News for Sunday, July 29th, 2018

• The local news program that appeared on the main broadcast channel for WKRG-TV during the first half of the hour of 12:00 p.m. on the Thursday of the twenty-sixth day of this July ("WKRG News 5 at Noon") appeared to have had its news presenter (Devon Walsh) saying, "Well it is time now to switch gears and check in with meteorologist for* John Nodar for a look at our weather forecast. Looks like, uh, we got some clouds in the sky today, John" before appearing to have had a report related to weather from a reporter named "John Nodar" (*note: not a typographical error).

• The local news program that appeared on the main broadcast channel for WKRG-TV during the first half of the hour of 10:00 p.m. on the Tuesday of the twenty-third day of this July ("WKRG News 5 at 10") appeared to have had one of its news presenters (Mel Showers) saying, "A News 5 community alert: we are teaming up with the American Red Cross and Bebo's Car Wash for a blood drive. We're calling on you to step up and help save lives on the gulf coast. The blood drive begins next Tuesday, July thirty-first, and runs through August second. The blood mobile will travel through Mobile and Baldwin counties. For times and locations, visit our Web site: WKRG dot com".          

• The local news program that appeared on the main broadcast channel for WALA-TV during the first half of the hour of 10:00 p.m. on the Wednesday of the twenty-fifth day of this July ("FOX 10 News at 10:00 p.m.") appeared to have had an animated sequence involving graphic resembling text of "BREAKING NEWS" before appearing to have had one of its news presenters (Lenise Ligon) saying, "And breaking news now about a scam that could have affected a lot of people this past weekend, so listen...very carefully to this: Mobile County sheriff's office says skimmers were put on gas pumps in the southern part of the county, and so far, more than twenty people have been taken, but deputies say that number will likely go up after you hear this -- here's the deal: the sheriff's office wouldn't tell us which stations were targeted, only saying that the gas stations were near I-ten in the Grand Bay and Irvington area. So if you used your debit card over the weekend at a gas pump, in that area, check your account as soon as possible. We're told the thieves are using the stolen information to take out money at ATMs in the New Orleans area, so act fast; there's a kicker to all of this too: deputies believe the scammers were targeting people who were either coming or going from the deep-sea fishing rodeo. If you're a victim, call the sheriff's office after you contact your bank. And here's how you can look for those skimmers and avoid being at risk of ca--card fraud: there's some things you can do when you're at the pump or the ATM: first, look before you insert your card, see if there's anything different, and check for any broken seals on the fuel pump. Also, give the card reader a good yank; if it's a fake, it's going to slide right off. Thieves have to place a card reader over the existing one in order to take your information. Always cover the keyboard, too, when you enter in your PIN number, and remember to check your bank statements and current balances frequency. If you notice charges you didn't make, call your bank immediately" immediately afterwards.