Author: Alex

Police Warn the Public About Common Scams

Don’t Get Fooled

 

(Bridgeport, CT – April 1, 2014) – Don’t get fooled.

A variety of telephone scams involving people looking to separate you from your hard earned  money continue around the country.

Of late, the Bridgeport Police Department has often been receiving several complaints each day, and wants to again ask the public to exercise caution and good judgment.

 

“People work hard for their money and there are people who work equally hard to take it away from them,”  said Detective Frank Podpolucha, of the financial crimes unit. “But instead of snatching a purse, these people spend all day on the phone trying to dupe people out of thousands of dollars.”

The scams come in a variety of forms:

 

  • Scammers call and tell the intended victim that a relative was involved in a motor vehicle accident and was being held “hostage” until the victim sends money to cover the repairs. This has been a popular scam of late in Bridgeport.
  •  Scammers call and tell the intended victims that they won a lottery or sweepstakes but before they can collect their winnings, they need to make a payment associated with taxes or other fees.
  • Scammers have been calling businesses claiming to be from the utility company. The caller claims the owner has a balance of thousands of dollars and states that the power company will turn off electricity if payment isn’t immediately made.

In the power company scam, the calls often are made to restaurants right before the lunch rush, creating a false sense of urgency to avoid a loss of electricity.

An emerging theme is the scammers demanding any payments be made through the purchase of a Green Dot prepaid debit card. Victims are then given instructions to provide the card’s 14-digit security code to the caller over the phone. With the code the scammer can easily withdraw money from the card. The cards can be found at local convenience stores, pharmacies and major retailers.

 

“The reality is that people do fall for these scams,” said Police Chief Joseph L. Gaudett Jr. “Each of these scammers probably make hundreds of  these phone calls every single day hoping to find that one person who will believe them. This is their full-time job and they can be convincing.”

Himes Public Event April 1

 

WASHINGTON, DC—Congressman Jim Himes (CT-4) will participate in the following event in Connecticut open to the press this week.

 

Visit to Childcare Learning Centers

Himes will read a story to the children at Childcare Learning Centers. The visit is ahead of Week of the Young Child (April 6-12), an annual celebration focusing public attention on the needs of young children and their families. For over 100 years, Childcare Learning Centers has provided childcare and early childhood education and development programs for Stamford’s working families.

WHEN: Tuesday, April 1 from 10:30 to 11:15 a.m.

WHERE: 64 Palmer’s Hill Road, Stamford

 

CTWorks Career Coach in Westport April 10

Barbara Butler, Director of the Westport Department of Human Services announced today the return of the newly enhanced CTWorks Career Coach at Westport Town Hall. On Thursday, April 10, the Coach will be offering a beginner’s class in Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 from 10 – 12 PM followed by an intermediate class in PowerPoint 2007 from 1-3 PM. Contact the Westport Department of Human Services for specific course description information.

The Career Coach is a “training center” tour bus equipped with ten wireless computer labs offering free computer classes to residents in the greater Norwalk area. The mobile unit operates on a monthly schedule of visits to various community locations and is accessible to people with disabilities. Area residents interested in registering should contact the Westport Department of Human Services at 341-1050 or via e-mail at humansrv@westportct.gov. For more information, including the current Career Coach schedule, check the website for CTWorks www.ctworkssw.org.

Ms. Butler hopes that by offering the CTWorks Career Coach in the Westport area, many residents who are wishing to improve their computer skills in the Microsoft Office 2007 software will find it convenient and useful in pursuing their personal goals.

GOVERNOR MALLOY LAUNCHES DATA.CT.GOV TO GIVE PUBLIC UNPRECEDENTED AMOUNT OF ACCESS TO GOVERNMENT DATA

(New Haven, CT) – Governor Dannel P. Malloy, joined by state Comptroller Kevin Lembo, today launched Data.ct.gov

, Connecticut’s new open data portal that allows widespread amounts of raw government data to be collected, placed on the internet, and shared with the public in a major effort to increase government efficiency and transparency by providing an easily accessible database that residents can use for any number of purposes.  The Governor made the announcement at SeeClickFix, a New Haven firm that has created a communications platform for citizens to report non-emergency issues, and governments to track, manage, and reply.

 

“We launched this website to as part of our goal to make the data collected by state government more open and easily accessible to its owners – the taxpayers of Connecticut,” said Governor Malloy.  “Data.ct.gov

will make vast amounts of data – data that was previously hard to find – easily accessible to individuals, researchers, entrepreneurs, academics, policymakers and other state agencies, and spur a new level of innovation and collaboration in our state.”

 

Created as a result of Executive Order No. 39

, Data.ct.gov will serve as a portal where data collected across all state government agencies will be shared with the public. The website will also include access to economic development data that was made public under Executive Order No. 38. The Executive Order, No. 38, was issued in December 2013 and requires the state Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) to create a searchable electronic database on the DECD website containing information regarding certain economic assistance and tax credits that were utilized for the purpose of recruitment or retention of business.

 

“By making vast amounts of government data available to the public, data.ct.gov

will be a valuable resource for entrepreneurs and software developers creating new products and apps here in Connecticut,” said SeeClickFix CEO and Founder Ben Berkowitz. “I look forward to exploring the potential of this new open data site and I’m excited to watch it grow.”

 

Data.ct.gov

will includes lists, tables, charts, graphs or other non-narrative forms of data that is generally statistical or factual. This data is collected by executive branch agencies and EO 38 instructs them to identify data within their agencies and begin the process of uploading that data to the portal.

