115 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(01/22/10 3:39am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>WHAT An annual competition that tests high school students on their knowledge of neuroscience and health issues related to the brain. The contest focuses on diseases for which coordinators hope to inspire research and find cures, such as autism, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. There are about 70 local Brain Bee coordinators that plan annual worldwide competitions. The winner of each local bee will be invited to the National Brain Bee in March in Washington, D.C. The winner of each National Bee is invited to attend the International Brain Bee championship in May in India.WHEN 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 23WHERE Lilly Auditorium of the IUPUI University Library,755 W. Michigan St., Indianapolis
(11/19/09 5:14am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Alina Fernandez, daughter of former Cuban leader Fidel Castro, spoke to a standing room-only crowd in the Whittenberger Auditorium on Wednesday night about growing up in Cuba and eventually making the decision to flee the country to escape her father’s rule.Fernandez, who now lives in Miami, has not spoken to her father since she left in 1993, when she had to disguise herself as a Spanish tourist to get into America.She began her lecture by describing her early life with her mother, and Castro, who she did not know was her father until she was 10 years old.“I already knew Castro would never be a regular father,” she said. “And one year later I was an adolescent trying to escape this identity.” Fernandez said after she witnessed the execution of a Cuban man during a riot, her life went from white to black, and the helplessness she felt when people would approach her with problems was too overwhelming.“So many people would come to me with their problems and hope I can be their messenger, but you can’t do anything to help,” she said. “I wasted a big part of my early years trying to escape social control, and I never succeeded.” By 1993, Cuba was destroyed, with businesses closed, families broken apart and thousands of children separated from their parents to live in foster homes in America, she said.Fernandez planned to flee the country, but she had to disguise herself as a Spanish tourist to make it to Miami, where soon after her daughter joined her.“If I wouldn’t have left Cuba, I don’t think I would have made it,” Fernandez said. “Everybody can go to jail because everything in Cuba is illegal, with the worst thing to do is to think differently.” Fernandez is now a human rights activist and travels the country to raise awareness about Cuba. The lecture was sponsored by the Union Board and La Casa as part of International Week.IU freshman and La Casa staff member Dalia Ramirez thought of the idea to invite Fernandez. “I’m from Miami, and I think she brought a really interesting perspective,” Ramirez said.La Casa graduate assistant Juan Berumen said he was pleased with the turnout of the lecture.“I hope students can walk away from this not completely convinced one way or another but that they want to pursue more questions about the country,” he said. Freshman Pedro Villarruel said he thought the lecture was insightful.“It really opened up my eyes to a lot of the issues going on in Cuba and some of the issues in the Cuban government,” he said.Fernandez said her first visit to Bloomington was a success and she was pleasantly surprised by the knowledge IU students had about Cuba.“People were pretty well informed,” she said. “It’s very rewarding when you get to a place and the people already know a little about it.”
(11/09/09 4:06am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A memorial was held Sunday to commemorate Thomas Atkins, who became IU’s first African-American student body president in 1960 and who was also the first African-American student body president in the Big Ten.“Atkins wasn’t a superhero, but he’s a hero that had incredible strength in person to persevere. He believed in himself, and he did incredible things for himself,” said Tom Martz, President of the IU Alumni Association to students. Atkins graduated from IU in 1961 with a bachelor’s degree in political science and went on to become a nationally recognized civil rights attorney.The Atkins Living Learning Center, located in Forest residence hall, opened 15 years ago.“Atkins LLC is a vital part of the Residential Programs and Services system,” said Pat Connor, executive director of Residential Programs and Services. “For the past 15 years, students can come together in an environment to connect to other students, faculty and leave IU with a degree and confidence.” The Atkins students were able to reflect on their past experiences.“Atkins changed my life to be able to see that I can make change, so stay focused, have fun, get involved and respect and honor your teachers,” Shalisa Smith, Residence Halls Association chief of staff, said.By celebrating the past 15 years, IU students and faculty look forward to continuing the success of the Atkins LLC to help make it a “home away from home,” Groups program director Janice Wiggins said.“The students that live in the LLC are mostly students that are first in their family to attend college,” Wiggins said. “Our primary concern is not only to help academically, but also to provide a positive first-year transition to IU.”
