But more than a year since their last show, NBC 5 Responds found the company is still accused of not covering many of their expenses.

Artistic Holiday Design, the company behind the Amaze Light Festival, is facing millions of dollars in lawsuits from vendors and transportation companies.

“It goes well beyond me now. It is multiple organizations, it seems like nearly every company that was involved, and putting their time and service in here, either has not been paid in full or has not been paid at all,” said Kim Scerine, who heads the children’s nonprofit dance troupe, the On Broadway Dancers.

Scerine says her troupe is still owed about $48,000 for their performances during the 2022 Tinley Park Amaze Light Festival. Last year, she told NBC 5 Responds that after months of waiting for the company to pay, she decided to take out a loan and pay the dancers herself.

“To kind of think that like they would take advantage of us and like, not give us the money that we were told we are going to get from the contract, that’s just really upsetting and it shouldn’t have happened,” said Brecken Johnson, a performer at the 2022 Tinley Park Amaze Light Festival.

Now for the first time, the CEO of the company behind those controversial light festivals is speaking out exclusively to NBC 5 Responds. Our team caught up with Derek Norwood near his office in Cape Coral, Florida.

“Losing money sucks. It’s really, really hard. But it is not the same as stealing money. Any illusion that I did anything fraudulent is a flat-out lie,” said Norwood, the owner of Amaze Light Festival LLC and Artistic Holiday Design LLC.

Norwood explains his company put on three light festivals, two in Illinois and one in New York. But the profits weren’t what he expected.

“We didn’t come close to the amount of tickets we needed to break even,” said Norwood. “I fell in love with a dream of being the producer of a light festival. And it was a wonderful dream. And it was not something that is very difficult. We felt that, you know, if enough people got there, it would blow up and we would sell a ton of tickets and it just didn’t happen.”

He acknowledges Scerine’s dance troupe shouldn’t have to wait for their money, but says he has other immediate priorities.

“The entire situation is unfair for her. We also have to pay our losses, I mean, the lawsuits and she hasn’t filed. We have to settle those lawsuits in order to make sure our Venture Capital Group continues to support us. Our investor is the most important part here,” Norwood said.

Scerine previously told us she couldn’t afford to take the company to court. Other businesses owners tell NBC 5 Responds they felt they had no other option.

“Amaze just stopped answering our emails and calls,” said Michael Gurl, the owner of Petal &Co Productions based out of New York.

Gurl’s company helped design and install various aspects of Norwood’s festivals. He is suing Norwood for breach of contract.

“Overall contract amount owed is near $800,000,” Gurl said. “At times, we thought we would have to close the business.”

Norwood asserts the company is making payments as they’re able to.

“All the lawsuits, go back and do your own research, you’re gonna find that almost all of them are settled. We are currently making payment. We’ll continue making payments as money comes in,” said Norwood.

But Gurl says Norwood has ignored his attorney’s efforts to discuss a settlement and he hasn’t received any payment from Norwood’s company since November 2022. Two other lawsuits filed by New York based companies are still ongoing, according to court records.

A breach of contract lawsuit filed by Odyssey Fun World, which hosted the 2022 Tinley Park festival, is also still ongoing according to court records.

Norwood was also recently hit with two lawsuits out of Lee County, Florida over non-payment. The lawsuits involve a candy company, as well as a toy company, who provided goods for the Illinois Amaze Light Festival shows.

The Tinley Park Police Department told NBC 5 Responds Norwood’s company owes them $80,000 for security and traffic services from the 2022 festival. Village Manager Pat Carr said they are still waiting for payment and considering legal action.

In December, Norwood did offer to give Scerine and her dance troupe a one-time payment of $26,000 up front, which is a little more than half of what they’re owed. Norwood’s other offer was to pay Scerine monthly over the next two years.

“[Norwood] also promised to pay me in the last year and never made any of those payments. And I’d have to be an idiot to trust [him] for two more years to do the same thing, and interest free,” Scerine said.

“I encouraged her to take one of our offers and settle it and move on and it’s not going to help to continuously go backwards,” Norwood said. “It sucks. It’s not good, but its better than it not happening.”

