Alexandria Core's Blog

Coalition Against Insurance Fraud: Dodging auto premiums should be crime

Lying about garaging vehicles burdens honest drivers

Summer driving season is in full swing. It’s a reminder that dishonest drivers are illicitly registering their vehicles in states where premiums are lower. The Coalition is calling for states to go after these drivers.

Using out-of-state addresses to insure a car illegally reduces the driver’s auto premiums. It also burden honest insurance consumers who insure their vehicles with their real address. They may pay higher auto premiums thanks to drivers who cheat the system.

North Carolina was the first state to tackle this issue by requiring new insureds to show proof of residence before an insurer could write a policy. Out-of-staters were registering their vehicles in North Carolina for the lower auto premiums.

North Carolina recently went a step further and put more teeth in the existing law. Trucking firms are falsely registering their fleets in the state yet have no operations there. The new law requires businesses to prove they ply the roads in the Tar Heel state.

Falsely registering vehicles in New Jersey is a specific insurance crime.

The Coalition seeks a similar law in New York. Bills have stalled, though we and our partners there are planning to reboot in 2017.

A Maryland bill would’ve let insurers rescind policies of drivers who falsely registered their vehicles in the state. The state held a public meeting. An insurer told about a claimed loss in Maryland by an insured who lived in New York — where the insurer doesn’t write coverage. The insurer paid the claim to avoid a baseless yet potentially costly bad-faith suit.

The statehouse will revisit legislation in 2017.

The Coalition strongly supports targeting auto rate evasion. Tough state laws can remove a driver’s incentive to take the risk. Consumers who lie about where they drive to lower their auto premiums add burdens to the many thousands of honest drivers. This undermines the integrity of the auto-insurance system.

Fraud fighters have taken the forefront on this issue. Stay alert to auto-premium evasion in your state. Tell the Coalition and your state insurance department. Falsely registering a vehicle should be a ticket to jail, not an easy source of summer spending money.

About the author: Howard Goldblatt is director of government affairs for the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud.

Coalition Against Insurance Fraud: Pa. Airbag-Fraud Bill Would Help Knock out Knockoffs

Coalition urges state Senate passage to protect consumers from shady body shops

Making airbag scams a specific crime in Pennsylvania will save lives and deal a blow to insurance scams, the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud has urged the state senate majority leader.

“Airbags protect us from serious injuries or worse. We rightfully expect they will protect us during crashes. The use of counterfeit or non-functional airbags jeopardizes that expectation,” director of government affairs Howard Goldblatt wrote Sen. Jake Corman.

HB 1476 cleared the state Senate Finance Committee this week, and faces a vote on the full Senate floor. The Coalition urged swift passage.

Motorists face a serious safety peril. Knockoffs generally won’t open properly in a crash. Drivers have died and been injured in crashes involving non-functioning counterfeits or fraudulently removed airbags. Knockoffs also spewed shrapnel and flames at crash dummies in federal tests.

Dishonest body shops can easily buy knockoffs on the black market or mainstream sites such as eBay or Craigslist. Counterfeits cost just a few dollars, though shady body shops charge auto insurers $1,000 or more for legitimate manufacturer originals.

“The ethically challenged repair shop thus pockets a large and illegal profit. This is insurance fraud against the consumer and insurer, helping keep premiums higher for honest drivers in Pennsylvania,” Goldblatt wrote.

Thirteen states have made airbag fraud a specific crime in recent years. HB 1476 would add similar protections for Pennsylvania consumers, Goldbatt wrote.

A Chinese national named Dai Zhensong tried to flood the U.S. with fake airbags made in his factory in China. They looked like legitimate models from mainstream carmakers. His airbags spewed shrapnel onto crash dummies in federal tests.

Thousands of airbags made it to the U.S. Many could’ve been installed on vehicles. Zhensong’s network was dismantled and he received 37 months in federal prison.

“HB 1476 will help protect Pennsylvania consumers from counterfeit airbags and the public-safety problems they pose,” Goldblatt wrote.

Moss Adams Business Consultants: Tax Planning Strategies

Tailored strategies to help ease your burden.

INTEGRATED GUIDANCE

Most of the financial decisions you make have an impact on your taxes. As a result, it takes careful planning to employ tax-saving strategies. Our experienced team of tax professionals can address your unique needs and equip you with insight and answers to help reduce your taxes and financial risk while preserving your hard-earned wealth.

