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Opinion

Editorial: Beware of bogus credit card readers skimming off the top

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With the holiday season now in full swing, households will be spending more time and money shopping for those special gifts, as well as purchasing ingredients for those sumptuous meals to be served at gatherings of family and friends.

Anyone who happened to visit their local supermarket in the last few days has encountered a flood of Thanksgiving shoppers retrieving those last-minute necessities.

In an effort to save precious minutes – and not stand in long register lines – you might decide to take the self-checkout route.

It’s become a more common option with the use of “chipped” credit cards that simplify and expedite the transaction.

That trend has not only caught on with consumers, but also with crooks looking to steal your card number and personal information.

A rash of recent incidents in Massachusetts and New Hampshire underscore how thieves can prey on unsuspecting shoppers.

Police uncovered credit card skimmers installed in a Market Basket and Walmart in Concord, N.H., a troubling development that may be linked to skimmers found in other Massachusetts and New Hampshire communities.

“Be vigilant, especially now going into the holiday season,” Concord Police Deputy Chief John Thomas told the Boston Herald, adding that ’tis the season when police generally see an uptick in credit-card information theft.

Those two credit card skimmers, which Concord Police found in October in self-checkout lanes, are devices that overlay and look nearly identical to the legitimate credit card machines found in stores, as well as at gas pumps, ATMs and other self-serve locations.

“At this time, we are not aware of any customer information being compromised and we will continue to monitor this situation closely,” Justine Griffin, a spokeswoman for Tewksbury-based Market Basket, wrote last week in a statement. “We are also working with both state and local authorities to help identify the responsible individuals.”

A Walmart corporate spokesman told the Herald that “this situation remains an ongoing criminal investigation, and we’re actively engaged with law enforcement.”

“Providing customers with a safe shopping experience is a top priority. We’re continually reviewing protocols and adding enhanced security measures to better protect in-store transactions,” Joe Pennington, the director of Walmart’s global communications office, wrote in a statement, adding that any customers concerned that they may have been impacted should call their card provider or Walmart’s customer care team at 800-925-6278.

According to Concord Police, a telltale sign with these two skimmers – a trick also probably used in other locations that could tip off customers – is if the card chip reader slot is inoperable, forcing the purchaser to swipe the card through the magnetic reader, where the theft of credit card information happens.

“It’s very easy to install them; they just snap over the old credit card machines,” Deputy Chief Thomas told the Herald, adding that if a customer has any suspicions about a malfunctioning machine, give it a little tug on the top to see if a skimmer has been placed. “You can see how easy it is to steal some of this information.”

Thomas said that his department has been in contact with other police departments, including Nashua, N.H., Somerville, Reading, and Haverhill – all places where the scam devices have also recently appeared – to see if they’re part of the same skimming operation.

While Thomas noted his department has received reports of credit card fraud since these incidents were reported, he said it’s hard to determine whether they were compromised at those two stores or elsewhere.

And skimming off the top of a credit card reader isn’t the only underhanded method of stealing financial and personal information.

The federal Office of the Comptroller of the Currency also warns of high-tech skimmers that can read the chips in cards, combined with the placement of a camera to read pin numbers. The office recommends walking away and speaking with a bank representative or a law enforcement officer if you suspect something’s amiss, and to check for places where a camera could be concealed, or for plastic sheaths inserted into the card slot.

The Federal Trade Commission reports that fraud overall continues to increase, totaling $8.8 billion alone in 2022, a 30% year-over-year increase.

Being a victim of credit card fraud isn’t as onerous as it used to be. Most major card companies monitor transactions for any unusual activity, and promptly alert the cardholder.

However, it’s still an inconvenience, oftentimes requiring closing an account and opening another.

If you can still find a store with a cash-allowed, self-checkout machine, you might want to take those few extra steps and use it.

Otherwise, try to use self-checkouts that are constantly monitored by a store employee.