Scerine says she recently received a $1,000 payment from Norwood that arrived around the same time Norwood agreed to our interview.

In the meantime, Norwood claims he has paid off roughly 65% of his debts, though he declined to provide documentation to support that claim. He said the company is on track to pay what they owe Scerine’s dancers, potentially by the end of the year.

The controversy started on social media with customers using at-home lead tests to see if their Stanley’s contain lead. Many were surprised to find out they do.

The company behind the Stanley tumblers says underneath the insulation at the bottom of each tumbler is a pellet that contains lead, but they say the potential for exposure to a user is minimal.

Now, there are currently several lawsuits filed against the company in Washington, Nevada and California.  The lawsuits allege if the cups are damaged or worn out, the vacuum seal could break and expose the user to lead.

They also say the company misled customers by not warning them about the potential exposure in the first place and seeks reimbursement for consumers.

Experts in public and environmental health have told NBC that the odds of serious lead exposure from these tumblers are extremely low. 

The company, meantime, says if the cup is broken or damaged, that would be covered by the company’s lifetime warranty.

NBC Chicago reached out to the company behind the viral product, but we have yet to hear back.  

If you own a 2023 Honda HRV, this impacts you. NBC 5 Responds found more than 300 complaints have been filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about these shattering windshields since last summer.

Honda says the problem stems from a manufacturing defect. The sealer used to secure the rear glass on some HRV’s comes in contact with the defroster’s heating elements, weakening the glass and creating a hot spot over time. However, Honda says owners should still continue to use the rear defroster as needed.

Some Honda owners report they’ve had to foot the repair bill for their shattered windshields because Honda would not cover the damage under its warranty. Those claims are central to a nationwide class action lawsuit against Honda filed in Pennsylvania last year.

“For some of them, they have to go to their insurance company and file a claim, pay a deductible and perhaps pay higher premiums down the road. For others, Honda is simply charging them money even though this is a defect in the manufacture of the car and they should be covering it under the warranty,” said Sergei Lemberg, the attorney leading the class action case.

According to Consumer Reports, some auto safety experts think that a driver who is startled by the spontaneous shattering of glass could lose control of the vehicle and cause a crash, a safety concern that should lead to a recall.

“This is a known defect in some Honda HR-Vs, and especially if someone’s driving at high speed or in dense traffic, it could all too easily lead to a crash,” says William Wallace, associate director of safety policy at CR.

“For the sake of its customers and everyone on the road, Honda should convert its service campaign to an official safety recall of all affected vehicles, which would help get the word out and maximize the number of owners who get their cars fixed,” Wallace said.

Honda issued a statement to NBC Chicago, saying the company will replace rear window glass as part of a voluntary recall campaign that will start in either April or May.

In the meantime, if you have a 2023 HRV and your rear window glass breaks, call your local Honda dealer or Honda customer service at 800-999-1009 to arrange a potential repair.

To join the class action lawsuit, contact the Lemberg law firm by filling out this form.

Let’s start on the road.  If you’ve racked up some mileage over the winter, your vehicle may be due for routine maintenance. But before you call an auto shop for an estimate- be careful what you ask for.

“A lot of consumers, when they when they call shops to get these periodic maintenance packages done, they just say ‘I need 30,000 mile maintenance or I need 60,000 mile maintenance’,” said Kevin Brasler with Consumers Checkbook.

In a recent study, Brasler and his team at Consumers Checkbook found repair shops were more likely to give you a higher estimate if you asked for mileage-based maintenance. Instead, you should look up what your car manufacturer recommends at different mileage intervals and ask for those specific services instead.

“I’m not really sure why shops charge so much more if all you do is say I need 30,000 mile maintenance or 60,000 mile maintenance than they do if you tell them which jobs you need. I think it’s likely that they know that most customers don’t know what work needs to be done at those service intervals and assume it may be a lot of work when, in fact, these days, cars don’t need nearly as much maintenance as they used to,” said Brasler.

If you’re bypassing the road, and catching a flight instead, Brasler said you can save money by skipping out on travel insurance.