We provide customized guidance to fit your situation so that your tax strategy works in concert with other components of your financial framework and lifestyle. For business owners and executives, we also help you navigate the relationships and complexities of personal and business tax planning.

Services we offer include:

• Estate tax planning
• Individual income tax planning
• Stock option planning
• Federal, state, and international tax
• State residency planning
• Cross-border tax planning
• Tax impact of selling your business or transitioning ownership interests
• Representation before the IRS

ARTICLE REVIEW: James Earl Hamilton Marsden Paternal Great-Grandfather

Sir John Hamilton of Cadzow, 4th Laird of Cadzow (b. bef. 1370 – d. c. 1402) was a Scottish nobleman and soldier.

He succeeded his father, DaCadzow, no later than 1392, when he appears on a charter of Andrew Murray of Touchadam as Dominus.

He was imprisoned, along with his brothers William and Andrew, in Norwich in 1396. Richard II of England ordered their release from the Mayor and bailies of that city on 29 June. It appears that their imprisonment was due to violations of the truce between the Kingdoms of England and Scotland. John Hamilton, brother of John Hamilton of either feeling Bardowi, then the uncle of John Hamilton of Fingalto, was released from the Tower of London on the same date.

A John Hamilton, either his brother John Hamilton of Bardowie, or uncle John Hamilton of Fingalton, was released from the Tower of London on the same date. Hamilton and his uncle seem to have found themselves guests of the English again.

For more info about this topic, click here.

Who We Are? - Hill & Associates Ltd Hong Kong Security Risk Management

Our Team

Our strength is the breadth of our Asia-based team and depth of local knowledge. Our staff of more than 150 includes experts from around the world in fields ranging from law, accounting and banking to military, intelligence and computer forensics. All adhere to strict ethical and internal codes of conduct. Discretion, effectiveness and professionalism make our team – individually and as a unit – your trusted adviser.

Meet some of our team members. Neil Marshall Managing Director

Neil has more than 30 years of experience in security and business risk consulting across Asia, Africa and the Middle East. He helps corporate clients manage internal fraud matters, labour and commercial relationships, and crisis and contingency management issues, working with stakeholders and senior management to create solutions that are logical, ethical and economically sound. Clients include top-tier Fortune 500 organisations during times of exponential growth into new markets and operations.

Mike Groves Security Risk Management

Prior to joining Hill & Associates, Mike completed a 28-year career in the Hong Kong Police Force, rising to directorate rank. During his service, Mike commanded the VIP Protection and Tactical Units, and oversaw operations at events including the Handover of Hong Kong in 1997 and meetings of the World Bank, IMF and WTO. Mike works with clients to pre-empt and address issues that impinge on business operations and reputation risk.

John Bruce Corporate Intelligence

John Bruce runs our Corporate Intelligence service line, which encompasses business intelligence and integrity and background checks. In addition to this, he has specific responsibility for gaming related due diligence, having become involved in the gaming industry due to the burgeoning expansion in worldwide gaming that took place alongside the expansion of the worldwide web. He has considerable experience in providing independent consulting services to companies in the gaming industry on the nature of the industry in Asia.

Adelene Wee Fraud Prevention & Integrity Risk

Adelene has worked throughout Asia and has extensive experience in the practicalities of doing business – both local and cross-border. She is responsible for managing and conducting client engagements focused on the areas of fraud, bribery and corruption, ethics, corporate governance and integrity and compliance matters. Prior to joining Hill & Associates, Adelene worked in tax and legal services in a Big Four firm and in corporate and commercial law at several international firms.

What We Do - Hill & Associates Ltd Security Risk Management

Operating in a volatile business environment means challenges can spring up without warning. Deep local knowledge allows us to react swiftly and effectively, no matter where, how or why the crisis has arisen.

