SACRAMENTO (CBS SF / AP) – Governor Gavin Newsom’s government on Tuesday tapped a former federal attorney to help investigate billions of dollars in fraudulent unemployment benefits paid by the state during the shutdown of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Employment Development Department and Fraud Task Force of the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services have appointed McGregor W. Scott as “Special Adviser on Fraud.” Authorities said Scott will work with law enforcement to fight fraud and prosecute anyone accused of offending the government.

CONTINUE READING: 3 Indicted in the Northern California prison-based EDD fraud system

Scott was the US Attorney for the Eastern District of California under former Republican Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump. The district spans 34 counties from the Oregon border to Bakersfield in the Central Valley.

While US attorney Scott and several district attorneys revealed that the state had approved hundreds of millions of dollars in unemployment benefits on behalf of prison inmates, including some convicted murderers on death row.

“The state unemployment systems were attacked by sophisticated international and national organized fraud systems last year,” said Scott. “We look forward to working with EDD, Cal OES, and local, state and federal attorneys to identify, investigate, and prosecute those who stole benefits that rightly belonged in the pockets of Californians in need.”

CONTINUE READING: California EDD now requires proof of job search in order to receive unemployment benefits

California was overwhelmed by jobless claims during the coronavirus pandemic after Newsom issued the first nationwide home stay order that forced many businesses to close. As of March 2020, more than 23 million applications have been made, with the state paying $ 158 billion in benefits.

But at least $ 11 billion of that money was fraudulent, state officials said earlier this year. The state has classified an additional $ 20 billion in services as “suspicious” but has not yet said how many of these services were fraudulent.

The employment development department has put in place safeguards to help detect fraud and identity theft, including using a new identity verification tool and matching claims against Thompson Reuters law enforcement databases, the department said in a statement.

MORE NEWS: UPDATE: State Requiring Proof of Job Seeker for Unemployment Benefit; How will EDD enforce it?

“McGregor Scott has led numerous large-scale criminal investigations in his many years as a prosecutor and federal attorney – an experience that will help put criminals behind bars for defrauding the system,” said Rita Saenz, director of the division Employment development.

The post Newsom Appoints Particular Counsel To Examine Multi-Billion Greenback EDD Debit Card Fraud – CBS San Francisco appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

by: Tristi Rodriguez, Nexstar media cable

Posted: Mar 29, 2021 / 7:36 AM CDT
/ Updated: 03/29/2021 / 8:31 AM CDT

Juan Carlos Guerrero, 62, holds up his reminder card for the second shot as he speaks to a health care worker after he was killed on Wednesday 17th. (AP Photo / Wilfredo Lee)

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON / NEXSTAR) – Staples and Office Depot are offering to laminate your COVID-19 vaccination card for free.

Millions of Americans who received the COVID-19 vaccine carry paper cards as evidence.

Protect your vaccination card. Get a voucher for a FREE lamination of your completed COVID-19 vaccination card. Offer only valid in store. Ends 7/25/21

– Office Depot (@officedepot) March 25, 2021

It might come in handy to keep your card safe. Some travel destinations, cruise lines, and major sports venues require proof of full vaccination, while some companies offer perks to people who can prove they received the vaccine.

How to Get a Free Krispy Kreme Donut Every Day in 2021

The vaccination cards contain information about which vaccine was given and when it was given. The card also acts as a reminder when the second dose is required.

The offer at Office Depot ends in July and is only available in stores.

Fraud warning: why posting your COVID vaccination card can lead to fraud

If you lose your vaccination card, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that you contact the facility that gave the vaccine or your local or state vaccination information program.

Also, remember not to share photos of your vaccination card on social media.

Shut down

Suggest a correction Correct

Suggest a correction Correct

The post Staples, Workplace Depot will laminate your COVID-19 vaccine card without cost | WGN Radio 720 appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

AUBURN (CBS13) – MPs arrested a San Francisco woman suspected of using a fraudulent gift card to purchase expensive electronics from the Auburn Best Buy store.

