#commonwealth scam

[kamana-mishra]

The Commonwealth Scam: Political Games

Commonwealth Games are the heartbeat of every athlete, and Indian athletes have been raising the bar of excellence high with their incredible performance. They have brought fame and pride to the country with their accolades.

Commonwealth games are a buzz as they serve as a gateway for podium performances to Olympics. Every four years, a host country is selected for the Commonwealth Games. In 2010, India was voted the host country. India chose Suresh Kalmadi as the chairperson of the organizing committee.

This person took the competition a bit too seriously, created the biggest scam, and outperformed Harshad Mehta. A scam worth a whopping ₹70,000 crores brought disgrace to the country in every aspect. The reports justified the dialogue of Shatrughan Sinha from Kalicharan, “Aaj ke zamaane mein toh baimaani hi ek aaisa dhanda reh gaya hai ... joh poori imaandari ke saath kiya jaata hai.”

So, let’s learn about the events that took place because of the Commonwealth scam in 2010.

What was the Commonwealth scam?

"Corruption, money laundering, and tax evasion are global problems, not just challenges for developing countries" - Sri Mulyani Indrawati.

The Commonwealth scam is remembered infamously as one of the biggest scams. The Commonwealth scam involved astounding pilferage of ₹70,000 crores, Suresh Kalmadi's mastermind. The organizing committee led by Suresh Kalmadi made extraordinary plans initially, but all the promises turned out into a national embarrassment.

As grandiose and well-thought-out as the scam was, the games' set-up was menial and way below par. How? The companies that were chosen to organise the event over-quoted prices but supplied poor-quality goods. These companies were preferred against those who provided the best prices for better quality equipment. The Committee of Inquiries signalled that Kalmadi and all his aid workers were involved and arrested.

Did You Know

India bagged 101 medals in the Commonwealth games 2010, including 38 gold medals.

What happened in the Commonwealth scam?

The commonwealth scam was a deep well of conspiracies and corruption. Many irregularities were found according to many reports, including one by Housing and Land Rights Networks (HLRN) and investigations by the CBI. These irregularities were as follows:

1. Overall Security and Infrastructure

The Government of India, 2010, conveyed that they spent lots of money on enhancing the infrastructure, security, and development of 20 cities for the Commonwealth Games. This expenditure was planned to make the cities attractive as tourist destinations, but the estimate was never revealed.

The workers appointed for the infrastructure were exploited with ruthless working hours, unjust pay cuts, and bad working conditions. An incident of a footbridge collapsing 12 days before the event happened at the site of the games. This mishap drew a lot of attention and questioned the safety of the spectators and athletes. 

The initial estimated sports infrastructure was marked as ₹1,900 crores, which increased to ₹11,000 crores. Compared to the amount, the construction of various venues was done poorly. The vinyl flooring at the weightlifting site was peeling off, while the false ceiling at the table tennis facility collapsed.

Lalit Bhanot, the Secretary General of the Organising Committee (OC), said to the athletes, "Some false ceiling has fallen, which means nothing. These things happen even at your home."

In addition, the OC failed to meet the targetted deadline of 1 August for enhancing and constructing specific venues such as the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium's swimming pools, fields, and stadium tracks. Many swimmers fell ill and complained about the water's quality. Many more issues sprung up as the games continued. If you want to continue reading, then click on the link - The Commonwealth Scam: Political Games.

[indizombie]

Last month, corporate watchdog ASIC released a highly critical report covering the four major banks — ANZ, Commonwealth Bank, NAB and Westpac — and their responses to the threat of scams. According to the report, about 31,100 customers at the big four banks collectively lost more than $558 million to scams in the 2021-22 financial year. The banks only paid about $21 million in compensation to the victims and the rate of reimbursement was very low, ranging between 2 and 5 per cent.

‘Banks unveil new weapon to fight scams, but consumer group says customers remain exposed’, ABC

[patbertram]

Do You Know That for Sure?

When I was chatting with my friends this weekend during our day trip, the conversation segued into a discussion of “made in USA” products. Although I do look for that label, I also understand that just because it says “made in USA” it doesn’t mean it’s made in this country by non-sweatshop workers. In fact, there is an island not far from China that is a commonwealth of the USA, and despite its…

[daryl-dixon-daydreams]

"Nah," he drawled, stalking back and forth across the room at a furious pace. "Nah, that can't be—there's gotta be—"

You shook your head. "Daryl, it's okay. I'll be fine. I just have to go through this now and then my debt to The Commonwealth and my record will be wiped. It'll be okay."

He froze and you saw fury burning in his blue eyes. They seemed to shift and glow like blue flames. "No. This is bullshit," he growled. "Ya shouldn't have any debt. Ya shouldn't have a record. This whole damn place is a fuckin' scam..." He resumed his pacing and your eyes followed him, shadowed under your furrowed brow. He was murmuring to himself for a moment, thinking out loud. "S'gotta be a way..." He stalled out eventually, a hand going to his face. "I dunno how to fix this," he said, defeated.

You gave him a sympathetic look and shook your head. "You don't have to. Fixing everything is not your job."

He shook his head and his voice was almost angry when he replied. "No! I need to! I just—I dunno how! But I need to!" His expression was desperate. "Ya could die. The shit they've got ya doin' is dangerous. It ain't okay!"

Your expression was soft as you peered back at him and your heart was racing. "It's going to be okay."

He was suddenly right in front of you, down on one knee so his eyes were at the same level as yours where you were seated. You gulped as he clasped your face. "Listen to me, if somethin' happens to ya—" his voice broke off suddenly and he mouthed wordlessly for a moment. "—I dun care what it takes, but I'm gonna get ya outta this."

