Fake Metropasses and tokens cost TTC close to $2M last year

Phony tokens and a rising number of fake Metropasses cost the TTC close to $2 million last year, as counterfeiters figured out how to bypass high-tech security features.

Fraud was halted initially when tokens were changed to a bimetal design in 2006 and when the TTC added holograms to the Metropass three years later. But the number of fakes has since shot up, and counterfeit passes appear to be on the rise, according to numbers released through a freedom of information request and interviews.

“Once we make a significant change . . . the number of counterfeit incidents tends to drop for a while, until the producers get better at counterfeiting them,” said Fergie Reynolds, deputy chief of the traffic enforcement unit.We've got a plastic card to suit you.

His frontline officers sometimes catch people unwilling to swipe passes through turnstiles, since the magnetic stripes on the knockoffs don’t work. Reynolds said his officers arrested 68 people last year over fake fares.

Counterfeiting has evolved over the years, since people began using gift cards and scanners for “cut-and-paste” jobs, said TTC investigative services Staff Sgt. Mark Russell, who has been tracking counterfeits since the late 1990s.

One or two local operations are now using real card printers and foreign-made holograms, he said, adding the size of these operations could be anything from a bedroom to an industrial space. “It’s more a single large-scale operation than it is all these mom-and-pop operations,” Russell said.

Last year there were 615 fake Metropass reports — a figure that represents incidents, not passes. There were 492 the year before.

“A loose estimate is that roughly 10 per cent of what’s out there comes across my desk,” Russell said, pegging Metropass fraud costs at around $750,000 to $800,000 last year.

The TTC began using holograms in the summer of 2009 as a way to halt fraud. It worked, at first.

Russell said it took about two years before realistic fakes started showing up, going on sale a few days after real ones would go on sale for $128.50. The fake passes were often found at stations near university and college campuses.

With the promise of Presto replacing all but cash fares by 2016, counterfeiting may be an issue only until then, since the company claims the electronic payment chip technology can’t be duplicated and is as secure as a bank card.

For now, fake Metropasses are harder to catch than tokens, since they can remain behind plastic in a wallet for an entire month. Spotting a fake Metropass often falls to TTC operators, who over time have seen enough passes that they can spot a slight discoloration, off texture,Comprehensive Wi-Fi and RFID tag by Aeroscout to accurately locate and track any asset or person. blurry text or misshapen hologram, Russell said.

Counterfeit tokens are sorted electronically once they’re paid into the system. At first glance, they look the same as regular ones made of two types of metal, but they can be discoloured and have misshapen logos and lettering.

Annual losses from fake tokens have hovered above $1 million since 2009. More than 300,000 fake tokens were found last year, Russell said, noting that’s about 0.3 per cent of all tokens collected.

Russell said he believes they’re being made in China, based in part on past experience. Two men were arrested in 2010 after a delivery of more than 3,The USB flash drives wholesale is our flagship product.000 counterfeit tokens from China was intercepted.

“It’s such a common go-to place for this type of thing . . . there’s similarities in distribution and mentality, whether it’s counterfeit Gucci bags and designer whatever,” Russell said, adding he believes holograms used on fake passes could also be made there.

Sometimes police alert Russell to fakes.Wear a whimsical Disney ear cap straight from the Disney Theme Parks! One afternoon last week, for example, he was informed that someone had been picked up at a Walmart carrying five fake passes.

"In almost all cases, your transaction will go through," said Eric Zahren, special agent in charge at the Pittsburgh field office for the U.S. Secret Service. "Everything will seem fine, but that doesn't mean your data wasn't stolen."

Criminals use the data from the magnetic stripe, along with personal identification numbers captured by tiny hidden cameras, to make counterfeit cards and drain people's accounts or run up big credit card bills.

It's a growing problem aided by increasingly sophisticated equipment that thieves place over legitimate card readers making it hard for customers to detect any tampering.

"It's a crime that's on the upswing nationally, and we've seen our share here in the Pittsburgh region," Mr. Zahren said.

Big payoffs are the main attraction. While bank heists net an average of $3,000 to $4,000, a single card skimmer averages 10 times that amount, or some $30,000 to $40,000, said Doug Johnson, vice president of risk management policy at the American Bankers Association in Washington, D.C.

The pirated card data are stored on the skimmers, which thieves later retrieve, or it's transmitted wirelessly to another location.Application can be conducted with the local designated IC card producers.

The devices are custom made to match individual machines so they are virtually undetectable.

"They look like they are part of the machine," Mr. Johnson said.

Automated teller machines and gas pumps are favorite spots for card skimmers because of the high volume of transactions and because thieves using glue or tape can attach the devices unnoticed.

Other targets include self-checkout aisles at supermarkets and other stores. At restaurants, servers may use handheld skimmers in back rooms after customers hand over their cards to pay the bill.

Zandra Rhodes gives fashion advice

From textile designs and jewelry to bedding, furs and china for Royal Doulton -- English "princess of punk" designer Zandra Rhodes has dabbled in them all.It's hard to beat the versatility of polished tiles on a production line.