We have helped our clients:

• Carry out a series of threat, vulnerability and risk assessments across a portfolio of hotels
• Design and train crisis management plans for relevant business risks covering information or cyber security, fires, floods, medical emergencies, earthquakes, civil unrest and bomb/terror threats
• Manage security and logistics for a corporate event with thousands of attendees
• Protect personnel during periods of transition, downsizing and restructuring
• Assess locations and evaluate facilities’ access points, perimeter and environment
• Provide comprehensive crisis planning, training and including risk assessments for many international schools across Asia


Our Capabilities

Security Risk Management

Crisis Management
- Risk Assessment & Contingency Planning
- Crisis Management Training & Support
- Business Continuity Risk Management


Operations & Facility Risk
- Threat, Vulnerability & Risk Assessment (TVRA)
- Security Review
- Technical Security Design
- Capital Projects Risk Management
- Supply Chain Risk Management
- Technical Surveillance Countermeasure (TSCM) Services


Travel & Event Risk Management
- Risk Assessment & Review
- Travel Facilitation & Support
- Venue and Event Planning & Support
- Executive, Personal & Family Protection


Corporate Intelligence

Counterparty Risk - Due Diligence and Investment Appraisal
- Strategic & Market Intelligence
- Executive Profiling and Vendor Screening
- Pre-Employment Screening
- Shareholder Action Services
- Litigation Support


Fraud Prevention & Integrity Risk Management

Integrity Risk
- Fraud & Compliance Risk Training and Management
- Fraud and Corruption Enquiries
- Litigation Support


Brand & IP Risk
- Risk Assessment and Controls Review
- IP & Trade Secret Protection
- Intelligence Gathering and Analysis
- Program Design and Enforcement Actions


Risk Information

• GIS (Global Intelligence Service)
• Country Risk Reports
• Commissioned Reporting


Cyber Security

Cyber / Information Security
- Incident Response and Planning
- Bespoke Advisory Services
- Risk Assessment, Controls and Security Review
- Technical Security Design
- Cyber Situational Awareness
- Threat Intelligence
- Training and Workshops
- Perimeter & System Hardening and Application Security Testing
- Penetration Testing and Vulnerability Assessments
- Digital Due Diligence, Expert Witness Services
- Computer Forensics and Digital Preservation
- Data Recovery and Secure Destruction

What to Invest in Singapore - 5 Worst Types of Financial Advice

You know the problem with financial advice? It’s the people who dispense it: Insurance salesmen, bankers, property agents…most people in position to give good advice also have no motive to do so. They’ve all got an angle of some sort. And short of strapping them in a chair and going at them with a golf club (pick the bankers, it legally counts as pest control) you can seldom get reliable advice. Instead you get dangerous gibberish, like:

1. The Rental Income Will Pay For The Property

This argument suggests property is practically free. You take a home loan, then rent out the house. The rental income will then cover part (or even all) of the repayments.

Look, if it were that simple, I’d be getting plastered in an Amsterdam nightclub right now, instead of writing this for a living. But I know better.

This advice assumes rental income is consistent. It’s not. Tenants pay late, dispute contract terms, and don’t renew leases. Ask any landlord: Getting tenants to behave is like training cats to execute parade drills. Then there’s the global market: If MNCs implement cutbacks (like now, thanks to the Euro crisis), expatriate tenants start heading home.

It’s true that property is the best investment. But the problem with this advice is presumption: Never assume the rental income will cover the home loan. Always be prepared to upkeep an empty apartment for a few months.

And if you can’t afford loan repayments without rental income, you can’t afford the property.

2. Forex Trading Will Make You Millions

Question: How does an amateur trader make a million dollars on Forex?

Answer: Start with two million.

95% of Forex trading accounts close in the first year. Most dabblers break even; a pitiful few lose everything. Either way, it’s a waste of time and money.

That’s because Forex seldom rewards day traders or dabblers. Don’t get me wrong, it is a viable path to wealth. It’s just not as easy as brokers pretend. Take a look at the typical successful Forex investor:

They start with massive capital (sometimes in the millions), can afford to lose significant sums, and almost always have a career in finance. Moving money around is their full time job. Do you seriously think reading your Dummies Guide to Forex puts you on the same level? That’s like trying to join a PGA tour because Tiger Woods once gave you a golf tip.

In short: If you are the sort of person who could make millions on Forex, you wouldn’t be listening to the broker. The broker would be listening to you.

3. Budget First

Most people only start budgeting once they feel “squeezed”. A common cause is a major purchase (e.g. a car or house). Then these people panic, decide to budget, and find they can contain their expenditures like a haemophiliac can control blood loss.