[tanadrin]

bonus objectives

The primary purpose of life is, depending on who you ask and what mood they're in, to live virtuously, to be of net benefit to the world, to enjoy yourself, to pass on your genes, to pass on your memes, or nothing at all--or some other bit of boring nonsense. The following are your bonus objectives. Point values are loosely based on a combination of difficulty, pointlessness, and entertainment value.

Get the IAU to name a planetary feature, solar system object, star, or exoplanet "Butthole." (5 points; +5 points if it's a crater) 2. Convince at least one U.S. state to officially allocate its electoral college votes to a nonhuman primate (5 points) or other animal (10 points).

Have a news story reporting your death be a major international headline (e.g., the number 1 post on Reddit for the day). (1 point; +9 points if you are not otherwise famous)

Become the first internationally recognized Emperor of Mars. (5 points)

Be the cause of a major revision to the UNCLOS. (5 points)

Mend the Great Schism/heal the Sunni-Shia divide/reunite Western Christianity. (10 points each)

Uplift a nonhuman animal to the point it can speak, write, or type a natural human language at least as well as a 10-year-old native. (10 points; +20 points if it's not a mammal; +20 points if it can also win a FIDE-recognized chess tournament)

Domesticate bears. (10 points)

Solve one of the remaining Millennium Prize problems in mathematics. (10 points each)

Build a medieval-style castle on the Moon. (5 points)

Receive a valid letter of marque from King Felipe IV, or his successor, and use it to capture a British-flagged vessel. (5 points; +45 points if you do this at or beyond low earth orbit)

Unite two non-Commonwealth countries in personal union. (1 point; +4 points if they're on different continents; +25 points if they're not monarchies)

Have Liechtenstein declare itself an empire, without its borders changing (5 points).

Convince Istanbul to change its name back to Constantinople, or Tokyo to Edo, or Mexico City to Tenochtitlan. (5 points each)

Convince Greece to change its name to South Macedonia. (25 points) 16. Successfully hoax the world into believing they're being contacted by aliens for at least a week. (15 points; +50 if you've got actual aliens on the line)

Start a new religion that gains at least 10,000 followers. (1 point; +4 points if it's not an offshoot of an exisiting major world religion; +10 points if it doesn't closely reference any major world religions' mythology or theology at all; +5 if that includes not borrowing any major new age or neopagan concepts; +10 if you do all this on, or convince your followers to move to, another body or planet in the Solar System; +10 if your religion subsequently becomes another major world religion; +25 if it's *not* principally a Scientology-style scam; +50 points if the place in the Solar System you establish as your religion's spiritual center is the one you convinced the IAU to name "Butthole")

Start a new political ideology that wins power in a UN member state. (1 point; +4 points if it's not just a cosmetic rework of an existing political ideology; +5 points if you win power through constitutional means; +10 points if you manage to retain power for at least 5 years)

Circumnavigate the globe under your own power. (10 points)

Leave the Solar System (dead or alive). (15 points; being on an escape trajectory will suffice for the purposes of scoring, unless that trajectory is likely to be intercepted or disrupted by a solar system body like a planet or asteroid; +50 points if you're somehow still alive when you hit the heliopause)

Touch an object of interstellar origin on an escape trajectory from the solar system (such as 'Oumuamua) and say "Tag, you're it," while remaining in contact. (20 points)

Develop a conlang that is used regularly by at least 10,000 people. (15 points; +25 points for every order of magnitude increase in users after that number; +100 points if it becomes a standard international auxiliary language spoken at least as widely as English)

Invent a word that makes it into OED. (1 point; +4 points if it makes it into desktop-sized abridged dictionaries)

[celticcrossanon]

This is totally my opinion on Harry, Invictus and the Commonwealth. I think Harry’s greatest loss was the loss of their roles of President and VP of the Commonwealth Trust. If they lose Invictus a great deal of their “Plans” i.e. the Plans others have for using them. All of this is connected as I think Harry’s handlers have their ultimate goal of getting Harry back into a role with the Commonwealth which would allow a great deal of movement and economic and military activities within those countries populations, by his handlers, as Harry would be the face to put out any complaints by those who are fighting the multi national corporations and Tech companies that are trying to make inroads into those countries,  to get access to their resources, like oil, their land for development.  They have to have a face that is innocuous and who appears to be aligned with the Commonwealth countries. That face, the face of Invictus, gives them Carte Blanche to get into the country, to sell it as a Goodwill operation for Veterans etc. Without Invictus they lose that free pass to go right to the top of the countries hierarchy of ministers, presidents, meet a former prince routine of his and then integrate his own “connections” to the country with the blessing of the leaders as they trust Harry.  You know the Harry that keeps talking about “Africa, my true home, the place I am most comfortable” blah, blah. The desire of Invictus to get rid of Harry has proven to be very difficult as there are powerful corporations who want him there and it has nothing to do with athletes. With Harry as the face, and the beard for what is going on, he distracts from the real activities and puts out that she is 43% Nigerian (I am your sister, your mother, your wife blah, blah!). Don’t be fooled. This is all a charade, a scam…not by Harry, he is too stupid. Follow the money…this is all a distraction from issues like all the violence over there, i.e., African Parks. However, there is no question in my mind that H&M would do anything for money…greed is the touchstone here…and we already know that Harry would sell out his family for money. Can you imagine what he would do to an entity like the Commonwealth, that he does not care about at all?  Keep your eyes on these two, they are more dangerous than they look, because stupid people are very dangerous, because they will do anything for money.

*

Hi Nonny,

Thank you for sharing your opinion with us. :)

A few points that I want to comment on:

The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust is a local, UK based charity that is supposed to support young people aged 18-35 across the Commonwealth, focusing on social entrepreneurs who have founded organisations to address problems in their communities. So far it has funded projects in the following countries:

 3 in the UK, 5 in Uganda, 3 in Kenya, 3 in Cameroon, 2 in Malawi, 2 in South Africa, 2 in Rwanda, 2 in Tanzania, 2 in Nigeria, 1 in Ghana, 1 in Barbados, 1 in Guyana, 1 in St Lucia, 1 in Trinidad and Tobago, 1 in the Maldives, 1 in India, and 1 in Pakistan. 

