Money Gram, N.C. enter agreement to cut down on fraud
CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT
Under an agreement with
North Carolina, 43 other Mates
and the District of Columbia.
MoneyGram Payment
Systems, Inc. will take signifi
cant steps to cut down on the
use of its services by fraudu
lent telemarketers.
MoneyGram will, among other
things, put prominent warnings
to consumers on the front of
forms used to wire money and
fund a $1.1 million national
consumer awareness program.
Minneapolis-based
MoneyGram offers money
transfer services by wire at
more than 25,000 locations in
the United States and more
than I (X). 1)00 locations world
wide. In North Carolina,
MoneyGram operates outlets
in 168 cities and towns. Many
outlets are located in grocery
stores, gas stations and other
retail businesses.
But wire transfers to tele
marketing fraud rings are a
substantial problem. According
to a 2003 survey, nearly one
third of transfers of more than
$300 sent from North Carolina
and six other states using
another major wire service
were caused by fraud. In 2002
alone, American consumers
lust approximately SI 13 mil
lion through wire transfers to
Canadian fraudsters
"Telemarketing scammers
are experts at tricking people
into wiring them money," said
N.C. Attorney General Roy
Cooper. "This agreement will
help stop scammers from using
wire transfers to rip off con
sumers."
Cooper helped negotiate
the national settlement along
with the attorneys general of
Arkansas, Illinois,
Massachusetts, New Jersey,
Ohio, Texas, Vermont and
Washington. Cooper, who has
long had concerns about scam
mers using win services like
MoneyGram, helped win a
similar national agreement
with Western Union in 2005.
"Unsuspecting people get
ripped off by scammers who
call to tell them that they've
won a prize but must first wire
money to cover taxes and
fees," Cooper explained. "But
victims who send the money
never get their promised
prize." (
The agftement aims to
reduce the number of cases
where fraudulent telemarketers
and other scam artists trick
consumers into wiring them
money.
Photo by Kevin Walker
Benjamin Jealous poses for a picture with a well-wish
er after his NNPA speech.
Jealous
from pane A 7
100th anniversary in February.
Once one of the most powerful and
respected organizations in the
nation, the NAACP has lost some
of its shine in recent decades.
Membership is down, and there
was a perceived tug-a-war between
longtime Board Chair Julian Bond
and the last President/CEO, Bruce
Gordon, over which direction the
organization should take.
Ofield Dukes, a longtime mar
keting executive who works with
the NNPA, hinted at the NAACP's
recent rocky patch during his
introduction of Jealous.
"I don't know if it is a plague
or a blessing," Dukes said of
Jealous' new job.
Jealous obviously thinks the
latter is true, and he hopes that by
providing strong leadership for the
organization, the NAACP will con
tinue its legacy of blessing the
lives of those who are too often
neglected, taken advantage of and
disillusioned.
"We have serious work to do,"
he said. "We have to work together
... the success of our children
depends on it."
Jealous plans to use next year's
centennial as the catalyst for a
campaign to reawaken the masses
to the NAACP's glorious past and
ambitious future. A major compo
nent of that push will be a mem
bership drive. Nationwide, there
are only about 274,000 NAACP
members. Jealous said. He will set
tle for nothing less than 500,000
members in 2Q09.
"We need to do it because our
people are still having their dreams
squashed," he said. "The school
house to jail-house pipeline has to
be dismantled."
NNPA Board Chairman John
Smith, publisher of The Atlanta
Inquirer , said he has faith in
Jealous, who will be the youngest
NAACP leader ever.
"1 think you (are) the guardian
angel that has been sent to the
NAACP," Smith told Jealous.
Church to offer
Spanish classes
CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT
As part of a series of pro
grams aimed at making Goler
Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church
a community beacon of hope
and guidance, the church will
offer classes to teach local peo
ple Spanish and Hispanic^ cul
ture.
The free "Spanish for
English Speakers" Tuesday
classes will be held at 6 p.m. on
July 22. July 29, Aug. 5, Aug. 12
and Aug. 19 at the church's
Patterson Avenue campus.
Retired Spanish teacher Dr.
Cynthia Williams will lead the
classes, which will focus prima
rily on basic Spanish vocabu-^
lary. conversational Spanish and
Latino culture and customs.
The church, which is pas
tored by the Rev. Seth O. Lartey,
is offering several similar pro
grams to the public as a way. it
says, to "bridge the Biblical,
cultural and economic divides"
that exist in the city.
The "Through the Bible in
One Year" classes will be
offered on Wednesdays begin
ning July 16 from 6-7 p.m.
This class is designed to provide
participants with a lifetime of
spiritual nourishment. It will be
taught by the Rev. D. Isaac
Gibson, who has done extensive
work in the areas of religion and
Christianity.
