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Apps You Need To Know!

How to Avoid Fake Realtors

Leasing Scam

Social Media

A Look Inside

Identity theft How Can You Protect Yourself?

M O N T H LY

A Night

Inside

Ryder

Trauma Center

Treating The Victims of Gun Violence

Automotive pg. 40

Home Improvement pg. 46

Marketplace pg. 52

monthly / A p r i l 2 0 1 3 - K e y B i s c a y n e E d i t i o n

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Contents Featured Editorial A Night Inside Ryder Trauma Center

A little before midnight on a recent Friday, paramedics from the City of Miami brought in a man who had been found passed out in a Dumpster. Whether the man crawled into the Dumpster on his own or was tossed inside by others wasn’t clear. A short time later a pair of car accident victims were flown into Ryder with serious injuries. All in all a quiet night at Ryder.

08 18 24

S. Florida Renters Falling Victim To Newest Leasing Scam It’s a great house for a young family, but for the folks who live in the little yellow house Hollywood, it’s gone from a dream to a nightmare.

Obamacare May Bite You At The Vet’s Office Pet owners listen up: You may want to start saving more money for veterinarian care this year. The reason goes all the way back to Washington and an unintended consequence from medical reform.

Audio Recording Gives Rare Insight Into Identity Theft 18 minutes. Lauderhill Police detective Alex Iwaskewycz says that’s all the time identity thieves needed to open a new bank account and begin siphoning thousands of dollars from an elderly victim’s savings.

[ 2 ] April 2013 CBS4 News Magazine Key Biscayne

14 21 22 26

The Great Shark Count off South Florida’s Shores The Money Test: Are You Saving Enough? Events Calendar Seafood Switch: Your Seafood Isn’t Seafood At All

PRINTED IN THE USA, COPYRIGHT © 2013 BY MARCO G, INC. All rights reserved. The CBS4 News Magazine, a free publication, is published monthly by MARCO G, Inc. Material in this publication must not be stored or reproduced in any form without permission from Marco G. Inc. or WFOR CBS4. Requests for permission should be directed to: info@cbs4newsmagazine.com. CBS4 and/or Marco G. Inc do not assume any liability for products and/or services claimed in advertisements herein. CBS4 and its logo(s) are protected through trademark registration. The use of logos, content and/ or artwork in whole or in part is strictly prohibited. For more information please contact 305-477-1699.

A Night

Inside

Ryder

Trauma Center Reporting Jim DeFede

MIAMI (CBSMiami.com)

A little before

midnight on a recent Friday, paramedics from the City of Miami brought in a man who had been found passed out in a Dumpster. Whether the man crawled into the Dumpster on his own or was tossed inside by others wasn’t clear. A short time later a pair of car accident victims were flown into Ryder with serious – but not life threatening – injuries. All in all a quiet night at Ryder. But as is often the case with Ryder, it was merely the calm before the bedlam. By 3 am, the trauma center’s radio would crackle with news that two men had been shot in the City of Miami. “Apparently we’re getting someone who was shot multiple times and we don’t know where all the injuries are,” said Dr. Brian O’Connell, as he and the other members of his team scramble to prepare a trauma bay. “We’ll have the anesthesiologist ready in case we have to intubate the patient if they need that,” he explained, “and if we have to do emergency procedures – put in central Venus lines, put in chest tubes or something like that. Sometimes it turns out to be nothing but we just get ready.” O’Connell has worked at Ryder for more than five years. Ryder is one of the busiest trauma centers in the country averaging just under a thousand stabbing and shooting victims a year which is why doctors refer to the trauma center as The Knife and Gun Club. With the national debate about gun control taking center stage at the time – and a seemingly endless parade of shootings in recent months in Miami Dade County, CBS4 News wanted to go behind the scenes at the trauma center to see the issues from the perspective of those who treat the wounded. “I don’t know if I can remember the last day or night where we haven’t seen someone affected by gun violence come in,” said Dr. Tanya Zakrison, “which is a very sorry state.” Zakrison is a trauma surgeon from Canada who came to work at Ryder because there weren’t enough shootings in Canada to keep her skills sharp. “I love home, I love Toronto Canada, I think our healthcare system is fantastic,” she said. “But I was quite underwhelmed and under challenged as a trauma surgeon. In other words we didn’t have enough violence.” That’s not a problem in Miami. As politicians debate the future of gun control, the folks at Ryder deal with today’s realities. So-called assault weapons – AR15s and AK47s – fire

what are known as high velocity rounds. “A high velocity round has the power to blow off a limb just about,” offered Aramis Martinez, a trauma nurse at Ryder for six years. “You can have somebody shot in the leg and it can blow off half that leg. It’s not a little hole and the bone doesn’t just get fractured it gets shattered.” The vast majority of gun shot wounds at Ryder however, come from handguns. But these low velocity rounds offer their own dangers. “Low velocity, high velocity, I find that it really doesn’t make a difference in the sense that the damage is excruciating, it’s