The Placer County sheriff’s office says store staff called to report the fraud on Monday.

CONTINUE READING: Stimulus check At the latest: Who will receive an additional payment?

Employees say the woman first bought a MacBook valued at over $ 1,700 using the fraudulent electronic gift card. They didn’t realize the scam until after they bought the computer.

The woman then came back to the store a second time, clerks say, and tried to buy another MacBook. Then the MPs were called.

CONTINUE READING: Activists hope Derek Chauvin’s guilty verdict will be the catalyst for change

MPs soon responded to the scene and contacted the suspect. She was identified as 25-year-old Xiaohui Xu from San Francisco. Several unopened boxes of high-priced electronics were also found in her car, MPs say.

Investigators say the receipts showed the items were purchased at multiple Best Buy stores using fraudulent gift cards.

MORE NEWS: Heartbroken family after the award, vintage truck stolen from Carmichael driveway

Xu has been arrested and is now charged with identity theft, theft, break-in, possession of stolen property, and fraudulent use of an access card.

The post San Francisco Lady Suspected Of Utilizing Fraudulent Reward Card To Purchase Costly Electronics From Finest Purchase Shops – CBS Sacramento appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

[author: James Drimmer]

A little over a year has passed since the COVID-19 pandemic led the legal community to look to remote depositions to fuel litigation. In the months following the first shift, I wrote two blogs about remote deposition. The first focused on the details of removed deposits and how to perform them, as well as best practices for preparation. The second looked at how things went after six months with remote access. This blog examines how remote deposition has evolved in widespread practice in relation to a “note” after a full year of widespread practice, and further anticipates how things will evolve from here, including the introduction and use of remote technology for dispositive procedures such as arbitration, arbitration and now even legal proceedings.

Predictions about remote stay technology appear accurate – Note = A.

Saying the words “new normal” when it comes to remote debris is just … well, 2020. It is no longer time to recognize that debris should now be recognized as “normal” in this way. The uniform acceptance of distant deposits was certainly the minority’s early prediction. Their opinions have been tacitly rejected by their peers on the grounds that the “distant matter” will go away as soon as we can get back to face-to-face procedures. When everyone finally realized that the delay in legal disputes could possibly take an undefined and lengthy time, many lawyers stepped in with both feet. Everyone has accepted one or more invitations from remote deposit providers in their inbox to test the options available. You tried and guess what? It worked! ”Expected problems and practical challenges regarding the handling and connectivity of exhibits have been addressed, addressed and resolved by knowledgeable vendors – and the process now seems smoother than ever. It is an exaggeration to say that at this point everyone is out of it more technological View “understands.” However, the awareness and visibility of the remote separation process has made it accessible to even the most technologically demanding people.

A colleague recently reported on LinkedIn about the lifting of some COVID-19 restrictions. He was pleased to see some of his clients in person in his office for the first time in over a year and to give a personal presentation over lunch. What was the topic for this “face-to-face” meeting? Ironically, remote deposits! Even if we reopen our offices to do business in person, this is anything but a retreat to old methods. This is back to the future in all its glory. Based on the foregoing, we can expect the removed deposit to remain here, and those who predicted it would appear to have been entirely correct. Grade = A.

Some less obvious practical advantages and disadvantages of remote separation – Grade = B +

Some obvious advantages to remote separations are the extreme flexibility that has been added to the process for all participants, including lawyers, witnesses, and court reporters. This flexibility also leads to cost savings for everyone involved, with fewer travel-related costs. Likewise, there are equally obvious drawbacks to the process that can never really be overcome, such as assessing the credibility and conduct of a witness that lawyers benefit from personal observation. There are some interesting and less obvious subtle benefits and burdens to the process that everyone should consider, including the increased courtesy between attorneys, the unique helpful application that remote segregation provides for certain types of cases, and the handling of the new concept emerging the zoom fatigue.

