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CHICAGO (WLS) -- The I-Team is finding the biggest threats to your wallet and your privacy through holiday scams, as the shopping season is in full swing. Fake websites, malicious links and other holiday scams are targeting consumers right now. Criminals are hoping they can take advantage of people in the holiday spirit and in a rush to buy. Holiday phishing texts or emails made to look like they are coming from a retailer or shipping company are some of the biggest threats. "And it will be very difficult for people to spot which one is real and which one is going to be scam," said Leyla Bilge, a security expert at Norton. Bilge said the texts claim there's an update to an order or delivery, but they are trying to get consumers to click to install malware on their devices. Or, they want consumers to give up crucial personal information. Always go directly to the store or shipper's website. Holiday scam No. 2 is social media shopping ads. According to McAfee's 2024 Global Holiday Shopping Scams Study, 83% of Gen Z consumers say their shopping starts on social media. Many of the ads can be enticing, but experts say many companies could take several weeks to send a poor-quality item, or it may not come at all. SEE ALSO: Chicago restaurant owner warns industry about new scam ripping off businesses "They think they're going to get a product at a reduced price and that they can't get anywhere else," said Steve Bernas, Chicago-area Better Business Bureau president. Bernas said many of the social media scam ads are using artificial intelligence. "They create fictitious photography and making it look like it's a great offer. So, you can't today look at an offering like you used to 10 years ago, where you had misspellings, grammar problems and things of that nature," Bernas said. Experts say to look at the company's website directly. Research reviews online, and always use a credit card, so you can dispute the charge, if needed. Holiday scam No. 3 is cloned websites made to look like they are the brands consumers know and trust. But, if they look closely at the URLs and address bars, they are not the real deal. "There are a lot of cases like impersonation of a legitimate brand; it would have like an amazing look and feel," Bilge said. Bilge said, besides looking at the address bar, consumers can look closely at the payment method section. Legitimate sites offer several ways to pay, while fakes may only offer options which take cash directly out of your account. And don't forget about gift card scams. The Federal Trade Commission said consumers lost approximately $217 million to gift card scams in 2023. Most of the money is lost when criminals steal numbers or codes from the backs of cards in stores. Then they drain the cards before consumers can spend them. Buying virtual gift cards online can be one way to protect yourself form a drained gift card. You may want to also avoid mailing gift cards, as thieves are targeting the mail for those right now. You can also beware of charity scams. Research charities on your own before donating, and don't click on charity links sent to you in texts and emails. Go to sites independently.
Women more likely to need walking aids but less likely to use them – study
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The government schedules and programs for December 27 have been called off and a key cabinet meeting has been called to pay tribute to the veteran leader and to honour the death period. Former Prime Minister and veteran Congress leader Dr. Manmohan Singh died on Thursday after prolonged illness. The government of India has announced national mourning for seven days following the demise of Manmohan Singh. The government schedules and programes for December 27 have been called off and a key cabinet meeting has been called to pay tribute to the veteran leader and to honour the death period. Last rites of Dr. Singh will be performed with full state rites. Entire political fraternity is mourning the death of veteran leader today setting aside the party differences. Dr Manmohan Singh’s demise has left a void in the Indian politics. Fondly known as a 'Gentle Man in rough world of politics' played a significant role specially in India's economy. A beacon of public service, economic foresight he was an epitome of humbleness. He is survived by his family, who are in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. As India bids farewell to this monumental figure, his contributions to the nation will continue to inspire future generations. His last public appearance was in January 2024, at the launch of his daughter’s book, and he