A better idea is to try to grow your income first, and budget if that fails. For example, say you’re going to buy a car or a house. On your current income, you’ll live about as comfortably as a a pomfret in a desert. Instead of starting a spreadsheet to dictate your purchases for the next five years, focus on finding ways to make more money.

Ask for a raise, find some side-income, change your job. Exhaust every possible avenue of growing your income, before resorting to budgeting. Remember: Earning capacity first, and budgeting second. It should be common sense.

4. Buy Big Company Shares When They Drop

Sometimes this comes from amateur investors. Other times, it comes from market manipulators who are looking to offload garbage.

The idea is that big business is cyclical; when a big company’s shares decline in value, it’s just a matter of time before they go back up again. Because it’s a major corporate establishment, and “it’ll recover for sure”. So buy the shares now, while they’re cheap.

People who cite this advice will invariably mention Apple, and how low Apple shares used to be. Well here’s a counter-example: Kodak. Sometimes, shares go down and stay down. Sometimes, a company’s product is absolutely, irrevocably doomed. There will be no recovery, and the money you put into it is just lost.

“Always buy when low” is a bad assumption all around. If you don’t understand a company, don’t bet on its recovery. Even if it does recover, it could take years for the share value to rise again.

5. You Are Young, You Can Afford To Take More Risks

nd being young, you’re also more likely to survive bear attacks. Does that make you more inclined to strap raw steaks to your ass and climb into a polar bear’s cage?

Look, it’s true being younger has advantages. You can take longer loans, you have more working years, and you can live off Maggi Mee for months. But that’s not an accurate form of risk assessment. The amount of money you can lose is based on your income and savings, not on your age (or lack thereof).

In fact, this advice is so bad, sometimes its opposite is true: If you’re a young student with just $5000 in the bank, you can afford to lose less than a 50 year old businessman with accumulated assets. And that’s how you should calculate acceptable risks: Based on the money and assets you have.

Promenade Medical Office to Elk Grove - Richard Isaacs MD

Kaiser health, wellness facility coming to Elk Grove

On June 16, Kaiser Doctors and area leaders broke ground at what will eventually be the new Promenade Medical Office Building in south Elk Grove.

The two-story, 67,000- square-foot Kaiser Permanente facility will be designed to focus on matters affecting patients’ mind, body and soul.

It will feature a 50-meter outdoor sports track that will be part of a 4,000-square-foot Sports Medicine Center where athletes can be evaluated and rehabilitated.

In addition to the sports center, the medical office will also house adult medicine, pediatrics, women’s health, health education, radiology, laboratory and pharmacy services.

The building is scheduled to open in late 2011.

Elk Grove Mayor Sophia Scherman, Vice Mayor Steve Detrick, city council member Pat Hume, Dr. Richard Isaacs, M.D., and Dr. Lisa Liu, M.D., broke ground where the new facility will be built.

“Your presence in Elk Grove means more quality health and wellness for our residents,” Scherman said in a speech before they broke ground.

Dr. Isaacs and Dr. Liu also addressed the crowd.

Liu said the building will be “thoughtfully designed” with soothing colors, local artwork and a coffee bistro inside.

“We’re committed to making our facility a one-stop shop,” she said.

The new office will have a Healthy Living store where members can buy health and wellness equipment.

“We’ve been looking forward to this for quite some time,” Isaacs said. “Driving through the community, we’re aware of the economic impact in this area.”

Liu echoed that statement in her speech, saying, “I’m sure it won’t be long until this facility is surrounded by retail stores and restaurants.”

The building will be adjacent to the vacant Elk Grove Promenade Mall site where construction halted due to developer General Growth Properties undergoing bankruptcy.

When Scherman addressed the crowd, she discussed the unfinished mall behind her. “Although there is no set date, the mall will open,” Scherman said; “hopefully, within two years, it will be completed.”

Kaiser is thinking about the future, Isaacs said.

“We’re really hoping this will stimulate this part of the region,” he said.

In the past 10 years, Kaiser has added 30,000 new area patients. This new facility will be able to accommodate the health needs of current and future members.

Since 1999, Kaiser began phasing out the use of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic in construction and implemented more environmentally friendly construction materials in their building designs.