In order for remote depositions to work, an increased level of cooperation is required from all parties to the proceedings. As a result, when filing a deposit remotely, it is easier for lawyers to collaborate than with a face-to-face procedure. Exhibits are often swapped out in advance, schedules worked out in advance rather than one-sided notice of debris, and attendees must work with third party witnesses to ensure they can appear. These budgetary issues are now very cooperative matters. While in the past such planning problems were often the subject of game art. Well, that kind of capricious jockeying for position has no place in this new, aged arena for the discovery of distant facts. Even during the proceedings, lawyers have to behave more collegially than ever. One of our clients recently described the level of professionalism and courtesy shown by all lawyers in his most recent multiple remote separations case. Although the case was controversial, he mentioned that all opposing lawyers were paying so much attention to each other as if there were technical difficulties or if one party lost their connection they would shut down the case immediately so that the lawyer could be reconnected and avoid it any ex parte communication with the witness.

In addition to being more courteous, remote tipping is especially helpful in certain cases that you may not expect. For example, the document-intensive case is now safer from a health point of view and less complex thanks to the use of a remote procedure. The security issue is obvious as lawyers, witnesses, and reporters don’t have to constantly pass documents back and forth to risk a possible COVID-19 infection. It also makes the process smoother because witnesses can be referenced directly to sections of documents on the screen instead of the witness looking through a hard copy. Every attorney has had the experience of handing a document to the witness during a deposit and referring it to a specific line or paragraph on a specific page. What happens? Invariably, the witness takes the document from the attorney, turns the pages, compares sections, sometimes over long periods of time, and reviews the material so that he or she is not caught off guard by the question at hand. Opposing attorneys are quick to raise objections asking for the witness to be given the opportunity to “review the entire document.” In these remote proceedings, when a subsection of a document is displayed on a screen, be it psychological or otherwise, neither the opposing attorney nor the witness argue about its authenticity or the ability to read the entire document. This is a tremendous advantage in jurisdictions where the ability to depose a witness is subject to time limits and where there is a lot of material to discuss.

One drawback to the world of remote separation is the growing authority over zoom fatigue and the tedious effects of video calls. This is not ideal in an environment where, as a lawyer, you want your witness or client to put their best foot forward and appear sharp, present and engaged. Since video calls put a special strain on our cognitive abilities, the witness and attorney must take this effect into account. A recent study published by Stanford University observed that zoom fatigue occurs because video calls make unnatural and excessive eye contact. You see yourself all the time and how you appear on camera as you speak. Their mobility is restricted and the cognitive load during video chats is much higher. All of this results in the higher level of concentration required for the Witness to communicate effectively in the deposit environment, which is already a nerve-wracking and highly unnatural experience. This challenge results in the attorney taking additional time and action to offset the effect of zoom fatigue in preparing his witnesses for testimony, and the attorney who does not take the time does so at their own risk.

Practitioners should weigh these subtle pros and cons when considering remote deposition. Since the news is not all good, these matters deserve a solid but incomplete note. Note = B +.

Arbitration, banking and … litigation? – Degree = TBD

It was not a problem that shortly after the widespread adoption of distant testimony, the litigants used the same technology for mediation and even trial. In recent times, entire arbitration proceedings with full testimony, the introduction of exhibits and arguments have been conducted almost every day. Remote technology has performed well in these dispositive procedures, and now cases can be advanced through arbitration rather than legal proceedings, while pandemic issues such as vaccine distribution and security measures in local courthouses take care of themselves.

However, the next piece of the puzzle to consider is how remote jurors will conduct legal proceedings. Is that even possible? There are so many points to consider: presence of jurors, attentiveness from jurors, court rules, who handles the technology and is responsible for it, etc. While virtual banking trials have already taken place because they are practically the same as arbitration, the judicial process is very much much a new concept. There have been isolated reports of virtual trials taking place in New Jersey on brief matters. Riverside County California recently enacted local court rules for conducting trials against virtual jurors displayed in its courthouse. At least one case recently settled prior to trial in San Francisco County conducted a hybrid Voir Dire in which the jury was placed in a virtual “jury box” and interviewed while the rest of the pool watched the interview. When the jury was released, others were put into the virtual “box” to complete the interview.

