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Police report: Beware of strange social media friend requests – Coast Reporter

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Sunshine Coast RCMP reported the following for Nov. 15 – 22

Fraud

  • On Nov. 18, a Coast resident reported falling victim to a scam after meeting someone on a popular social media site. sThe new friend convinced the resident he knew of a way to get rich quick by investing in Bitcoin. The resident followed the friend’s instructions and opened up various accounts at various sites, and transferred a large sum of money as required to purchase Bitcoin. The resident’s account was then frozen and the resident has been unable to access her money. When the resident tried to contact customer support on the account site, she was advised she’d need to pay another large amount of money to unlock her account. Though the specific details may change, this type of scam is incredibly common. Police caution everyone to be incredibly wary of any kinds of investment schemes that new friends try to convince them to participate in, and to do their due diligence before committing to do so. 
  • On Nov. 18, a Coast resident reported falling victim to a scam after receiving a message on a popular social media site from someone posing as an old friend. After the resident accepted the message, the old friend convinced the resident to speak to an agent regarding grants and benefits for seniors and disabled people. The resident communicated with the agent, who requested the resident pay the fee to access the grant money with Apple iTunes gift cards. The resident purchased a gift card and submitted the activation code before realizing this was a scam and ceasing any further communication with either the old friend or the agent. To learn more about popular scams and the red flags to watch out for, please visit sites such as the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, Better Business Bureau or the Competition Bureau.

Collision

On Nov. 22, a single vehicle incident was reported at an address in the 12500 block of Baker Road, Madeira Park, after a vehicle crashed into the garage. The lone driver and occupant, who is known to police, fled the scene before police arrived. The collision caused moderate damage to the door and frame of the structure, but fortunately, no one at the address sustained any injuries. Police will be following up with the driver, and the file is still under investigation.

Break and enter

On Nov.19, shortly after 5 p.m., a break and enter alarm was tripped at a business in the 5600 block of Lamprey Lane, Sechelt. The property reference and police attended and found that the suspect had gained entry to the premises after breaking a window. The suspect, who was caught on security video stealing a large number of shoes, has been identified and was arrested for break and enter and theft under $5,000. The suspect was released on an undertaking not to attend the business and the file is still under investigation.

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Mischief

On Nov. 17, mischief was reported at an address in the 1200 block of Payne Road, Gibsons. The suspect used white spray paint to deface a property sign. The same suspect is believed to have tagged equipment at the same address a month prior, only using chalk that time. Anyone with any information about this mischief is asked to contact the RCMP, reference police file 2021-800067.
Overnight on Nov. 19, a suspect attempted to gain entry to a business in the 5600 block of Cowrie Street, Sechelt, by smashing a glass door. The suspect did not gain entry but police are reviewing security camera footage and the file is still under investigation.

Theft

  • Between Nov. 14 and 15, a suspect stole a distinctive necklace from a business in the Trail Bay Mall. The handcrafted silver chain necklace has pink and clear glass beads, wire flowers and a pendant made up of a pink painted copper bar, a large round glass bead, a patterned silver ring and several dangling assorted pink beads. The maker’s initials are marked faintly on the back of the copper bar. Anyone with any information about this theft is asked to contact the RCMP, reference police file 2021-800068.
  • Sometime between Nov.12 to 13, a suspect stole a 12-speed burgundy Bishiki Regal road bike from the 800 Block of North Rd, Gibsons. The bike had flat tires, two black Italia saddle bags, and gold fenders. The bike has a serial number: CD10490 and anyone with any information about this theft is asked to contact the RCMP, reference police file 2021-7652.
  • Overnight on Nov. 19, a suspect gained entry to an unlocked vehicle parked in the 5700 block of Ebbtide Street, Sechelt, and stole a pink dog seat with a paw print pattern on it and a rearview mirror. Police remind the public to remove any valuables and to lock their vehicles in order to deter opportunistic thieves.
  • Between Oct. 30 and Nov. 5, a suspect gained entry to a locked vehicle parked in the 6200 block of Oracle Road, Sechelt and stole a wallet containing identification, including a Social Insurance Number card, bank cards, credit cards and cash. Police remind everyone to remove any valuables from vehicles and to avoid unnecessarily carrying around identification such as SIN cards, birth certificates, citizenship cards, as these items can easily be used to commit identity theft. To learn more about how to protect yourself from identity theft, please visit sites such as the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at  antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca the Better Business Bureau at bbb.org, or the Competition Bureau at  competitionbureau.gc.ca, where you may obtain a copy of the very helpful Little Black Book of Scams

Property found

On Nov. 17, a small change purse was turned in. The owner may claim it within 90 days with detailed description. Please reference police file 2021-7730.