The Promenade Medical Office Building will be built so that solar energy panels can be added in the future.

Dr. Richard Isaacs: Kaiser’s summer internship program

Kaiser’s summer internship program gives high school students a chance to see if medical field is right for them

Valley High School senior Faith Allison thought she was interested in cardiology when she started a paid internship at Kaiser Permanente’s South Sacramento Medical Center this summer, but she liked the variety she saw in trauma.

Luther Burbank graduate Melany Caldera figured “you can’t go wrong with health care,” but she got dizzy every time she saw blood. Human resources, she likes.

The idea behind the Kaiser internship program is to give underrepresented and low-income students a close-up view of the career promise of health care before they make a career choice. A comprehensive program that focuses on careers in demand, it can also serve as a pipeline for future Kaiser employees.

“It’s really important for people who have an interest to see their destination before they begin their journey,” said Dr. Richard Isaacs, physician-in-chief at Kaiser’s South Sacramento hospital. “Our hope is they will go back to their own community with a better idea of what they can and want to do.”

The Summer Youth Employment Program is one of the community benefits Kaiser offers in exchange for tax-exempt status. There are 215 participants in Northern California this summer, about 30 in the Sacramento area.

Eleven high-achieving students were selected from 150 applicants for internships at Kaiser South Sacramento.

The full-time program runs for eight weeks. Students do workshops, projects and rotations in departments, meet weekly to share information — and get paid $8 an hour at a time when many high school students have trouble getting a job.

Other local health systems offer internship programs for high school students, too. But most are unpaid.

“Any organized professional experience we can expose young people to — and high school seems to be the focus now — can pique interest in and provide direction for college and medical school,” said Scott Seamons, regional vice president of the Hospital Council of Northern and Central California.

A lot of exposure’

Karima Ziyarmal, now 23, was a 2006 summer intern at Kaiser’s South Sacramento hospital.

Roy Ayers Celebrates 75th Birthday with Gilles Peterson

The meet up between the legendary American Pop Funk Artist, Roy Ayers and one of the world’s most acclaimed disk jockey, Gilles Peterson is one of the most awaited in the BBC 6 programme until it aired last September 12, 2015. It even coincided with the celebration of Ayers’ 75th birthday just two days before.

As the programme started to air, jazz music composed by Ayers himself was being played in the background, creating a lively atmosphere for those who are tuned in.

The two also reviewed Ayers’ first break in the music industry, his famous masterpieces and his exciting personal experiences without skipping a beat on Roy’s personal favorite composition, Everybody Loves the Sunshine.

Roy and Gilles looked back on Ayer’s first gig with Chico Hamilton, another famous Jazz drummer and bandleader, when they traveled to the Far East region of the world as they called Japan in 1965. Roy also applauded the famous jazz flautist, Herbie Mann and went on with his four-year friendship with him. He shared how Mann was able to help him and two others on their own financial budgeting and guided them through the business circulating in the music industry when they were traveling overseas in the late 1970s. Ayers also admitted that even when he is already 75 years old, he is still learning how to integrate the passion in music to the professional side of it.

Peterson also prodded on Ayers’ incredible record count. Roy was humble enough to admit that he has 91 albums, 43 albums short of Lionel Hamilton’s. Everybody Loves the Sunshine is pointed as his favorite before the actual demo was played exclusively for the audience to listen to. This record is also known to be one of Ayers’ signature compositions which earned him the title, “the Godfather of Neo Soul”. Roy is also a key figure in the acid jazz movement, which is a mixture of jazz, funk and hip hop.

Throughout the programme, Gilles and Roy continued to talk about the nostalgic feeling of Roy’s music. Peterson also stated that he had been enjoying mixing it out in his performances worldwide. The records have also been a favorite of audiences from Tokyo, Japan, Jakarta, Indonesia and Egypt, much to the delight of the 75-year old jazz performer.

Gilles also commended Ayers for his enthusiasm in traveling and performing, even when he is already passed his prime. Roy’s great pull of the crowd during gigs is also praiseworthy. Ayers also expressed his gratitude to Pharell Williams, one of today’s most famous artists and producer, who publicly pointed him as his idol.

To listen to the funny and nostalgic conversation between Gilles and Roy, a recorded interview is still available for streaming in the BBC site and Brownswood Boiler Room.