The Chilliwack
Progress Friday
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Warmth
Pipeline
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Coldest Night hopes to spread a little warmth.
Spreading the pipeline word.
Young Parents get new home at CSS.
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Y O U R C O M M U N I T Y N E W S PA P E R • F O U N D E D I N 1 8 9 1 • W W W. T H E P R O G R E S S . C O M • F R I D AY, J A N U A R Y 3 1 , 2 0 1 4
Fraud attempt prompts warning
■ A B RIDGE O VER
Eric Welsh The Progress Darren Neilson said his big mistake was being too nice and wanting to help someone. That’s how he became an almostvictim of a well-concocted scam. “Being too kind-hearted might have been my deficit,” he said Thursday as he followed an email trail back to where it all began. Neilson’s ordeal, one that almost cost him $5,000 and could potentially have had criminal ramifications, started Jan. 4 with an innocent email. “Interested In Earning $500 Weekly From Home,” he read as he opened the message. “Write Back For More Details.” For many people, that might set off alarm bells. But Neilson is an Internet entrepreneur, and in his world it’s not uncommon to get perfectly legitimate offers like this, right out of the blue. With experience as an Internet systems administrator and a keen eye for phishing emails and scam artists, he claims to usually know when something’s off. “He wasn’t asking for any wrong info, just basics like my name, phone number and address,” Neilson recalled. “Nothing about credit cards or bank info. This one felt safe.” “Tell me more,” Neilson wrote back. Two days later, He got an email from Rogers Smith, a man identifying himself as ‘an international business man.’ Continued: SCAM/ p4
A pedestrian makes his way across the Vedder Bridge on a rainy winter afternoon on Wednesday. JENNA HAUCK/ PROGRESS
Info sessions on Kinder Morgan pipeline coming Jennifer Feinberg The Progress Chilliwack will be one of several Fraser Valley communities holding public information sessions on how to participate in the National Energy Board (NEB) review of Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain Pipeline proposal. Hosted by the PIPE UP Network and ForestEthics Advocacy, the public session in Chilliwack is set for 7-9 p.m. on February 6 at UFV Chilliwack. The public have to navigate a tricky application process, and all participants are required to prove that they are either
“directly affected” by the proposed project or possess relevant expertise. In order to participate as an intervenor or to submit a letter of comment, all applicants must be approved by the NEB. “Residents in Chilliwack and other communities within the Fraser Valley Regional District have expressed concerns about the possibility of a route through the Cheam Lake Wetlands. Many are interested in making comments,” said Michael Hale, a Chilliwack resident. Applications to participate from groups and individuals will be only accepted by the NEB
until February 12, following the formal project application, which was filed in December 2013. “The pipeline route is also near several schools in the Lower Mainland,” said Hale. “I’m sure that the NEB would want to hear the views of these residents, so the intent of these sessions is to make it easier for people to voice their opinions.” Kinder Morgan is proposing to build a new export pipeline to carry diluted bitumen to offshore markets. The proposal is to ship an additional 590,000 barrels of bitumen through B.C. Local PIPE UP member Lynn Perrin said: “Everyone in
Southwestern BC is potentially affected by this pipeline proposal, yet it is much more difficult for residents to speak about how it affects them. “Residents can no longer make oral statements as they did in the review of SE2 10 years ago or in the more recent review of the Northern Gateway pipeline proposal.” The Chilliwack session is on February 6, at the University of the Fraser Valley Chilliwack room A1354, at 45190 Caen Ave. For more contact Michael Hale at sunfolk@gmail.com, or 604799-3391
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