April 2013 CBS4 News Magazine Key Biscayne [ 5 ]

terrible,” said Zakrison. “It’s like a bomb going off on the inside. Even if you have a low velocity, small bullet you still have what’s called tumble and yaw.” Tumble and yaw: the ability of the bullet — because it is moving slower – to move end over end often curving or looping through the body; ripping apart tissue, blood vessels, and organs. As doctors and nurses wait for the arrival of that night’s shooting victim, paramedics call in with an update. The victim has been shot three times but his vital signs are good. Before long detectives from the Miami Police Department’s homicide unit show up – whether the victim lives or dies the case is theirs. Approximately 22 minutes after being shot – the 23-yearold victim is brought in by paramedics and taken to one of the trauma bays. “Wiggle your toes,” O’Connell told the patient. “Squeeze my hand.” The victim was shot standing in the street around NW 67th street and Third Court. He has a long history of arrests for drug dealing and a variety of crimes involving firearms. None of which matters to the doctors and nurses working on him. “We have people who get shot again and again and they keep coming back,” said Martinez. “For the grace of God they haven’t died – and our good work. But they keep coming back.” Does that frustrate Martinez? “It doesn’t so much frustrate me as it blows my mind that somebody can keep coming back over and over getting shot,” he said. “If I get shot one time I think I’ve learned a lesson but they keep coming back and they don’t change.” At Ryder they are known as Frequent Flyers. And tonight’s victim just became a member. This was his second trip to Ryder with gun shot wounds. Although it is difficult to estimate, hospital officials believe that every gun shot victim costs the hospital at least $46,327

in medical bills. Costs that are almost always absorbed by the taxpayers of Miami Dade County. “Knife and gun club people they don’t carry insurance,” noted O’Connell. As doctors work on the patient, social worker Janice Price called the patient’s loved ones. Dealing with the family members of gunshot victims may be the hardest job in Ryder. And for Price, who is African-American, seeing mostly young African-American victims can take its own toll on her. “I have a son who’s 19 years old and always you think about this could be your child,” said Price. “And you think about the parents and the feeling that you have when you have to give them the information.” And while not every case may take an emotional toll, some do. Both Zakrison and O’Connell were on duty when the youngest shooting victim of 2012 came through the doors. A victim so young she hadn’t even been born yet. “We had a young woman who was 27 years old who came in and was shot,” Zakrison said. “She was also eight months pregnant and she was shot in her abdomen. She was actually shot through her uterus so her unborn child, her unborn daughter actually was shot through the arm “ She was talking about Tiffany Davis, who was shot as she stepped outside a convenience store in Overtown. The person standing near her was killed. “It makes you a little bit ashamed to be a human being, to be part of the same race that’s executing pregnant ladies – that’s a little bit rough,” said O’Connell. “But that was a big save. That lady was shot in the abdomen and the head. That’s usually a fatal injury.” Tonight’s victim will also survive. Shot three times he’d be home in a matter of days. “I don’t know why some people can get shot several times and walk away from it,” O’Connell said. “He has some fractures, so it’s not like he got off scott free. But to be shot three times and survive, I think is pretty lucky.” April 2013 CBS4 News Magazine Key Biscayne [ 7 ]

South Florida Renters

Falling Victim to the

Newest

HOLLYWOOD (CBSMiami.com)

Leasing Scam It’s a great house for a young family, but for the folks who live in the little yellow house in the on 24th Court in Hollywood, it’s gone from a dream to a nightmare. They thought they signed a legit lease when they handed over $3700. They were wrong.

“They’re obviously incredibly shell shocked because now they suddenly have to move,” said the real owner, Doug Barnard. “They were just all happy with their house, introducing themselves to the neighbors.” Barnard didn’t know strangers were in his home until it went under contract for sale and his real estate agent called him with the shocking news. “The appraiser called me Monday morning and said, ‘I thought you said the house was vacant, there’s a family living in there,’” said real estate agent Esther Templin. “My first reaction was, ‘oh my gosh, we got squatters.’” The family living here did not want to talk, but Barnard said they showed him a lease and everything seemed to be in order – except that whoever drew up the rental agreement is not the owner and the family got duped. “These poor people,” said Templin, shaking her head, “they were taken, they have small kids and a new puppy, they seem like very nice people, it’s a shame, it’s a real shame.” “I know how they feel! I know that’s very sad,” said Victoria Penagos on the verge of tears. She feels their pain. A couple months ago, she fell victim to a similar scam, handing over 850 dollars thinking she was going to get into an apartment. It was all a fraud leaving her and her daughter with nowhere to go. “I was having a lot of my stuff in the car, inside the car, homeless,” she said. “I was homeless. I was here, I was at

a friend’s house, another friend’s house and another friend’s house.” Now she and her daughter live in a room at her brother’s place, and they’re back to square one trying to save money for a deposit on their piece of the American dream. “Right now I have nothing, I have to start on the bottom again,” said Penagos. “It’s hard.” The family that got scammed in Hollywood is packing up their things. They expect to be out of the house by Friday. Police and real estate experts say if you are looking for a rental, it’s best to hire a real estate agent to help you weed out the frauds, or have an attorney check out the lease agreement. And the cardinal rule, according to victim, police and experts, never hand over cash.

