Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Sierra Madre gas station credit-card fraud victims climb to 282

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/01/gas-station-credit-card-fraud.html
Summary:   In Sierra Madre with just over 11000 people, there was 282 credit frauds related to one gas station.With over $82000 losses, the investigation may extend to another city, supposedly in another gas station in Valero. The man that the detectives are investigating, still at large, had allegedly used a duplicate card at a bank. A picture has been released of the man who used a fake card at a ATM. The culprit(s), being very sneaky, used the cards after Christmas, where people paid the least attention to their bills. Anyone who has a recollection or has seen the man is to call the Sierra Madre Police Department at (626)355-1414.


Connections:   This article is connected to chapter 14 since chapter 14 is partially about banking for a business and my when a credit fraud occurs, it affects the victim and the business. When someone uses a copy credit card, the business will surely lose their products which will result in a loss of profits. They send their bill to the victim, but since he was a victim of a credit fraud, he doesn't have to pay some of it or all of it. The business then will lose their products and have no money in return. Evidently, when a credit fraud occurs, money is lost except for the culprit, who gets away and uses the clone card in another station. Also, when a credit card fraud occurs, most businesses are not aware of the fact that it is happening. They have to send their slips to the bank, in which the bank has to resend to the victim, which is all part of how a credit card transaction occurs; of course,this is part of chapter 14.


Reflection:   Credit card frauds happen all over the world. Reading the news daily, I have read numerous articles about credit card frauds and how people lost thousands of dollars which, in fact, kind of scares me. I hate carrying cash on me, so when my parents allow, I would rather carry a credit card. Now, I can imagine me being a victim of a credit card fraud because someone stole my identity and created a copy of the card. Being millions in debt, my life would be ruined. I just wish that no one would steal my identity and benefit from it. All I hope for is that the person who did copied cards will be caught and fined, possibly even jailed.

Monday, October 18, 2010

More Trouble with Tyenol by Natasha Singer

http://prescriptions.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/18/more-trouble-with-tylenol/?ref=business

Summary:   McNeil Consumer HealthCare unit of Johnson & Johnson recollected 128,000 bottles of eight-hour caplets of Tylenol. Consumers had complained of the musty odor in the Tylenol and the company now advises people to not use the caplets during the recollection. The company now closed the Fort Washington plant momentarily for an upgrade. The closure will render a six hundred million dollars lost. This is not the first time consumers have complained; consumers had said it caused stomach problems such as vomiting, but it will not cause permanent damage. People looking for a refund or replacement coupon can call - 888-222-6026- or visit http://www.tylenol.com./


Connection(s):   This article is connected to Chapter 11 in various ways. The main connection is that Tylenol is a product of a merchandising business owned by McNeil Consumer HealthCare. McNeil takes Tylenol products and sells them for a profit to wholesalers in bulk who then transports it and sells it many different retailers. The retailers then sells them to people like me, the consumers. Another connection related to Chapter 11 is that the company (McNeil) is allowing refunds or replacement coupons for consumers, which is another topic we learned. Since Tylenol is allowing refunds, it assures that they guarantee customer satisfaction. Therefore, this article is clearly related to Chapter 11 because it correlates with merchandising businesses and refund policies.

Reflection(s):   Since Tylenol is a widely used North American drug, it can, in many ways, affect people who is a residential of North America. From what I read, people had complained of stomachaches and vomits, and this is not something I would even want to experience. In fact, I had used Tylenol since I was small, and it has never affected me negatively, but always made me feel better afterward. Now, I have some doubt about it, but will still you it regardless until something happens to me, then it would be my turn to complain. Personally, I think that McNeil did the right thing by allowing refunds because if  it didn't, then people would be mad and look for alternatives products such as Dimetapp to relieve their pain.