Human Trafficking Situation Was Prevented By A Miracle

Their intervention prevented what could have been a fatal situation.  (FOX 40)

Two teens were saved from becoming victims of a human trafficking story on Fox News - https://goo.gl/CnUAay by nothing less than a miracle — literally.

The two young girls had approached an American Airlines ticket agent — whose name is Denice Miracle — at Sacramento International Airport, trying to board a flight to New York with no identification or return tickets. Miracle, however, felt something was wrong.

Miracle immediately notified sheriff's deputy Todd Sanderson, and the two are now being celebrated as heroes for saving the 15- and a 17-year-old female from a possible human trafficking incident, Fox 40 reported.

"I fully believe she probably prevented these girls from becoming victims," Sanderson told the outlet of the Aug. 31 incident.

According to KTRK, Miracle felt uneasy when the girls approached her ticket counter armed only with two first-class tickets and small luggage. Apparently, a man they called "Drey" connected with them on Instagram, promising them $2,000 for modeling and performing in music videos.

Miracle discovered that the teens' flights were one-way tickets paid for with a fraudulent credit card, which authorities say the girls were “shocked” to realize. The girls were soon reunited with their families, who had no idea they intended to travel to the Big Apple.

American Airlines applauded Miracle for her quick thinking, KTRK also reported, stating that her training may have saved the girls' lives. As for the human trafficking suspect, there is no word yet on whether he has been caught, or what charges he may face.

In July, American Airlines amped up their efforts to prevent human trafficking and child sexual exploitation by teaming up with End Child Prostitution and Trafficking USA to train the airline’s 120,000 employees, initiate corporate policies and educate travelers, The Dallas Morning News reported.

 “People think this is only happening in other countries. They don't realize it could be happening on a domestic carrier on a domestic flight,” said Michelle Guelbart, director of private sector engagement at the nonprofit.

human trafficking story on Fox News - https://goo.gl/CnUAay

First Gerber baby with Down Syndrome, 1-year-old Lucas Warren

Photo: Courtesy of Gerber / Cortney Warren

My husband Oliver and I had been trying for quite a while to get pregnant, so when we did, we decided around 11 weeks to opt into a noninvasive prenatal test in order to find out the gender. Or so we thought. The following week, the results came back positive for trisomy 21, the most common type of Down Syndrome. Because that was just a screening test, we went through the diagnostic process and around 12 or 13 weeks, we finally had the confirmed diagnosis. We both cried.

Throughout the weeks and months that followed, as we tried to process the diagnosis, we were on a fact-finding mission, in search, mainly, for what the potential quality of life would be for our child. We read about every possible challenge: 50 percent of babies born with the extra copy of chromosome 21 have a heart defect that needs to be operated on within the first year of life; problems with vision, hearing, and the thyroid could arise. And, while the one in 691 children born with Down Syndrome in the United States each year faces different challenges, both mild and severe, the hard fact of the matter is, a majority of pregnancies that are identified prenatally with trisomy 21 are ultimately terminated. At the time, it was really hard to process, and I felt separated from the pregnancy for a while. We were reading scary thing after scary thing, and it wasn’t until we participated in the First Call Program in Massachusetts, where we spoke to other parents with kids with the condition, that we came to the conclusion that above all, the potential for a high quality of life and fulfillment and happiness was the same for any other child. I think that’s when Oliver turned to me and said, “I know it’s weird, but I feel like we were meant to have this child. And I believe we can provide for her.”

Tenley at 3 months-old with her father, Oliver Foley - Photo: Courtesy of Kinnon Foley / @kinnonmf

We turned the corner together, and at 20 weeks, we found out the gender: a girl. We named her Tenley, a name many people associate with Tenley Albright, a formidable woman, Olympian, and surgeon. Tenley was due on May 3, 2017, surreally my uncle’s birthday. He had trisomy 21, too, and grew up in the ’40s, when it was rare to raise a child with Down Syndrome in the home, and lived a very full life until the age of 65. But, Tenley came three weeks early, on April 16, the day before Oliver was supposed to run the Boston Marathon. She was born around 1:00 p.m. in the afternoon, and we slept in the hospital together and the next morning, Oliver went to the starting line and ran with her name printed on his arm. He made a personal record of three hours and 18 minutes, and after, ran directly back to the hospital. People were yelling her name and she was less than 24 hours old.