(04/30/09 1:35am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Bloomington Police Department officers responded to a vehicle accident at 12:47 p.m. Tuesday at West Third Street and Curry Pike.Scott M. Housel, 49, of Bloomington, was driving a 1999 gray Chevrolet Silverado truck going east on Third Street when he made a left turn into the path of 53-year-old Wanda Loudenslager’s white 1997 Cadillac. There was extensive damage to both vehicles, BPD Lt. David Drake said, reading from a police report. Police reported Housel had a strong odor of alcohol on his breath, Drake said. Housel initially denied having anything to drink, then admitted he had “a few” after police found Natural Light cans of beer and a pool of beer on the floor of his truck after the crash. When police asked Housel what happened, he said he had been knocked out and didn’t remember if he was the person driving or not, Drake said, reading from a police report. Five witnesses in the area confirmed to police that Housel was the driver of the truck and Housel was alone in his truck the whole time. Housel faces a preliminary charge of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, which now becomes a class D felony after already having a prior OWI conviction from May 2005. Both Housel and Loudenslager were taken to Bloomington Hospital for injuries. Housel was later released, and at about 4:10 p.m. he was booked in the Monroe County Jail.
(04/30/09 1:32am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Bloomington Police Department officers responded at 6:01 p.m. Tuesday to 11th and Fairview streets to reports of an accident that all persons in the vehicle fled on foot.Stanley T. Langley, 18, faces preliminary charges for leaving the scene of an accident, possession of stolen property, operating a vehicle while never receiving a license and operating without financial responsibility. A 15-year-old juvenile in the vehicle was referred on a preliminary charge of theft. When police arrived they saw a gray Ford Mustang smashed into the railroad overpass wall with extensive front-end damage, said BPD Lt. David Drake, reading from a police report. BPD Officer Ryan Pedigo ran the license plate on the vehicle, which returned a 2000 Cadillac. Witnesses told Pedigo that three white males and two white females, who appeared to be in their teens, got out of the vehicle and fled on Fairview Street, Drake said. Another person told police he was a concerned citizen and believes the two females in question were in a residence on West 13th Street, Drake said. Police went to the home and found the two females, ages 15 and 13, who admitted they were in an accident and that Langley was the driver. Both complained of head pain and leg pain, and one girl had a small laceration on her right ankle, Drake said. Police called an ambulance for the girls. The females in the car led police to Langley, where he initially denied being involved in the accident to police, but then admitted to his involvement after he was told there were several witnesses, Drake said. When asked about the stolen license plate, Langley said the other male in the car was the one who stole it and put it on his Mustang because he didn’t have a license plate. Earlier in the day BPD received a call from a person at First and Walker streets reporting their license plate had been stolen from their vehicle. When police questioned the 15-year-old boy, he admitted he stole the license plate so they could all “drive around.”
(04/28/09 2:40am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A pizza delivery man was a victim of an armed robbery of his pizza and wallet Sunday night. Bloomington Police Department received a call at 11:51 p.m. Sunday from a Domino’s Pizza delivery driver, saying he had been robbed of the pizza and his wallet in the 1200 block of North Lindbergh Drive, Drake said, reading from a police report. The driver told police he had an order to deliver on Lindbergh, but when he arrived, the address he had been given was nonexistent. He then called the phone number given, to which he got a number not in service, Drake said. The driver said he continued to drive around the area, and two black males flagged him down and told him they were the ones who had ordered the pizza. The driver told police he gave the men the pizza and said it would be $14.27, when one of the men pulled a gun out and demanded his wallet. The driver told police his wallet contained about $15.