That is 32 projects across 17 countries (out of 56 Commonwealth Nations). This is a small charity. It does not have an international reputation and I doubt that most people outside the UK would know about it.

Harry’s job as President was to be president of a UK based charity. It had nothing to do with the organisation of the Commonwealth if Nations.

With respect to the Commonwealth of Nations, any prominent position within the organisation is either filled by a Head of State or voted on by all Heads of State. If Harry wants one of those positions, for which he is woefully unqualified, he would have to do a deal with enough of the 56 Heads of State to be voted into the position. I can’t see that happening, myself, especially as many of them want the position to go to another country’s Head of State after King Charles. 

In addition, the Head of the Commonwealth has no power in any nation that makes up the Commonwealth. They can not be the face of anything except the Commonwealth as an organisation because they have no power in any of the individual countries (except for what is granted to them as Head of State of one or more of those countries).

Invictus is another matter, as Harry does have role as its patron that could include going to different countries to raise awareness/funds etc. Using that role for other motives makes sense.

[zirawrites]

How would Romanced!Companions react to a Synth version of Sole's spouse coming back?

Cait: “You’re not considering replacing me with a robot, are ya?” Cait asked as if it was an obvious joke. Sole would clasp her shoulder and reassure her that no one could ever take her place. But instead, Sole looked at their feet in shame. “He’s/She’s a synth, for fuck’s sake! I’m a real person!” She shoved Sole. Tears stung her eyes. Cait could hardly speak when she added, “I love you, Sole. This thing does not.”

Curie: “I understand the plight of synths as well as any of us. But Sole... this person is not Nate/Nora. Surely they know this?” Curie listened patiently as Sole explained how their spouse’s synth had memories of their marriage and Shaun. Hell, they even remembered when the bombs fell. “If you must help them navigate these feelings, I support you, my love. I just need reassurance that throughout this journey you remember our own special bond.”

Danse: “That is... disturbing.” Danse understood exactly what it was like to have memories that weren’t your own. A voice sounding like someone else. A body that was created to house a different soul. His veins iced with terror when he thought of what memories Nate/Nora held of Sole. And if that changed his relationship with them. “What are you going to do?” The question made Danse’s belly heavy as lead. He almost didn’t want to know their answer, but ultimately it was Sole’s choice.

Deacon: Deacon sometimes wondered what he’d do if another synth of Barbara came back. He knew she wouldn’t be the original, but the Institute would’ve probably loaded her brain with memories of their marriage and lazy days on the farm and dreams of starting a family. Maybe even darker ones, such as her murder. He truly felt for what Nate’s/Nora’s synth was enduring. Hell, he could only imagine what was going through Sole’s own head. The spy just had one question, and he asked it as he stroked the back of Sole’s neck with a tender touch. “Will you choose me?” Deacon didn’t have it in him to admit to Sole that he’d choose them over Barbara every time. Even the real Barbara. He was afraid Sole would think he was lying.

Hancock: “Does he/she have everything he/she needs?” Hancock knew how dangerous the Commonwealth was for a newborn synth. Their occasional memory lapses and self-doubt made for unsavory scams and itchy trigger fingers. He would worry about any jealousy he harbored after he made sure Nate/Nora and Sole were safe. “Tell them to come to Goodneighbor. Hell, I’ll even bring them home myself.” Sole tried to search Hancock’s eyes for any lingering feelings, but the ghoul stayed stoic and calm. “I know we’re thick as thieves, Sunshine. I ain’t about to let anyone fuck with what we got.”

MacCready: MacCready used to have nightmares about Lucy when he and Sole first got together. He dreamt that she found them asleep in bed; his muscled arm slung over Sole’s body like a security blanket. Even after he woke up, MacCready could still hear Lucy’s soft crying in the birds chirping outside his window or water running as Sole drew a bath. Moving on from Lucy sometimes felt like betrayal. But now Sole didn’t have to move on from Nate/Nora, and he wasn’t sure where that left him. “I’m, um, happy for you. But, I mean...” MacCready anxiously scratched the back of his neck. “Where does that leave us, Sole? Are you gonna leave me for a synth?” Because the truth was, MacCready would never leave Sole for Lucy’s ghost no matter how badly she haunted him.

Preston: “The Institute will really stop at nothing to get you back.” Preston was sure this was the boogeymen’s last attempt at stealing Sole from the Minutemen. Yet underneath his initial anger, there was worry. He wasn’t sure if Sole still loved their spouse enough to leave him for their imitation. “Promise me you won’t fall for it, babe. This has to be a trap.”

Piper: “You know they’re not really your spouse, right?” Piper was terrified at the prospect of Sole’s husband/wife returning. She had no idea if Sole would leave her for them. And if Sole did, Piper worried it meant she’d been a placeholder all along. “They’ll walk and talk like Nate/Nora, but it isn’t them. I’m really me, Blue. Just... remember that when you’re with them.”

Nick: Nick was extremely sensitive to Sole’s feelings when Nate/Nora returned, albeit as a synth. Sole had already been through so much, and he was worried this would rekindle their grief. “Anything you need, just let me know.” He knew Sole wouldn’t leave him. His partner just needed space and understanding.

X6-88: X6 was furious at Father for bringing back Sole’s spouse. Everyone in the Institute knew how close he had gotten to Sole, and he worried their relationship would be thrown away to this... lesser synth. “Be wise about this, Sole. They aren’t who they think they are. That’s the entire point of rogue synths.”

[darkmaga-returns]

While the 2024 presidential election had relatively few ballot issues compared to 2000 and 2020, there are some ongoing ballot problems in a couple of Senate races in swing states being focused on by the Republican Party.