Now, Tenley is 9-and-a-half months old and while she has a number of challenges as a result of trisomy 21—she has some respiratory issues, and was on oxygen until she was six weeks old because her lungs didn’t shed their immature cells quickly enough; as well as hypothyroidism, which is very common in children with Down Syndrome—she is so happy. There is a stereotype that people with Down Syndrome are always happy, and it’s one that, for me, is hard to dispute. In fact, people always ask me if I only take pictures of her when she’s smiling, but the truth is, no, she’s actually just always smiling. My dad, whose brother had Down Syndrome, believes that once there is more research done on the disorder, scientists will find that it negates whatever gene causes judgment. There is no science behind it, but, anecdotally, it’s absolutely true: Tenley loves everyone.

People are always saying, “Oh, Tenley is no different than anyone else,” but I like to say, “But she actually is different. She’s not your typical baby: She goes down at 7:30 p.m., she sleeps through the night, she’s always happy. . . .” We’re very lucky and proud. In fact, I like to announce almost immediately when introducing Tenley that she has Down Syndrome. I don’t like feeling like people are guessing, “Does she?” or “Doesn’t she?” Sometimes, people will say, “I can’t even tell!” And even though I know they don’t mean to be offensive, the truth is, I’m proud of her cute little nose and her almond-shaped eyes and her rosy red cheeks.

That’s why, upon seeing her condition celebrated on national television last night, (February 8, 2018) with Gerber’s announcement that, after more than 140,000 submissions, they’ve named their First Gerber baby with Down Syndrome, 1-year-old Lucas Warren, the feeling was truly inexplicable. Tenley was already asleep when we sat down to the watch the Nightly News With Lester Holt. I remember Oliver pausing the preview and saying, “Oh man, this is going to be a tearjerker,” and sure enough, we both cried. Later, we watched the full segment from the Today show because we just wanted to see more.

We recognized so much of Tenley in Lucas, and not just in the common features we love so much. He was practicing waving, and that’s something we are working on with Tenley, along with getting on all fours, something she is having trouble with due to her slightly low muscle tone. The news made me remember when I was pregnant, and, it’s so silly, but in this world where everyone’s lives are on display with social media, one of the things that crossed my mind was: When I post a photo of her, what will people’s comments be? You know, a common comment that you see when somebody posts a photo of their baby is “Oh, he or she is perfect.” I wondered whether someone would ever comment on a photo of my baby like that. Getting that affirmation last night, from a company like Gerber who is associated with the quintessential idea of the “perfect baby,” and then discovering that baby has Down Syndrome, it brought back all those emotions for me. Both of our families texted us, with a ton of positive emojis, asking if we had seen the news. Oliver’s mom said, “Tenley is Miss World in our eyes.”

I think it goes without saying that all people think their children are beautiful; and we absolutely think Tenley is beautiful, inside and out. Despite all the worries we have about her adolescence and adulthood, we know she will have an incredibly fulfilling life. But I think, for all kids, it’s important to see yourself in the world around you so you can dream about what you want to be when you grow up. And now, Tenley will.

 Vogue did publish this Story first @https://goo.gl/j1MaFa

Albino Model made it her mission to overcome the stereotypes and she is succeeding already.

After a lifetime of being teased and misunderstood, albino model Ruby Vizcarra made it her mission to overcome the stereotypes about her skin condition and encourage others to embrace their natural beauty.

During an interview with Yahoo Lifestyle, Vizcarra, 24, recounted that while she was growing up in Guadalajara, Mexico, there was a lot that she didn’t understand about her condition of albinism, which leaves people mostly devoid of pigment in their skin, hair, and eyes.