Bottom line, it’s the consumer’s responsibility to be aware that the possibility of fraud exists, which means taking preventative steps to minimize that threat.

Editorial: No one answer for flipping voters’ turnoff to a turn-on

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While there’s no way to know if Lowell’s results would have differed if more majority-minority district residents had shown up at the polls, their lack of participation did signify one of the many symptoms contributing to the ailing state of municipal elections.

With less than a 10% voter turnout, democracy took a back seat to indifference in last week’s Lowell election.

How to remedy that lack of civic engagement remains a conundrum that some have tried to address.

City Councilor Wayne Jenness’ motion on Tuesday’s agenda sought to determine whether Lowell’s election policies and procedures can be strengthened to encourage greater voter turnout.

It asked City Manager Tom Golden to have the proper department analyze the city of Worcester’s policies to see where improvements can be made.

And Councilor Kim Scott authored a motion to investigate allowing voters to directly elect the mayor.

In a post-election day interview, Director of Elections Greg Pappas suggested Lowell’s low vote count was due in part to the automatic voter registration law.

“The percentages are going to be lower now than they were years ago because the agencies like [the Registry of] Motor Vehicles automatically register you to vote whether you want to be registered or not,” Pappas told the newspaper. “Lowell usually is around 53,000 people registered to vote. If you had 20,000 people come out to vote, the percentage would be higher. Now you have 75,000 people registered to vote … Now when you divide the percentages, they look smaller.”

While Pappas’ math is a little off – Lowell’s registered voter count over the last several years has totaled from 60,000 to 65,000 — his rationale makes sense, to a point.

However, Lowell’s problem isn’t unique. Worcester, another gateway city with a population of more than 200,000, saw voter turnout jump from 16.56% in 2021 to 21.89% in 2023, despite greater numbers due to the voter registration law.

In Worcester, which shares Lowell’s Plan E form of government, voters can choose the mayor from a pool of five at-large councilors, a larger field than Lowell’s three citywide councilors.

At-large Councilor Vesna Nuon has previously said he did not believe the plaintiffs in the voting rights lawsuit that brought about district representation would support using the Worcester model.

“We need to have a framework and that framework needs to allow everyone, district councilor or at-large, a chance to put their name forward for the mayorship,” Nuon said.

Councilor Dan Rourke had mentioned this issue had gone before the Election Laws/Redistricting Subcommittee. While many motions were filed, it came back to using the Worcester model or Lowell’s current method of choosing the mayor.

In November 2021, Lowell voters overwhelmingly supported a nonbinding referendum to directly elect the city’s mayor.

But that’s as far as it went.

Even though the mayor holds a ceremonial position in Lowell’s manager-led form of government – in addition to chairing the School Committee – allowing the voters to elect that person would likely spur heightened interest and higher turnout.

And supporters of a strong mayor form of government could point to Fitchburg’s recent election to help make their case for that change.

With the prospect of a four-term mayor’s ouster by an at-large city councilor, 25% of Fitchburg’s voters made their voice heard.

That’s despite the fact that Mayor Stephen DiNatale had already seen the writing on the wall, having lost to City Councilor-At-Large Samantha Squailia in September’s four-way preliminary mayoral election by a 53.9%-35% margin.

Squailia maintained that margin of victory in the general election with 60% of the vote.

In Lowell’s case, voters have already demonstrably made their preference known on this issue. Steps should be taken to provide direct election of the mayor – whether that be a field limited to at-large councilors or inclusive of the entire 11-member body.

Other procedural changes could be made statewide to encourage greater voter participation.

Having cities and towns go to the polls in the same election cycle as state rep and senator races would help, since spikes in voter participation now only seem to occur in presidential years.

But we also believe that force-feeding election eligibility on everyone – by involuntarily registering people to vote “whether you want to be registered or not” — has diluted its significance, and by extension, contributed to its increasing irrelevance, as evidenced by the embarrassingly low turnout numbers in our town and city elections.

That’s not how a participatory democracy should function.

