Got a package you didn’t order? It could be a scam [East Bay Times]
Jan. 24 By Nathaniel Meyersohn and Zach Wasser CNN Business
Most people who buy things online just have to worry about their deliveries being delayed or never arriving. But some people are dealing with a different problem altogether: getting weird stuff like hair clippers, face creams and sunglasses they never even ordered at all.
The Federal Trade Commission and cyber experts have been warning consumers about these deliveries, which can be part of something known as “brushing” scams.
Here’s how these scams work: Third-party sellers on Amazon, eBay and other online marketplaces pay people to write fake, positive reviews about their products, or do it themselves. To be able to post the reviews, these so-called “brushers” need to trick the site into making it appear that a legitimate transaction took place. So they’ll use a fake account to place gift orders and address them to a random person whose
Jan. 22—OAKLAND — One man was killed and three other men were wounded in an apparent shoot-out Thursday evening in East Oakland, authorities said.
The 38-year-old man who was killed was apparently hit by a stray bullet, authorities said. His name has not yet been released.
The shootin
East Bay city works to help small businesses [East Bay Times]
Jan. 22 Like many communities, small businesses in Antioch have been hurt by the pandemic, but that doesn’t mean the city is sitting still waiting for a cure.
Recognizing many of its small businesses were hurting, the Antioch Chamber of Commerce recently conducted an initial survey to see where things stood, and the results were grim. Nearly 75% of the respondents, who made up roughly a third of the city’s small businesses, said their gross sales “were drastically down” or that they had closed down because of the impact of the pandemic and health orders. Only 5% said there had been no change and another 5% indicated sales were up.
A hot meal: East Bay city to pay restaurants to feed those in need [East Bay Times]
Jan. 15 ALAMEDA The city is kicking off a program that will feed those in need while giving a boost to local restaurants struggling amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Called “Feed Alameda,” the program will pay local restaurants to provide up to 90 meals each week to Alameda’s homeless men, women and children. It will start Jan. 20.
“People really need some good news right now,” Sarah Henry, a city spokeswoman, said in an interview. “This is a win-win situation. This is a critical time for restaurants. People are really hurting. We want to help them and people who are hungry.”
Jan. 15—ANTIOCH — Three men shot Thursday evening were in stable condition, police said.
The men’s ages have not yet been released and police have not said if they knew each other or were related.
The shooting happened at about 6:50 pm Thursday in the 1100 block of Sycamore Drive.