retired from the Rajya Sabha in April 2024. - PTC NEWSThings to watch this week in the Big 12 Conference: Game of the week League newcomer Arizona State has a three-game winning streak and BYU is coming off its first loss. The Cougars, after losing at home to Kansas, still control their own destiny in making the Big 12 championship game. They can clinch a spot in that Dec. 7 game as early as Saturday, if they win and instate rival Utah wins at home against No. 22 Iowa State. Arizona State was picked at the bottom of the 16-team league in the preseason media poll, but already has a five-win improvement in coach Kenny Dillingham's second season. The undercard Coach Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes are in prime position to make the Big 12 title game in their return to the league after 13 seasons in the Pac-12. If BYU and Utah win, Colorado would be able to claim the other title game spot with a win over Kansas. The Buffs have a four-game winning streak. The Jayhawks need another November win over a ranked Big 12 contender while trying to get bowl eligible for the third season in a row. Kansas has won consecutive games over Top 25 teams for the first time in school history, knocking off Iowa State before BYU. Impact players Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht has thrown a touchdown in a school-record 14 consecutive games, while receivers Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel both have more than 800 yards receiving. San Jose State is the only other FBS team with a pair of 800-yard receivers. Becht has 2,628 yards and 17 touchdowns passing for the Cyclones (8-2, 5-2), who are still in Big 12 contention. Inside the numbers Oklahoma State goes into its home finale against Texas Tech with a seven-game losing streak, its longest since a nine-game skid from 1977-78. The only longer winless streak since was an 0-10-1 season in 1991. This is Mike Gundy's 20th season as head coach, and his longest losing streak before now was five in a row in 2005, his first season and the last time the Cowboys didn't make a bowl game. ... Baylor plays at Houston for the first time since 1995, the final Southwest Conference season. The Cougars won last year in the only meeting since to even the series 14-14-1. ... Eight Big 12 teams are bowl eligible. As many as six more teams could reach six wins. Repeating 1,000 The Big 12 already has four 1,000-yard rushers, including three who did it last season. UCF's RJ Harvey is the league's top rusher (1,328 yards) and top scorer with 21 touchdowns (19 rushing/two receiving). The others with consecutive 1,000-yard seasons are Texas Tech career rushing leader Tahj Brooks (1,184 yards) and Kansas State's DJ Giddens (1,128 yards). Cam Skattebo with league newcomer Arizona State has 1,074 yards. Devin Neal, the career rushing leader at his hometown university, is 74 yards shy of being the first Kansas player with three 1,000-yard seasons. Cincinnati's Corey Kiner needs 97 yards to reach 1,000 again.
Julia Child’s France, pig slaughter in Portugal and a culinary detective: 5 delicious food writing classicsJuly 28, 1956 - December 19, 2024 Beloit, WI - Terry V. Phillips, 68, of Beloit, WI, passed away on Thursday, December 19, 2024. He was born on July 28, 1956 to Edward and Dorothy (Stietz) Phillips. Terry graduated from Beloit Memorial High School in 1974. Terry was employed by Durst Corporation, Fairbank, Specialty Tools, and Husco as a tool grinder. In his leisure time, Terry liked to fish, hunt, and do woodworking. He enjoyed driving around taking photographs, especially of eagles. He loved watching all kinds of professional sports. He was so proud to be a lifetime Packer fan, that he became a shareholder. Terry would go see the players at training camp, and was thrilled to see a game at Lambeau Field. He collected figurines of wildlife and all kinds of Santas, with over 1500 Santas. Terry is survived by his sister, Penny Thomas; brother, Scotty Phillips; sister-in-law, Sandy Phillips; many nieces and nephews, numerous great nieces and great nephews; three maternal aunts; many cousins; son, Brian; daughter, Laura Dobbs; and friends. Terry was predeceased by his parents, Edward and Dorothy; brother Randy; brother-in-law, Danny Thomas; sister-in-law, Barbara Phillips; many aunts, uncles and several cousins. In lieu of flowers the family request donations be sent to St. Jude Research Hospital. A celebration of Terry's life will be held at a later date. Daley Murphy Wisch & Associates Funeral Home and Crematorium, 2355 Cranston Rd., Beloit, WI, assisted the family with arrangements. Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.daleymurphywisch.com .