“None of them are worth buying. They’re good deals for the companies that sell them. They’re enormous profit centers for retailers. But they’re bad deals for most consumers, because they say they contain so many policy exclusions that they’re just really not worth much at all,” said Brasler.

And when it comes to finding the lowest hotel price for your stay- Brasler says it doesn’t necessarily pay to shop around.

“The reason is, is that the hotels themselves and all these different hotel booking websites, spit out the same rates over and over again, for the same stays. Almost all of them are owned by one of two companies, Expedia and Booking Holdings. And they along with hotels, have come up with agreements that say basically, for the same state, we’re all going to charge the same price across all different booking platforms,” said Brasler.

Expedia did not respond to our request for comment about their pricing. In a statement, Booking Holdings told us, “Hotels decide what prices they want to charge and they load those rates directly only whichever distribution channels they want to use, including online travel sites. Yes, Booking Holdings owns sites like Booking.com, but hotels are free to set the prices and conditions as they see fit. Travel is very much a highly competitive and dynamic industry characterised by a high degree of choice for consumers.”

For the lowest hotel prices, Brasler says to look for “Price Breaker”’ ” or “Hot Rate deals” offered by Priceline or Hotwire. They don’t tell you the name of the hotel or exact location before you book, but you could save up to 20 %.

Brasler says you can also save about 8 to 10 percent if you book a non-refundable hotel stay. And some hotels also offer discounts of around 8 to 12 percent if you create an account with them, and sign up to receive emails or text messages.

So Consumer Reports looked to its partner, Tamara Rubin from Lead Safe Mama, longtime lead poisoning prevention activist, to help guide consumers through the hype.

Using XRF technology, Lead Safe Mama discovered that the exposed sealing dot on the bottom of the Stanley Tumblers was positive for a very high level of lead.

On the bottom of the Stanley Tumblers there is a little button, and underneath that is a primarily leaded material, and Stanley melts that bit of lead into the hole on the bottom of the tumbler to create the vacuum insulation.

According to Tamara, countless consumers have contacted Lead Safe Mama, and let them know that their little button of stainless steel with the logo has fallen off and that they were not aware that there was basically a hunk of bioavailable lead. Lead exposure can cause developmental problems, affect brain development, and lead to lower IQ.

Stanley’s website discloses that its sealing material does include some lead. And Stanley isn’t alone—many similarly designed flasks and tumblers are manufactured the same way using lead solder. On its website Stanley tells its customers, “Rest assured that no lead is present on the surface of any Stanley product that comes into contact with the consumer nor the contents of the product.”

If you own a Stanley Quencher and the button on the bottom falls off, stop using it immediately and contact the company for a replacement. The company does offer a lifetime warranty.

If you’re worried that your child might have been exposed to the lead, talk to your doctor about a blood lead test.

If you own one of those Stanley Quenchers, make sure you’re keeping it clean. If they’re dishwasher-safe, that might be the best and easiest option. Otherwise, separate all parts of the tumbler and hand-wash with warm water and a mild detergent.

The controversial shopping app Temu is under Congressional investigation for the alleged use of forced labor, and has been accused of spying on its customers.

 The app was was the most-downloaded free iPhone app in the U.S. last year, according to available data.

Days before the Super Bowl, several federal lawmakers asked CBS, the network which aired the game, not to run Temu’s ads.

Lawmakers say they are investigating the company’s potential use of slave labor, and alleged ties to China’s communist party.

Launched in 2022, Temu has already gathered more than 1,700 customer complaints on the Better Business Bureau’s website. Most of those centered around “what customers call” the low quality of the merchandise, refunds issues or shipping delays.

Concerns over privacy are also now central to two class action lawsuits.   

According to a class action lawsuit filed in Illinois last November, the app “‘bypasses’ phone security systems to read a user’s private messages, make changes to the phone’s settings and track notifications.’

Another class action lawsuit filed in New York last fall accuses the company of allowing consumers “financial information to be compromised”, which resulted in their credit card and bank information being sold or leaked after using the app.

In response to one of those class action lawsuits, Temu said in court filings that all its users must accept its terms of service when creating an account. The company says those terms bars users from pursuing a class action suit. 

Temu also said allegations of forced labor are “completely ungrounded.” 