So-called "blue wall" states Pennsylvania and Wisconsin both broke for President-elect Donald Trump in the presidential election, but Republicans and Democrats are still fighting over the Senate seats in both states. While each party has been projected to win one of the Senate seats, there are discrepancies in ballot counting in both elections that could alter the outcome.

Pennsylvania

In the race for Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate seat, Republican candidate Dave McCormick was projected as the winner by The Associated Press two days after Election Day. The Pennsylvania Department of State reported that Democratic incumbent Sen. Bob Casey has received 3,350,972 (48.5%) votes and McCormick got 3,380,310 (48.93%).

Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt (R) on Wednesday announced that a recount was being conducted of the Senate race after the results of the race fell within the 0.5% threshold that automatically triggers the recount.

Schmidt said the counties must begin the recount by Nov. 20 and the process must be completed by noon on Nov. 26, according to NBC News. The results must then be reported by Nov. 27, and will be published after confirmation. The process is expected to cost the commonwealth more than $1 million.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Serializing the first chapter of Red Team Blues

My next novel is Red Team Blues, which comes out on Apr 25; it’s easily the most “commercial” book I’ve ever written — a “grabby thriller” (to quote my publisher), or, as Molly “Web3 Is Going Just Great” White put it, “don’t start reading it at bedtime if you have to be awake for something the next morning.”

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250865847/red-team-blues

If you’d like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here’s a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/17/have-you-tried-not-spying/#unsalted-hash

Red Team Blues is the story of Martin Hench, a 67 year old, near-retirement forensic accountant who specializes in unwinding Silicon Valley finance scams, who stumbles into the most dangerous job of his life. He gets embroiled in cryptocurrency heist that exposes the finance rot at the heart of tech and the way that it curdled the dream of technology as a force for connection and good.

I’ll be doing a giant tour (San Diego, LA, Burbank, Berkeley, San Francisco, PDX, Mountain View, Vancouver, Calgary, Gaithursburg, DC, Toronto, London, Hay, Oxford, Manchester, Nottingham, Berlin); you can follow the upcoming dates in each day’s edition of my Pluralistic newsletter; here’s today’s:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/17/have-you-tried-not-spying/#bragsheet

And to whet your appetite, I’m going to spend the next week or so syndicating the first chapter of Red Team Blues, starting today. In this installment, we meet Martin Hench and the Unsalted Hash, his “foolish and ungainly” tour bus, just as he’s being roped in for the job of his career.

I hope you’ll consider pre-ordering the book! And if you read the book, I hope you’ll post a review or recommendation to your social media or blog. There is literally no greater favor you can do for a writer than to tell the people who trust your judgment about a book you enjoyed. It’s gift more precious than gold.

Here’s where US readers can pre-order the book:

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250865847/red-team-blues

Here’s pre-orders for Canadians:

https://services.raincoast.com/scripts/b2b.wsc/featured?hh_isbn=9781250865847&ht_orig_from=raincoast

And for readers in the UK and the rest of the Commonwealth:

https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/red-team-blues-cory-doctorow/7225998?ean=9781804547755

And now, here’s today’s serial installment:

One evening, I got a wild hair and drove all night from San Diego to Menlo Park. Why Menlo Park? It had both a triple-­Michelin-­star place and a dear old friend both within spitting distance of the Walmart parking lot, where I could park the Unsalted Hash, leaving me free to drink as much as I cared to and still be able to walk home and crawl into bed.

I’d done a job that turned out better than I’d expected — ­well enough that I was set for the year if I lived carefully. I didn’t want to live carefully. The age for that was long past. I wanted to live it up. There’d be more work. I wanted to celebrate.

Truth be told, I also didn’t want to contemplate the possibility that, at the age of sixty-­seven, the new work might stop coming in. Silicon Valley hates old people, but that was okay, because I hated Silicon Valley. Professionally, that is.

Getting close to Bakersfield, I pulled the Unsalted Hash into a rest stop to stretch my legs and check my phone. After a putter around the picnic tables and vending machine, I walked the perimeter of my foolish and ungainly and luxurious tour bus, checking the tires and making sure the cargo compartments were dogged and locked. I climbed back in, checked my sludge levels and decided they were low enough that I could use my own toilet, then, finally, having forced myself to wait, sat on one of the buttery leather chairs and checked my messages.

That’s how I learned that Danny Lazer was looking for me. He was working the usual channels — ­DMs from people who I tended to check in with when I was looking for work — ­and it put a shine on my evening, because sixty-­seven or no, there was always work for someone with my skill set. Danny Lazer had a problem with his Trustlesscoin keys, which relied on the best protected cryptographic secrets in the world (nominally). So I messaged him. One rest stop later, just past Gilroy, I got his reply. He was eager to see me. Would I call on him at his home in Palo Alto?

My pathetic little ego swelled up at his eagerness. I told him I had a big dinner planned the next night, but I’d see him the morning after. Truth be told, putting off a man as important as Danny Lazer, even for twenty-­four hours, made me feel more important still. I could tell from his reply that the delay chafed at him. I felt petty, but not so much so that I canceled my dinner. My dear old friend was a lively sort, and it was possible we’d walk from the restaurant to her place for an hour or three before I returned to the Walmart parking lot.

Dinner didn’t disappoint, and neither did the fun and games afterward. It was a very nice capstone to a very successful job, and a very good prelude to another job for one of the nicest rich men (or richest nice men) in Silicon Valley.

Danny was old Silicon Valley, a guy who started his own UUCP host so he could help distribute the alt hierarchy and once helped Tim May bring a load of unlicensed firearms across state lines from a Nevada gun show. He’d lived like a monk for decades, writing cryptographic code and fighting with the NSA over it, and had mortgaged his parents’ house back east to keep himself and a couple of programmers in business in a tiny office for a decade while he and Galit lived in a thirty-­foot motor home that needed engine tuning once a month just so it could trundle from one parking space to the next.