(04/28/09 2:39am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>An elderly man woke up early Sunday morning and saw a person jumping on top of his car. Thomas R. Glick, 23, faces preliminary charges of criminal mischief and public intoxication. Bloomington Police Department Officer Josh Taylor was dispatched at 4:08 a.m. Sunday to the 400 block of South Washington Street on reports of a vehicle being vandalized. The victims, an elderly couple, called police after the man saw a person jumping on top of his black Buick, Drake said, reading from a police report.The man had put footprints and dents on the hood and busted out the windshield and back window, Drake said. When police arrived, they saw a man and woman running away from the area, Drake said. Officers caught up to the man, who told police he had just left Brothers Bar & Grill. When police questioned Glick about the vehicle, he denied having anything to do with it. Police were able to determine the footprint on the hood of the car matched the shoe type and size of Glick’s shoe.“He was wearing Nike Shox tennis shoes, so the print was very distinguishable,” Drake said. Police were also able to determine that both windows had been broken out after a brick had been thrown.
(04/28/09 2:38am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A 25-year-old woman reported to police at 3:22 a.m. Saturday that she was walking on 15th and Jackson streets when she noticed a dark shadow behind her, Drake said, reading from a police report. She said when she turned around a man told her to give him her panties. The woman said she was shocked and asked the man to repeat what he said. The man then smacked her across the face and again demanded she give him her panties, Drake said, reading from a police report. The woman said she gave him her panties and ran off. She told police the man kept one hand in his pocket as if he had a gun, but she never saw one, Drake said.
(04/28/09 2:36am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>An 18-year-old woman was driving her vehicle Sunday evening when she reported being squirted in the eyes with a water gun. The woman called police at 7:50 p.m. and reported she was driving on 17th Street and Willis Drive when she saw three white females standing by the road, said Bloomington Police Department Lt. David Drake, reading from a police report. The woman said one of the females had a water gun and shot water through her open window, hitting her in the face and eyes.
(04/24/09 4:45am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Long nights, big parties and illegal activities might define Little 500 weekend, but not only for the students – for Bloomington Police Department officers, too.More than 90 BPD officers in full uniform will work 12-hour shifts for Little 500 weekend. The majority of these officers will be working from 4 p.m. to 4 a.m. or 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., said BPD Lt. David Drake. All officers will be given specific areas to cover, mostly the downtown square and Kirkwood Avenue area and in some of the major apartment complexes, Drake said.BPD Capt. Joe Qualters said they use various methods of patrol, whether on foot, bike or in a vehicle, usually dictated by the situation.“We have officers on foot patrol around the bars downtown for purposes of having a presence and the ability to respond to disturbances that occur,” he said. “We can intercept those who might be trying to drive away or walk somewhere while obviously intoxicated and put them in a cab or have a sober friend ensure they get home safely.”Qualters said BPD will also be using foot and bike patrol in large apartment complexes and neighborhoods near the stadium where police presence is needed.Junior Michelle Galanis said she is hoping to avoid the police this weekend by attending smaller parties.“I’m definitely not going to be on the level this year that I have been other Little 500s,” she said.Qualters said officers will handle large parties by breaking them up, making arrests and issuing ordinance violations for excessive noise.“Due to the large volume of calls over Little 500 weekend, our objective will be to take whatever action that can minimize our need to come back and deal with the same type of complaint that sent us there the first time,” Qualters said.Freshman Jarvis Garrett said he will be enjoying his first Little 500 by partying.“I’m going to be safe, though, because I’ve heard the rumors about sobriety checkpoints and a lot of police,” Garrett said.But Drake said BPD does not set up sobriety checkpoints for Little 500 weekend.“The last several years, things have been a lot calmer because we put on a very visible presence, and most large apartment complexes now have their own security to help control who is allowed in,” Drake said.The only advice from BPD for the weekend: Don’t engage in illegal behavior.“Our objective is for people to have a safe Little Five weekend, and that includes the safety of law enforcement and other emergency personnel that are working over the weekend,” Qualters said.
