Haitian Earthquake Relief Fraud Alert

The FBI today reminds Internet users who receive appeals to donate money in the aftermath of Tuesday’s earthquake in Haiti to apply a critical eye and do their due diligence before responding to those requests. Past tragedies and natural disasters have prompted individuals with criminal intent to solicit contributions purportedly for a charitable organization and/or a good cause.

Therefore, before making a donation of any kind, consumers should adhere to certain guidelines, to include the following:

* Do not respond to any unsolicited (spam) incoming e-mails, including clicking links contained within those messages.
* Be skeptical of individuals representing themselves as surviving victims or officials asking for donations via e-mail or social networking sites.
* Verify the legitimacy of nonprofit organizations by utilizing various Internet-based resources that may assist in confirming the group’s existence and its nonprofit status rather than following a purported link to the site.
* Be cautious of e-mails that claim to show pictures of the disaster areas in attached files because the files may contain viruses. Only open attachments from known senders.
* Make contributions directly to known organizations rather than relying on others to make the donation on your behalf to ensure contributions are received and used for intended purposes.
* Do not give your personal or financial information to anyone who solicits contributions: Providing such information may compromise your identity and make you vulnerable to identity theft.

Anyone who has received an e-mail referencing the above information or anyone who may have been a victim of this or a similar incident should notify the IC3 via www.ic3.gov.

----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter: @GAFrontPage

Bond Sale Nets Historic Low Interest Rates

$35 million in one-time savings captured in FY 2010; Annual debt service reduced by $10 million

Governor Sonny Perdue announced today that this week's general obligation bond sale netted the lowest interest rates in the history of the state, resulting in $35 million in budget savings in Fiscal Year 2010 and annual debt service reductions of $10 million in future years.
“This bond sale funds needed projects and creates jobs throughout Georgia,” Governor Perdue said. “Our strong bond ratings and sound fiscal management have allowed us to achieve significant budget savings that will continue to benefit Georgia for years to come.”

This week, the State of Georgia successfully sold $793,855,000 in general obligation bonds to fund new schools, public safety projects, road projects and other crucial infrastructure. The state was able to lock in a rate of 1.49 percent – the lowest rate in state history – for 5-year bonds and 2.99 percent for the 20-year bonds – also a record low rate.

The historic low rate on the 20-year bonds was the result of the state’s decision to issue Build America Bonds, an option provided to governmental issuers in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Under this option, the state will receive a 35 percent interest rate subsidy from US Treasury. Build America Bonds, combined with traditional tax-exempt bonds, proved to be the most cost effective strategy for the transaction.

The rates translate into an annually recurring debt service savings of $10 million compared to originally budgeted amounts. This is in addition to annual savings against budget of $8.2 million attained in February and May, when the state sold more than $900 million in bonds collectively.
This week’s bond sale is a portion of the capital outlay program approved in the state’s 2010 budget. The sale was completed on a negotiated basis with both retail and institutional investors showing solid demand for Georgia's high-grade bonds. The state also accomplished a defeasance of maturities coming due in FY 2010, resulting in additional debt service savings of just over $35 million.

Moody's, Fitch, and Standard & Poor's assigned the triple-A bond rating with a stable outlook to the state’s General Obligation bonds last month. The rating firms’ individual ratings are Aaa, AAA and AAA, respectively. The triple-A ratings reflect the highest rating available to government issuers and demonstrate what a great value Georgia municipal bonds are to investors.
---
Community News You Can Use
Follow us on Twitter: @gafrontpage
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
www.PoliticalPotluck.com
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
---

Fraudulent Spam E-mail Purported From FBI Deputy Director John S. Pistole

A spam e-mail claiming to be from FBI Deputy Director John S. Pistole is currently being circulated. This attempt to defraud is the typical e-mail scam using the name and reputation
of an FBI official to create an air of authenticity.

As with many scams, the e-mail advises the recipient that they are the beneficiary of a large sum of money which they will be permitted to access once fees are paid and personal banking information is provided. The appearance of the e-mail leads the reader to believe that it is from FBI Deputy Director John S. Pistole.

This e-mail is a hoax. Do not respond.

The IC3 continues to receive and develop intelligence regarding fraud schemes misrepresenting
the FBI and/or FBI officials. The scam e-mails give the appearance of legitimacy through the use of pictures of FBI officials, seal, letter head, and/or banners.

These fraud schemes claim to be from domestic as well as international FBI offices. The typical types of schemes utilizing the names of FBI officials and/or the FBI are lottery endorsements and inheritance notifications but can cover a range of scams from threats and malicious computer program attachments (malware) to online auction scams.

These scams use the social engineering technique of employing the FBI's name to intimidate and convince the recipient the e-mail is legitimate.

Please be cautious of any unsolicited e-mail referencing the FBI, Director Mueller, Deputy Director Pistole or any other FBI official claiming that the FBI is endorsing any type of Internet activity.

Always be cautious when responding to requests or special offers delivered through
unsolicited e-mail:

* Guard your personal information as well as your account information carefully.
* You should never give any personal, credit, or banking information in response to
unsolicited e-mails.

Consumers always need to be alert to unsolicited e-mails. Do not open unsolicited e-mails or click on any embedded links, as they may contain viruses or malware. Providing your PII will compromise your identity!

If you have received this e-mail, or a similar e-mail, please file a complaint at www.IC3.gov.

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page