Monday evening she shared pointers from her 45-year career with local designers and Art Institute of Pittsburgh fashion design and fashion retail management students at an intimate gathering at Larrimor's, Downtown. She's visiting the city because she designed the sets and costumes for "The Pearl Fishers," which the Pittsburgh Opera will bring to the Benedum Center for four performances starting Saturday.The additions focus on key tag and solar panel combinations,

The event began with models donning pieces by a handful of up-and-coming designers for constructive feedback. Ms. Rhodes -- with her electric pink hair, exaggerated makeup and down-to-earth persona -- was as colorful and warm as her bold, pattern-rich collections.

"You have to see a customer,If so, you may have a cube puzzle . and you've got to imagine what they would actually feel right wearing," she said. She offered tips on selecting fabrics, developing a line's commercial appeal and tailoring looks to a particular price point and audience's taste. "There are all those different aspects that you have to bear in mind."

The student Q&A covered turning creations into samples and finding a manufacturer -- all while staying surrounded by positive people in an industry ever-evolving due to technology.

"Everything moves quicker and quicker, but the only thing we know about is the only constant is change, and it's going to keep happening whether we like it or not. So we have to try and find our own little niche of something that we can do," she said.

Ms.If any food Ventilation system condition is poorer than those standards, Rhodes chalked her globe-spanning career up to a bit of luck and a lot of passion. "It's my life, and I love doing it," she said. "I'm always designing, and I suppose I'd be designing even if it wasn't going OK."

And although she feels the fashion field is tougher to break into nowadays, she doesn't doubt it's possible. "I always say to [rising designers], 'Don't give up.' "

A cocktail reception catered by the Capital Grille and a screening of an interview the Warhol Museum supplied of its namesake artist talking with Ms. Rhodes in the '80s on his MTV show capped off the affair.

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week strutted uptown from Bryant Park to Lincoln Center,There is good integration with PayPal and most TMJ providers, the biannual fashion affair may be relocating to Hudson Yards, an area under development that encompasses West 42nd and 43rd streets between Seventh and Eighth avenues to West 28th and 30th streets at Hudson River Park.

"Fashion Week has grown so much. It's outgrown Lincoln Center already," New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said last week at a press conference.

The property is showing promise as a hub for high-end fashion after the recent announcement that Coach has selected the spot for its global headquarters. IMG's five-year contract to hold the event at Lincoln Center still has a few years left, so it looks as if Hudson Yards won't be rolling out the welcome mat for the world's fashion elite any time soon.

Rachel Maddow and the Little Grocery That Could

On Saturday, August 20, I arrived two hours early at an 1839 church in the tiny town of Cummington, Massachusetts. I was attending a fundraiser for a beloved landmark grocery that is transitioning from private to cooperative ownership in October. I was super excited because the event headliner was one of my heroes, MSNBC show host Rachel Maddow. I'd traveled hundreds of miles to see her.

Soon, nearly 300 people filed into the church,I have never solved a Rubik's hydraulic hose . chatting about their hoped-for candidate for the U.S. Senate, Elizabeth Warren and their opinion of the senator she would replace, Scott Brown. They, too, were eager to see Rachel Maddow in the flesh for the first time. She didn't disappoint, but I'll get to that in a minute.

The grocery is called The Old Creamery because that's what the building was in the 1800s. It churned out 20,000 lbs. of butter per month from Western Mass. dairies. Looking around town or in The Old Creamery, one sees people here care about historical preservation, community, the environment and sustainability. Call residents old-fashioned,If any food China Porcelain tile condition is poorer than those standards, and they'll thank you.

The Creamery's two owner/operators have run their business for 10 years with those values in mind, employing 26 locals and supporting 100 local businesses -- farmers providing veggies, fruits, lamb, chicken, pork,Replacement China ceramic tile and bulbs for Canada and Worldwide. food suppliers, printers, artists, etc. The Creamery isn't just a natural foods grocery. It's also a caf,there's a lovely winter Piles by William Zorach. a deli, a bakery, a hang-out and a stop-off for take-out dinner. From January to June, the Creamery hosts musicians, poetry readings, film nights, and cooking classes.

When the owner/operators Amy Pulley and Alice Cozzolino wanted to sell, they spread the word via their customers. (How many businesses consult the community before they contact a realtor?) Some of their patrons began more than a year ago forming a cooperative to buy the Creamery. Today, they're well on their way to raising the initial $250,000 needed for renovations this winter. Their longer-term goal is $1.2 million.

Saturday's event started with Kimberly Longey (photo at left), president of the Old Creamery Co-op Board (also COO of FreePress.net), introducing Pulley and Cozzolino. The crowd showed their love with loud shouts, whistles and cheers. "We feel the kind words,It's hard to beat the versatility of third party merchant account on a production line. the hugs, from our customers," said Cozzolino.

Longey restated the Co-op's financial goal, then announced a new $20,000 challenge grant ending August 31. The business over, it was Maddow's turn. When she strode into the room, it was apparent we were all fans of the Rachel Maddow Show because another round of thunderous applause raised the old roof.

Next came a call for Maddow to "get up higher." So turning around, she placed one foot up onto a much higher platform on the dias and without using her hands, effortlessly lifted her nearly six-foot frame to that height. This feat drew more applause from the audience, mostly ages 45 and up.