Editorial: Public’s help needed to prevent a more serious Groton fire

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A blaze that was caught before turning into a major conflagration has set off alarm bells in Groton.

The town’s top two public-safety officials, along with the state fire marshal, have asked the public for any information into the cause of a suspicious fire at a vacant commercial building.

The fire, first reported by a passerby just before 2 p.m. on Monday, occurred in a utility room at 500 Main St., a vacant commercial space where vandalism has been reported in the past. Fortunately, no injuries were reported, but the fire damaged the ceiling and property inside the room before firefighters safely extinguished it.

If this fire was intentionally set, we doubt the perpetrators understood the potential catastrophic consequences of that act.

“This building is more than 128,000 square feet in size. If the fire had spread faster, or if we hadn’t been notified promptly, the damage could have been devastating and firefighters would have faced a very dangerous situation,” said Steele Chief McCurdy.

Mutual aid from the fire departments of Ayer and Pepperell responded to assist at the scene.

The investigation is being conducted jointly by the Groton Fire Department, Groton Police Department, and the State Police Fire & Explosion Investigation Unit assigned to the State Fire Marshal’s office.

“Every fire is dangerous, but intentionally set fires pose unique challenges,” said State Fire Marshal Jon Davine. “Fire doesn’t do what it’s told or what’s expected. Someone who sets a fire under these circumstances could do it again, and they could badly hurt themselves or someone else.”

Anyone with information on the fire, or who made observations in the area of 500 Main St. early yesterday afternoon, is asked to share it through the Arson Watch Reward Program’s hotline at 1-800-682-9229. The Arson Watch Reward Program is coordinated by the Massachusetts Property Insurance Underwriters Association, and offers rewards of up to $5,000 for information that detects or prevents arson crimes. All calls are confidential.

“Groton Police are investigating this fire with our partners at Groton Fire and State Police assigned to the State Fire Marshal’s office, and our top priority is the community’s safety,” said Fire Chief Michael Luth.

We’d expect police and fire officials to step up surveillance on this property, which should hopefully discourage any would-be arsonists for putting themselves, public-safety personnel and the general public in harm’s way.

Let’s hope for a quick resolution of this blaze’s cause.

State needs feds to boost legal aid for asylum seekers

A combination of competing factors has conspired to exhaust even a dramatic rise in funds allocated for aid to low-income clients in this state.

The state has contributed considerable resources in recent budgets for that purpose, but the Eagle Tribune reports that advocates insist more funding is needed to meet the demand.

In the current fiscal year, the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation will receive $49 million in state funding for its providers to pay for civil legal services for low-income clients. That’s a more than 130% increase in funding from the 2019 fiscal year, when the state’s contribution was about $21 million, budget figures show.

Overall, the corporation distributed more than $57 million to legal-aid groups last fiscal year, including $41 million in state funds, along with money from a lawyers’ trust fund, grants and private foundations, according to the group’s latest financial report. That’s compared to about $30 million four years ago.

But the ongoing housing crisis and the recent unrelenting influx of migrants has put further financial strain on the system.

One of the biggest demands for legal aid in the previous year were housing issues, which comprised more than 40% of the cases. “Housing is one of the biggest issues we deal with, and the pandemic made that worse,” said Erin Horan, a spokeswoman for the corporation

If you’re accused of a crime you have the right to an attorney,” Horan said. “But if you’re facing an issue such as domestic violence, housing discrimination or eviction, you don’t have that right.”

The Massachusetts Immigration Legal Assistance Fund has distributed nearly $3 million, including $675,000 in the previous fiscal year, to legal-aid agencies that work on immigration cases.

The issue of state funding for immigration services has come up amid the recent surge of asylum seekers, with Gov. Maura Healey and Attorney General Andrea Campbell pumping more money into legal assistance for immigration cases.

Some critics contend that Massachusetts shouldn’t be spending state money on legal services for asylum seekers, with the federal government, which caused this conundrum, providing little assistance to the state.