It was a bet that there would come a day when the internet’s innocence would end and people would want privacy from each other and their governments, and he kept doubling down on that bet through every boom and bust, living on ramen and open cereal boxes from the used food store, refusing to part with any equity except to promising hackers who’d join him, and then the bet paid off, and he became Daniel Moses Lazar, with a 75 percent stake in Keypairs LLC, whose crypto-­libraries and workflow tools were the much-­ballyhooed picks and shovels of the next internet revolution. Keypairs wasn’t the first unicorn in Silicon Valley, but it was the first one that never took a dime in venture capital and whose sole angels were Danny’s parents back in Jersey, to whom Danny sent at least $100 million before they made him stop, insisting that they had nothing more they wanted in this world.

Galit picked out a big place in Twin Peaks that you could see Alcatraz from on a clear day, gutted it to the foundation slab, bare studs, and ceiling joists, completely rebuilt it while being mindful of both Danny’s specification for networking receptacles throughout, and Galit’s encyclopedic knowledge of the Arts and Crafts Movement. One day, as she was bringing out some Mendocino grig and a cheese board for the two of them to enjoy from their half-­built porch, she gasped, complained of pain in both arms, then her chest, and then she collapsed and was dead before the ambulance arrived.

It had been a good marriage: twenty-­two years and no kids, because there was nowhere in their old RV to put them unless they wanted to hang them from the rafters. She’d been his rock while he’d built up Keypairs, but he’d been hers, too, rubbing her feet and helping her deal with the endless humiliations that a woman doing administrative work in Silicon Valley had to put up with. He didn’t see it that way, though: after he took possession of her ashes, all he could talk about was how they’d wasted nearly a quarter of a century chasing a fortune that didn’t do either of them a bit of good, and it had cost them the time they could have spent in a beach shack in the Baja while he did two hours of contract work a month to pay for machete sharpening and new hammocks once a year.

A procession of Silicon Valley’s most powerful leaders and most respected technologists filed through the Palo Alto teardown they’d bought to perch in while the Twin Peaks project was underway. People who weren’t merely wealthy but famous for their vision, their sensitivity, their insight. They argued with him about his crushing regrets and tried to tell him how much good he’d done, both for Galit and for the world, but he was unreachable. A consensus emerged among the Friends of Danny that he was not long for this world. Not that he was going to kill himself or anything but that he would simply stop caring about living, and then nature would take its course.

They were right — ­given all facts in evidence, that was a foregone conclusion. But there was one hidden variable: Sethuramani Balakrishnan, who was twenty-­five, brilliant, and had made a series of lateral moves within Keypairs: customer support, then compliance, and finally Danny’s PA, a job she was vastly overqualified for.

She helped him flip the house, then to turn Keypairs over to a management committee carefully balanced between hackers who’d been with Danny since the PDP-­8 days, people with real managerial experience and proven experience growing companies and running big teams. He got rid of all the shares he’d taken in over the years to sit on advisory boards and stuck everything into Vanguard index-­tracker funds — ­the ones that didn’t buy a lot of tech stocks.

As far as anyone could tell, Sethu didn’t try to talk him out of any of this, just offered efficient, intelligent, and supremely organized help in getting Danny’s life’s work out of a realm in which it had to be actively managed by someone with Danny’s incredible drive, insight, and technical knowledge, and into an investment vehicle managed by an overgrown spreadsheet, one that would multiply his money ahead of the CPI, year on year, until someone built a guillotine on his lawn.

What Sethu did talk him into was buying a condo around the corner from that Palo Alto teardown, an eight-­story place, quiet, built on the grave of another Palo Alto teardown that had been snapped up by property developers in the glory days before NIMBY planning ended all high-­density infill within fifty miles of Stanford.

THIS IS THE LAST DAY for the Kickstarter campaign for the audiobook of my next novel, a post-cyberpunk anti-finance finance thriller about Silicon Valley scams called Red Team Blues. Amazon’s Audible refuses to carry my audiobooks because they’re DRM free, but crowdfunding makes them possible.

[Image ID: A squared-off version of Will Staehle's cover for the Macmillan edition of 'Red Team Blues.']

[submalevolentgrace]

ngl i am absolutely stoked that victoria cancelled the commonwealth games, events like that are a construction kickback scam anyway and it would have been absolutely awful to live in any of the regions involved for the duration

free bonus if it causes the whole thing to fall apart indefinitely

[nityarawal]

#50ShadesOfGold or #50ShadesOfRed ? No one is attracted to #50ShadesOfBritish are we? Lol @teslamotorsblog @teslamodel3 How will the average moldy wasp hold up in a rocket ship? I don't believe they should have access to my prototype I'm really sensitive to British slavery after witnessing apartheid rapes of Elon and our kids. Talulah said UK gave him night terrors and the Dr's hired her to drug him comatose. In case you're wondering why x got a bit dull. Lol The emperor has no brains! Commonwealth molested loads of kids and wants to make a rockstar meme movie for their old bean counters- since they sold all their real singer clients to cages- and trafficking scams on @thevoice @rickrubinlyingdown @rickrubin412 @davidlynchfoundation @davidlynch @beatlesdiscord @tmpoem @teslamotorsblog @teslamodel3 @miu @meditationsinwonderland @meditationtemptation @meditationzoneposts-blog @meditationkicksass @meditationsillustrated @transcendentalmeditation11-blog @mum @bradleycoopersource @ladygagathinks @ladygagas @bradleycooperlovesfrench @bradleycoopersexualfrustra-blog2 @bradleycooperdaily-blog @astarisborn @astarisborn-gaga-cooper @astarisborne @astarisbornagain @astarisborne-blog