“Police and real estate experts say if you are looking for a rental, it’s best to hire a real estate agent to help you weed out the frauds, or have an attorney check out the lease agreement”

April 2013 CBS4 News Magazine Key Biscayne [ 9 ]

MIAMI (CBSMiami.com)

Keep Up

With

Your Kids On

Social Media Reporting Vanessa Borge

Remember when the best way to keep your kids safe on the internet was to make sure the computer was in a common area? Now, kids can carry the Internet in their pockets and keep moving to social networks many parents don’t even know about.

So, how can parents keep up? The newest app is called Snap-Chat, which allows users to send private messages that disappear in seconds. That makes it easy for sexting and hard for parents to track. Just ask Scott Bohnson who is having a hard time keeping up with the technology being used by his kids. He has an 18-year-old son and a 13-year-old daughter and he’s worried about security, stalkers, and creeps who use the same technology. “I’m in technology. I think I’ve got the latest greatest wherewithal but as soon as I get on top of it they’re on to some other means of social networking,” explained Bohnson. “I mean I don’t think adults can keep up with it, so even if they do, they’re late to the game and need to find the next thing to keep up on.” The same technology that keeps the kids connected with their grandparents in Arizona, gives them the freedom to move to sites their parents haven’t discovered. Like comment streams in Instagram, a photo-sharing site, where the comments often stray far from the pictures. Cinemagram is also hot. It’s a site for sharing short videos. But the scariest sites may be Snap-Chat and

“There are definitely some apps parents are not going to find any reward in: poking each other or sending snap shot pictures of each other, but I encourage them to try it and figure it out”

Facebook Poke where private video messages disappear after one to ten seconds. Maggie Bohnson said more than half of her friends are on Snap-Chat because they like the idea of disposable videos. Her father doesn’t like the idea at all. “Is this the one that disappears? And they can never get to that again? That’s scary,” said Scott to his daughter. “I don’t know. Sexting and things like that worry me. It has the potential to be a sexting machine, because the belief in the kids is ‘wow, there’s this new thing where it disappears’.” Parenting expert Dr. David Walsh thinks the disposable video feed is a false sense of security, because nothing on the Internet is truly private. “If the head of the CIA can’t keep a secret on the Internet, then the rest of us don’t have a chance,” said Walsh. Greg Swan tracks social media trends. Even he can’t predict where kids will end up next, but he says parents should still try. It should be not to spy, but to understand the issues their kids face as new apps keep emerging. “There are definitely some apps parents are not going to find any reward in: poking each other or sending snap shot pictures of each other, but I encourage them to try it and figure it out,” said Swan. That may be the key to security in this new media world: focus less on backseat driving, and more on teaching the

rules of the road. “How do we want to be perceived? What kind of values do we want to have? Respect, decency, honesty, integrity: those are the things that all of us parents want our kids to have and we need carry those values into the cyber world as well,” said Walsh. Walsh said the key is having lots of conversations about social media and expectations, not just laying down rules.

“If the head of the CIA can’t keep a secret on the Internet, then the rest of us don’t have a chance”

April 2013 CBS4 News Magazine Key Biscayne [ 13 ]

MIAMI (CBSMiami.com)

The Great

Shark Count

Off South Florida’s Shores Reporting David Sutta

It’s a gorgeous winter day in South Florida. Tourist Angelina Gaudino is wading in the water just off the Deerfield Pier. “It’s nice to be in the water in the end of January when my friends in New York are freezing.” Gaudino said. She has no idea she was just swimming with sharks, hundreds of them.

“In the height of February we are looking at 11 to 14,000 sharks per survey. That’s a lot of sharks”

“That’s why I don’t

go all the way out there.” She replied when CBS4’s David Sutta told her. From a plane above you can see them. The massive amounts of black dots are presumably black tip sharks. The congregations are all along Palm Beach’s shoreline and slowly thins out as you move towards Miami-Dade County. “It is overwhelming when you first see it. You just can’t believe that there are that many sharks.” FAU graduate student Shari Tellman said. Tellman, a shark enthusiast is carrying out research on the massive congregations for FAU. She tells us a majority of the sharks are about four to five feet long. They first started documenting them in 2011, during bi-weekly flights along the Palm Beach coastline.