It is unclear how these early experiments with virtual jury processes will go. There are many concerns about the jury’s attention, divided between the court and what is going on in their immediate vicinity. Time will tell and we will surely report on it as soon as more data and practical experience on the subject is gathered and analyzed. Therefore we can only rate this problem as “to be decided”. Note = TBD.

Conclusion

The widespread success of using remote technology to conduct legal proceedings such as depositions, hearings, and now even legal proceedings is a welcome improvement in the legal landscape. All actors in the system will feel the efficiency that comes from greater flexibility in planning the lowered cost barriers that arise when lawyers are not limited to litigating in person. This in turn will give more people better access to our legal system, which can only be good. We look forward to future technological advances and their application to other procedures such as legal proceedings. The future of remote access is certainly looking bright and deserves an “A” in this sense. Grade = A..

The post Distant Depositions: One Yr Report Card and What to Count on Transferring Ahead | U.S. Authorized Assist appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

The Clipper Card can be added to Apple Pay and used with Express Transit features on San Francisco Bay.

The Apple Wallet on the iPhone has support for adding certain transit cards from within the app. These cards can be used in Express Transit mode and reloaded with Apple Pay.

The last card to be added is the clipper card. It is the San Francisco Bay Area transit card of choice and can be used with all 24 transit agencies in the area.

San Francisco is also one of the cities with enhanced transit instructions, so users can find real-time schedules for a bus, train, or ferry that are compatible with the Clipper Card. Just hold your iPhone or Apple Watch near a Clipper reader and you’re done.

Express Transit Mode is a feature that allows users to assign an Apple Pay card for use without authentication. It is necessary to pass through busy areas like a turnstile without having to pause and authenticate the transaction.

Cards used in Express mode are also available up to five hours after the iPhone battery is discharged. This means that the user can use transit services even if the device’s battery is empty.

The Clipper card connects the TAP card and the SmarTrip card in Apple Wallet. Apple maintains a list of all transit cards available for Express Transit mode by region.

Stay up to date on all Apple news right from your HomePod. Say “Hey Siri, play AppleInsider” and you’ll get the latest AppleInsider podcast. Or ask your HomePod mini for “AppleInsider Daily” instead and you will receive a quick update directly from our news team. If you’re into Apple-centric home automation, say, “Hey Siri, play HomeKit Insider,” and you’ll be hearing our latest special podcast in just a few moments.

The post San Francisco Bay Space Clipper Card now helps Apple Pay with Specific Transit appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

Bank of America disputes South Bay pastor’s claim whose EDD debit card was hackedA South Bay pastor filed a fraud suit with Bank of America after hackers used up his EDD debit card account. Kenny Choi told us he had received the same standard letter KPIX had seen so many times and said his claim had been closed.

4 hours ago

Ghost Ship Fire: Victims call condemnation pleadings for Derick Almena a slap on the wristSome victims believe the verdict against the defendant Derick Almena in one of the deadliest fires in Bay Area history is just a slap on the wrist. Andrea Nakano reports on the long legal battle over the fire of the ghost ship.

4 hours ago

COVID: CDC publishes new safety guidelines for vaccinated peopleThe Centers for Disease Control have published new guidelines for people who are fully vaccinated. Maria Medina tells us what the CDC says it is finally safe to do.

4 hours ago

Asian Uber driver coughed assaulted after asking women to wear masksAn Asian Uber driver was attacked and coughed by a group of women after they refused to work for not wearing masks. Betty Yu shows us the attack that the driver captured on video.