The company issued a full statement to NBC Chicago on Monday evening:

“We categorically deny the allegations and intend to vigorously defend ourselves against these meritless lawsuits. The complaints parrot a report put out by a short-seller, which has an obvious incentive to try to drive down Temu’s stock price through misinformation.  The report even includes a disclaimer that its contents are ‘not statements of fact.’
The truth is that safeguarding privacy is one of Temu’s core values. Our privacy practices are in line with industry standards and are transparently disclosed in our Privacy Policy. Temu also has a “permissions” section in the Temu app and website that clearly explains the device features that Temu does and does not access.
We do not sell customer data to third parties.”

“It seem like they take more money than you get back,” said Theresa Boles, a Chicagoan who’s been paying taxes since the 1970’s.

“I went to H&R Block a couple years ago and  they charged me $270. Just for my taxes!  It was just a bit much. They took theirs off the top. So it was just it was difficult,” said George McCormick, a security guard at Roosevelt University.

Both Boles and McCormick are getting their taxes done for free this year at Ladder Up– a non-profit tax assistance program.

“This is their money they’re eligible for, and they shouldn’t have to pay for unnecessary fees, or even fees to determine if they’re eligible for credit, they should just receive every bit of their income,” said Phyllis Cavallone-Jurek, executive director of Ladder Up.

The non-profit helped get area taxpayers more than $19 million in tax refunds between 2022 and 2023- with the average refund coming in at around $2,000.

“It’s usually the largest check they receive all year. This is the time to catch up on bills, they pay medical, they pay housing, sometimes those with children, this is the time of year that they go in, they buy some extra clothes or supplies that they might need for school. It’s very important for them,” said Cavallone-Jurek.

But year after year, there’s one specific tax credit that Cavallone-Jurek says many taxpayers don’t realize they qualify for.

“According to the IRS, one out of five people do not access the earned income credits because of one reason or another,” said Cavallone-Jurek.

The EITC Is aimed at low-to-middle income workers, earning less than $64,000 per year.

“Maximum credits for having no children [is] $600 to over $7,400 for three or more qualifying children,” said Cavallone-Jurek.

What’s more, the state of Illinois is now matching that federal EITC tax credit by 20%. According to the Pritzker administration, more than 53,000 Illinois residents claimed the federal earned income tax credit last year, but didn’t claim the state earned income tax credit, leaving nearly $25 million dollars on the table.

“They don’t even know that it’s out there or they feel they don’t meet the minimum requirement to file and so they leave it on the table,” said Cavallone-Jurek.

After a few short hours working with the staff at Ladder Up, the anticipation is over for Boles and McCormick, as they are both getting refunds.

“A little bit. Not much, but a little bit. That’s good news,” said McCormick.

Both are getting tax refunds, and although it’s a little lower than they would’ve liked, they’re happy they at least get to keep all of it.

“Everything worked out perfect. Usually within like three weeks or so I get my taxes back.
They do an amazing job, they do an amazing job,” said Boles.

One thing to keep an eye out for: staff at Ladder Up tell us they’ve seen some W-2 forms that have a QR code on the back that takes you to a paid tax preparation website. They want people to know you do not have to pay for that service, because you could qualify for a free tax prep service like the one at Ladder Up.

The Ladder Up free Tax Prep program is available on a walk-in basis for:

• Families and individuals earning up to $64,000 per year $32,000 for individuals  
• MUST be a Full-Year Illinois Resident (Ladder Up does NOT prepare other states, military personnel, and/or partial-year residents).
• Taxpayers filing a joint tax return (married) must BOTH be present

TAX SITE PROCESS:

1. At the TAP site, you’ll first meet with an intake volunteer who will review your documents and confirm that you are eligible for the service.
2. Once you complete the intake process, you will work with a trained volunteer tax preparer who will prepare your tax return for FREE.
3. Review and sign your taxes. We will file your taxes electronically or as a paper-file.

To find the nearest Ladder Up location, visit: https://www.goladderup.org/locations/

As some fairly new and expensive refrigerators are failing at a surprisingly young age, multiple families have filed lawsuits alleging fraud against both retailers and manufacturers.