During their bi-weekly flights cameras roll and snap. They capture everything from the beach about 200 yards out. It’s then Tellman’s job to go cross-eyed counting each one. “You can’t do it in one day. You have to stop and you have to go back because it will make you crazy and you will go blind,” Tellman said. Which leads to the question ‘Why on earth would anyone do this?’ “We are able to get an idea of their migration patterns and where they are along the shoreline.” Tellman explained. We now know the sharks are snowbirds. They come down here for the warm water. By summer when temperatures have risen up North they are gone.

SHARKS AND RENEWABLE ENERGY COUNTING SHARKS CBS4 first reported on their two year-long study last February. Today the study is yielding definitive numbers. “In the height of February we are looking at 11 to 14,000 per survey. That’s a lot of sharks,” said Tellman. How they got to that number is painstaking to watch.

The shark research is also now proving to be instrumental in other work that may be conducted off our shoreline to create renewable energy. Tellman is being funded by FAU’s Southeast National Marine Renewable Energy Center. Program manager Gabriel Alsenas said they are working on cutting edge research on how to extract energy from our ocean.

April 2013 CBS4 News Magazine Key Biscayne [ 15 ]

“If you combine all of the water, of all the fresh water rivers in the world and multiply that by 30, that’s how much water is flowing by our shores everyday.” Alsenas explained. But before they drop the first turbine in the ocean they want to know what will be affected. “If what you end up doing causes more damage than fossil fuels is, for example, to our environment there is no point.” he said. The footage is also documenting rarely captured moments. One shot captured showed hundreds of manta rays moving in a pack. Another image taken feet from the shoreline showed dinner time for a pack a sharks. A quarter of the image looks blacked out but it’s actually a wall of bait fish. Within the black wall are white spots – sharks. The fish wisely swimming away. “If you are looking at swimmers along the beach line and you look at pictures of these sharks, the sharks are right there. These swimmers may or may not know that. But if they did they probably wouldn’t be in the water.” Tellman said.

North. “These sharks aren’t a threat to humans in clear water. They are following the bait fish and as long as they can tell the difference between a human and bait fish it’s okay. When you get up further North where the water is a bit more turbid it’s not as easy to tell, “Tellman said. Gaudino, visiting from New Jersey, said if she comes face to face with a shark she’s got a plan. “I’ve heard that if you see one you punch him in the nose.” she said. The sharks that we are seeing here in great numbers will likely be gone sometime in March. They are not going to bother you but still it’s good advice to take to not swim along the ocean during dawn and dusk. It’s when sharks feed.

MASSIVE SHARKS – MINIMAL ATTACKS Upon hearing the news of the number of sharks offshore one beachgoer responded “Oh my God. Don’t scare me.” Many people near the Deerfield Pier were not aware they could literally throw a rock and hit a shark. “I can’t believe that they can come so close. They can? Really? How many people they bite,” one person asked. Records dating back to 1892 show just 60 attacks in Palm beach and 22 between Broward and Miami-Dade County. None of them were fatal. That changes though as you move

April 2013 CBS4 News Magazine Key Biscayne [ 17 ]

MIAMI (CBSMiami.com)

Obamacare May Bite You At The Vet’s Office Reporting Eliott Rodriguez

Pet owners listen up: You may want to start saving more money for veterinarian care this year. The reason goes all the way back to Washington and an unintended consequence from medical reform.

Dog owner Lori Heiselman

was surprised where her veterinarian posted a warning on Facebook. The notice read: “Because medical equipment and supplies will be going up in cost, that extra expense will have to be passed on to the customers.” So Lori is already tightening her belt to pay for the increase in her dog’s care. Though she doesn’t like it, she’s willing to pay more for her pets. “They’re very important. They’re members of the family,” said Heiselman. Why the increase? Its part of a new 2.3-percent federal excise tax on certain medical devices that just went into effect. The tax will help fund the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, intended for people, not pets. Manufacturers pay the tax, but a recent survey found more than half plan to pass it along. Some vets say they can’t afford it. Dr. Mike Hatcher is one of them. He explained, “I’m extremely concerned how this is going to be a hidden tax to our consumers that is going to be passed on.” How does this work? Medical devices used only on animals are exempt. However, items including IV pumps, sterile scalpels and anesthesia equipment, which are medical devices that have a dual use, meaning they can be used on people and animals, will be taxed. Hatcher said, “Putting off an equipment purchase is something that can terribly affect our clients’ ability to have quality care.” The American Veterinary Medical Association represents 82,000 vets. At this point, they don’t know how much this

“Congress never intended for this tax to impact veterinarian medicine and unfortunately it has, and I think that’s very unfortunate that veterinarian medicine now is subsidizing human health care” new tax will indirectly cost them. The organizations members are waiting to hear from more device makers. Dr. Mark Lutschaunig is the director of the Governmental Relations Division of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