Paul Craney, a spokesman for the conservative Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, said “there is no end in sight for taxpayers unless the southern border is secure and our immigration laws are enforced.”

While that’s the ultimate goal, it’s beyond the state’s ability to accomplish.

All it can do is demand federal funds to stem a crisis not of its making.

Editorial: Major area drug bust sends sobering message to traffickers

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With all the misery caused by the trafficking of illegal drugs smuggled into this country, primarily through Mexico, we’d like to highlight the continuing positive developments from a significant local victory in that struggle.

A Puerto Rican national became the 13th out of 18 defendants to be sentenced in what federal officials have described as a “wide-ranging” fentanyl and cocaine drug ring in the Fitchburg area.

Earlier in September, a Fitchburg man was sentenced for his role in that same drug-trafficking operation.

Both were the result of the monumental effort on the part of an organized crime task force that “identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the U.S., using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach,” according to a statement from Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy.

In Worcester District Court on Sept. 26, Abel Rodriguez Rivera, 35, of Ponce, Puerto Rico, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Timothy Hillman to five years in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release.

On March 10, 2023, Rivera pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.

And on Sept. 12, a Fitchburg man was sentenced to three years in prison in connection with the same wide-ranging drug conspiracy; he was also charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.

According to court documents, following a fatal fentanyl overdose in fall of 2018, multiple levels of law enforcement began an investigation into a drug trafficking organization in the Fitchburg area.

Beginning in July 2019, court-authorized interceptions of electronic communications from phones used by members and suppliers of the local drug operation revealed that Rivera was a dealer who supplied cocaine to the group.

Over the course of the investigation, police seized over 1.8 kilos of a heroin/fentanyl mixture, over 3.6 kilos of cocaine and roughly 50 grams of crack cocaine. Law enforcement also seized a stolen, loaded handgun, drug manufacturing equipment and over $376,000 in cash.

While Rivera is only the 13th defendant to be sentenced, all 18 defendants have been convicted — either by guilty plea or jury conviction. The remaining convicted defendants are scheduled to be sentenced in the next two months.

The announcement was made by Levy, FBI Special Agent in Charge Jodi Cohen, Boston Division, Commissioner Carol Mici of the state Department of Correction, and Interim State Police Col. John Mawn Jr.

The Fitchburg and Lunenburg Police Departments, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Mass. State Police provided valuable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alathea Porter, of the Criminal Division, prosecuted the case.

These two sentencings are just the latest developments in connection with this successful federal drug-ring takedown.

In May 2022, a woman from Orange pleaded guilty for her role in that drug trafficking ring.

Jessica Hughes was charged with conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine.

Hughes became the 13th person tied to the drug-trafficking ring to plead guilty.

That 2018 federal probe found that Pedro and Anthony Baez worked with others to regularly distribute a fentanyl and heroin mixture and crack cocaine to accomplices living in the Fitchburg area, who then redistributed the drugs to others.

Authorities said Hughes regularly purchased the drug mixture and crack cocaine from Pedro Baez.

Hughes faces a sentence of up to life in prison, a term of supervised release of up to life, and a fine of $10 million for the combined crimes she committed.

In December 2021, Amanda Ford, 35, of Fitchburg, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and cocaine base.

Ford became the 10th defendant to plead guilty in the case.

Those charges also provide for a sentence of up to life in prison, a term of supervised release of at least three years and up to life, and a fine of up to $10 million.

Even with these stiff sentences, individuals indifferent to the addiction of others remain more than willing to flout our laws for a sizable score of cash.

In the process, they leave bereaved loved ones with broken hearts. In Massachusetts’ case, that occurred with the frequency that accompanied a record-setting 2,357 drug-related deaths last year alone.

We commend federal and local authorities for the message this successful investigation sends: Individuals who traffic in deadly drugs like fentanyl will pay a high price for that heinous criminal behavior.