“I love sauces, salmon, crab cakes. You can tell this is a foodie house,” Sarah Lloyd of St. Charles said.

Over the past six years, Lloyd has repeatedly faced every foodie’s worst nightmare.

“I lost all of this. So all of this, seafood things that are really expensive. It adds up big time, but I lost it multiple times,” Lloyd said.

The problem started in 2018, when her new $2,500 LG refrigerator from Sears suddenly stopped working.

“There was this awful grinding from the fridge. It ended up being the compressor,” Lloyd said.
She filed for warranty service, but there would be no quick fix.

“I kept contacting Sears, they came out I think at least 11 times and they were unable to fix it,” Lloyd said.

Lloyd said Sears eventually allowed her to pick out a replacement refrigerator, so she chose a Kenmore.

She thought by switching brands from LG to Kenmore, she wouldn’t have the same compressor problems. Unfortunately, she learned that would not be the case.

“[The replacement refrigerator] was an LG-manufactured fridge with a Kenmore façade.  Extremely misleading,” Lloyd said.

illinois laws Feb 5

A breakdown of new consumer protection laws in Illinois

Bucktown Jan 25

NBC 5 Responds helps Bucktown senior get disability parking spot after months of denials

NBC 5 Responds Nov 30, 2023

NBC 5 Responds recovers $25K for retiree who says his attorney ghosted him

Less than a year later, her new replacement fridge also stopped working, and she said repair shops were reluctant to work on it.

“They said these refrigerators were terrible quality, and they said they don’t touch them,” Lloyd told NBC Chicago.

“We have been in contact with Sears and requested that they work with the customer on a resolution of her service issues,” a statement from LG said.

As for Sears?

“They said that the parts are only under warranty, not the labor. Of course I want a working fridge, right? I’m highly motivated, and it was $800 for an hour of labor,” Lloyd said. “I think that was about three years ago. So I know, every day I get out of this fridge, I’m lucky.”

Lloyd isn’t alone. Over the past few years, our NBC and Telemundo sister stations around the country have heard from dozens of upset LG and Kenmore owners, according to our nationwide Responds complaint database.

Terese in Philadelphia said her fridge failed when it was “only seven months old.” Bernadette in San Diego said “technicians have been to my home seven times.”

That story rings a bell for Kaare in Los Angeles.

“[The] fix lasted one week. I have had a total of six repair visits and have not had a working refrigerator for two months.”

Some frustrated fridge owners are heading to court. 

Fed up and off to federal court

“It’s a nationwide issue,” Los Angeles attorney Azar Mouzari said.

Mouzari represents plaintiffs who are now suing LG, and says her firm is focused on a critical part called the linear compressor inside LG and some Kenmore refrigerators. “Which is really the heart of the refrigerator,” Mouzari said. “It’s what keeps the food cold.” 

According to LG literature, the linear compressor uses less energy and makes less noise than other compressors. LG offers a 10-year warranty and boasts “20-year durability” on their website.

But Mouzari argues in the lawsuit that the linear compressor’s actual lifespan is nowhere near 10 years, let alone 20. Her suit claims they frequently break down far earlier — and LG knows it.

Mouzari is asking a federal judge to make her clients’ lawsuit a class action because she believes droves of families are facing the same breakdown. “Thousands, if not tens of thousands,” she said. “We have been inundated with calls.”  

Old problem, new claim: fraud

LG previously faced litigation over its refrigerator, including compressor failures. In 2020, LG settled a different class-action lawsuit, covering people who bought select models between Jan. 1, 2014 and Dec. 31, 2017.

Mouzari’s suit is new, and makes a new claim: fraud. She argues in the suit that LG is defrauding people who bought after 2018, because LG continues to make a linear compressor that falls short of its “20-year durability.” 

“We know that they’ve known about this issue. And they know the rate of failure is just unreasonably high,” Mouzari said.  

Mouzari also names several major national chain stores that sold LG and Kenmore refrigerators in her suit “because those retailers were aware of the issue,” she explained. 

NBC contacted LG and Kenmore about the lawsuit. LG told the NBC Los Angeles Responds team that the company does not comment on pending litigation. It is fighting the suit in court. 