“Congress never intended for this tax to impact veterinarian medicine and unfortunately it has, and I think that’s very unfortunate that veterinarian medicine now is subsidizing human health care,” said Dr. Lutschaunig. Congressional sources who worked on the Affordable Care Act said lawmakers tried to exclude vets from being affected by the dual use medical devices tax, but it was too complicated. Carol Smock knows about complications. She founded a charity that helps struggling pet owners pay for vet care. Smock started Brown Dog Foundation after struggling to pay for her chocolate lab’s medical bills while she was unemployed. Her organization is a 501c3 public charity that provides funding to families who find themselves in similar situations: A sick pet that would likely respond to treatment, but due to an unforeseen circumstance, there is not enough money immediately available to make it happen. Smock is afraid The Brown Dog Foundation is going to be overwhelmed with requests. “The impact this price increase is going to have on any of

“Congressional sources who worked on the Affordable Care Act said lawmakers tried to exclude vets from being affected by the dual use medical devices tax, but it was too complicated”

those families I think will be pretty devastating.” Lori Heiselman said she worries about other families too, but she’ll find the money for her four-legged friends. “We’ll just have to cut back somewhere else.” Veterinarians say, if your pet is sick or acting strangely, don’t delay care. That could just cause medical problems to get worse. If you’re concerned with the cost of vet care, be sure to talk with your vet about payment plans or other financial options. April 2013 CBS4 News Magazine Key Biscayne [ 19 ]

MIAMI (CBSMiami.com)

The Money Test:

Reporting Al Sunshine

Are You Saving Enough? How good are you with your money? Do you spend everything you make or save for a rainy day?

Saving isn’t much fun

, but it is a necessity. Ask yourself how long you could get by if you lost your current salary. The answer should be six months. Dana Levit of Paragon Financial Advisors said six months is a standard number when it comes to emergency funds. “Reason being, how long will it take you to get another job, that is what it is tied to.” If you’re dreaming of golf and warm weather in your golden years, there is a savings bench mark for that too. “Ten percent of your gross income, compounded over a lifetime should get you in a pretty good position for retirement,” said Levit. “If you’re one of those people that didn’t start saving until you are 30 or 40, that number goes up significantly.” Americans have gotten better with their credit cards, but there is a warning sign here too. Are balances getting smaller from year to year? “The red flag for me is that means people are living pay check to pay check,” said Levit. Other potential potholes are deals which let consumers make a big purchase with payments and interest being deferred. It might sound like a great way to get a new TV, but if you don’t pay it off in time, the interest clock gets reset, back to the beginning. Levit said the rates on these types of programs can be very high. Experts also say these deals can cause us to spend more overall. That’s because it’s easy to forget about a payment that’s years away, and buy other things in the meantime.

calendar SECOND SATURDAYS AT

ARTSOUTH April 13, 2013

Enjoy artwork by resident artists, refreshments and live music while you browse four galleries and open artist studios. Relax in the artistic and tropical atmosphere of ArtSouth. Children are welcome. 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. 305/247-9406

BIkE TOUR: SpAIN IN THE GABLES April 21st, 2013

Coral Gables Museum, 285 Aragon Avenue, at 11a.m. $10 non-members, $5 members Inspired by Spanish architecture and language, George Merrick created Coral Gables. This tour will focus the architectural and cultural presence of Spain in our city. Enjoy charming Mediterranean Revival homes, glorious churches and towers, fountains and more. For more information, visit www.coralgablesmuseum.org.

GREAT TASTE OF THE GROVE FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL April 14, 2013

Attendees can sample small tastes from more than 20 of Coconut Grove’s top restaurants in the three giant “Great Tasting Tents” for only $1-$8 per small plate. Cost is $10 for adults to get in and $5 for kids Under 12 (free for kids under 3). Noon-7 p.m. 305/444-7270 / www.thegreattasteofthegrove.com

CRAFT BEER TASTING - VERITAGE MIAMI April 17, 2013

Craft beer tasting featuring pilsners, ales, stouts and more. Part of Veritage Miami food & wine festival Tickets available at website. www.veritagemiami.com/

THE FOOD AND GARDEN FESTIVAL April 20 - 21st, 2013

Come see what’s cooking at Fairchild during the annual celebration of local foods and the gorgeous gardens they grow in, then take home spectacular plants from the Annual Spring Plant Sale. 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. 305/667-1651

THE UNExpECTED ITALY AT THE CORAL GABLES MUSEUM

NEW WORLD SYMpHONY

MOZART AND DVORÁk April 14, 2013

Chamber music series. Program features Mozart: Sinfonia concertante for Violin and Viola; and Dvorák: String Quintet No. 2. Elissa Lee Koljonen, violin; Roberto Diaz, viola. 2 p.m.