(04/16/09 2:56am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A Bloomington man is on life support after an early morning crash involving a moped and an SUV.Robert Lewellen, 41, is in critical condition at Bloomington Hospital after his red moped struck a Chevrolet Trailblazer on Wednesday morning.The accident occurred at 5:46 a.m. at the intersection of West Third Street and South Patterson Drive, Bloomington Police Department Lt. David Drake said.Gary Crohn, 53, of Bloomington, was the driver of the SUV.According to the accident report, the moped was going east on Third Street and the SUV was going west on Third Street when the SUV turned left in front of the moped. The moped hit the SUV on the right side, Drake said.Crohn said he did not see a headlight on the moped, Drake said. BPD Sgt. John Kovach, who reconstructs accidents for BPD, examined the moped headlight and determined it was on at the time of the accident. He was able to determine this by examining the filament in the light bulb and found it was burning, Drake said.
(04/14/09 3:46am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Local pharmacies are on the lookout after a 40-year-old man has been accused of submitting forged prescriptions. Jimmy Leavy, 40, from Peoria, Ill., faces a preliminary charge of attempting to obtain a controlled substance by fraud, and he was wanted on a warrant out of Marshall County, Ind., for possession of marijuana and operating a vehicle while intoxicated. He has 11 aliases and an extensive criminal history, with arrests in Texas, Georgia, Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana. Bloomington Police Department Officer Shane Rasche was dispatched at 5:13 p.m. Friday to the Marsh grocery store’s pharmacy at 123 S. Kingston Drive on reports of a fraudulent prescription. The pharmacist said Leavy gave her a fraudulent prescription for the controlled substance promethazine with codeine, Drake said, reading from a police report. She had received a call earlier that day from a Target pharmacy, warning other area pharmacies about fraudulent prescriptions. The Marsh pharmacy called the doctor’s office, a clinic out of Chicago, listed on the prescription notepad and confirmed it had been stolen. The Target pharmacy in Bloomington received an e-mail from other Target pharmacies in Muncie and Lafayette regarding the fraudulent prescriptions from a clinic out of Chicago, Drake said. When police asked Leavy about the prescription, his only comment was “How much is my bond?” Drake said, reading from a police report. An unknown female has also been taking fraudulent prescriptions from the same clinic out of Chicago to other Bloomington pharmacies, Drake said. Police said they will review surveillance video and continue investigating this. BPD is asking anyone with any information to contact BPD Detective Brandon Lopossa at 339-4477.
(04/14/09 3:45am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>An intoxicated 19-year-old man was arrested early Sunday morning after he crashed a vehicle into four cars and two trees. Dustin Ross faces preliminary charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, illegal consumption by a minor, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and vehicle theft. He was also wanted on a warrant for probation violation out of Lawrence County, said Bloomington Police Department Lt. David Drake, reading from a police report. Bloomington Police Department Officer Jeff Rees was dispatched at 1:02 a.m. Sunday to the 1000 block of Countryside Lane regarding a vehicle crash. When he approached the scene, he observed several trees knocked down and a vehicle smashed into a parked vehicle, Drake said. Rees saw a person walking away in a neighboring yard from where the vehicle was and approached him.Ross was so intoxicated he had trouble standing, Drake said. Ross failed a dexterity sobriety test. Police found marijuana and a marijuana smoking device in his pockets, Drake said. Two witnesses told police they saw Ross first hit a parked truck, then careen to one side of the road, striking two trees, then swerve back to the other side of the road, striking other vehicles. Ross then exited the vehicle and began walking away, despite witnesses telling him to remain at the scene, Drake said. When Ross was taken to BPD for a Breathalyzer test, he became very upset because he could not smoke a cigarette, Drake said. Ross then cursed at Rees and threatened to beat him up, Drake said. Rees then had to remove Ross’ handcuffs to administer the Breathalyzer test. Once freed, Ross grabbed at Rees’ magazine pouch on his police belt and tried to spit on him, Drake said. Ross was then put in the back of a police car where he continuously banged his head on the plexiglass, Drake said. Ross was then restrained by being hobbled by police, with both his hands and feet tied together. When police spoke with the owner of the vehicle, he said Ross had lived with him for about a month, he had never given Ross permission to take his vehicle and he wanted to report it stolen, Drake said. Ross was taken to the Monroe County jail.
