CONSUMER ALERT: New York Department of State’s Division of Consumer Protection Provides Tips to Save on Transportation Costs

 

Part Two of Five-Part Consumer Alert Series to Help New Yorkers Save Money

Follow the New York Department of State on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for “Tuesday’s Tips” – Practical Tips to Educate and Empower New York Consumers on a Variety of Topics 

Secretary Robert J. Rodriguez: “Whether commuting to work, running errands or planning a long road trip, following these tips can help New Yorkers lower their transportation costs so they can hold onto more of their hard-earned money and beat back inflation.”

For this week’s “Tuesday’s Tips,” the Department of State’s Division of Consumer Protection (DCP) is providing tips to help consumers reduce spending on transportation costs. These tips are part two of DCP’s five-part consumer alert series to help New Yorkers save money amidst inflation and rising costs. Follow the New York Department of State on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and check in every Tuesday for more practical tips that educate and empower New York consumers on a variety of topics.

“Saving money can be difficult when prices remain high across the board, but there are easy ways to cut costs in every aspect of our daily lives,” said Secretary of State Robert J. Rodriguez, who oversees the Division of Consumer Protection. “Whether commuting to work, running errands or planning a long road trip, following these tips can help New Yorkers lower their transportation costs so they can hold onto more of their hard-earned money and beat back inflation.”

Plan your drives ahead of time. Combine errands into one trip to save time and money. Several short trips taken from a cold start can use twice as much fuel as a longer multipurpose trip covering the same distance when the engine is warm. Trip planning ensures that traveling is done when the engine is warmed up and efficient, and it can reduce the distance you travel saving fuel and wear/tear on your vehicle.

Adjust your driving habits. Always accelerate gently and maintain a steady speed. Avoid aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and sudden braking), which wastes fuel. It can lower your fuel mileage by 33 percent at highway speeds and by 5 percent around town. Your brakes will appreciate it, too. 

Keep your vehicle tuned up. Check the air filter, tire pressure and coolant. Check your vehicle’s manual for the manufacturer’s recommended timeline for oil changes. A poorly maintained car uses more gas and may lead to costly repairs.

Shop around for car insurance. Take time to analyze your insurance premiums and comparison shop for less expensive plans. Consumers can lower insurance premiums by 5% to 20% by bundling services, increasing deductibles and paying up front. 

Use public transportation or carpool. It benefits everyone – the community, the environment and your wallet.

Save with pre-tax commuter benefits. Enroll in commuter benefits to pay commuting costs with pre-tax dollars. If your employer offers this benefit, you can set aside a certain portion of pre-tax wages (up to $300 per month), which can be used for mass transit and qualified paid parking while reducing your federal taxable income each year. That means you save by not paying federal income tax on that portion of your salary.

Reserve parking. There are several parking apps in the market that let you reserve parking spaces in advance in large metro areas. This helps you save time, money and gas – no need to circle the block looking for parking. You may be able to score significant savings off the drive-up rate if you reserve a parking space in advance.

About the New York State Division of Consumer Protection 

The New York State Division of Consumer Protection provides resources and education materials to consumers on product safety, as well as voluntary mediation services between consumers and businesses. The Consumer Assistance Helpline 1-800-697-1220 is available Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 4:30pm, excluding State Holidays, and consumer complaints can be filed at any time at www.dos.ny.gov/consumer-protection. 

For more consumer protection tips, follow the Division on social media at Twitter: @NYSConsumer and Facebook: www.facebook.com/nysconsumer.

MAYOR ADAMS ANNOUNCES PLACEMENT OF NEW HUMANITARIAN EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND RELIEF CENTER TO CONTINUE TO RESPOND TO ASYLUM SEEKER INFLUX

 

Queens Hotel Will Open to Assist Families With Children

 

New York City Continues to Handle Unprecedented Number of Asylum Seekers Arriving, More Than Any Other City

New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced the city will soon open a seventh Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center at the Wingate by Wyndham hotel in Long Island City, Queens, to temporarily serve the continued influx of asylum seekers arriving in New York City. As the estimated number of asylum seekers that have arrived in the city since last spring surpasses 45,600, this humanitarian relief center will provide 144 rooms to assist families with children and provide them with a range of services, in addition to ensuring they can reach their final desired destination if it is not New York City.

 

“New York City is caring for more asylum seekers than any other city in the United States,” said Mayor Adams. “As the number of asylum seekers who have moved through our intake process in the last 10 months has now surpassed the total number of people who were in the city’s shelter system when I took office, it’s clear that New York City is in dire need of more support from our federal partners. We continue to provide more support to arriving asylum seekers than any other city in the nation, treating people with care and compassion, and this seventh humanitarian relief center will help us continue to do that work.”

 

“The opening of this new humanitarian relief center in Queens designed to serve families with children demonstrates the administration’s continued commitment to meeting the need of this ongoing crisis,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom. “We continue to provide services with care, dignity, and respect for all people coming to New York City to seek asylum or moving through to their final destination.”