April 12 - 28, 2013

Traveling to Italy to discover modern architecture might seem like a paradox, but for the students and faculty of the University Of Miami School Of Architecture it is a relevant layer of Italian history in which a continuity with former traditions such as, ancient, medieval, renaissance and baroque is revealed. The exhibit will focus on the analysis and documentation of buildings and spaces representative of Italian modern movements such as Metaphysical, Futurism, Novecento and Rationalism which emerged during the first half of the 20th century in Italy when artists and architects worked towards shaping a new national image of modernity. These buildings are characterized by their stripped-down aesthetic, use of curtain walls, floating cantilevers, extensive glazing, abstraction and other attributes of the International Style. The exhibit also draws upon recent projects in Italy that have become urban catalysts by reshaping the existing fabric and proposing new opportunities for the city. Using mediums such as photography, model-making, drawing and painting, upper level students study the modern and recent architecture of Italy while participating in the school’s semester long Rome Program. For more information and times, visit www.coralgablesmuseum.

305/673-3331 / www.nws.edu

MIAMI GAY & LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL April 27 - May 05, 2013

The festival aims to enrich, entertain and educate the public, encourage a sense of community through international and culturally diverse film, video and other media presentations in the greater Miami area that offer historical and contemporary perspectives on the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered experience. 305/751-6305 / www.mglff.com April 2013 CBS4 News Magazine Key Biscayne [ 23 ]

MIAMI (CBSMiami.com)

Audio Recording Gives

Rare Insight Into

Identity Theft 18 minutes. Lauderhill Police detective Alex Iwaskewycz says that’s all the time identity thieves needed to open a new bank account and begin siphoning thousands of dollars from an elderly victim’s savings. To prove it, Iwaskewycz played the recording for CBS4 News. Throughout, the Wells Fargo Bank employee treats the call as routine business. Iwaskewycz says the employee has no reason not to. WELLS FARGO: How may I assist you? CALLER: Yes. I was calling back to open up that joint account with my grandson. Lauderhill police say the caller posed as the husband of a woman whose purse had been stolen on January 4th in Pompano Beach. Iwaskewycz says there was tons of personal info in the purse — more than enough for thieves to begin ripping off the victims. On the call, the Wells Fargo employee asks a series of questions designed to verify the identify of the account holder. “Your full social (security number) please?” “Your date of birth?” “Your address please?” The caller knew each of the answers. Iwaskewycz says the identity thief was good. “When the questions are asked, there’s no hesitation,” he told CBS 4’s Carey Codd. “There’s no fumbling of paperwork. He knew exactly what would be asked and what he needed to say.” Iwaskewycz says the caller even “spoofed” the victim’s phone number — making it appear that the call was coming from the victim’s phone number. To add to the ruse, police

“The biggest thing that you can do to protect yourself is just remain vigilant. Check your mail, check your statements, scrutinize them each month.”

say the caller put his phony grandson on the line to open the new account. WELLS FARGO EMPLOYEE: Now, sir, would you please state your first and last name for me? DIAH: Raheem Diah. Iwaskewycz says he has several surveillance photos of Diah at Wells Fargo banks all over Broward as Diah withdrew more than $11-thousand dollars before January 8. Iwaskewycz says Diah and the other man knew how much money the victims had. CALLER: What’s the balance on my savings? WELLS FARGO EMPLOYEE: Ok, let me check your savings. Your investment account currently has $163,425.21. At the end of the call, the bank employee thanked the pair for their business and reminded them that the account was up and ready. WELLS FARGO EMPLOYEE: Funds are available as soon

as you need them. Even if you wanted to step into a branch today you could pull ‘em out if you had to. Iwaskewycz says Raheem Diah turned himself in and admitted that he’s in the pictures and on the audio recording. Diah was not home when we went to his home. His mother told CBS4 News that he was at work. We left a message and sent an email to his lawyer but did not receive a response. Diah is charged with criminal use of personal identification information, grand theft over $10,000, theft from a person 65 years or older and obtaining property by false pretenses. Assisting the thieves, Iwaskewycz says, was the fact they could open the account without showing their faces. “They’ll do it via telephone or via internet to make it a lot safer for them to get away with these crimes,” the detective said. With identity theft rampant in Florida and particularly in South Florida, Iwaskewycz says people need to be careful what they carry around with them and check their bank statements often. “The biggest thing that you can do to protect yourself is just remain vigilant,” he said. “Check your mail, check your statements, scrutinize them each month.” Iwaskewycz recommends people: * Leave Social Security cards and passwords at home. * Don’t leave personal items unattended in your car or in stores. * Ask banks for additional security — like a secondary pin, security questions or extra password on your account.

If your information is stolen, Iwaskewycz says, you need to contact your bank and credit card companies immediately. He also recommends filing a fraud alert with each of the three major credit bureaus. “Once your information’s been compromised or you realize your information’s been stolen it’s a race — you versus them — to put stops as soon as you can,” he said.