Editorial: Leave emotions out of Hanscom hangar hike bid

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A proposed increase to the number of private jets potentially housed at Hanscom Field faces stiff headwinds from a coalition of impacted locals and environmental groups, many of whom have asked the governor to stop the move by Massport to expand flights at the regional hub.

Hundreds of people gathered on the steps of the State House Monday to ask for Gov. Maura Healey’s intervention ahead of the proposed construction of 27 private jet hangars at the quasi-state run airport.

Armed with a petition apparently signed by over 10,000 Bay State residents and joined by state Sen. Michael Barrett, the group listened and occasionally shouted in agreement with several speakers who explained why they sought Healey’s help.

“In seriously entertaining a proposal to build multiple new hangars for super-polluting private jets at Hanscom Airfield, MassPort is on the verge of a stomach-turning two-fer: aiding and abetting the warming of the planet and pandering to the concentration of private wealth. You can’t do much worse than that, right?” said Barrett, a Lexington Democrat.

The Boston Herald reported that proponents of the planned expansion, according to an environmental impact notice they submitted to Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Rebecca Tepper in January, claim the expansion would actually help MassPort in its effort to meet climate goals it set for itself.

“The Project will facilitate progress toward a carbon neutral aviation industry by incorporating infrastructure to support electric vehicles and equipment, electric aircraft, and sustainable aviation fuels — contributing in measurable ways to MassPort’s Net Zero goal by 2031,” representatives of Runway Realty Ventures, LLC and North Airfield Ventures, LLC told the Secretary.

According to the companies, housing aircraft at Hanscom would actually mean fewer flights out of Logan and would step toward the agency’s own plans, which they say aim at using regional airports for general aviation needs.

However, according to the group Stop Private Jet Expansion at Hanscom or Anywhere, a private jet passenger flying from New York City to Washington D.C. emits 45-times as much greenhouse gas as a passenger on a commercial flight, and 1,100 times what is generated to deliver a train passenger to their destination.

Pound for pound, the group said private jets are just far worse for everyone than other means of travel, and they don’t help very many people.

“0.0008% of the world’s population are private jet owners. It’s the ultimate expression of environmental injustice to allow a small number of people to pollute our world in such an unconstrained way,” the group wrote in pamphlets handed to Beacon Hill passersby.

So, which argument has the longer runway? Will the addition of more flight capacity just cater to the carbon-inducing needs of the idle rich, or will it introduce climate-friendly technology and simultaneously ease small-plane congestion at Logan Airport?

The anti-expansionists appear to portray Hanscom simply as a small, boutique airport serving private, selfish interests.

In reality, it’s a multi-faceted facility that incorporates a variety of functions.

Described as New England’s largest general aviation airport, Hanscom Field has been a major part of local aviation since 1941, when the state acquired a 500-acre parcel of land from the towns of Bedford, Concord, Lexington, and Lincoln.

By 1943 the airport was leased by the Army Air Corps and named the Laurence G. Hanscom Field, in honor of the late Laurence G. Hanscom, a founding member and commander of the Massachusetts Wing of the Civilian Air Reserve.

Military operations dominated Hanscom until it became a joint military and civilian facility in the 1950’s.

By 1959, the Massachusetts Port Authority assumed control of the state land, three years after the Massachusetts Legislature created that independent public authority. In 1974, general operations and maintenance of the airfield became the responsibility of Massport, as military operations declined to occasional use.

Hanscom has since been managed as a regional aviation facility, whose major users comprise a mix of corporate aviation, private pilots, flight schools, commuter/commercial air services, as well as some charters and light cargo.

Hanscom Field has also become a popular charter choice for business executives, Boston professional sports teams, as well as environmentally conscious A-listers of the entertainment industry.

It’s home to private and corporate aircraft of all sizes – from Piper Cubs to Gulfstream jets,

We’d conclude that the absence of any noise-pollution concerns associated with this proposed expansion means that residents of abutting Hanscom communities have learned to live with the activity of a major satellite airport.