 

“We are once again meeting the challenge to provide resources and aid to all those in our care, but let me be clear: New York should not have to bear the cost of these efforts alone,” said Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks III. “As the mayor has said, this is a national crisis, and it requires a coordinated, national response.”

 

“New York City will continue to step up to meet the demands of this national humanitarian crisis and provide safe haven for those seeking asylum in our country,” said Ted Long, MD, MHS, senior vice president, ambulatory care and population health, NYC Health + Hospitals. “This seventh humanitarian relief center in Queens builds upon the successful models for families with children established at the Row NYC, the Stewart Hotel, and The Watson Hotel, offering services tailored to their needs, such as childhood vaccinations, school enrollment, and reconnections to complete their journeys. I am proud to be a part of the Adams administration’s efforts to help asylum seekers find a better life.”

 

“New York City is a beacon of hope to anyone searching for better opportunities for their families, particularly those escaping war, persecution, and political oppression,” said New York City Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol. “With the opening of the latest humanitarian relief center for families in Long Island City, New York City and Mayor Adams are ensuring that these new families receive the help they need as they pursue their dreams.”

 

Since this humanitarian crisis began, the city has taken fast and urgent action, managing the arrival of a rapidly increasing number of asylum seekers arriving in the city with virtually no coordination from states sending them — opening 85 hotels as emergency shelters and six other humanitarian relief centers already, standing up navigation centers to connect asylum seekers with critical resources, enrolling children in public schools through Project Open Arms, organizing nonprofit groups to provide additional support, and more.

California Residents Indicted For Defrauding Architecture Firm Of More Than $91,000 By Using Fictitious Law Firm And Fraudulent Target Letter

 

 Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Daniel B. Brubaker, Inspector in Charge of the New York Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service (“USPIS”), announced the return of an Indictment today by a grand jury charging MATTHEW BLAKE MORROW-WU and SHANGZHEN WU, a/k/a “Daniel Wu,” with perpetrating a scheme to defraud a Manhattan architecture firm (the “Company”) at which WU was employed as a business manager.  MORROW-WU and WU were arrested on February 1, 2023, in Los Angeles, California, pursuant to a criminal Complaint and presented in the Central District of California.  The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Morrow-Wu and Wu brazenly used an architecture firm, at which Wu worked, as their personal ATM.  They transferred over $91,000 from the architecture firm to a fictitious law firm that they incorporated, forged false documentation that appeared to authorize the fraudulent transactions, and ultimately sent a fake target letter — purportedly from this Office — to the architecture firm threatening it with criminal prosecution after the architecture firm continued to dispute the fraudulent transactions.  Morrow-Wu and Wu now face a harsh reality as a result of their elaborate lies and false threats of prosecution: a real prosecution by the Southern District of New York.”

USPIS Inspector in Charge Daniel B. Brubaker said: “Morrow-Wu and Wu conspired to allegedly steal nearly $100,000 from a Manhattan-based business.  Their misguided aim was to make money and conceal their scheme by allegedly duping innocent victims into believing they were the target of a federal investigation.  By mailing their fictitious letter, Morrow-Wu and Wu attracted the attention of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Postal Inspectors.  In an ironic twist, they became the targets of a federal criminal investigation.  Today’s indictment is the next step on the road to justice for this couple.  This indictment should serve as a stern warning to anyone who would use the U.S. Mail to commit fraud: Postal Inspectors and our law enforcement partners will tirelessly pursue you across the country, from one coast to another, to bring you to justice.”

According to the allegations contained in the Complaint, the Indictment, and statements at public court proceedings in the case:[1]

From at least in or about January 2022 through in or about October 2022, MORROW-WU and WU perpetrated a scheme to steal more than $91,000 from the Company, where WU was employed as a business manager, through the fraudulent and unauthorized use of a credit card held by the Company.  MORROW-WU and WU took extensive steps to conceal the fraud, which included the following:

• Forming a sham law firm named Morrow Law Group (“MLG”) to receive the funds under the guise of receiving legal fees from the Company, despite the fact that neither MORROW-WU nor WU appear to be licensed attorneys.
• Fabricating a retainer agreement between MLG and the Company that purported to pre-authorize payments from the Company to MLG, as well as other correspondence from the Company to MLG purportedly authorizing the fraudulent transactions, and forging the signatures of Company representatives in these documents.
• Using a payment processing provider to process the credit card transactions, enabling MORROW-WU and WU to manually input the names of legitimate vendors of the Company as false recipients of the funds and further disguise the true recipients of the funds.

After the Company confirmed the credit card transactions were fraudulent and unauthorized, it disputed the transactions with the credit card company, leading MORROW-WU and WU to attempt to deter any further action by sending the Company a fake “target letter” from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (the “Fraudulent Target Letter”).  The Fraudulent Target Letter purported to be signed by a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney on behalf of the U.S. Attorney and threatened the Company with criminal prosecution for wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and the fraudulent use of credit cards.

MORROW-WU, 38, and WU, 29, both of Los Angeles, California, are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; one count of mail fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; one count of impersonating a federal officer, which carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison; and one count of aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory sentence of two years in prison. 