“When I was little, I didn’t know why I was different, but my mom would always say I had albinism,” Vizcarra said.

Although she isn’t the only one in her family with the skin condition — one of her four sisters, as well as a paternal grandmother and a maternal aunt, were also born with albinism — she didn’t understand as a child why she got sunburned so easily and couldn’t play outside for as long as other kids did.

And she wasn’t the only person who didn’t understand much about albinism.

Vizcarra recalls walking home from school one day and overhearing a little girl ask her mother why Vizcarra’s skin was so white. The mother responded by saying Vizcarra was “very sick” and that her condition “can be contagious.”

“I still remember that day. I have it very present in my heart because it made me cry,” the model said. “I now use it as a propeller that ignites my fuel to achieve my dreams.”

After turning 18, Vizcarra began to learn about albinism online and decided to pursue modeling professionally.

But once she was signed by a modeling agency, she realized she wasn’t going to book the kinds of jobs she’d hoped — and began to forge her own path.

“I wanted to connect with photographers who understood my message,” she said. “I wanted to be very natural, no makeup, and just show who I truly am.”

In addition to pursuing modeling, Vizcarra has also started an organization called Movimiento Albino Latino, which not only provides support to albinos but also educates others in her community about the condition.

Vizcarra added that the most rewarding part of her journey has been hearing from women “who said I inspired them to embrace their natural beauty too.”

“It been a very long road, but I am finally proud of who I am, and through my modeling platform, I have reached others who are like me, ” she added. “Being different is a blessing.”

Story first appeared in Yahoo Lifestyle.

Scammers are getting more and more sophisticated. Defend yourself and Protect Your Data.

Many people laugh at scams. We see an email from a mysterious stranger. The note is full of odd phrases and terrible misspellings. We instantly share it on social media. “The Prince of Nigeria wants to send me bars and bars of gold!” we write, along with laughing emoji. “Should I take it?” 

But not all scams are so easy to spot. Spammers get more sinister every day, and they use real-sounding email addresses, personal data, well-phrased letters, and actual corporate logos to lure their victims. The savviest con artists work remotely, coaxing money out of people they’ve never met in person. 

In this era of rampant data theft and cyber-crime, it’s more important than ever to be aware of swindlers’ stories because the effects can be felt for months or years. Most cons want to score fast money, but you’ll want to protect all your information from fraud, not just your credit numbers and bank accounts. 

Here are some common scams and ways to defend yourself against them. You’ll want to share this know-how with your family members and friends on social media. It’s so easy to be taken by the swindlers. 

1. Job Scam 

Some people joke about being “between jobs,” but there’s nothing funny about unemployment. Looking for a new job is stressful, and as the weeks turn into months, you may jump at any opportunity, no matter how dubious or grim. 

Scammers know this, and they prey on desperate people. They send emails with headings like, “Your Résumé” or “Work From Home Job.” At first, these sound like exciting opportunities. Can you really make $1,200 a week sitting on your couch? 

Employment scams are common, and you don’t have to be jobless to find their offers enticing. Many of their targets are the unemployed or underpaid eager for a change of pace. No matter what the location or time of year, scammers find a needy victim with bills to pay. 

This year, I’ve noticed a rise in two different types of job-related scams. These can look very convincing if you don’t know how to watch out for them. 

Mailed Check: In this scam, you apply for a job and get a response. Your potential employer mails you a check. It'll be made out to you for $500 or so. Of course, that should be a red flag. Why would they pay you before you start working? 

Reputable companies won't do that. But scammers will call you or email you to say the mailed check was their mistake. They ask you to wire the funds back to them. If you fall for it, their bad check won't cover the funds so that the money will come out of your bank account. 

Upfront Fees: Some fake companies will require an “activation fee,” or even upfront costs for “training” and “materials.” If you’re dying for work, you might convince yourself that this is normal because you need to “spend money to make money.” Don’t rationalize. Legitimate employers should not require fees. 

