Edition 79: puppy scams and other holiday tricks

(This newsletter was sent to email subscribers on December 18, 2020.)

Happy Friday, Below the Folders. The pandemic has once again emphasized the importance of local news, as more communities need access to timely updates of local conditions. Sadly, years of cutbacks and budget reductions are making it harder for these local newsrooms to survive. That’s why we’re doing our part to help readers and newsrooms alike, by offering a chance to win a 1-year subscription to your local paper of choice. To enter, all you have to do is invite a friend to read Below the Fold! The more people you refer, the higher your likelihood of winning. Here’s to building towards a more informed 2021 together — starting with these stories below.

HEALTH

U.S. ‘Muslim’ travel ban linked to preterm births

Wed Dec 9

President Trump’s travel ban is leading to some unintended consequences. The 2017 ban restricted travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries, and a new study shows it led to an increase in preterm births for women from those affected countries living in the U.S. The travel ban is still in effect today.

In fact, immigrant women from those impacted countries were 7% more likely to have a preterm birth between 2017 and 2018, according to researchers at Columbia University. Meanwhile, other women saw no change. A birth is considered preterm if the baby is born before 37 weeks of pregnancy. Infants born this early are associated with higher risks of death, learning disabilities, visual problems, and other health complications.

So what’s the link between the ban and these births?

While the study couldn’t say for sure, researchers have a couple hypotheses.

• The first was stress, either from the initial shock of the ban being placed or from chronic stress as the ban constantly evolved
• The second was around quality of care, as some women may have avoided their prenatal care because of fear or discrimination

And this isn’t the first time a study has linked the impacts of immigration policies and discrimination on pregnant mothers. After September 11, women with Arabic names were 34% more likely to have an infant with a low birth weight. And in 2018, a restrictive immigration law in Arizona was associated with lower birth weights for Latina immigrant mothers.

President-elect Joe Biden has said he will eliminate the travel ban, which his campaign site states is not only morally wrong but counterproductive and economically damaging.

SOURCES: CNN, The Lily, Columbia University

SCAMS

Spotting holiday shopping scams

Sponsored by TrueName by donuts

The holidays often mean family, presents, and lots of food — but it’s also the season for shopping scams. This year fears of these scams are higher than ever given online spending is expected to increase 33% as more people are avoiding the stores and staying home due to the pandemic.

In fact, there are already a few popular scams taking life this year, and they’re not always easy to spot. These include:

1. Offers that are too good to be true. For example, the PlayStation 5 is a hot item this year with fake deals spotted on legitimate apps and third party marketplaces. Even older models have fake deals offering nearly 50% the normal price.
2. Puppy scams. That’s right, people pretending to sell you an animal (that never arrives).
3. Imposter websites. Scammers are getting better about matching logos and picking similar names or symbols.
4. Fine print fraud. In these situations, sellers falsely represent a product and use the fine print to contradict themselves and keep you from being able to return it.

What are some ways to avoid these scams?

There’s a few ways we can protect ourselves and/or our businesses from being involved in holiday scams. For customers:

• Diligently check sellers, web stores, and even payment apps for processes that leave you with all the risk, such as asking for upfront payment through a separate app
• Read the fine print, as standard as it might look

For businesses:

• Keep customers aware of your active deals so they avoid potential harm
• Invest in better website names with more security features

Our sponsor, TrueName, blocks imposter domains so scammers don’t use your site and good name to hurt your customers. Their websites also allow for more relevant, descriptive domain names with over 240 descriptive extension options (such as .business, .news, or .studio). These TrueName domains are available wherever domain names are sold, including Name.com.

SOURCES: Detroit Free Press, Total Retail, Security Boulevard

JUSTICE

Supreme Court removes five-year statute of limitations loophole for military rape cases

Thu Dec 10

A legal loophole protected at least four service members from rape charges — even though one of them had a taped confession. This was possible due to a five-year statute of limitations for sexual assault before 2006. Now, thanks to a unanimous ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court said that the military can, at any time, prosecute sexual assault cases committed between 1986 and 2006.

How was this all possible?

Under military law, most crimes must be charged within five years. In 2006, Congress revised this code to make it clear that rape could be prosecuted at any time without limitation. However, this created a loophole for the five-year statute of limitations for sexual assaults committed before 2006. Now this supreme court ruling makes it clear once again.

This ruling comes as the military tries to address its own sexual assault problems. In a recent survey, more than 20,000 service members reported experiencing sexual assault. The pentagon report from 2018 revealed a 38% increase in sexual assault with one in 16 women in the military reporting sexual assault within the last year.

SOURCES: CNN, Military Times, CBS News, WEAR-TV

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That’s all for today. Have a magical weekend.✨