State Department warns of increased violence along border

FROM CONSUMERAFFAIRS.COM

The State Department today issued a travel alert for U.S. citizens planning to visit Mexico. The alert comes amid reports of increased violence in Mexico, especially along the border.

“Mexican drug cartels are engaged in an increasingly violent fight for control of narcotics trafficking routes along the U.S. – Mexico border in an apparent response to the Government of Mexico’s initiatives to crack down on narco-trafficking organizations,” according to a statement released by the State Department. “In order to combat violence, the government of Mexico has deployed military troops in various parts of the country. U.S. citizens should cooperate fully with official checkpoints when traveling on Mexican highways.”

The State Department said travelers should be extremely careful in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, which is across the border from El Paso, Texas. “Mexican authorities report that more than 1,000 people have been killed there this year,” officials said.

FOR THE COMPLETE STORY:    http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2008/10/mexico_alert.html   

~Sandy G.

Commission says scammers taking advantage of woes in financial markets

FROM MSNBC

E-mail scams that “phish” for personal information may increase amid the current financial crisis, the Federal Trade Commission warned consumers Thursday.

Separately, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation said it has received numerous reports of a fraudulent e-mail that appears to be from the government agency. Its subject line reads, “Funds wired into your account are stolen.”

“Scammers are taking advantage of upheavals in the financial marketplace to confuse consumers into parting with valuable personal information,” the FTC said in an advisory note on its Web site.

FOR THE COMPLETE STORY:   http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27103548/

~Sandy G.