(04/09/09 4:13am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>An armed robber is on the loose after taking an undisclosed amount of cash from O’Malia Foods, 512 S. College Mall Rd., on Wednesday night.Bloomington Police Department Sgt. Jim Batcho said a man went to the grocery’s customer service desk around 7:30 p.m. and displayed a small, black, semiautomatic handgun. He ordered the manager to put an undisclosed amount of cash into a plastic bag. He then ordered the manager to walk to the back of the store, while he then fled out the pharmacy doors, Batcho said. The man is described as white with a medium build and a height of about 5 feet 10 inches. He is estimated to be about 240 pounds with dark, scruffy facial hair. He was wearing a camouflage baseball hat, glasses and dark clothing, and also has an identifiable three to four inch scar on his right cheek. Employee and IU senior Megan Williams was supposed to be working the cash register at the time but was asked to do something else, so the assistant manager took over. “He came in and asked for cigarettes, then demanded the money,” she said. Williams said there were about five people working in the front of the store at the time. IU senior Jessica Woodall, who also works at O’Malia’s, said she was walking back into the store after taking another customer’s groceries to their vehicle when she saw the robber calmly walking out of the store and through the parking lot. “He had glasses, a hat, long hair. He looked normal. It wasn’t until I walked inside and Megan told me what happened that I knew he robbed us,” she said. O’Malia’s continued to remain open until the midnight closing time, employees said, despite the armed robbery. “I’d like to leave,” Woodall said. “We really don’t want to be here.” IU senior Kacie Hagenseiker was a cashier at a lane next to the customer service center.“It’s nerve-wracking,” she said. “We have no security cameras. It’s dangerous.” Batcho said police continued searching for the robber through the night.
(04/09/09 2:18am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Police are investigating a car crash that resulted in a man’s death.Bloomington Police Department officers were dispatched to the intersection of Kirkwood Avenue and Rogers Street at around 10:40 p.m. Tuesday night.When police arrived, a silver 1999 Subaru Forester had run off the road and smashed into a sign support pole, said BPD Lt. David Drake, reading from a police report.Stephen W. Wade, 39, of Bloomington, was the only person in the vehicle. Wade was conscious but not responsive, Drake said.Wade was wearing his seat belt and there was no indication that alcohol was involved, Drake said.As paramedics were removing Wade from the vehicle, he went into cardiac arrest, and paramedics performed CPR, Drake said.Wade was taken to Bloomington Hospital and pronounced dead.Police are unsure if Wade’s death was a result of the accident or other health-related issues.An autopsy will be performed soon to identify a cause of death.