#NotMyKing #4BillionMothersStrong

[damarcarsblog]

Hello Dear,

I suffered scams by people who posed as Cryptocurrency Brokers and they scammed me out of 25,000 euros... I give you the name of the Brokers: Blacklisted, Offshore/ BCSC WARNING/ Donnybrook Consulting Ltd. / Absystem .pro/Absystem. trade / 8 Copthall, Roseau Valley, 00152 Commonwealth of Dominica / Banks affected: Banco Santo Cruz, Dominican Republic / Ligitation related to Donnybrook Consulting Ltd.: Bid Broker Stocks, Energy Markets, EuroFX, NeoTrade, FXB, OnyxProfit, Dominican Republic. international litigation code generated for judicial consulting: In relation to Nixo Finance and Cty Capital, a retention is made in surety insurance created for victims, because the company is the same and the FCA license is still cancelled, they have a significant monetary guarantee fund. COMPENSATION DETAIL: 01-12-2021 #6714432/21...Initial investment of 25,000 euros at 500% every week since the beginning of 2018 and I never saw a return of money. I reported it to the Bank of England through the FCA Prudential Regulation Authority. How much money would I have now if these riffraff had not cheated? That is my big question, what a shame on these countries that allow these people to continue working and cheating all good-hearted people, who work non-stop.

[megpie71]

It's worth noting: the scammers who do these things are most likely to use the names of the big banks, the big retailers, the big providers. So you can save yourself a lot of trouble just by avoiding using those providers (for example: I regularly get scammers telling me my Commonwealth bank, NAB or Westpac account has been locked, take action now. Except, I don't bank with any of those, so I automatically know they're scams).

Also, if someone calls you up saying they're from the tax office, the social security bureaucracy in your nation, or wherever, then your best option is to get their name, and then call them back via the main switchboard for the organisation in question - don't ask the person on the other end of the line for their number, just say you're going to be getting the switchboard to put you through (look them up via their central website, or in the phone book if your area still does those). If they're legit, they'll accept this as an annoying but necessary preventative measure against scammers (and you can say this is why you're doing it).

Plus, apply a bit of common sense. For example: big regulatory agencies are not likely to be making phone calls on public holidays; if you haven't ordered something through online shopping, you are unlikely to have a parcel coming for you that has been delayed (and if it's a gift, they're more likely to speak to the sender than the recipient); if you're being contacted about lottery wins, it really helps to recognise the basic rule of "you have to be in it to win it" (if you didn't even have a ticket, how did you win the big prize in the lottery?); government bureaucracies can't just speak to whoever answers the phone - they'll usually do a bit of checking to make sure they have the correct person; no, technical support agencies don't just call people at random about potential computer problems (they wait for people to call them).

oh my god do not click links in emails that tell you to verify your data or your bank account gets locked or click links in messages telling you your safety protocol is ending, like, tomorrow, you will get SCAMMED SO BAD AND YOU WILL LOSE A LOT OF FUCKING MONEY never ever let anyone pressure you into giving away login information especially to your online banking by creating a sense of urgency oh my GOD

some things to look out for

1. spelling mistakes. do you know how many rounds of marketing and sales experts these things go through? if theres a spelling mistake dont click it

2. not using your name. if an email adresses you with "dear customer" or, even worse, a generic "ladies and gentlemen", it is most likely not actually targeted to you

3. verifying or login links. even IF your bank was stupid enough to send these to customers, dont EVER click those. look at me. they can legally argue that youve given your data away and thus they dont have to pay you anything back DONT CLICK THAT FUCKING LINK

4. creating a sense of urgency. do this or we lock your account next week. do this or your ebanking stops working tomorrow. give us all your money in cash or your beloved granddaughter will get HANGED FOR MURDERING BABIES. no serious organisation would ever do something like that over email or sms. ever. hands off.

5. ALWAYS CHECK WHO SENT YOU THE EMAIL. the display name and the email adress can vary a LOT. anyone can check the display name. look at the email adress. does it look weird? call the fucking place it says its from. you will likely hear a very weary sigh.

6. if its in a phonecall, scammers love preventing you from hanging up or talking to other people to have a little bit of a think about whats happening. there should always be a possibility to go hey i wanna think about this ill call back the official number thanks.

7. do not, i repeat, do NOT a) call a phone number flashing on your screen promising to rid your computer of viruses after clicking a dodgy link and b) let them install shit on your computer like. uh. idk. teamviewer.

7.i. TEAM VIEWER LETS PEOPLE USE YOUR COMPUTER HOWEVER THEY WANT AS LONG AS THEYRE CONNECTED. IF YOU DONT KNOW FOR FUCKING SURE YOURE TALKING TO ACTUAL TECH SUPPORT DONT GIVE ANYONE ACCESS TO YOUR COMPUTER.

fun little addendum: did you know a link can just automatically download shit? like. a virus? an app you can't uninstall unless you reset your entire device? dont click links unless youre extremely sure you know where they lead. hover your mouse over it and check the url.

thanks.

[therisinghorizon]

Gennaro Lanza – Fraud, CNMV Warning & Shell Companies

Gennaro Lanza is a forex scammer who runs multiple companies to defraud consumers. His fraudulent enterprises primarily target EU and UK residents. 

Some of his ventures include: 

DBInvesting

NewFX

Dubai FXM

Capital Solutions

DBFX

All of them are a part of his shady operation through which he makes people sign up for illegal forex trading schemes. 

Running one illegal forex scheme is one thing. But running a vast network of unlicensed, predatory scams is another.

The following review will expose how Gennaro Lanza operates and why you should avoid dealing with him at all costs. 

As of now, Gennaro Lanza has not responded nor has it apologized for its misdeeds. He has ignored our efforts to highlight the problems faced by their victims. Furthermore, he has only focused on propagating his fake PR.