Also starting July 16 is
"Money Smart: To Your Credit,"
a class that will teach partici
pants about repairing and build
ing credit, checking credit
reports, credit scoring, identity
theft and much more. The class,
which is also from 6 -r 7 p.m..
will be led by Eddie Long of
Credit Enhancement Services
Inc.
All classes are free and open
to the public. For more informa
tion, directions or to register,
contact the church office at 33(f
724-9411.
Meth
from pane A I
emitting toxic fumes and
causing explosions. Cooper
said it will take a community
effort to stop the drug.
"If we fight this battle from
many fronts, we can run
methamphetamine out of North
Carolina, and we can make our
state a better and safer place to
live," he said.
Meth is made with common
cold and sinus medications.
Cooper said that the 2005 state
law that requires products con
taining ephedrine or pseu
doephedrine to be kept behind
the counter at pharmacies has
helped that battle. Since the law
took effect, the number of meth
labs in the state has dropped 40
percent.
Winston-Salem Police Chief
Scott Cunningham said that
arrests have been made for meth
possession in Winston-Salem,
but so far no labs have been dis
covered. Labs have been found
in surrounded counties and
Cunningham fears the problem
may be "beginning to walk this
way."
He pledged to aggressively
market Meth360, mainly by
spreading the word about the
Meth360 Web site, which allows
residents to request officers to
come to churches, schools and
community events to give pre
sentations on public safety.
Meth use has mainly been
among young whites. Cooper
said. But the demographics are
changing and growing, showing
that the drug is especially gain
ing popularity among women
Robin Lindner with Police Chief Scott Cunningham.
and single moms.
Robin Lindner, of
Partnership for a Drug-Free NC,
said that meth is an attractive
drug because it's relatively inex
pensive for the high that it pro
duces. It can give the us^ non
stop energy for days, but this is
followed by a couple days of
intense crashing. Lindner said
the crashing can be so bad that
addicted parents have reported
that they aren't able to take care
of their children. The high from
meth lessens after the first use,
forcing users to take more of it,
making it very addictive.
Lindner said the campaign
will teach not only the threats
posed by meth and meth labs but
also what the community can do
to stop them. She hopes that
community groups like Parent
Teacher Associations and
Rotary Clubs take advantage of
the information sessions
offered.
"The bottom line is whether
or not we like it, we're all some
how affected by meth and we
want folks to step up and say
'We're not going to have this in
our community,'" said Lindner.
Winston-Salem is the second
city in the state to become a part
of the Meth360 campaign.
Charlotte started using the pro
gram this year. Currently
Meth360 is in 14 states across
the nation.
For more information , visit
Meth360's Web site at
www.druf>free ,org/meth360 .
Theater
from page AIO
"Pathway to Freedom"
probes the history and events
of the Underground Railroad
in the state. It tells of secret
efforts of those opposed to
slavery and those who helped
slaves escape to the North.
The show was staged last
summer and is back by popu
lar demand. Each production
will feature the talents of
about 40 performers.
Over the years, the Snow
Camp Outdoor Theatre has
Whitehead
attracted fans from near and
far. Both of this summer's
productions are intended for
visitors and old and new the
ater-goers, said Whitehead.
The Snow Camp Outdoor
Theatre is located south of
Graham and north of Siler
City, off of Old Greensboro
Chapel Hill Road in an
Alamance County historic
park that has imported build
ings from the periods of past.
For show or ticket informa
tion, contact the box office at
1-800-726-5115 or visit the
www.snowcampdrama .com .
Wl DONT 1 1 SI I'KOMDi: lOOD KOR TIIK HOMK1.KSS.
Vdff Volunteers
of America?
There aft' no limits to caring
1-800-899-0089
www. Volun tecnw >fAmc rica . org
Photos by Todd Luck
Mayor Allen Joines shares a laugh with Attorney General Roy Cooper, right.
I
Community Care Center
Volunteers working together to provide free medical and dental
care to low-income, uninsured families.
\
You must be approved as a patient before seeing a
doctor or dentist. We accept applications for new patients on
Tuesdays and Wednesdays between 1:30-4:30 PM. We
suggest you pick up a brochure about our requirements to pre
pare for the interview. Applications are taken on "first come, first
served" basis, We accept only 40 applications per week.
? We are not able to provide care for pregnant women.
? We are not a walk-in clinic.
? We can't handle emergencies.
? We can not accept patients with Medicaid, Medicare,
Veterans' Administration Benefits or private health
insurance.
Volunteers and our small staff provide medical and dental
care for our patients. We are supported with donations
from churches, individuals, businesses, foundations and the
United Way. We do not receive government funds.
o
2135 NewWalkertown Road
Winston-Salem, NC 27101
(across from Evergreen Cemetery)
More Information: 336-723-7904