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Bjork is 'absolutely' confident that Day will return next year at Ohio StatePresident-elect Donald Trump's plan to pardon the Jan. 6 rioters might enrage Trump's political opponents — as well as Trump's own supporters, who were led to believe he would go further than what he appears to be planning, a conservative analyst told CNN's Jake Tapper on Thursday. In his TIME Magazine interview this week, Trump suggested he would pardon most of the people who stormed the Capitol — but said he would review each case individually, leaving open the possibility that only nonviolent offenders will see pardons. That would exclude most people who were jailed for long periods of time. "So in his interview with TIME Magazine, President-elect Trump said one of his first acts in office will be to pardon January 6th criminals, saying, quote, 'I'll be looking at J6 early on, maybe the first nine minutes,' meaning the first nine minutes of his administration," said Tapper. "He also said, quote, 'I'm going to do case by case and if they were nonviolent, I think they've been greatly punished. I'm going to look, if there's some that really were out of control.'" ALSO READ: A dark mystery from America's past could save us from Trump's tyranny Tapper turned to analyst Jonah Goldberg. "Trump's reaffirming what he said he would do during the campaign, and the American people elected him. But what's your reaction that this is, you know, a priority in the first nine minutes of his presidency?" "Look, I mean, these guys were the Trump Tabernacle Choir at his rallies, right? The January 6th guys," said Goldberg. "But there are a lot of caveats to this, right? He is — there are a lot of people who think everybody's going to get a pardon. And he's saying if they were nonviolent, if they were excessive, they would go case by case." "I think it has the potential of pissing off a lot of people who think no one should get a pardon, and pissing off a lot of people who think everyone should get a pardon," Goldberg added. "So it's more fraught for him than I think people are appreciating." Watch the video below or at the link here . - YouTube www.youtube.com
Seahawks place running back Kenneth Walker III on injured reserveRenck: Who’s ruining Thanksgiving now? The nonBolievers in Broncos quarterback Bo Nix.ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Anaheim Ducks forward Trevor Zegras will be out for six weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee. Zegras had surgery Thursday, the team announced. Zegras was injured last week on a fairly innocent-looking play during the Ducks' 4-1 loss to Vegas in Anaheim. Zegras and William Karlsson only briefly got their skates and stick blades entangled, but Zegras needed help to get off the ice after taking a fall. Zegras' torn meniscus is his third major injury in just over a year, although a torn meniscus is likely a fortunate outcome for a knee injury that could have been much worse. He was limited to 31 games last season by two injury setbacks, including a broken ankle that required surgery. Zegras has four goals and six assists in 24 games this season for Anaheim, which had lost four straight heading into its road game against Toronto on Thursday night. The Ducks surprisingly activated forward Robby Fabbri from injured reserve before they faced the Maple Leafs. Fabbri had arthroscopic knee surgery on Nov. 15 and is progressing much faster than his initial predicted timeline of six to eight weeks. ___ AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL The Associated Press
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Women are more likely to need walking sticks, wheelchairs and other mobility aids compared to men, but they are less likely to use them, according to a study. And single people are more likely to use mobility tools compared to those who are married, according to researchers from University College London (UCL) and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). Researchers looked at information from a group of more than 12,000 adults in England aged 50 to 89 who were tracked over a 13-year period. At the start of the study, 8,225 adults had no mobility difficulty and did not use mobility assistive products (MAPs). Some 2,480 were deemed to have “unmet need” and 1,375 were using mobility aids. During the follow-up period, there were 2,313 “transitions” where people went from having no mobility issues to needing some help with getting around. And 1,274 people started to use mobility aids. Compared with men, women were 49% more likely to transition from not needing mobility aids to needing to use them, according to the study which has been published in The Lancet Public Health. But were 21% less likely to go on to use mobility aids when they needed them. The authors said their study showed “barriers to access” for women. For both men and women, with every year that passed during the study period the need for mobility aids increased. People who were older, less educated, less wealthy or reported being disabled were more likely to “transition from no need to unmet need, and from unmet need to use”, the authors said, with this indicating a “higher prevalence of mobility limitations and MAP need overall among these groups”. They added: “Finally, marital or partnership status was not associated with transitioning to unmet need; however, single people were more likely to transition from unmet need to use compared with married or partnered people.” Jamie Danemayer, first author of the study from UCL Computer Science and UCL’s Global Disability Innovation Hub, said: “Our analysis suggests that there is a clear gender gap in access to mobility aids. “Though our data didn’t ascertain the reason why participants weren’t using mobility aids, other research tells us that women are often more likely than men to face obstacles such as cost barriers as a result of well-documented income disparities between genders. “Many mobility aids are designed for men rather than women, which we think may be a factor. “Using mobility aids can also make a disability visible, which can impact the safety and stigma experienced by women, in particular. “There’s a critical need for further research to identify and break down the barriers preventing women from accessing mobility aids that would improve their quality of life.” Professor Cathy Holloway, also from UCL, added: “Not having access to mobility aids when a person needs one can have a big impact on their independence, well-being and quality of life. “Our analysis suggests that women, in particular, regardless of other factors such as education and employment status, are not getting the support that they need.” Professor Shereen Hussein, senior author of the study and lead of the social care group at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said: “The research provides compelling evidence of gender disparities in accessing assistive technology, suggesting that cost, design bias, and social stigma are likely to disproportionally affect women. “This underscores the need for inclusive, gender-sensitive approaches in the design, production and inclusivity of assistive technologies.”