“Once your information’s been compromised or you realize your information’s been stolen it’s a race — you versus them — to put stops as soon as you can”

April 2013 CBS4 News Magazine Key Biscayne [ 25 ]

MIAMI (CBSMiami.com)

Seafood Switch:

Your tuna

Isn’t Tuna At All

Reporting Al Sunshine

Joyce Galbut said the white tuna she ordered a few weeks ago at a South Florida restaurant just didn’t taste right. In fact, she doesn’t even think it was tuna. The local nurse explained: “It happened to my son and I a while back when we had sushi tuna.” A new study confirms that so-called “white tuna” is one of the most frequently substituted seafood products across the country. It found consumers usually end up with a species of mackerel, one that researchers said can cause severe digestive problems. It’s a problem CBS4 has been investigating since 2007: local restaurants charging high-grade prices but serving lowgrade fish. “I think that’s quite frequently done and it’s because they substitute cheaper product, for instance like imitation crab when they say you’re getting a crab sandwich..and like when they are giving you grouper they are substituting a cheaper fish. It tastes quite differently, they have a different flavor to them so immediately you know it,” Galbut added. The latest national study by the non-profit Oceana Foundation found just how bad the problem is in Miami and across the country. The foundation concluded that, with 38% of the seafood tested around South Florida, consumers are being served something other than what they ordered. Where in the U.S. is the problem most severe?

Southern California tested at 52%, while Seattle came out the best at about 18%. In Boston, the number was 48% while New York was 39%. Longtime Miami River restaurant owner Luis Garcia is worried it’s still a major problem here. “It’s probably getting worse and it’s very difficult to get what you ask for. I think there’s a big epidemic in South Florida here, in respect to mislabeling products and it happens more often than you think,” he said. It turns out there are a growing number of smartphone apps like the Monterey Aquariums’ “Seafood Watch”. Consumers can learn more about the seafood they’re buying, know what it looks like and where its’ supposed to come from. So the next time you go shopping for seafood or visit your favorite restaurant, how do you know you’re getting what you pay for? If you’re going to a seafood market, buy the whole fish so you know what you’re getting. If you’re at your favorite restaurant, ask the waiter about their fresh seafood. If you don’t like their answer or how it tastes…eat somewhere else. For more information visit:

www.oceana.org

April 2013 CBS4 News Magazine Key Biscayne [ 27 ]

Full-Time Jobs Elusive

WASHINGTON (CBSMiami.com)

As Unemployment Drops To 7.7 Percent

Reporting Al Sunshine

The latest jobs numbers give hope to workers, employers, and the government that the Great Recession and jobs crisis may be slowly starting to retreat permanently.

According to the Labor Department, 236,000 jobs were added to U.S. payrolls in February. The unemployment rate dropped to 7.7 percent as a result of those additions, which marked the lowest unemployment rate in four years. In addition, according to the Washington Post, private sector pay rose 0.6 percent as both wages and hours increased in February. Still, the labor did shrink and many simply gave up looking for work. Plus, the numbers reflected the time period before the massive across-the-board spending cuts known as sequestration actually hit this month. Breaking down the numbers, the construction sector added 48,000 jobs in February, which was the most since March

2007. In addition, despite the payroll tax increase, Americans kept spending at a pace that allowed retailers to add more than 23,000 jobs. The unemployment rate may have been even lower if the federal and state governments weren’t continuing to shrink their payrolls. The federal government cut 4,200 jobs in February while state governments cut 8,000 and local governments cut 2,000, according to the Post.

MIAMI (CBSMiami.com)

Downtown

MiaMi

Enjoying Condo Sale Resurgence Reporting David Sutta

It’s the biggest purchase most of us will ever make in our life; the purchase of a home. JoLinda Herring is excited about it. “Downtown Miami has had a resurgence. It’s a great place,” she told CBS4’s David Sutta. The attorney is looking to finally stop renting in downtown Miami. She wants to settle into a condo of her own, right on Brickell if she can get her way. But just months into her search though, it hasn’t been easy.

“I may end up

having to go as far as Aventura. Not necessarily ideal, but I have had to wrap my mind around something different. New experiences,” Herring said. Some may find it hard to believe, but the 22,000 empty units that once flooded Downtown Miami six years ago are now practically gone. “What we are finding is that there are way too many buyers and not enough units, believe it or not, that are really available for sale,” Peter Zalewski of CondoVultures.com told CBS4. “And the units that are for sale, the prices are high and as the offers are coming in; the prices are going higher.” More often than not the deals that are closing are all cash deals. “Cash is no longer king. Cash is a requirement today,” Zalewski explained. Herring is in trouble competing with that. “I don’t think I would ever just go pay cash for a condo. I’m just not that kind of person. That doesn’t make financial sense to me,” Herring said. It doesn’t make sense to a lot of people, but that is what many buyers are up against. Zalewski found in a recent review on condo purchases just one of ten sales involve a homestead exemption. The property tax benefit can only be used by homeowners who use the property as a primary residence. In other words nine out of ten condo sales involve someone buying as a second home, investment, or rental property. At the bottom of the downtown market in 2009 you could buy a 1,000 square foot condo for roughly $250,000. Today, that same condo is going $400,000 grand. That is a 60% markup in just four years. Zalewski said we are seeing the beginning of a boom. “Ultimately we are beginning the cycle all over again. I’ll tell you if you would compare this to a party. The setup staff is coming in. The speakers are being setup. The DJ is being brought in. The caterers are starting to arrive. And we are getting ready to party and 2014 is probably going to feel very reminiscent of anybody who was down here during the last boom and ultimately bust,” he said. Herring hopes she’ll get in before the party starts. “I think I may be able to own a place. I may just have to regroup though in terms of I may not get exactly what I want,” she said.