(04/09/09 2:02am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A recent nationwide survey found some law enforcement agencies are not fully implementing an information-sharing system to use during emergencies.Ball State University’s Advanced Crisis Communications Training program surveyed the membership of the National Emergency Number Association, an association of 911 professionals, and found several gaps in the use of the National Incident Management System, said co-author of the study John Pichtel, natural resources professor at Ball State. The National Incident Management System was created in 2003 when former President George W. Bush directed the Secretary of Homeland Security to develop and administer a system that identifies the requirement for a standardized framework for communications, information management and information sharing at all levels of incident management. The Bloomington Police Department uses the incident system, but only for large-scale events, not daily dispatch, said Jeff Schemmer, Communications Manager of Monroe County Central Emergency Dispatch Center. But fire departments, including Bloomington’s, use the system every day, said Bloomington Fire Department Battalion Chief Rob Stumpf. BPD has 25 emergency dispatchers divided between three eight-hour shifts, but they are subject to 12-hour shifts if an emergency requires, Schemmer said. If an incident were to arise where BPD 911 would use the system, a series of steps would follow. A call would get placed to BPD 911. The dispatcher is able to see on the computer screen the phone number calling and the address from which the call is being placed, or if it is a cell phone, the tower it is striking. If, for example, there were an armed robbery, the dispatcher would speak out loud to the small dispatch room, “We have an armed robbery.”“Everyone else can look and see what they need to do to put the call in, and they’ll continue to update the information as more is received so the police dispatcher can see the new information,” Schemmer said.An average 911 phone call will take about 90 seconds, and depending on the officer’s location, BPD can be on the scene in as little as two minutes, Schemmer said. With the armed robbery example, law enforcement, possibly EMS, city government officials and fire departments would respond. With the National Incident Management System, one person representing each agency would report to a centralized spot to collect information, updates or commands. It structures down, where the most personnel any one person has to direct is seven. If someone has more than seven people, it is broken down again, Schemmer said.“It’s all about trying to control large divisions and make everybody responsible for their particular part,” Schemmer said. So, if a person from the fire department says, “I’m in command,” he is the person with whom every agency’s representative should communicate. Stumpf said the system is extremely vital to everyday calls at the fire department.“Essentially, NIMS is just an organizational structure that affords us to manage our resources,” he said. “When we implement NIMS, we are organizing what otherwise might be a chaotic situation.” According to the survey, a conflict between fire and police departments in some jurisdictions can cancel out the effect of the system because law enforcement officials do not feel they should have to share information when on a scene with firemen or EMS crew. “Bloomington is a bit of an anomaly in the sense that we have a remarkable relationship with law enforcement here, and we go out of our way to make certain that we train on the same page and operate on the same page,” Stumpf said. Fire departments have been using the system on a daily basis much longer than law enforcement agencies, Stumpf said. “It’s applicable to virtually any type of emergency,” he said. But BPD’s rare use of the system in only large-scale incidents is what Pichtel said he thinks is a problem nationwide with many other law enforcement departments. “This is proven to be the way to go with response to a number of emergency situations, from small-scale incidents to large-scale incidents,” he said. “Not only does the federal government mandate this, but this has been proven to be effective.” Ball State University was awarded $2.5 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for a project to bolster local-level preparedness for natural and man-made disasters across the nation by formulating several online and on-site training courses for 911 staff and their supervisors. Pichtel said the training will focus on providing timely, accurate and understandable information to the public during an incident to dispel rumors and help responders save lives and minimize damage to property so these gaps in implementing the system can be filled. “We were not expecting these results,” Pichtel said.
(04/07/09 3:11am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A former nurse at Bloomington Hospital was arrested late Thursday night after she admitted to disconnecting a patient’s IV tube. Mary A. Edwards, 32, of Bloomington, faces preliminary charges of attempted theft and interfering with medical services.Edwards, a former nurse who stopped working at Bloomington Hospital in September 2008, was on the fourth floor of the hospital and told hospital staff she was there to visit a patient, Bloomington Police Department Lt. David Drake said, reading from a police report. After she went into a room, the nursing staff checked and found Edwards did not know the patient, so they asked her to leave, Drake said.About 30 minutes later, hospital staff saw her going into another patient’s room pretending to be a visitor again. Hospital staff asked Edwards to leave again, this time calling hospital security, Drake said. When confronted, hospital staff and security noticed Edwards was acting strangely, so they took her to the emergency area, Drake said. In the second patient’s room, staff noticed the patient’s IV tube had been disconnected, Drake said. In Edwards’s purse they found a syringe and a stopper, which would be used for drawing up the medication, Drake said. Edwards was attempting to get the drug hydromorphone, a derivative of morphine, Drake said. Edwards admitted she had disconnected the patient’s IV tube and was in fact trying to steal the medication but said it was taking too long and she was caught, Drake said.