Gennaro Lanza’s Web of Shell Companies: 

Gennaro Lanza might seem like a nobody to you but he is at the center of a vast network of shell companies.

A shell company is a corporate entity that only exists on paper. They are used by criminals to launder money and perform criminal activities. For example, Mouhammed Bousaleh is a drug kingpin who was recently exposed to a vast network of shell companies as well. 

Having multiple offshore entities allows criminals to bypass laws and run their illegal enterprises with less difficulty and supervision.

He controls the network through the boiler room, Capital Solutions (capitalsolutions.mt). 

Although Capital Solutions has a website, it doesn’t share any valuable information. The webpage is full of fluff and the company presents itself as a sales and marketing expert. 

According to the company’s website, it is an outsourcing company specializing in the management of customer relations and strategic implementations. The company claims to offer marketing, sales, and call center services. 

As you would expect from a shell company, Capital Solutions doesn’t provide any information on its ownership or management team. I learned about their owner and Gennaro Lanza through the Offshore Leaks database

Through the boiler room, he controls Dubai FXM, DBFX, NewFX, DBFX Trades, and DBInvesting. 

That’s not all. 

He has a vast network of shell companies:

Country and Company

Malta - Capital Solutions Ltd

Seychelles - Big Horizons Ltd, Invest Group Global Ltd, DB Invest Limited

Commonwealth of Dominica - Big Horizons Ltd, New Forex Limited

Vanuatu - Dubai FXM Limited, DBInvesting Limited, DBFX Limited

Apart from the firms I mentioned above, Gennaro Lanza runs Dupay LP (UK) and Belight Capital Group Ltd (Cyprus).

Belight Capital Group used to have a CIF license which was revoked by CySEC after seeing their illegal activities. The Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission withdrew the license after being disappointed with their compliance with Article 22(1) of their law.

CySEC said that Gennaro Lanza’s firm had performed investment activities for six months before getting a suspension. Also, the watchdog ordered them to return all the funds and financial instruments belonging to its clients including ‘any profits’.

How the Scams of Gennaro Lanza Operate

When people visit the websites of any one of the forex companies Lanza runs, they would get a popup saying that ESMA measures wouldn’t apply here and that it’s the responsibility of the user to find a suitable broker. 

That’s it. 

Recently, some of the websites such as NewFX and DBFX have begun blocking access of EU customers, but plenty of them still allow them to access their websites. 

All of the forex companies Gennaro Lanza runs have no authorization to offer financial services in Europe. Furthermore, they violate basic FCA and ESMA laws such as allowing clients to make deposits without confirming their identities. 

Even though the forex scams are based offshore, plenty of them use European addresses or phone numbers. 

There used to be two additional members of the scam, Italo Mainofli and Massimiliano Moroni. However, they resigned in 2020 and sold their shares to Invest Group Global Ltd, another offshore entity. 

This company falls under the control of Gennaro Lanza. 

Recently, Gennaro has added a new company to his web, DBX Consultants. Also, he launched Karma Group, a real estate company in Cyprus, and released press releases about the same. 

DBInvesting: An Example of How Gennaro Lanza Defrauds Consumers

To understand how dangerous Gennaro Lanza’s entire network is, it would be best to take a more detailed look into one of his forex brokerage firms. 

I have chosen DBInvesting because it is still operational. 

DBInvesting is an offshore broker that claims to provide customers with MetaTrader 4, the most popular trading platform in the industry. However, the company failed to provide MT4. It lies about the platform so it could get people to sign up.

Furthermore, the company’s website mentions several of the shell companies present in Gennaro Lanza’s network such as  DB Invest Limited. 

The company has a Seychelles license but that doesn’t instill much confidence in their reliability because Seychelles is notorious for having poor regulations. Plenty of forex scams have licenses from such weakly regulated places but that doesn’t stop them from scamming others. Some examples include Kowela and MSP Limited.

This Gennaro Lanza firm uses the trading platform of DBFX Trades, which received a CNMV warning for being a scam. 

So, Lanza’s companies have received regulatory actions from different government authorities.

Another sign that it’s a scam is the 1:200 leverage it offers. Regulated brokers in the EU cannot offer more than 1:30 leverage so you can understand just how dangerous DBInvesting is. 

Also, the minimum deposit requirement of this broker is $200, much higher than the industry standard of $10. A high minimum deposit is a huge red flag because it’s the sum you are supposed to experiment with. 

Trusted brokers keep their minimum deposit requirement low so their clients get ample opportunity to try out their services without taking a significant financial risk. On the other hand, scammers keep their minimum deposit requirement so they can steal as much as possible from every victim. 

DBInvesting is just one example, Gennaro Lanza has a ton of similar companies and they all operate similarly. 

Conclusion

After going through the above points, it’s obvious that Gennaro Lanza is a dangerous criminal spearheading a large illegal operation. 

You should be extremely wary of him. 

Plenty of forex scammers utilize shell companies for money laundering and defrauding customers. For example, Infinox Capital was able to steal millions from its customers by using its Bahamas-based shell firm. 

Beware of Gennaro Lanza and his scams.

[limitlessinsights]

Letter from Aterso01 Debt collection agency: Know The Truth

Did you receive a letter from the Aterso01 collection agency? If so, you must be worried about what this letter means to you and whether you should pay your debt or contact your lawyer. I will explain the facts, and you decide whom to contact!

Let’s get started…

The debt collection agency that has raised controversy is Aterso01(Aters001), allegedly a branch of Convergent Outsourcing Inc.

Questions about Aterso01’s legitimacy and connection to Convergent Outsourcing have emerged, as numerous complaints and allegations point to dubious practices.

This article will unravel the truth about Aterso01’s methods and its possible affiliation with Convergent Outsourcing.

Additionally, we will explore ways for consumers to protect themselves and avoid falling victim to any potential fraudulent activities.

