection to the crime:

Metro police confirmed early Friday morning that O.J. Simpson was questioned in connection to a theft at the Palace Station Casino.
Police spokesman Jose Montoya said Simpson was questioned about a hotel room break-in at the casino late Thursday night. Montoya said the theft involved sports memorabilia, but offered no further details.
Police said Simpson has been released and is believed to be in Las Vegas.

Palace Station is a second-tier casino, but a good place to stay anonymous and gamble lightly. I’d say that it’s a good place to stay out of trouble, but OJ can’t manage to do even that much. And besides, he owes Fred Goldman $33 million — what’s he doing at a casino?
Las Vegas says they will have more later this morning on the case.

When Veggies Attack

Guns don’t kill people — plantains do. At least they drive grocery-store workers to murderous rage, according to the Orange County Register. One worker stabbed another at the end of a fistfight over how to stack vegetables:

Among the piles of plantains and cucumbers at La Carreta Supermarket on Chapman Avenue, the two men stacking produce began bickering about the right way and the wrong way to do their job, police said. The argument became physical and the two men took it outside, throwing punches in the store’s parking lot, said Orange police Sgt. Dan Adams.
That’s when it got ugly. Abraham Marquez, 24, pulled out a steak knife, stabbed his co-worker in the arm, Adams said. Someone driving down the street saw the brawl and called police. Even with shoppers and workers in the store, it was the only call police received about the fight.
Marquez ran, leaving his injured co-worker in the parking lot, police said. Marquez was arrested at his home a few blocks away. He’s being held at Orange County jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.

Who knew produce could generate such passion?
The most amazing part of the story is the fact that none of the witnesses called the police, not even after the stabbing. Only a passing driver thought to notify the police — and here in California, using a cell phone while driving is a crime. I haven’t lived in Southern California for ten years, so I may be out of the loop, but do grocery workers square off so regularly that bystanders don’t feel compelled to report it?
I suspect California will try to get ahead of this new crime wave. Expect vegetable registration legislation in the near future.

Bad News For The Truthers

One of the more enduring myths of the 9/11 truther movement involves the rapid collapse of the Twin Towers after being hit by the commercial jets six years ago today. The conspiracy theorists insist that a self-initiated collapse could not have occurred, and even if it did, it could not have progressed so rapidly. Their theory has government agents spending two weeks in the building, planting explosives without disturbing the offices in the building, and waiting for that special day when a couple of planes hitting the towers would give them an excuse to demolish them.
Instead, their theories on the impossibility of collapse just got demolished at Cambridge:

The study by a Cambridge University engineer demonstrates that once the collapse of the twin towers began, it was destined to be rapid and total. …
Dr Seffen was able to calculate the “residual capacity” of the undamaged building: that is, simply speaking, the ability of the undamaged structure to resist or comply with collapse.
His calculations suggest the residual capacity of the north and south towers was limited, and that once the collapse was set in motion, it would take only nine seconds for the building to go down.
This is just a little longer than a free-falling coin, dropped from the top of either tower, would take to reach the ground.

Someone call Clunkety-Clunk Lady! Can she say “residual capacity” 110 times in nine seconds? I’ll grab the egg timer.
As anyone who has read the Popular Mechanics site or their more detailed book already understands, the towers collapsed for obvious reasons: two very large commercial jets struck them. The evidence of our eyes was clear enough for the vast majority of the people who watched it. The collapse of the buildings came as a shock, as no one had ever seen a skyscraper fall like that — but none had ever been hit with a Boeing commercial jets with full fuel tanks, either.
Engineers have told us for years that no conspiracy was needed to explain the collapse. Burning jet fuel created a firestorm that weakened the steel trusses of the floors above the impact site, and that led to the collapse of the upper structure onto the lower portion. That hit with enough force to start a progressive collapse, which as we saw took almost no time to complete. Dr. Seffen has now supplied us with the mathematics of the collapse, answering the silly free-fall argument offered in these forums, but NIST had already done much of this work before now.
Will this convince the Truthers? Of course not. People who think that Galileo’s great contribution to science was postulating the world was round have no real affinity for science or research, but instead for imaginary cabals, innuendo, and paranoia. The truth is out there — at Popular Mechanics, the Journal of Engineering Mechanics, and NIST. It’s not in Alex Jones’ world.

Kanye West: MTV Hates Black People, Too

Two years ago, rapper Kanye West made headlines by accusing George Bush of hating black people in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The hate continues, as West threw a tantrum over not winning an MTV award for any of his five nominations last night:

Rapper Kanye West threw a tantrum in front of media after missing out on the five awards he was nominated for.
“That’s two years in a row, man… give a black man a chance,” West said. “I’m trying hard, man, I have the… number one record, man.”
West, who gatecrashed the stage at the MTV Europe Awards after failing to win the prize for best video, said he would never return to MTV.

This was just the capper on a night that MTV will want to forget. Their evening featured a fight between Pamela Anderson husbands Kid Rock and Tommy Lee, the latter of whom got ejected, and a disastrous comeback performance by Britney Spears. According to the BBC, Spears has forgotten how to …. lip synch.
West, however, will prove to be the lowlight. Again.

Did Fred Phelps Move To Israel?

Even if Fred Phelps didn’t move to Israel, it looks like he’s opened a franchise there. Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the leader of the ultra-conservative Shas faction, has declared that Israeli soldiers die because they’re not devout enough:

An influential and outspoken rabbi has said Israeli soldiers died in battle because they were not ritually observant Jews, sparking outrage. …
“Is it any wonder if, heaven forbid, soldiers are killed in a war, when they don’t observe the Sabbath, they don’t observe the Torah, they don’t pray every day, they don’t put on phylacteries every day? Is it any wonder that they’re killed?”
“It’s no wonder.”

This is not an isolated incident. Yosef once called Hurricane Katrina God’s curse on the US for supporting the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. He asked God to strike down Ariel Sharon at the time, and called another Israeli politician “Satan”.
In other words, he could be Fred Phelps’ long-lost uncle. Phelps, of course, is the mouthbreathing “pastor” who likes to picket military funerals, claiming that our soldiers die because our nation tolerates homosexuality. Phelps has not made his position clear on phylacteries, but otherwise the pair sound indistinguishable.
Shas’ political leadership has already started backing away from Yosef’s remarks at light speed. The 86-year-old rabbi may find himself as welcome among his party as Fred Phelps at a VFW fish fry.