(04/07/09 3:10am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A 20-year-old man too intoxicated to explain why he was passed out in the Bloomington Police Department lobby was arrested Friday morning. Twenty-year-old Michael Zultanski, an IU sophomore, faces preliminary charges for illegal consumption and public intoxication. BPD Officer Tracy Headley was walking through the police department building Saturday at about 5:40 a.m. when she noticed a person who appeared to be asleep in the lobby, said BPD Lt. David Drake, reading from a police report. Upon entering the lobby, Headley reported a strong odor of alcohol, Drake said. She tried to wake the male, but he did not respond. Headley eventually performed a sternum rub, rubbing her knuckles up and down Zultanski’s chest, finally waking him. He was completely incoherent and had no idea where he was, Drake said. He was unable to give his name or any other information. He was too drunk to be given a dexterity test, Drake said. Zultanski was arrested and taken to the Monroe County Jail. Drake said this is the first time BPD has had someone pass out in the lobby.
(04/07/09 3:07am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A new phone-calling bank scam could affect Bloomington residents. Customers and non-customers of Peoples State Bank and Fifth Third Bank in Bloomington have reported a telephone scam. Fifth Third bank has already received more than 30 calls from customers asking about the call. The scam works like this: A person receives a phone call with an automated voice stating that the person’s banking information has been compromised. The person is asked to hit option one and input his or her account number. The scam does not indicate a specific financial institution. Natalie Guzman, vice president and public relations director for Fifth Third Bank, said the scam started late Sunday night.“These scams happen all the time, so this one just really caught us by particular surprise just by the vast number of calls we got this morning,” Guzman said. Guzman stressed how important it is for people to know that no financial institution will ever ask for personal information via phone, text or e-mail. Bloomington resident Chris Poland, 19, just opened his first bank account at Fifth Third Bank about a week ago and said he hadn’t heard about the scam. “I would never give my information like that over the phone,” Poland said. “I just know better.” Bloomington Police Department Lt. David Drake said he also hopes people understand that once a scammer has an individual’s account information, there is little local police departments can do to track the person because of the technology available today. Guzman said right now there is probably little damage done by this scam. She said it typically takes about a week for a customer who gave out information to call and complain after noticing a charge or changes in his or her bank account.“With the right computer equipment, you can make a call look like it’s coming from anywhere, from any number, from any location,” Drake said. “So the bottom line to everything is: you do not give out any personal information to anyone over the telephone or Internet unless you know for sure who you are dealing with and you are the one who has made the contact.”
(04/06/09 7:41pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The economy is down and bank scams are up. A phone-calling scam is going around to customers and non-customers of Peoples State Bank and Fifth Third Bank in Bloomington. Fifth Third bank has already received more than 30 calls from customers asking about the call. The scam works like this: A person receives a phone call with an automated voice stating that the person’s banking information has been compromised. The person is asked to hit option 1 and input his or her account number. The scam does not indicate a specific financial institution. Natalie Guzman, vice president, public relations director for Fifth Third Bank said this scam just started late last night. “These scams happen all the time, so this one just really caught us by particular surprise just by the vast number of calls we got this morning,” Guzman said. Guzman wanted to stress how important it is for people to know that no financial institution will ever ask for personal information via phone, text or e-mail. Bloomington resident Chris Poland, 19, just opened his first bank account at Fifth Third Bank about a week ago and said he hadn’t heard about the scam. “I would never give my information like that over the phone,” Poland said. “I just know better.” Bloomington Police Department Lt. David Drake said he also hopes people understand that once a scammer has your account information, there is little local police departments can do to track the person because of the technology available today. “With the right computer equipment, you can make a call look like it’s coming from anywhere, from any number, from any location,” he said. “So the bottom line to everything is you do not give out any personal information to anyone over the telephone or Internet unless you know for sure who you are dealing with and you are the one who has made the contact.” Guzman said right now there is probably little damage done by this scam, and it typically takes about a week for a customer to call and complain if they did enter their account information after the person notices a charge or changes in his or her bank account.