The Los Angeles Police Department and the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) are warning motorists of a growing problem with unauthorized tow truck operators in the LA area.
These “bandit” tow truck operators monitor police radios and respond to accidents seeking to hook up vehicles and tow them to body shops or storage facilities where they are held hostage until the motorists and their insurance companies pay inflated towing, storage and possibly repair charges to get the vehicle back.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://www.multivu.com/players/English/70506514-nicb-lapd-bandit-tow-truck-scams/
The delegation from Kazakhstan took part in the 159th General Assembly of Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) in Paris.
Akhmetzhan Yessimov, Chairman of the Board of National Company “Astana EXPO-2017”, and Rapil Zhoshybayev, Commissioner for EXPO-2017, delivered a report on the progress of preparations for the event.
"To create favorable conditions for foreign tourists, last year Kazakhstan abolished the visa regime with 20 developed countries. This was done unilaterally. Starting from January 1, 2017, countries with visa-free access will include the OECD members, Malaysia, Monaco, the UAE and Singapore," said Mr. Zhoshybayev in his Paris report.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/uk/7863151-kazakhstan-continues-to-ease-visa-regime/
When Super Bowl XLVI kicks off here at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 5, millions of Americans will be making predictions on the outcome. But a RiseSmart analysis shows that one of the most startlingly accurate predictors of Super Bowl success comes from the unlikeliest of sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) unemployment data.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/54410-risesmart-bureau-of-labor-statistics
Flooded vehicles have finally stopped arriving at the Royal Purple Raceway east of Houston. Some 23,000 now await processing and retitling to be auctioned off for parts or to be scrapped. That is just one of several insurance industry salvage locations where more than 422,000 insured vehicles damaged by Harvey have been taken for processing. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), these totals surpass the number of claims that resulted from Hurricane Katrina (approx. 300,000) and from Superstorm Sandy (250,500).
In addition, more than 215,000 claims have been filed following damage to vehicles from Hurricane Irma in Florida.
These insured vehicles will be processed and rebranded with a salvage title and sold at online auctions to dismantlers who will save usable parts or have the vehicle crushed and sold for scrap.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/76652512-nicb-reports-record-number-of-hurricane-flooded-vehicles/
Clayton, one of America’s largest home builders, is creating opportunities for homebuyers of the Baby Boomer generation seeking modern, energy efficient housing without sacrificing affordability.
In January 2018, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average price of a new single-family, site-built home with land in America was $382,700 – up 6.5 percent from January 2017. As the cost of housing rises year over year, families all over the country face a limited supply of affordable options.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8246151-clayton-homes-boomers-affordable-manufactured-solutions/
Grapevine, Texas has some new characters in town. The interesting thing is, you have to look upwards 75 feet toward Grapevine’s Glockenspiel Clock Tower to see them.
Grapevine recently dedicated its 127-foot-high Clock Tower featuring two larger-than-life, 9-foot tall Glockenspiel characters, known as the Would-Be Train Robbers, Nat Barrett and Willy Majors. Located 75 feet in the air within the Clock Tower, these figures emerge each day shortly before the stroke of noon and 6 p.m. to attempt the perfect heist. Just as Glockenspiels in Europe are rooted in history, Grapevine’s Clock Tower figures reflect the Western lore that many visitors from outside Texas find interesting and entertaining. The debut was featured as part of the dedication of the Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau’s Headquarters and Museum Complex during the City’s 28th Annual Main Street Days festival.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/56257-grapevine-glockenspiel-clock-tower-debuts-28th-annual-main-street-days
The recent flooding in Texas means the end of the road for an estimated 7,000 to 10,000 insured vehicles that suffered water damage.
That’s the current estimate from Copart, a company that works on behalf of insurers to handle the vehicles damaged in catastrophes. About 2,500 cars, trucks, motorcycles, RVs and other vehicles have already been towed to one of Copart’s locations, a 200-acre processing facility in Houston.
After a disaster, the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) works with its member companies, law enforcement and companies like Copart to identify the vehicles that have had an insurance claim filed and to process them for sale. All of the cars will be retitled with the Department of Motor Vehicles and the new title will indicate the fact that the vehicle has been flood damaged. Most of the vehicles are sold to parts companies who will dismantle them and re-sell usable parts that were not damaged by the flooding.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7523152-nicb-texas-floods/
Unprecedented planning by state and local authorities, law enforcement and the insurance industry established what is being called a national model for protecting the public from fly-by-night contractors in the aftermath of a natural disaster.
According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), preparation in advance of the F-5 tornado that devastated the city of Moore and surrounding areas in May 2013 resulted in a well-coordinated effort to ensure that roofers and other contractors who swarmed into the area in the hours and days after the storm were properly licensed, insured and authorized to work in the area.
Local police assisted the Oklahoma Insurance Department Fraud Unit in patrolling the area and keeping suspected fraudulent out-of-state contractors from doing work unless all protocols were followed.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7665251-nicb-limited-fraud-following-2013-moore-tornado/
Music video by Al B Sosa performing Disappear. Track produced by (Antagonist - Better Beats Bureau) & (Gotta-Gregota Music Group). 2013 Gregota Music LLC and Team Greenbacks Records.
The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) today issued a warning to the public about an organized scam involving sales of vehicles through the popular online market place, Craigslist.
Working with law enforcement agencies in the Chicago area and across the Midwest, NICB has identified nearly 100 instances of sales of vehicles that went sour when phony bank checks were used to pay for the vehicle.
“These scams are well organized and have all the appearances of being legitimate,” said NICB President and CEO Joe Wehrle. “But in the end, the criminal gets the car and the sellers or their financial institutions are left on the hook for thousands of dollars still owed on the car.”
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7523151-nicb-craigslist-auto-sales-scam/
The Call of Duty™ Endowment today announced $1,110,000 in grants to launch its new ‘chapterization’ model, a funding strategy whereby grants will be provided to organizations that have the ability to scale their operations by opening new, regional offices—or chapters—that offer employment services to veterans.
The Call of Duty Endowment’s announcement comes on the heels of new veterans’ unemployment numbers released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which found that the unemployment rate for the youngest veterans (aged 18-24) remained over 5 percent higher than for their nonveteran counterparts (20.4 percent and 15 percent, respectively). While the annual report demonstrates a positive trend nationally for the overall veteran unemployment rate, there is much work to be done, especially for our nation’s youngest veterans.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/59408-call-of-duty-endowment-launches-innovative-chapterization-model