The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencings of the defendants will be determined by a judge.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Special Agents of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the U.S. Postal Inspectors of the USPIS.

The charges contained in the Complaint and the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the Indictment and the descriptions of the Complaint and the Indictment set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.

Governor Hochul Updates New Yorkers On State's Progress Combating COVID-19 - FEBRUARY 15, 2023

 

Governor Encourages New Yorkers to Keep Using the Tools to Protect Against and Treat COVID-19: Vaccines, Boosters, Testing and Treatment

19 Statewide Deaths Reported on February 14

 Governor Kathy Hochul today updated New Yorkers on the state's progress combating COVID-19 and outlined basic steps they can take to protect against the spread of viral respiratory infections that become more common in the winter season.

"I urge all New Yorkers to remain vigilant and continue to use all available tools to keep themselves, their loved ones and their communities safe and healthy," Governor Hochu lsaid. "Be sure to stay up to date on vaccine doses, and test before gatherings or travel. If you test positive, talk to your doctor about potential treatment options."

Governor Hochul is urging New Yorkers to take common prevention measures — like staying up to date on vaccines and practicing proper hygiene — to protect from the flu and COVID-19 and reduce the patient burden on local hospitals. The Governor reiterated these basic steps when she updated New Yorkers on the state's winter health preparedness efforts last month.

The New York State Department of Health's weekly flu surveillance report for the week ending February 4, shows influenza remaining widespread throughout the state for an eighteenth consecutive week, with a total of 310,653 positive cases across 57 counties reported to date. The report found that confirmed cases statewide dropped 19 percent to 2,374 for the week, while overall hospitalizations were down 48 percent from the previous week, at 196 hospitalizations across the state.

Additionally, there were 6 outbreaks in acute care and long-term care facilities, the report determined. There were no one influenza-associated pediatric death reported for the week, the total remaining at nine statewide.

With flu season continuing, Governor Hochul reminds all New Yorkers that it's not too late to get their annual flu vaccine. The flu virus and the virus that causes COVID-19 are both circulating, so getting vaccinated against both is the best way to stay healthy and to avoid added stress to the health care system.

The Health Department is continuing its annual public education campaign, reminding adults and parents to get both flu and COVID-19 shots for themselves and children 6 months and older. For information about flu vaccine clinics, contact the local health department or visit vaccines.gov/find-vaccines/.

Governor Hochul also continues to urge New Yorkers to get their bivalent COVID-19 vaccine boosters. In December, the New York State Department of Health announced new guidance for bivalent COVID-19 booster doses, which are now available for eligible children down to 6 months of age.

The updated boosters are the first to be targeted to the original virus strain and recently circulating variants and are recommended for young New Yorkers and all those eligible. To schedule an appointment for a booster, New Yorkers should contact their local pharmacy, county health department, or healthcare provider; visit vaccines.gov; text their ZIP code to 438829, or call 1-800-232-0233 to find nearby locations.

Today's data is summarized briefly below:

• Cases Per 100k - 13.44
• 7-Day Average Cases Per 100k - 11.43
• Test Results Reported - 62,335
• Total Positive - 2,626
• Percent Positive - 3.88%**
• 7-Day Average Percent Positive - 4.45%**
• Patient Hospitalization - 2,198 (+23)
• Patients Newly Admitted - 388
• Patients in ICU - 236 (+23)
• Patients in ICU with Intubation - 92 (+7)
• Total Discharges - 400,315 (+325)
• New deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 19
• Total deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 61,641

** Due to the test reporting policy change by the federal Department of Health and Human Services and several other factors, the most reliable metric to measure virus impact on a community is the case per 100,000 data -- not percent positivity.

The Health Electronic Response Data System is a NYS DOH data source that collects confirmed daily death data as reported by hospitals, nursing homes and adult care facilities only.

Important Note: Effective Monday, April 4, the federal Department of Health and Human Services is no longer requiring testing facilities that use COVID-19 rapid antigen tests to report negative results. As a result, New York State's percent positive metric will be computed using only lab-reported PCR results. Positive antigen tests will still be reported to New York State and reporting of new daily cases and cases per 100k will continue to include both PCR and antigen tests. Due to this change and other factors, including changes in testing practices, the most reliable metric to measure virus impact on a community is the case per 100,000 data -- not percent positivity.

• Total deaths reported to and compiled by the CDC - 79,171

This daily COVID-19 provisional death certificate data reported by NYS DOH and NYC to the CDC includes those who died in any location, including hospitals, nursing homes, adult care facilities, at home, in hospice and other settings.

Each New York City borough's 7-day average percentage of positive test results reported over the last three days is as follows **:

Borough	Sunday,   February   12, 2023	Monday,   February   13, 2023	Tuesday,   February   14, 2023
Bronx	3.80%	3.71%	3.60%
Kings	3.14%	3.56%	3.21%
New York	3.74%	3.72%	3.80%
Queens	3.94%	3.86%	3.78%
Richmond	4.17%	4.16%	3.96%