On Your Side Alert: Mail Fraud Investigation

Friday, May 10th, 2013, 11:15pm

RICHMOND, VA (WWBT)- You've probably received some junk mail this week. Most of us just throw it out, but crooks are hoping to score big from consumers who open the mail. One viewer got fed up when she kept receiving what she believed to be fraudulent offers.

Letter, after letter, after letter, all to one person, all scams according to United States Postal Inspector, Michael Romano. "The whole purpose of it is to really attract an individual who may have fallen on hard times and is out of work," he explains.

A viewer mailed NBC 12 an entire stack of offers they received in the mail. She wanted the junk mail to stop and wondered how her name ended up on the mailing list. Inspector Romano had an answer. "Many of these scams originate from the consumer actually reaching out to an offer that they think is legitimate, when in fact it is not," Romano says.

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Woman robbed and stabbed near the Jefferson Hotel in Richmond

Submitted by NBC12 News Staff

Friday, May 10th, 2013, 11:05pm

RICHMOND, VA (WWBT)- Police say a woman was brutally attacked and stabbed during a robbery right by the Jefferson Hotel. It was just before 1:00 a.m. Friday when police responded to the scene in the 100 block of West Franklin Street.

We're told the victim was attacked by an unknown male - who then stole her belongings - and took off, leaving her bleeding in the street.

"It's awful, I know this neighborhood is doing a lot to try and make it more of a residential area, more safe, more family friendly, and it's really tragic, I'm sorry that it happened," said jogger, Loren Hatcher.

"something needs to be done, that's scary to know that it's somewhere close to where I go everyday and sometimes I bring my son with me, that could have been me robbed and stabbed with my son right there," said Trent Foster.

The attack occurred close to the iconic luxury Jefferson Hotel located in the heart of Richmond.

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MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK: Namebrand vs generic - tuna

Submitted by NBC12 News Staff

Friday, May 10th, 2013, 5:45pm

RICHMOND, VA (WWBT)- The battle of generic verses brand name goes on! Today, we're testing tuna to find out which can has the best value.

There's a lot of competition in world of canned tuna. I found three name brands - Bumble Bee, Chicken of the Sea and Starkist. Generic versions can be found at Kroger, Martin's, Food Lion and Walmart.

These cans all look the same. Each weighs five ounces, has a two-ounce serving size with two servings per can. The variation comes in price. The cheapest is Food Lion - it's 73 cents. Bumble Bee tuna was almost twice as much at $1.39.

I opened the cans, letting the liquid drain out of all of them for half an hour. Then I opened them all the way, firmly pressing out every drop of water.

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VCU raises tuition by 4 percent

Submitted by NBC12 News Staff

Friday, May 10th, 2013, 3:47pm

RICHMOND, VA (WWBT)- VCU's Board of Visitors approved a four percent tuition increase at their meeting Friday.

The new budget will cost in-state undergraduate students $414 per year, or 4.19 percent more than current rates. With meal plan and student housing, a returning in-state-student will pay $19,381. Out-of-state students will pay $951, or 3.98 percent, more. With meal plan and student housing, a returning out-of-state-student will pay $33,945.

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12 ON YOUR SIDE: Disabled man abused by caretakers needs your help

Submitted by NBC12 News Staff

Friday, May 10th, 2013, 2:14pm

RICHMOND, VA (WWBT)- A chilling crime of abuse prompted a severely disabled man to contact 12 On Your Side through Facebook.

Josh Wilson has cerebral palsy and is a quadriplegic, but two thieving healthcare workers maxed out his credit card and crashed his van.

Josh talks using a special head device. His head also controls the mechanism to move his wheelchair, because his hands are useless.

"My former aides threatened to not care for me unless I allowed them to use my cards," said Josh. "This put me in a very serious and dangerous position."

Josh needs personal aides for life-sustaining care. Everyday things like opening a can of soda, getting dressed, things he can't do for himself - including getting in and out of bed.

His caretakers were suppose to be taking care of him, preparing his meals, but according to some of the expenses I've seen, they were eating out at restaurants and feeding him junk.

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Robots + Us at the Science Museum of Virginia

Submitted by Nancy Tait on Friday, May 10th, 10:25 am

Saturday, May 11-Sunday, September 29

What differentiates humans and robots? Explore what it means to be human by examining how lifelike machines emulate four major categories of human capabilities: moving, sensing, thinking and being. Take a closer look into robotics, computer science and biomedical engineering as you enjoy a series of interactive components, videos and much more!

“Robots are the epitome of Man’s never ending quest to get out of doing chores,” says Science Museum of Virginia Chief Wonder Officer Richard C. Conti. “In Robots, we have advanced technology to the point of never having to vacuum or package millions of small items into boxes. Robots are a splendid blend of innovation and science fiction.”

Begin your journey with the historical and cultural precedents of creating artificial life and discover how the inner workings of clocks inspired Renaissance scientists.

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12 INVESTIGATES: Top crimes in Richmond

Submitted by NBC12 News Staff

Thursday, May 9th, 2013, 11:15pm

RICHMOND, VA (WWBT)- The top two crimes Richmond Police see are destruction of property and hit and run - and the neighborhood hit the most is the Fan.

In 2011 and 2012 combined, RPD saw almost 7,000 (6,668) incidents of destruction of property. That's the most out of any crime category on the department's list. 484 of them were in the Fan - the most when compared to other neighborhoods.

We broke down the numbers with Lt. Erlan Marshall, who protects the Fan. We wanted to find out why he thinks his officers get these calls.

"Seeing as how the Fan has an intricate network of streets, and we're in an urban environment," said Marshall.

Lt. Marshall also says the high population of people in their late teens and early twenties, also contributes to the issue. But here's the important thing to remember:

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