2. Vacation Scam 

Many Americans get morose about vacations. They don’t have much time off, travel is expensive and complicated, and they’ll only return to mountains of unfinished work, so why bother? 

So when you receive an email about an all-expenses-paid vacation package to Hawaii, you may do a double-take. Did you win some sweepstakes? Have you truly been randomly selected? Is this hotel handing out astonishing promotions? 

Yes, it’s possible to win a vacation, but if you don’t remember entering a contest, run an online check. If you’ve never heard of the company offering you round-trip flights and luxury resorts, be skeptical. In this case, scammers will initiate contact with you. They may call you, send you an email or post a vacation package on Facebook. Then they’ll ask for personal data, like a credit card number to “hold the reservation.” 

Never give this information away unless you know for a fact that the company is legitimate. In the meantime, vacations are healthy and life-affirming, but they are best handled on your own or through a respected travel agency. 

3. Concert and theater scams 

Similar to vacation scams, these scams start with someone contacting you, or you respond to an advertisement that you see posted online. The scammer says they're selling tickets for a band you've been following for years or a hot show. They'll excitedly tell you about the venue and the great value you're getting. 

The tickets aren’t free, but they are theoretically discounted. Once they ask you to wire money or submit credit card information, you may not even know it’s a hoax. Tickets can be easy to reproduce with the right gear. You may not know you’ve been taken until you’re turned away at the event because the tickets were fake. 

Columnist Kim Komando talks about how to protect yourself and your internet security. Kim Komando Special for USA Today

4. Moving Scam 

Late summer is one of the busiest times of year to move into a new home. Whether you’re a student switching apartments or a parent moving to a better school district, you’ll probably find yourself migrating on a sunny weekend in August. 

Fake moving companies may call you, or drop you an email, or leave a flyer on your doorstep. In the ugliest situations, the company will quote a number verbally, move you into your new home, and then demand far more money than you expected. There are some cases of “movers” packing all your worldly possessions into a truck and then driving off with it. 

Do not fall for this scam. Most moving companies will offer to come to your home to see how much furniture they’ll need to move. They will give you a written estimate. They are bonded and have insurance. You get the point. 

Here's how to stay safe: Check BBB.org to see if the moving company is a reputable business. Then, have the movers come to your house before the move. Ask them for a final estimate before you pay. 

5. Owed money Scam 

Everybody loves automatic payments because they save time writing checks or looking up charges. But as the years wear on, you may have forgotten to pay up. Cards expire, payments fail to go through, and we forget about them. We may even miscalculate our taxes, resulting in a bill and monthly fine. 

So when we receive a letter in the mail marked “Urgent: Payment Requested,” we often think we’ve done something wrong. Did you forget to pay a cable bill in 2007, and should you send a check for $72.89 now? The information is so specific, why should doubt the letter’s sender? The last thing you want is a collections agency on your tail, so why not just pay the fee and get it over with? 

In this case, you should make sure the collector is real. It is perfectly reasonable to receive a letter from a collections agency, especially if you’ve moved a lot or are forgetful about paperwork. But before you send any money, spend a few minutes to see whether this company is legit. 

Speaking of money, there is one legitimate way you may get money back that you totally forgot about. 

Bonus: No scam! Find your unclaimed money 

Right now, there's an estimated $41.7 billion currently held in government unclaimed property programs, and some of that unclaimed money could be yours. Maybe you forgot to get that deposit back from the electric utility when you rented your first apartment. An insurance company may have issued you a refund on a policy but couldn't find you. You might have been enrolled in a pension plan that was discontinued. 

In addition to utility refunds and insurance payments, unclaimed property includes abandoned savings or checking accounts, stocks, uncashed dividends or payroll checks, refunds, traveler's checks, trust distributions, unredeemed money orders or gift certificates (in some states), annuities, certificates of deposit, customer overpayments, mineral royalty payments and contents of safe deposit boxes. Whew! 

For related articles - https://goo.gl/WtPt7o by https://www.komando.com/