Crime

Looking for love? Online romance scams target women

Monday, June 17th, 2013, 3:12pm

Looking for love? Online romance scams target women

Looking for love online? A "buyer beware" warning for you. FBI statistics show that women ages 50 and older are the biggest victims of online romance scams.

Internet Crime Complaint Center says the victims are usually sucked in by a fake profile on dating site and talked into handing over thousands of dollars in cash and gifts.

Last week, Scott Campbell, the so-called "playboy con man," was arrested in Florida.

According to the Department of Financial Regulation, Campbell sold fictitious investments to dozens of women.

Authorities say he met most of those women online, under the guise of a romantic relationship.

After meeting women on sites like Match.com, they say Campbell would convince his victims to fork over money for his musical talent search business.

"What they create is not only a fake profile but a fake business that looks legitimate but it really isn't," said author and relationship expert Charles A. Johnson.

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NCDOT: Memorial Day "Click It or Ticket" Campaign yields nearly 11,000 violations

Submitted by WBTV Web Staff

Tuesday, June 11th, 2013, 3:49pm

NCDOT: Memorial Day "Click It or Ticket" Campaign yields nearly 11,000 violations

The North Carolina Department of Transportation and the Governor’s Highway Safety Program announced Tuesday that nearly 11,000 drivers and passengers were cited for seat belt and child passenger safety violations during the 20th Anniversary campaign of “Click It or Ticket” over the Memorial Day holiday, which was held May 20 to June 2.

“The safety of everyone who travels our roadways is always a top priority,” said NCDOT Secretary Tony Tata. “Our first-in-the-nation ‘Click It or Ticket’ campaign reminds us that while we’ve made significant progress we still have work to do to encourage every driver and passenger to buckle up.”

Participating state and local law enforcement officers issued the citations during 8,482 checkpoints and stepped-up patrols.

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BBB Warns about door-to-door selling season

Submitted by WBTV Web Staff

Monday, June 10th, 2013, 3:26pm

BBB Warns about door-to-door selling season

Summer is the high season for door-to-door sales of everything from magazines to meat, alarm monitoring services to driveway repaving. Representatives will soon be ringing doorbells and peddling products in neighborhoods throughout the Southern Piedmont. While many of these companies are reputable, a few are not.

The BBB has tips for how you can shop at your front door without being scammed.

Out of all of the products sold door-to-door, magazine sales generate the most BBB complaints. “Some of these companies are legitimate,” said BBB President Tom Bartholomy, “but other companies have generated so many complaints that the BBB has labeled door-to-door magazine sales as a ‘highly-suspect’ industry.”

In the last 36 months, consumers have filed 92 complaints against local magazine sales operations. Charlotte-based Generations Making Differences (BBB grade F) has had 20 complaints filed against it, of which five are unanswered.

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Operation "Road Watch" ends on successful note

Submitted by WBTV Web Staff

Friday, May 17th, 2013, 2:39pm

The Highway Patrol completed its Operation "Road Watch" campaign after a two-day intensive enforcement effort on I-85 in Cleveland and surrounding counties.

During the two-day event, which began on Tuesday, May 14, and ended on Wednesday, May 15, Troopers concentrated on commercial motor vehicle violations as well as focused their attention on motorists who were driving aggressively around big trucks, speeding, tailgating, and driving aggressively.

Established in 2007, Operation "Road Watch" was designed to improve commercial motor vehicle safety as well as the efficiency of commercial vehicle operations.

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“No Need 2 Speed” Campaign cites 14,542 motorists in NC

Submitted by WBTV Web Staff

Thursday, April 11th, 2013, 1:19pm

“No Need 2 Speed” Campaign cites 14,542 motorists in NC

A total of 42,290 traffic and criminal citations were issued statewide during this year’s “No Need 2 Speed” campaign, which ran March 25 through 31.

Law enforcement officers from across the state partnered with the Governor’s Highway Safety Program to increase enforcement in an effort to put a stop to one of the main causes of crashes and fatalities on North Carolina’s roads – speeding.

“Law enforcement’s presence on our roads is imperative to reminding motorists to obey speed limits, and we greatly appreciate their dedication to keeping our roads safe,” said Becky Wallace, director of GHSP.

Officers also issued 3,157 safety belt and 587 child passenger safety violations and 1,111 drug charges.

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Police arrest four after string of armed robberies

Submitted by WBTV Web Staff

Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013, 6:54am

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV)- Police in Charlotte and Matthews arrested four men in connection with a string of armed robberies.

Just last week both law enforcement agencies were asking the public for help in trying to find two people they say robbed two Kangaroo Express locations and a CVS Pharmacy located in Matthews.

Arrested are Zachary Graves, 23, Omar Markabi, 17, Walter Plies, 21 and Richard Fiske 20.

On Saturday, at approximately 3:35 a.m., two white male suspects entered the Kangaroo Express located at 935 Charlottetowne Avenue in the Providence Division and robbed the business at gunpoint, according to a news release from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.

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CMPD recruiting for Citizens on Patrol pogram

Submitted by WBTV Web Staff

Friday, February 1st, 2013, 6:22pm

CMPD recruiting for Citizens on Patrol pogram

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department is currently recruiting dependable and dedicated citizens for its Citizens on Patrol (C.O.P.) program.

The C.O.P. program was established as a means of assisting the citizens of Mecklenburg County and the CMPD with community patrols using volunteer members to perform civic services.

CMPD will be offering training classes for citizens from March 12 to May 31. After graduation, C.O.P. members dedicate a minimum of 16 hours a month of volunteered time to assist police officers and the community.

Some of the duties of C.O.P.

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