Scammers are Taking Advantage of Swine Flu Fear

Thanks to Mick Gallagher.
*****
Man am I shocked. what happened to United We Stand? I thought the bird flu, SARS, Y2K, 9/11 WAS THE LAST OF IT.

And the hoaxes just keep on coming!! I guess they know how to effectively use the widely impressive corp media to browbeat us into complete submission---
What's it all about Alfie?

Mick Gallagher
*******

-----Forwarded Message-----
From: Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray
Sent: Apr 30, 2009 4:30 PM mctgal@earthlink.net
Subject: Scammers are taking advantage of Swine Flu fear

Dear Friends of the Heart,

What's in the news often drives companion scams. My office has received
complaints related to the Economic Stimulus Package, tax returns, and
television conversion to hd. It appears that the same predators are now
attempting to take advantage of people's fear about swine flu.

According to the Better Business Bureau and online security companies,
emails from spammers about swine flu already make up two percent of spam
emails, and hundreds of Web sites using the term "swine flu" have already
been registered.

In addition to making you aware of this trend, I need your help to
identify the scams.

Here's how you can help:

Forward suspicious e-mails to the Federal Trade Commission at:
spam@uce.gov, then delete them from your inbox.
File a complaint with the Attorney General's office about e-mails, phone
calls, direct mail, or other attempts to scam you. You can do this by
logging on to www.SpeakOutOhio.gov or by calling (800) 282-0515.
Forward this e-mail to friends and family so they can be aware.
For reputable information and updates on swine flu and fighting the
outbreak, go to www.CDC.gov/swineflu
And remember: to protect yourself from any kind of scam, NEVER send
personal information, such as bank account numbers or Social Security
numbers, via email. If you're asked for this information in an email,
don't respond and don't click on links in the message.

Thank you for helping protect the pocketbooks of Ohioans.

Sincerely

Richard Cordray
Ohio Attorney General
*******

Worried about Swine Flu? Here's something you can do.

The United States needs to allow all working people to earn paid sick days to ensure our economic security, and protect public health.


Sign the Petition Today


Dear Friends of the Heart,

The news over the weekend was scary -- outbreaks of a potentially pandemic flu virus, called the "swine flu" are being reported all over the world, including in the U.S. As of now there have been 64 confirmed cases of swine flu in the U.S., with the first fatal U.S. case reported this morning from Texas.1 White House officials monitoring the situation are recommending that: If you're sick, stay home, get treatment, go see a doctor.2

This is easier said than done. In the U.S. today, nearly half of workers aren't allowed to earn paid sick days (i.e. they don't have a single paid sick day to take when illness strikes in order to keep our communities healthy and not spread illness). And more than half of the workforce does not have or cannot use paid sick days to care for sick children. The numbers are even worse in industries where people need paid sick days the most: 92% of waiters and waitresses, and 79% of childcare workers aren't allowed to earn any paid sick days3.

How do the experts expect people to stay home when they're sick, if they don't have any paid sick days?

Sign the petition today! The United States needs to allow all working people to earn paid sick days to ensure our economic security, and protect public health.

http://momsrisingaction.org/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=1924&source=TrueMajority

In this economic downturn, folks need to work, sometimes whether they're sick or not. I talked to a coffee shop employee today who told me, "I go to work sick sometimes; I need the hours so I can pay my rent!" We've all been there. When people go to work sick, it puts us all at risk. The recent swine flu outbreak is a powerful reminder that we need paid sick days for public health.

In New York, where there is a small outbreak at a school among students who recently traveled to Mexico, health officials told the Wall Street Journal that one way to reduce the spread of the disease is to "stay home until 48 hours after the symptoms have passed to avoid spreading the disease,"4 Clearly, folks need paid sick days to do the right thing and stay home to care for themselves and their children when they show these symptoms, so more people don't get sick.

Sign the petition today, and pass it on to your friends and family!
Everyone should be able to earn paid sick days to ensure our health and economic security.

Thank you,

--Katie, Mary, Kristin, Sarah, Anita and the MomsRising.org Team

P.S. See the CDC Website for more information about the swine flu
outbreak: cdc.gov/swineflu/swineflu_you.htm

1. Read the NY Times compilation of information about the swine flu here:
topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/i/influenza/swine_i
nfluenza/index.html?scp=1-spot&sq=swine%20flu&st=cse

2. Quoted in:
cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/04/26/swine.flu/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

3. Institute for Women's Policy Research analysis of the March 2006
National Compensation Survey, the November 2005 through October 2006 Job
Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, and Highlights of Women's Earnings
in 2005 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Report 995).
iwpr.org/pdf/B254_paidsickdaysFS.pdf

4. Quoted in: online.wsj.com/article/SB124077900486757017.html