St. Stanislaus School benefit, 9 to 4 in Kolbe Hall, Adams. Bake sale, snack bar, games, Chinese auctions, money raffle, crafts, and pierogi.
Blackinton Union Church, 1373 Massachusetts Ave., North Adams; 10 to 2. Crafts table, bake sale, Chinese auction, the Christmas table, and kid's grab bag. Lunch $4, $2 kids.
First Congregational Church, North Adams, 9-2.
Nov. 28 Becket Federated Church, Route 8, holiday bazaar from 9-3. Lunch, crafts, baked goods, holiday and other items. Information: Mary Peltier, Parish House, 413-623-5217.
Dec. 5
Holiday Fair at First Congregational Church, 25 Park Place, Lee, from 10 to 3; handcrafted items, raffles, children's shop, bake sale, cut Christmas trees and lunch from 11 to 1. Includes angel-themed goods from SERRV. Information, 413-243-1033 or www.ucc-lee.org.
Dec. 12-13
North Adams Country Club, crafts 9-4; food from That's a Wrap from 11-2. Information: Sheryl Morehouse at 413-822-3329.
Planning a bazaar this season? Submit information to info@iberkshires.com to have it listed here.
We're trying out blogs to offer shorter, easy-to-find news. Let us know what you think.
Send press releases and announcements to info@iberkshires.com. Need to contact someone at iBerkshires? Here's how.
Mammography Dispute The government's issued controversial new guidelines stating that women shouldn't get annual mammograms until age 50, rather than age 40.
iBerkshires will be meeting with local medical experts Monday. Have a question you'd like answered on this issue? Send it info@iberkshires.com with "mammogram" in the subject line.
By Paula Fleming Guest Columnist 12:04PM / Thursday, July 16, 2009
As more families look to stretch their dollar, buying a used car, instead of new, is increasingly popular. Unfortunately, some law enforcement agencies are reporting that VIN cloning — which targets used-car buyers — is on the rise and Better Business Bureau advises car buyers to do their research or they could unknowingly purchase a stolen car.
Nearly 4 million used cars were purchased in May, up 23 percent over April, according to CNW Research. Reflecting of our current economy, new-car sales are down 34 percent.
One scam that specifically plagues used-car buyers is vehicle-identification number cloning, which is essentially auto identity theft used by car thieves to unload stolen cars. According to the most recent numbers from CARFAX, as many as 225,000 of the 1.5 million cars stolen every year have been subjected to VIN cloning.
"VIN cloning has two victims," said BBB spokeswoman Paula Fleming. "The first is the victim who had their car stolen, and the second is the unsuspecting buyer because, when the police track down the stolen car, they're going to give it back to the rightful owner and the new owner will suddenly have no car or a way to get his or her money back."
A car's VIN number is a unique number that serves as a way to recognize a specific car. The number is also used by law enforcement to track down and flag stolen cars. For this reason, car thieves will "clone" a stolen car's VIN number to match that of a car that isn't stolen.
Sometimes the thieves will punch out a new VIN and replace the stolen vehicle's dash VIN with the new one or they use computer technology to print out authentic looking documents with phony VINs. The last step is selling the vehicle, usually through classified ads or other informal methods. Some altered vehicles end up in auctions, sold through classifieds or on unsuspecting used car lots.
When police are able to track down stolen cars they will seize the car from the buyer and there is usually little recourse for the unsuspecting buyer to get his or her money back.
BBB recommends taking the following steps to avoid becoming a victim of VIN cloning:
Be extremely cautious if you see a late-model luxury car or SUV selling significantly under normal market price.
Do not fall for the "we need cash quickly" excuse; exercise due diligence.
Check the VIN on the dashboard, inside the door jamb and under the hood against the car's title documents for discrepancies.
Closely examine the car's title, registration and other documents. Fake documents sometimes contain mispelled words.
If you still have questions about the validity of the vehicle's VIN, obtain a comprehensive vehicle history report.
If you believe your car has been cloned — one giveaway according to the FBI is if you receive a notice for unpaid parking tickets — contact your local law enforcement.
Paula Fleming is vice president of communications and marketing for BBB in Boston. BBB is an unbiased non-profit organization that sets and upholds high standards for fair and honest business behavior. For more guidance finding work and avoiding money-making scams, go to bbb.org