Is Aterso01 a Scam?

Although Aterso01 is not BBB accredited and has a low rating of 1.37/5.00 on the Better Business Bureau, its legitimacy remains questionable. Their postal address is reportedly linked to the Commonwealth Health Billing Office in Oaks, Pennsylvania. Keep in mind:

Lawsuits: No information on lawsuits involving Aterso01 could be found.

Regulatory authorities: Lack of an official regulatory status.

Reviews: Negative reviews on BBB.

Origins: Unclear connection with Commonwealth Health Billing Office.

Proceed with caution if dealing with Aterso01.

The Link Between Aterso01 and Convergent Outsourcing

Various observations make it evident that Aterso01 and Convergent Outsourcing have a connection. Here are a few key points:

Shared Headquarters: Both organizations are located at 800 SW 39th St, Renton, Washington 98057-4975.

Common Website: They share the same website address, although according to the BBB website, Aterso01 is believed to be out of business.

Letters from Aterso01: Many people received letters from Aterso01 with Convergent Outsourcing’s address, suggesting a relationship between the two.

Aterso01 as a Convergent Branch: Aterso01 is reported as one of the 25 branches of Convergent Outsourcing.

However, there are some differing aspects:

Different Names: Aterso01 is the only branch unrelated to Convergent’s name, raising suspicions.

Debt Collection Activities: Convergent Outsourcing has a long history of debt collection for various sectors and is on the US debt collectors list, while Aterso01 is not.

Based on the evidence, it’s reasonable to deduce that Aterso01 is a branch of Convergent Outsourcing Inc. However, always exercise caution and verify the legitimacy of any debt collection letters or contacts you may receive.

Reach out to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau or the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for assistance if needed.

How to Handle Aterso01 or Convergent Outsourcing Inc. Dubious Practices

To deal with potentially dubious practices from debt collection companies like Aterso01 or Convergent Outsourcing Inc., it is crucial to:

Confirm the authenticity of calls or letters, and avoid settling debts through online methods, phone, or mail without verification.

Refrain from sharing personal information with unknown callers, which could lead to false debt claims.

Avoid purchasing items with questionable history, which could result in inherited debts.

When in doubt about owing a creditor, send a debt validation letter through certified mail to gather additional information, such as the amount owed, the creditor’s name, and the original date of debt acquisition.

Aterso01 and Convergent Outsourcing Inc collection letter sample.

Certified mail helps create a paper trail and receipt confirmation. Carefully review the validation letter for inaccuracies and file a dispute if necessary.

If you determine the debt is not yours, inform the agency to cease contact. You may also file a complaint with credit bureaus such as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau if the harassment persists.

How online scammers manipulate you

Show “Relatable & Hopeful” Ad/ Cold Call

Online scammers often run ads on social media platforms and search engines such as YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Google. They might target a specific audience which depends up on the kind of scam. Online scammers invest a lot of money in marketing and branding, this is to ensure more people fall prey to their schemes. A relatable and hope-giving ad is shown to the target audience. And if you click on such ads, you will be redirected to a landing page where the next step of the scam takes place. By the way, if you click away from the landing page, chances are you will see the ads even more, as you become part of their “retargeting campaign”.

Sometimes the scammers directly cold call you, which is a common practice in offshore forex scams.

Schedule A Meeting With An “Expert”

Once you fill in the details required on the landing page, including your name, email, income, and goals, you are prompted to schedule a “free” consultation call. This call is usually with a self-proclaimed “expert” while they are usually manipulative salespersons. You will schedule it through a calendar app, which makes it feel very legitimate and gains your trust. In the call, they will read a test script to show you testimonials/screenshots of other “students” or “investors” who have made money. This is not solid proof and should be taken with a grain of salt. You will be asked to commit financially at the end of the call, such as purchasing their course or investing in their scheme.

Taking Money

Once the victim is convinced they are prompted to make a purchase or an investment. The amount of money will depend on the scale of the scam but it usually ranges from $3000-10,000 for fake guru scams and $20k-50k for forex scams.

Upsell The Victim

Once the scammers convince you to give them money, they gaslight you until your pockets are empty. They might entice you with increased profits or more reach or even an “opportunity of a lifetime”. This tactic works more often than you might expect and online scammers make a lot of money doing so.

Don’t Refund

After paying thousands of dollars, the victim might realize they have made a mistake and ask for a refund. Usually, scammers start ghosting the victim and blocking all contact. Sometimes, scammers gaslight the victim into thinking they are better off without fighting for a refund.

Optional: Delete Complaints From BBB, Trustpilot & YouTube

The victim might try to file a complaint online to prevent others from falling victim. However, online platforms such as BBB, Trustpilot, and Sitejabber have repeatedly received complaints alleging the deletion of reviews. So even when they try, victims are silenced and give up in a few weeks. That’s where we come in.

Consumer Protection Rules from Debt Collection Agencies like Aterso01

Understanding your rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), a national law governing debt collection for personal, family, or household purposes. Some of the rules include:

Debt collectors can only call between 8 am and 9 pm and are limited to seven weekly calls for a specific debt.

They must avoid abusive language, threats, and false statements regarding the amount owed.

Collectors cannot misrepresent themselves or credit-related information.

Ways of Improving Your Credit Score Damaged by Convergent

If Convergent Outsourcing has negatively impacted your credit score, consider the following options:

Request a goodwill deletion of the debt collection if you have settled the debt with the original creditor.

Engage a credit repair company to assist with removing the negative mark from your credit report.

Seek legal advice if all other methods are unsuccessful.

Remember to be vigilant about your rights concerning debt collection. Dispute any inaccuracies with the credit bureau. Validating debt collection letters from agencies like Aterso01 or Convergent Outsourcing can help protect your finances from deceptive practices.

[scott1984fp2]

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