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PORTLAND, Ore. It's a company that's the world's largest online retailer of cigarettes. And it has run afoul of the law in Oregon. Otamedia has been indicted on racketeering charges. The company is also charged with computer crimes, distributing smokes without a license and failure to comply with tobacco delivery sales requirements by selling tobacco products to minors. The company is also known online as Yes-Smoke-dot-com and Duty-Free-Cig-dot-com. Otamedia is registered as a corporation in the Central American nation of Belize. But its online site is registered and operated from Switzerland. Oregon Attorney General Hardy Myers says the company accounts for more than 40 percent of the Internet cigarette sales in the United States. IN THE NEWS: STATES REACH PACT WITH COMPANY ALLEGEDLY RUNNING PORN SCAM
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) _ Authorities in New Jersey and 22 other states have reached a deal with a company accused of scamming thousands of Internet users. Alyon Technologies of Secaucus, New Jersey is accused of billing people for online pornography that they didn't request. The company has agreed to refund money to anyone who paid bills but who complained that they didn't really order the porn. And those who refused to pay will have their debts forgiven. In addition, the company has agreed to make sure that future online transactions are verified before they are billed.
IN THE NEWS: MAN ACCUSED OF SOLICITING TSUNAMI DONATIONS FOR PERSONAL USE
PITTSBURGH (AP) _ A Pennsylvania man faces federal charges for allegedly trying to solicit donations for tsunami relief by sending 800-thousand phony e-mails. Federal prosecutors say the e-mails were purported to be from a nationally known aid organization. Matthew Schmieder was arrested in Pittsburgh Thursday. According to court documents, he planned to use any money he got to repair his car and pay bills. According to the criminal complaint, Schmieder sent e-mails that contained three images that linked to -- or referenced Mercy Corps' server in Oregon -- and a link for donations to be sent to a PayPal account. Officials with PayPal say the account contained 150-dollars. Its source is unclear.
ON THE WEB: N-F-L PLAYOFFS
CYBERSPACE (AP) _ Though Randy Moss' mock mooning may have, shall we say, eclipsed some of the spotlight, the N-F-L's second season is still shining bright. There are four games on the schedule, as the chase for the Super Bowl continues. The N-F-L site features news on all of the remaining playoff teams as well as stats, player profiles and key match-ups of this weekend's action.
On the Net:
N-F-L site: http://www.nfl.com
IN STORES: SPRUNG
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ This is a title that gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "hooking up" your Nintendo D-S system. "Sprung" by Ubisoft is a dating game that lets players meet, flirt and try to hook up with people in the virtual world. The action centers on a ski resort in Colorado that caters to sexy singles. The various players have a wide range of emotions and attitudes, from drama queens to studs. Along the way you get to meet various "challenges," including landing the all-important first kiss to getting into the ski lift with the object of your amorous attentions. As you might expect, the title is rated "T" for Teens by the E-S-R-B.
On the Net:
Ubisoft site: http://www.ubisoft.com
E-S-R-B site: http://www.esrb.org
by Oscar Wells Gabriel II
Oscar Gabriel can be reached at [email protected].
Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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