LG also told NBC 5 responds:

“Our focus on customer satisfaction is paramount. Home appliances manufactured by LG are used in tens of millions of homes across America every day, and LG has long been recognized by industry experts and customers alike for quality and reliability.  Refrigerator service issues are generally related to cooling performance, which can be caused by various factors.  For LG-brand refrigerators, when, on occasion, cooling issues arise, our refrigerators are backed by our five-year limited warranty on the cooling system, which fully covers parts and labor related to servicing the sealed system or compressor within five years from the original retail purchase date.We encourage any LG customer who may be having a cooling issue with their LG-brand refrigerators to contact our customer service team at 1-800-243-0000 or visit www.lg.com/us/support.”

When LG settled the previous class action suit, the agreement said LG, “specifically denies any alleged defect in the LG refrigerators.” Kenmore says it no longer sells refrigerators with an LG compressor. 

Mouzari says the new lawsuit is gaining traction. 

100+ plaintiffs so far

“Currently, we have 102 plaintiffs,” she said. “We are getting calls all the time.”

She wants LG to extend people’s warranties up to 20 years and refund anyone who says they bought a dud LG or Kenmore after 2018, which includes Sarah Lloyd.

“You certainly don’t expect to buy a fridge of that dollar value and have it only last a year,” said Lloyd.

The lawsuit also takes aim at several stores, including Sears, where Sarah Lloyd purchased her refrigerator. The lawsuit alleges they knew about this issue and failed to replace or repair many of the defective refrigerators.

Sears declined to comment when contacted by NBC.

If you bought an LG or Kenmore refrigerator after 2018, you can contact Mouzari’s firm to learn more about the lawsuit. 

One of the newest laws making headlines takes aim at doxxing.

“Doxxing is, is when somebody takes your personal information and broadcasts it to the world, but does so knowing that that is going to cause you to become the victim of stalking, harassment, physical violence,” said Illinois Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, who introduced the bill in the Illinois legislature last year.

The measure allows victims to bring civil action against anyone who engages in doxxing.  

A Chicago man recently cited the law in a lawsuit against several women from an online Facebook group called “Are we dating the same guy?”. He claims posts about their dating experiences with him were false and ruined his reputation.

“There should be some rules, even on the internet, even with respect to social media, certain lines that you just don’t cross,” said Gong-Gershowitz.

Another new law, the Digital Forgeries Act, allows consumers to sue, if they are the target of “deep fakes” or digitally altered sexual images.

The following laws were also recently enacted in Illinois:

• One measure calls for the Illinois Commerce Commission to publish all consumer complaints against towing companies on its website.
• Another ensures closer monitoring and reporting on the theft of SNAP benefits via card skimming or other types of fraud.
• A third law stops utility companies from cutting off service on any day where temperatures reach 90 days or higher.

“We’re seeing more of really hot, extreme hot days, here in Illinois,” said Abe Scarr with Illinois’ Public Interest Research Group. “This is an appropriate step to make sure that health and safety is protected that just because you’re behind on your bills, your utility bills, you’re not putting in a life-threatening situation.”

Meanwhile, another new law gives consumers some control back. You must now give consent before a company tries to use your credit card to auto-renew a product or service.

“We always have seen that problem at the Better Business Bureau, but we’re seeing an increase in those types of complaints,” said Steve Bernas with the Better Business Bureau.

Last year, Illinois saw the largest increase in car thefts in the nation, according to a study by the National Insurance Crime Bureau. An additional law requires Cook County to establish a vehicle theft hotline to help law enforcement work with vehicle manufacturers and dealers to help locate stolen vehicles, and vehicles that may have been used in kidnappings.