Reminder

The Online Crime Reporting (OCR) system is available for incidents that have occurred on the Sunshine Coast where you have lost, had stolen, or sustained property or vehicle damage that costs less than $5,000 to replace or repair. The OCR system is also appropriate for driving complaints that are not in progress. For complete details, please visit ocre-sielc.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/sunshinecoast/en or enter “online crime reporting Sunshine Coast” in your search engine.

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The media industry is dying – but I can still get paid to train AI to replace me – The Guardian

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Say what you like about the Germans, you can always count on them to find just the right word for anything. Take “weltschmerz”, for example, which roughly translates to “world pain”. It signifies despair at the suffering in the world – and a deep anguish that stems from knowing that a better world is possible. Is there a more apt encapsulation of the current moment?

For the past six months I, like many others, have been suffering from an acute case of weltschmerz. As someone of Palestinian heritage I have been weighed down by survivor’s guilt as I’ve watched the unfolding genocide in Gaza. For a while, I didn’t have the emotional energy to write. The only way I could get out of bed and make it through the day was by avoiding the news completely. Which … isn’t an ideal scenario when you largely write about the news for a living. So, at one point, I decided on a career pivot and applied for various non-writing jobs, including one at a dog food manufacturer. Reader, I was rejected. In fact, I didn’t even make it to the first round of interviews; I was humbled by a dog’s dinner.

Obviously, I am writing again now. But for practical purposes I keep an eye on what else is out there. The media industry, after all, seems to be in freefall; it’s always good to try to secure a parachute, just in case. And, the other day, one seemed to present itself to me in my LinkedIn messages. According to an automated missive from an AI company, I have the perfect set of skills to help them write the first draft of AI history. I could, the generic message enthused, get “up to $15 [£12] an hour”, to coach an AI model “by assessing the quality of AI-generated writing … and crafting original responses to prompts”.

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In other words: I could get paid less than the New York minimum wage to train an AI model to take over my job. Is there a German word to describe that particular situation, I wonder? I’ll have to ask ChatGPT.

Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist

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Social media use increases weight-related bullying risk, study says – Global News

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Social media use increases weight-related bullying risk, study says  Global News

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Georgia’s parliament votes to approve so-called ‘Russian law’ targeting media in first reading – CityNews Kitchener

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TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Georgia’s parliament has voted in the first reading to approve a proposed law that would require media and non-commercial organizations to register as being under foreign influence if they receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad.

Opponents say the proposal would obstruct Georgia’s long-sought prospects of joining the European Union. They denounce it as “the Russian law” because Moscow uses similar legislation to stigmatize independent news media and organizations seen as being at odds with the Kremlin.

“If it is adopted, it will bring Georgia in line with Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus and those countries where human rights are trampled. It will destroy Georgia’s European path,” said Giorgi Rukhadze, founder of the Georgian Strategic Analysis Center.

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Although Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili would veto the law if it is passed by parliament in the third reading, the ruling party can override the veto by collecting 76 votes. Then the parliament speaker can sign it into law.

The bill is nearly identical to a proposal that the governing party was pressured to withdraw last year after large street protests. Police in the capital, Tbilisi, used tear gas Tuesday to break up a large demonstration outside the parliament.

The only change in wording from the previous draft law says non-commercial organizations and news media that receive 20% or more of their funding from overseas would have to register as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power.” The previous draft law said “agents of foreign influence.”

Zaza Bibilashvili with the civil society group Chavchavadze Center called the vote on the law an “existential choice.”

He suggested it would create an Iron Curtain between Georgia and the EU, calling it a way to keep Georgia “in the Russian sphere of influence and away from Europe.”

The Associated Press

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