We had a murder here. Not sure how he was murdered, but he was found hung up on the dam just downriver of where he was thrown in. Do I mourn his death? No, he was a drug dealer and another drug dealer was arrested for his murder. The guy arrested was originally in jail for breaking and entering, can you guess where? If you guessed my place, YOU’RE RIGHT! He was the clown that stole our ATM many moons ago.
Next strange thing was a complaint about one of my officers by a member. Interesting email sent to the store owner and the officer in question. He didn’t send it to me, which I felt he should. I did reply to him and invited him to meet with me and tell me what he would like the chapter to do for him. I hope he accepts, I really want to know.
I went shooting today. Rick and I went to Moriarty and shot the hell outta some pieces of paper. I have my 2 year re-certification for my concealed carry next month and I’m scheduled to shoot with the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s officers. I want to ace it and if my shooting today was any indication, I have nothing to worry about.
Bill Kennedy, a good friend and mentor, was diagnosed earlier this year with cancer. Both him and another friend have said it doesn’t look good for him. Bill’s a fighter, so I’m sure he’s giving his all with this, but prayers are called for.
Bill has lead an interesting life. Never married, he traveled the world in his job as a communications engineer. He worked on the space station’s communications systems, the space shuttles, and many top secret systems that are intelligence related. He’s been on most continents and in several countries that he never was, if you know what I mean.
Bill and I have ridden many miles together. He brought me on board for the road captain crew and helped make me the rider that I am. In theory, if and when I get trained to teach new riders, I will be replacing him in the ranks of riding instructors. I have already stepped in, temporarily I hope, as a range officer for the concealed carry classes. For a retired old fart, he sure has a busy life, one I pray he can return to soon.
Recuperating at home after a fall down a flight of stairs and a subsequent head injury, a friend was working on his computer when he received a call from “Windows Computer Services.” The man, who asked that his name not be published, had retired from his job as an electrician after being diagnosed with Meniere’s disease, a chronic condition of the inner ear that causes vertigo.
Coincidentally, he said, when he received the call, he was having a little trouble with his computer, so he provided the caller with his credit card number and purchased a $139 service agreement.
He also complied with the caller’s instructions and downloaded software that allowed the caller to take control of his machine. But later, he realized that the caller had not fixed the problem he was having with his computer. He then found another computer repair service online and paid an additional $139.
By the time his wife returned home from work, he had spent $417.
“I was confused and stupid,” said the man, who had become the victim of cybercriminals. “I just hope my story helps someone.”
Meanwhile, his wife called his credit card company, and workers there were able to cancel the charges.
On Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission released new rules to give phone carriers more authority to take aggressive action against these types of scams, but the rules will not go into effect immediately.
The FCC already requires telemarketers to make specific disclosures and sets limits on the times telemarketers may call and prohibits callers from contacting phone numbers listed on a National Do Not Call Registry. But the agency still records more than 325,000 complaints each month about unwanted telemarketing calls from telephone customers listed on the registry.
Cybercriminals have become increasingly shrewd, using robo-calling software and spoofed numbers that appear to be legitimate government or local numbers, according to the FCC. Thousands of people lose their money and personal information to telephone scams each year.
Current telephone scams involve callers claiming a person owes federal income taxes or reporting that a relative is in jail. The scammer usually demands payment immediately, often wanting money sent through a wire transfer service or by a prepaid card.
The scammer may even insist that a person keep the call a secret and not alert the police.
The FCC recommends you simply hang up on anyone asking for personal or financial information.
Microsoft will never proactively reach out to a customer to provide unsolicited technical support, according to the company’s Safety and Security Center. Any communication the company has with a customer is initiated by the customer.
The IRS never demands immediate payment or makes a call about taxes owed. And the federal agency will never require a taxpayer to use a specific payment method, such as a prepaid debit card, or ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
The Federal Trade Commission urges people to report any fraudulent caller, even after sending them money. They’ll want more, the agency says. To report a phone scam, call 877-FTC-HELP or visit ftc.gov/complaint.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation recommends contacting a local law enforcement agency or the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, IC3.com, about phone scams.
Recently, the New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department has substantially increased efforts to combat identity theft and tax refund fraud and may request in writing additional documentation to verify a refund claim.
If you believe someone has filed a state tax return on your behalf without your permission, call the department at 866-285-2996.
Well, this week I look forward to nothing. Yep, nothing going on this week as I sit here typing this. That doesn’t mean I have nothing to do, but what I have to do is normal stuff I do every week.
I do know that I have a class on Sunday afternoon that I’m helping with at Harley. It’s a group riding class for our chapter. A refresher for older members and hopefully a way to get new members to join the fun. Besides, that’s next week.
Of course there’s bound to be an April Fool’s Day ride on Saturday, but that’s just fun! Ride for 3 hours and come back to the store for free food.
Erin spent the night last night. That’s normal for us. She loves spending time with Nina and usually stays on her first night back here after Dilia. Erin spent the time in Dilia watching a branding of calves. That too is normal.
Old friend, not current friend. He’s dying and the wife needed some help with the paperwork. It’s kinda surreal dealing with people in this manner.
Keith, he’s the guy that bought your Colt from you. He loved that gun. Not sure if you even remember. We both had the same model gun, but yours was a lightweight. I was shooting the gun a couple of months back and the front sight popped off. Since I carried the gun for years, it was looking kinda shabby due to holster wear. When the sight popped off, I decided to have it refinished and since I really don’t need a basic gun anymore, I decided to go a little stupid. Adjustable sights. Ambidextrous safety. Custom Harley Davidson grips to go with the orange and black Harley Davidson colors. I dropped about $750 in the customization, paid about $200 over 25 years ago, and got offered $1000 for it at the convention I was at. I took his card in case I wanted to sell. I also gave him my card in case he wished to come up to $1300.
Nina and I went shooting today and I finally shot the completed gun. It’s sweet! Nice grouping and it felt good. I also shot pretty well left handed. Gotta practice if you want to carry.
I am a husband, father, grandfather, friend, business owner, traveller, Harley rider, citizen, patriot, gun owner, politically eclectic person of strange personal habits. I support police, trust no politicians, and can argue any side of an argument just to amuse myself. People love me or hate me and those that are in-between don't know me.