Most Iowans will soon be able to renew their driver’s license on-line, likely starting in mid-July, but Iowa Department of Transportation officials say they’re hearing from Iowans who’ve already been tricked by on-line imposters. Mark Lowe, director of the D-O-T’s motor vehicle division, says there are a number of websites that offer information about how to renew your driver’s license. “They may provide information on how to get your driver’s license in online services and they’ll have you fill out information and pay for something, but what you’re getting is just an easy guide that provides information that we really provide on our website,” Lowe says. “So then people have either shown up at our offices or they’ve called and said, ‘Well, I paid $14 for this, but I haven’t gotten my license yet and it’s because all they were doing was buying some information and not conducting an online transaction that they can only do through us.”

The key is finding the Iowa Department of Transportation’s website, which ends with a dot-gov — and clicking the link for the Motor Vehicle Division. Lowe stresses, however, that online license renewal is not available now. “Because of the way the legislation was set up we’ve got some rules to pass which we will hopefully transact at our July 9 commission meeting and that once that’s done we’ll open up the site hopefully sometime in mid-July and we’ll make sure that’s well-known,” Lowe says. “But we want folks to make sure that when they look at it, they’re seeing that they’re on an Iowa DOT site and not any type of site that’s a .com or a .org.”

Go to the Iowa Motor Vehicle Division website, www.iowadot.gov/mvd/index.htm, which is likely to be updated in July once driver’s license renewal goes online. Legislation signed into law by the governor in mid-May ensures most Iowans between the ages of 18 and 70 will be able to renew their licenses online. However, Iowans with medical or vision problems or other restrictions on their current driver’s license will have to go into a D-O-T station to renew their licenses.

(Radio Iowa)

The Iowa Attorney General’s Office is warning consumers about incidents of “cramming” on cellular phone bills. Officials say if a mysterious unauthorized charge appears on your wireless phone bill—like a monthly horoscope, a “premium service” or membership—you may have been “crammed.”

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), cramming occurs when a company adds a charge to your landline or wireless phone bill for a service you didn’t order, agree to, or use.  For years, landline users have filed complaints about cramming.  More recently, wireless phone users have reported relatively small charges appearing on monthly cell phone bills—often from under a dollar to under $10—for services that they didn’t order.  They may be one-time charges or monthly fees.

Protect Yourself from Cramming

·       Check your monthly wireless phone bill.  Spending just a little time checking your monthly bill, line-by-line, is the very best way to protect yourself from cramming.  If you pay through automatic billing, it’s even more important to look over your wireless phone bill.

·       Look for unauthorized charges.  Look for third party charges that you didn’t authorize and charges that appear to be unusual or have vague titles.  For example, look for “membership” fees, unusual “service” or “voice mail” fees, charges through a 900 number, or even charges for entertainment services or horoscopes.

·       Call your wireless carrier if you’re unsure about a charge—even a small one.  Your wireless carrier should be able to explain all charges on your bill, whether it’s their charge or from a third party.

·       Ask your carrier about blocking third-party charges.  See if your carrier offers blocking options.

·       Dispute unauthorized charges.  If you detect an unauthorized charge, notify your carrier.  Follow up with an email or certified letter, and save a copy of the complaint and certified letter receipt for your records.

·       Avoid providing your wireless number in exchange for “freebies.”  Crammers may lure unsuspecting consumers through websites that promise freebies.  When consumers provide their cell phone number, they may unwittingly sign up for a monthly membership or subscription fee.  Avoid providing your cell phone number to online giveaways, sweepstakes, contest entries, and surveys.  If you do provide your number, be sure you’re familiar with the company collecting the information.

·       Unsolicited text messages can lead to unauthorized charges.  Unsolicited or “spam” text messages, which could be associated with contests, sweepstakes, ringtones, or other services, generally urge the recipient to reply—and sometimes even direct the recipient to reply with the word “stop” to avoid incurring monthly charges.  Before attempting to stop the messages through replying, call your wireless carrier to verify that doing so will actually stop the texts and any associated crammed charges.

·       Avoid calls to “toll-free” entertainment lines.  Many of these numbers may transfer your call to a 900-number, which will result in charges to your phone bill.  The call could also result in your automatic enrollment in a monthly “membership” charged to your phone bill.

·       Crammers can also sneak in through downloads, apps and clicked ads.  The beautiful free smartphone background picture, the fun free app you can download, and some clicked advertisements may result in unauthorized charges.  A company may disclose the charges, but it’s often buried in fine print that few people read or understand.

To file a complaint or for more information, contact the Iowa Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division, Hoover Bldg., Des Moines, IA 50319.  Call 515-281-5926, or (toll-free) 888-777-4590.  The website is: www.IowaAttorneyGeneral.gov.

A tractor-trailer driver from North Carolina was injured when the semi he was driving went out of control this (Tuesday) morning in Pottawattamie County. The Iowa State Patrol says 37-year old Timothy Dillard, of Rose Hill, NC, was transported by Neola Fire and Rescue to Mercy Hospital in Council Bluffs, after the rig, owned by Gale Marie Werner trucking out of Stillwater, MN, went out of control at around 8-a.m. on Interstate 80 eastbound near the 28-mile marker.

Officials say the 2012 Kenworth jackknifed on the wet pavement and entered the south ditch before coming to rest on the shoulder of the road. The left side fuel tank was punctured during the accident, causing diesel fuel to spill into the ditch. Officials with the Iowa DNR were called-in to investigate the spill.

Authorities in Harlan are investigating recent residential thefts. On Monday, officers were called to a home in the 1700 block of 6th Street, after a resident reported someone may have broken into the back door of her home. Nothing appeared to have been missing. On May 31st, another Harlan resident reported he had returned home to find his front door unlocked, and some video game equipment, games and dvds missing. Included among the missing gaming electronics, was an X-Box 360, and a PlayStation 2. Both incidents remain under investigation.

And the Harlan P-D reports the arrest on May 31st, of 32-year old Daniel Pash, and 37-year old Amanda Hanover, both of Harlan. The pair were arrested on active Shelby County warrants, and were transported to the Shelby County Jail.

FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) – A woman who says she was kidnapped by a northwest Iowa man also accused of killing his mother has testified in his murder trial.  The Messenger in Fort Dodge reports Jessica Vega, of Storm Lake, testified to a Webster County jury Tuesday after opening statements in the trial of 21-year-old Kirk Levin.
 
The 21-year-old Vega said Levin showed up at her home on the morning of Jan. 3 and asked her to drive to nearby Early. She said he later told her she was being kidnapped and tied her up with a rope.  Vega said she was able to escape when Levin drove the car into a ditch.
 
Levin is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Marilyn Schmitt. He also faces a third-degree kidnapping charge.

The Harlan Police Department reports four teens were charged in connection with an incident of criminal mischief last week. Officials say Harlan resident Nathan McClaren reported to police several young persons had dumped a can of tuna underneath the driver’s seat of his 2002 Oldsmobile Alero. Authorites cited 17-year old Catherine Schmitz, of Harlan, with Criminal Mischief in the 4th degree. 16-year old Colin Fuhs, of Portsmouth was cited for joint Criminal Conduct. 18-year old Haley Miller, and 17-year old Shelby Powers, both of Harlan, were charged with aiding and abetting in connection with the incident.