5 hours earlier

CDC says fully vaccinated people can congregate without masksDevin Fehely Reports CDC Releases New Safety Guidelines for Those Who Have Received Their COVID Vaccines (3-8-2021)

9 hours ago

VIDEO: Assault without a mask by Uber passengers, coughing on the driver after he refused to service them (warning: annoying, explicit language)An Uber driver was attacked and coughed by a group of women in San Francisco after he refused to serve them for not wearing masks. In an attack that the driver recorded on video. (Video by Subharkar Khadka)

9 hours ago

COVID: Facebook group is chasing open vaccine appointments across the Bay AreaThere are a growing number of people in the Bay Area who are frustrated with finding open COVID vaccine appointments. Katie Nielsen tells us about some tech-savvy people who use social media groups to help.

9 hours ago

COVID hardship forces Goodwill to close eight retail stores in the Bay AreaJohn Ramos Reports Goodwill Closed Eight Floors in the San Francisco Bay Area (3-8-2021)

9 hours ago

Monday evening forecast with Paul HeggenRain is forecast.

9 hours ago

COVID Reopening: San Francisco Unified Reveals More Details for April ReopeningSan Francisco Unified School District officials announced additional details Monday on a plan to resume face-to-face learning for some schools from April after they signed a tentative contract with teachers late last week. Juliette Goodrich reports. (3/8/21)

9 hours ago

UPDATE: Richter Accepts Ghost Ship Fire Plea Deal; Derick Almena to serve the remainder of the sentence at homeThe judge in the Oakland Ghost Ship Fire case has accepted a plea deal from main tenant Derick Almena for the 2016 campfire. Over time, Almena is serving the remainder of his sentence at home with an ankle monitor after pleading guilty to 36 cases of involuntary manslaughter. Andrea Nakano reports. (3/8/21)

10 hours ago

Lake County Luxury Hotel, Housing Project Raises Forest Fire Risk ConcernsThe California attorney general wants to put an end to a luxury housing estate in a fire-prone area of ​​Lake County. Susie Steimle reports. (3-5-21)

13 hours ago

Monday afternoon forecast with Mary Lee(3/8/21)

15 hours ago

Protesters march as jury selection for Minneapolis Cop Chauvin is delayedMichael George reports on protesters who gathered outside the Minneapolis courthouse even after the jury selection for a police officer accused of killing George Floyd was delayed (3-8-2021).

15 hours ago

The victims’ families argue that the plea deal for the Almena of the ghost ship’s fire rifle is too mildKiet Do reports on families of Ghost Ship Fire victims asking the judge to give the defendant Derick Almena a sentence that matches his crime (3-8-2021).

16 hours ago

Interview: Students from Foothill High School Pleasanton qualify as semi-finalists in the national STEM competitionKPIX 5 reporter Mary Lee interviews students at Foothill High School in Pleasanton after they were named semi-finalists in the Samsung National STEM Contest. (3/8/21)

17 hours ago

TODAY FORECAST: Here is the last forecast from the KPIX 5 weather teamShiver in this week’s forecast

21 hours ago

BOMBSHELL INTERVIEW: CBS Gayle King this morning about Oprah Winfrey’s interview with Prince Harry and Meghan MarkleCBS This Morning’s Gayle King shares key revelations made during Oprah Winfrey’s interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

21 hours ago

COVID-19 VACCINATION: Local executives ask Governor Gavin Newsom to add additional Bay Area zip codes to priority vaccine rolloutLocal leaders are asking Governor Gavin Newsom to add additional Bay Area zip codes to the priority vaccine rollout

21 hours ago

ASIAN-AMERICAN ATTACKS: Bay Area college students discuss experiencing anti-Asian racismBay Area college students talk about experiencing anti-Asian racism

22 hours ago

COVID-19: 10 postcode state in the San Francisco Bay Area for COVID-19 vaccinationsState with 10 postcodes in the San Francisco Bay Area for COVID-19 vaccinations

23 hours ago

PIX nowHere’s the latest from the KPIX newsroom. (3-7-21)

1 day ago

The post Financial institution Of America Denies Declare Of South Bay Pastor Whose EDD Debit Card Was Hacked – CBS San Francisco appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.