Given the recent reports of airport near misses, eliminating as much small-plane activity as possible at Logan would be a public safety plus.

This proposed expansion shouldn’t be decided by impassioned speeches or class-warfare rhetoric.

A dispassionate review of its merits and minuses should determine its fate.

Editorial: UTEC’s reach goes national with D.C. invite

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UTEC, long praised locally and on Beacon Hill for its youth violence-prevention and other programs, recently garnered some national recognition for all the good work it does.

Leaders of the Lowell-based nonprofit were invited to the White House last Friday for President Biden’s announcement of a new office committed to stemming gun violence.

UTEC CEO Gregg Croteau and Jose “Poppa” Pizzini, a UTEC streetworker, were on hand for the Rose Garden ceremony, along with other advocates from across the country and parents of gun-violence victims, where Biden revealed the formation of the Office of Gun Violence Prevention.

According to a White House press release, the new office will implement Biden’s executive orders on gun violence, including the bipartisan Safer Communities Act. Biden said that legislation strengthens background checks, expands the use of red-flag laws, and improves access to mental-health services.

After his announcement, Biden greeted several event attendees, including Pizzini, who had a brief conversation with the president.

Croteau served as the cameraman for the interaction.

“(Biden) emphasized how gun violence isn’t just about mass shootings, but unfortunately, it is happening every day in communities that look like me,” said Pizzini, a Latino.

“Poppa represents the work so many young adults in our community have been doing for some time now,” said Croteau, “and I couldn’t have been more proud for him to have the opportunity to share his work in a conversation with President Biden after the event concluded.”

Croteau and Pizzini said the White House invitation was the result of the hard work carried out by UTEC and their partners through community-intervention programs.

For the event, Croteau said he wore a T-shirt under his suit jacket created by Lowell youth in 2006 in response to the staggering 14 homicides reported in the city that year.

Croteau, who had not worn the shirt in 17 years, said the front of the shirt states, “Stop killing,” and the back, “Start talking.”

Croteau pointed out that since 2006, the number of individuals killed by gun violence in Lowell has substantially decreased, “though any one shooting continues to reinforce our belief that such violence can never be normalized.”

Unfortunately, nationwide statistics underscore the challenges that remain, despite the best efforts of UTEC and other like violence-prevention organizations across the country.

According to published reports, firearms remain the leading killer of children in the U.S. So far this year, 220 children under the age of 11 have been fatally shot, while 1,049 youngsters from 12 to 17 also have died.

At least we know that in UTEC, we have a youth violence intervention-prevention advocate whose success has resonated as far as the Oval Office.

An emergency call everyone should answer

No, it’s not another spam message, but rather a test of a vital communication system that would activate in national emergencies.’

On Wednesday, Oct. 4, everyone’s phones will receive that text message, ordered by the federal government.

On that day, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Communications Commission will partner to test the Emergency Alert System and the Wireless Emergency Alerts across the country.

According to FEMA, this two-part test is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. EST. The EAS test portion of the test – accompanied by the words, “This is only a test. No action is required by the public” — will affect radios and televisions and last about a minute.

The test that impacts cellphone users will be the WEA test. Phones will receive a text message displayed in either English or in Spanish, depending on the language settings of the wireless handset.

Wireless cellphones should receive only one test text, with broadcast towers carrying out the exercise for around 30 minutes. The message will read “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”

In its statement, FEMA said “the purpose of the Oct. 4 test is to ensure that the systems continue to be effective means of warning the public about emergencies, particularly those on the national level. In case the Oct. 4 test is postponed due to widespread severe weather or other significant events, the back-up testing date is Oct. 11.”

In order for the alerts to be accessible for everyone, including people with disabilities, alerts will include a unique tone and vibration, FEMA said.

Testing of this worst-case scenario warning system reminds us all that natural or manmade calamities can happen.

And for that we must be prepared.