 

“OPM is excited not only to lead this important initiative, but also to move Connecticut forward into the age of data-driven governing,” said OPM Secretary Ben Barnes.  “This new portal provides us with opportunities for a more collaborative, interactive, and transparent approach to measure the performance of government services and programs.”

 

Analysts, academics, entrepreneurs and all members of the public have the opportunity to use the posted data.  The online portal also gives users the opportunity to visualize data through graphs or charts and on maps when applicable. Finally, data posted on the portal can be embedded in other websites by any user.

 

To create the Connecticut Open Data Portal, the State of Connecticut has signed a contract with Socrata, Inc.  The portal is managed and administered by Tyler Kleykamp of the Office of Policy and Management (OPM), who is the portal’s Chief Data Officer (CDO).  Kleykamp previously served as the coordinator of state geospatial information systems (GIS) at OPM.

 

“Today is a great day – and an important shift in Connecticut’s movement towards greater civic engagement,” said State Comptroller Kevin Lembo. “It was one year ago – last March – that we delivered a tall order through proposed legislation to establish a publicly accessible online database for state tax credit and economic assistance programs. Governor Malloy, through Executive Orders 38 and 39, has delivered all of the data points that we asked for in our legislation, and much more. Through Connecticut’s new open data portal – and innovations by companies such as SeeClickFix – we are reinventing and improving how government connects with the people it serves. I look forward to continuing to work with Governor Malloy, and champions of open government, to build on these initiatives.”

 

The Chief Data Officer will be responsible for working with an Agency Data Officer (ADO) designated by the commissioner at each state agency covered by the order.  ADOs will work within their agencies to regularly identify new data suitable for the portal and share that list of data with the CDO.  The CDO will work with the ADOs to identify data and upload it to the portal.  The CDO will be advised by an advisory panel created by this executive order and appointed by the Governor.

 

The Governor stressed that Executive Order No. 39

instructs agency heads to make public data openly available while continuing to safeguard information that must be kept secure.  The order does not apply to any protected data that, if disclosed, would violate state or federal law, would endanger the public health, safety or welfare, hinder the operation of government or impose and undue financial, operational or administrative burden on a state agency.

 

“Government is most efficient when its work is done in a clear and transparent manner,” said State Senate Majority Leader Martin M. Looney (D-11). “Making this information available will lead to greater accountability in the decision-making process and ensure that government is working for the people.”

 

“Opening the doors of state government and making our information available to the public – to truly inform policy advocates, service providers, the media, and all our constituents – by doing this, we will allow our residents to be better informed and better served, while empowering legislators to make smarter choices on behalf of our communities,” said State Rep. Roland Lemar (D-96). “By opening up our data we will allow individuals and small businesses to create opportunities to improve what we do in government – how we respond to emergencies, how we create service efficiencies, and how we responsibly allocate our resources. This is a small act that could yield tremendous benefit for the residents of our state.”

 

“This is a small, business-friendly, action that will pay huge dividends for companies looking to grow,” said State Rep. Toni Walker (D-93). “SeeClickFix has become part of the vernacular here in New Haven. Pothole – SeeClickFix! Graffiti – SeeClickFix! Opening this pool of public data will trigger even more startups like SeeClickFix to grow and thrive across the state.”

 

“New Haven residents have quickly learned to involve themselves with day-to-day city operations by using SeeClickFix and have just as quickly come to rely upon the city’s responsiveness to the matter at hand, rewarding that participation,” said New Haven Mayor Toni N. Harp. “Expanding this technology to encourage resident participation in state government is a welcome extension of this idea.”

 

SeeClickFix’s goal is to provide the best tools for residents and governments to communicate for all sizes, populations, and budgets – ultimately making communities better through transparency, collaboration, and cooperation. Using Google Maps, SeeClickFix’s platform has improved communication and response time for municipal issues, because citizen complaints and the subsequent response from their local government are both posted publicly.  SeeClickFix received $293,650 in state Small Business Express (EXP) funding to expand operations and create 15 jobs. As of January 2014, the company had 18 full-time employees, up from 12 employees last year, plus three fellows funded by a CT Next grant.

GOV. MALLOY: FUNDS APPROVED FOR ROAD IMPROVEMENTS AT STATE PARKS THROUGHOUT CONNECTICUT


 

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced that $5.76 million to fund road improvements and resurfacing in Connecticut state parks was approved at Friday’s meeting of the state Bond Commission.

 

“Connecticut’s state parks and forests are a destination to millions of residents and tourists each year, and roadways in many locations are showing the signs of all of this use,” said Governor Malloy.  “In a year when we are celebrating the centennial of our state park system, it is especially important to make the investments needed to ensure that people can travel safely and conveniently into and around our parks. These projects will also create much needed construction work for Connecticut workers.”

 

Most projects will begin as soon as the weather permits and continue throughout the spring and early summer.  Major projects include:

 

  • East Lyme – Resurfacing the approach road to the beach at Rocky Neck State Park
  • Litchfield – Milling and resurfacing the road leading to the mansion at Topsmead State Forest
  • New Fairfield – Resurfacing the access road to Squantz Pond State Park, as well as incorporating a new drainage system during the resurfacing
  • New Fairfield – Improving the parking area at the state boat launch at Squantz Pond State Park on Candlewood Lake
  • Derby – Resurfacing the parking lot for the Kellogg Environmental Education Center

 

“These bond funds are the latest example of an extraordinary commitment Governor Malloy and the General Assembly have demonstrated toward maintaining and improving the infrastructure in our state parks and forests,” said DEEP Commissioner Rob Klee.  “These and other previous funds that have been allocated allow us to make improvements that will ensure our parks remain first-class attractions for many years to come.”

 

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