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/
Three of the Internet’s most beloved pets are teaming up to help the millions of cats and dogs in shelters and rescue groups across the country find loving homes. Fashion icon Toast Meets World, globally recognized pianist Keyboard Cat and life of the party Hamilton Pug are lending their star power to “Start A Story. Adopt,” a new public service advertising (PSA) campaign from The Shelter Pet Project, a collaborative effort between Maddie’s Fund®, The Humane Society of the United States and the Ad Council.
Toast Meets World, Keyboard Cat and Hamilton Pug receive millions of views, likes and shares on social media, but most people don’t know they were adopted. Created pro bono by J. Walter Thompson New York, these new PSAs share these pets’ unique stories, which all began in shelters and rescue groups, and highlight the special bonds between the pets and their families. Prospective owners are encouraged to visit TheShelterPetProject.org to learn more about the adoption process and search for adoptable pets at shelters and rescue groups near them. Adoption advocates are also encouraged to support the effort on social media by using the hashtag #StartAStoryAdopt to share stories of how their shelter pets changed their lives for the better and to encourage others to start their own stories by adopting an amazing shelter dog or cat today.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7747051-ad-council-shelter-pets-project/
The National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization, has collaborated with the Department of Homeland Security to launch a new PSA campaign in October to educate the American public in conjunction with National Cyber Security Awareness Month. An extension of the national cybersecurity education and awareness effort, STOP. THINK. CONNECT., the new PSAs provide helpful advice about being more vigilant and practicing safe online habits.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7312051-stop-think-connect-online-safety-psa-s/
In an effort to inform children and their families about the importance of food safety, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Ad Council are joining 20th Century Fox to launch a series of public service advertisements (PSAs) featuring footage from the upcoming film Alvin & the Chipmunks: The Road Chip.
An estimated 1 in 6 (48 million) Americans get sick from foodborne illness each year, resulting in roughly 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Children are among the most vulnerable to food poisoning because their immune systems are still developing, so parents and caregivers need to take extra precautions when preparing food for children under five.
The new PSAs, featuring everyone’s favorite Chipmunks – Alvin, Simon, and Theodore – highlight the four food safety steps consumers can use to prevent foodborne illness. The Chipmunks’ antics and hilarious situations in which they find themselves provide a perfect platform to illustrate these four steps: Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill. The PSAs help explain actions anyone can take to safely prepare their food, using the Chipmunks as the tool to bring fun and relevancy to a serious topic. The partnership includes TV, radio, out-of-home and web advertising, and parents and children can also find kid-friendly activities that further reinforce the food safety steps by visiting FoodSafety.gov.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7652251-ad-council-food-safety/
ILEX Consumer Products Group, a Baltimore-based company which owns and manages health and beauty as well as over the counter (OTC) drug brands, launched di-gel, a new antacid/anti-gas brand, just in time for all the overindulging and stress of the holidays.
The new digestive aid, which is being promoted with integrated TV and digital advertising, grassroots and public relations, launched with the brand tagline
On Saturday, May 30, 2015, four space shuttle astronauts will be inducted into the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame® during a public ceremony held at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex’s Space Shuttle AtlantisSM attraction: John Grunsfeld, Ph. D., Steven Lindsey, Kent Rominger, and M. Rhea Seddon, M.D.
These astronaut heroes will join the ranks of well-known space explorers including Alan Shepard, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. This year marks the historic 25th anniversary of the Hall of Fame, which was conceived in the 1980s by the six remaining Mercury astronauts as a place where space explorers could be remembered. Past Hall of Fame inductees include Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab and Space Shuttle astronauts.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7444151-us-astronaut-hall-of-fame/
In celebration of National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day, radio host and entertainer Lance Bass and his husband Michael Turchin have joined The Shelter Pet Project in two new videos to share the love and joy that their adopted pets bring to their lives.
Bass, Turchin, and their rescued dogs, Lily, Foster and Dingo, are the stars of a new online video in the “Meet My Shelter Pet” series from The Shelter Pet Project. The Shelter Pet Project is a national public service campaign developed by the Ad Council, The Humane Society of the United States and Maddie’s Fund®. Its videos showcase the unique bonds between shelter pets and their owners, and direct viewers to their local shelter and rescue groups, where they can find amazing dogs and cats available for adoption. A second video, narrated by Bass, highlights the importance of shelter pet adoption and provides viewers with more information on how to adopt, while also addressing several misconceptions about the adoption process.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7513951-ad-council-shelter-pet-project/
‘Tackling hepatitis C: Moving towards an integrated policy approach’, a report published by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) today reveals that many countries around the world have been slow to respond with national policies on hepatitis C despite recent government pledges to fight the disease. The hepatitis C virus remains the leading cause of liver cancer, liver disease and liver transplantation placing a huge burden on patients' lives and healthcare systems.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/71400562-janssen-new-reports-hepatitis-c
The Island of Bantayan in Northern Cebu in the Philippines watched their country’s boxing hero Manny Pacquiao fight against Floyd Mayweather, Jr. during a live public screening on the island, which brought boundless inspiration to many who were still recovering from the effects of Typhoon Haiyan which struck the Philippines in late 2013.
The public screening on the island was made possible with the effort of a large British life insurance company operating in the country in its bid to bring inspiration to the typhoon survivors. The screening was for the first time held simultaneously in Santa Fe, Bantayan and Madridejos municipalities on Bantayan Island.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7516751-prudential-corporation-asia/
In an effort to support the 42 million caregivers in the U.S. who are caring for parents and older loved ones and to illustrate the complexity of this relationship, AARP and the Ad Council are unveiling a new suite of public service advertisements (PSAs), including ads specifically designed to reach the Hispanic community, as an extension of their national Caregiver Assistance campaign. The PSAs, which launch today alongside new data highlighting the added stressors many caregivers face during the holiday, will be distributed to media outlets this week to coincide with National Family Caregivers Month (November).
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7366551-aarp-ad-council-caregiver-psa-s-tools-resources/
The Ad Council and the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced the launch of a new public service advertisement (PSA) to raise awareness about the importance of being prepared for emergencies. While the PSA targets all communities, We Prepare Every Day is the first in a series of videos that aim to deliver a strong preparedness message by showing people with disabilities taking charge to prepare themselves and their families for emergencies.
The PSA provides equal access to all viewers and includes open captioning, a certified deaf interpreter, and audio description for viewers who are blind or have low vision.
The launch of the PSA coincides with the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 26, 2015. The ADA prohibits discrimination and ensures equal opportunity for people with disabilities in employment, state and local government services, public accommodations, commercial facilities, transportation and telecommunications. The ADA guarantees the civil rights of more than 56 million Americans.
To view the multimedia news release visit http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7576951-fema-ad-council-emergency-preparedness/
A vastly changing landscape would certainly capture one’s attention. The nation’s trees face an immediate threat from the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB), a devastating invasive pest with no natural predators. With up to 70 percent of the U.S. tree canopy at risk of being lost to this pest, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is spreading the word about the beetle this summer with a series of TV, radio and print public service announcements (PSAs).
The adult Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) is active throughout the summer months and into the fall. This invasive pest was first discovered in the U.S. in 1996, likely arriving here unknowingly inside wood packing material from Asia. The insect threatens recreational areas, forests, and suburban and urban shade trees. The beetle attacks 12 genera of trees, including birch, maple and elm. It is truly a landscape-altering invasive pest. And all states are at risk.
To view the multimedia release visit:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7569951-usda-psa-asian-longhorned-beetle/