“Ultimately we are beginning the cycle all over again. I’ll tell you if you would compare this to a party. The setup staff is coming in. The speakers are being setup. The DJ is being brought in. The caterers are starting to arrive. And we are getting ready to party and 2014 is probably going to feel very reminiscent of anybody who was down here during the last boom and ultimately bust”

April 2013 CBS4 News Magazine Key Biscayne [ 31 ]

featured Artist

www.ggartwork.com

GG: THE FORCE BEHIND MIAMIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NEW AGE ART MOVEMENT Gabriel Gimenez, better known as GG, has a relentless curiosity in exploring his imagination through art. A Venezuelan born transplant, now residing in Miami, GG is one of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most sought-after pop artists taking over Midtown, Wynwood and Downtown Miami with his infamous character, Fado, and other friends. Gg is at the forefront of a stylistic movement happening right in the heart of South Florida. Character based pop art that is a deliberate attempt at blurring the lines between hi brow / low brow art and commercial / fine art. GG discovered his passion for the arts early in his childhood through doodles on notepads that later grew into an interest in painting and led him to his current unique, pop art style. The self-made artist took his inquisitive enthusiasm to the next level and built himself an international career and name for himself and has participated in multiple art fairs, gallery showings and events. His work is based on a way of expression using characters, symbols and shapes, evolving into his many creations over the years. His inspirations spring from personal life experiences, feelings, emotions, goals and events that affect our environment in a negative or positive way - a personal life analysis expressed through his characters that yells at you from the canvas. To meet and vibe with Fado, on canvas, you may visit him and his friends at their current exhibit NAC gallery solo show, March 15th to April 15th sure to be a treat for the day! For more information on GG and a list of his upcoming galleries go to www.ggartwork.com

MIAMI (CBSMiami.com)

Parents Face

Diabetes

Discrimination In Schools AndÂ Daycares

Diabetes in children is on the rise. Some experts have predicted a 23 percent increase in the number of children with Type 1 diabetes by 2050. This increase has impacted daycare centers and schools, some of which have had a hard time dealing with the growing number of students who need special care.

Reporting CynthiaÂ Demos

When Jared Kuper

was diagnosed with

diabetes at eight years old, his mother sat day after day, all day, at his school so that she could monitor his blood sugar levels herself. “It’s a minute to minute disease,” said Laura Kuper. “So the wind could blow and their sugar changes. It’s, it’s a constant worry.” Three years later, she counts on the school nurse for help. Diabetes care is covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act. “Schools have to comply and it means they’re required to provide services for children with disabilities and if a daycare receives federal funding they have to comply with those same rules,” said Linda Siminerio with the American Diabetes Association. A growing number of parents, however, say they are facing discrimination. “Some daycares don’t accept kids with disabilities,” said Kuper. Health experts said there is a lot of confusion about who is responsible for what when it comes to serving kids with special needs. “Families still face some challenges in getting some resistance at the daycare and school level,” said Siminerio. Those ‘challenges’ include who is responsible for monitoring insulin levels and who is responsible for giving

injections, if needed. Those areas are not spelled out in state or federal law. The American Diabetes Association said some parents end up staying at the school all day. “There’s parents that work and shouldn’t have to worry and don’t have that luxury,” said Kuper. So what can parents do? There are currently complaints filed with the Justice Department over care for children with diabetes. The ADA believes it is stressful enough having a child with the disease, fighting the system only escalates the stress. “What we need to do is be able to think of ways to be able to support services to help those children have access to things that children who don’t have diabetes have access to in the school setting and the daycare,” said Siminerio. Kuper said she’s been able to work out a deal with her son’s school where the nurse will monitor his condition. She, and other parents like her, say they just want their children to have access to the same opportunities other children have. “They shouldn’t be denied, um, you know, being taken care of just because they have a disease,” said Kuper. The laws vary from state to state. In Florida, trained non-medical staff may monitor blood glucose and administer emergency medication injections. A 2010 Florida law forbids public school districts from assigning a student to a particular school based on diabetes.

April 2013 CBS4 News Magazine Key Biscayne [ 37 ]

AUTOMOTIVE

[ 42 ] April 2013 CBS4 News Magazine Key Biscayne