Here is a full list of consumer protection laws now in effect in Illinois:

• HB 1153: All counties with 70,000 or more inhabitants must create an office of county auditor, a reduction from 75,000 residents. The only county this will impact, according to U.S. Census data, is Vermilion County, which had a population of 72,337 as of 2020.
• HB 1236: In competitive bidding situations, county boards shall take into account the bidder’s active participation in an apprenticeship program registered with the U.S. Department of Labor.
• HB 1497: Car-sharing vehicles are exempt from the Automobile Renting Occupation and Use Tax if the tax was paid upon the purchase of the vehicle.
• HB 1541: If gas or electricity is used as the only source of space cooling, then a utility may not terminate service on any day where the forecast includes temperatures of 90 degrees or warmer, or any day preceding a holiday or weekend when the NWS forecast includes temperatures of 90 degrees or above.
• HB 1628: No landlord shall require a tenant to pay any amount by means of electronic funds transfer, including those that automatically debit funds on a recurring basis.
• HB 2094: All marketing materials from mortgage companies not connected to a homeowner’s mortgage company must comply with specified requirements, so as not to mislead consumers.
• HB 2123: The “Digital Forgeries Act” holds that individuals have rights to legal recourse if they are the target of “deep fakes,” or digitally-altered sexual images.
• HB 2214: The Department of Human Services will be required to monitor the frequency with which SNAP benefits are stolen via card skimming, card cloning or other similar fraudulent methods, and submit a report on those thefts to the State’s Attorney.
• HB 2217: Tenants must be provided a “Radon Guide for Tenants” pamphlet before agreeing to a lease. The tenant then has 90 days to conduct radon tests of the dwelling unit, and to have the permission of the property owner before taking radon mitigation steps. Leases can also be terminated in specific instances.
• HB 2245: Cook County (or any county that exceeds three million residents) will be required to establish a vehicle theft hotline to facilitate the location of stolen vehicles.
• HB 2269: All estate-planning documents must be able to be prepared electronically. Previously, only wills were included.
• HB 2325: The bill provides that each full-service location at which residential mortgage licensee conducts any part of their business must be recorded with the state. Licensees may allow mortgage loan originators to work remotely if specified conditions are met.
• HB 2500: Animal control facilities may not charge an adoption fee for dogs or cats if the person presents a valid ID or Illinois Person with a disability card with the word “veteran” printed on its face.
• HB 2562: Owners or properties dedicated to residents age 55 and older must provide a common area whose temperature is maintained between 67 and 73 degrees. Properties without building-wide cooling and heating systems must provide a common gathering space where a cooling system operates when the heat index exceeds 80 degrees.
• HB 3087: The Director of Agriculture may declare a temporary halt on the sale, movement or exhibition of certain types of animals to prevent the spread of disease in the state. Such declarations can be made in increments of 30 days.
• HB 3236: Contracts, transactions and agreements that extend credit to a consumer to purchase a dog or cat will no longer be permitted.  
• Hb 3363: DCFS will be required to establish and maintain a database on the safety of consumer products or substances regulated by the department that is publicly available, searchable, and accessible through the internet. It also expands the definition of “children’s product” to products designed to be used by children age 12 and younger.
• HB 3707: The Commerce Commission shall publish all consumer complaints against any towing company on its website.
• HB 3808: Streaming services are not required to pay ‘franchise fees’ to local governments for utility lines owned, operated and paid for by cable companies. The change was instituted to prevent consumers from being charged franchise fees for streaming services.
• SB 0800: If a repossession agency believes a vehicle that serves as collateral collects or stores personal information, they must clear, erase, delete or otherwise eliminate the personal information collected by the vehicle.
• SB 0328: Any person or company that sells products or services that include automatic renewal must disclose the renewal terms clearly and conspicuously before the agreement is signed. They also may not charge credit or debit cards or payment mechanisms without first obtaining the consumer’s consent to the renewal offer terms. They must also make it clear how to cancel the automatic renewal before an agreement can be signed.
• SB 0850: The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity may designate an area as a food desert even if it doesn’t meet the qualifications set forth in the original Grocery Initiative Act. To do so, the government must use data that includes poverty metrics and access to existing grocery stores, among others.
• SB 1440: It is unlawful to knowingly mail or send a postcard or letter if the correspondence does not disclose or disclaim any and all affiliations. Those disclosures must be made in unambiguous language and must be printed in at least 14-point bold-face font in a black-outlined box.
• SB 1463 – Fees and fines can no longer be assessed in Illinois to individuals under the age of 18, except for traffic tickets, boating or fishing violations, or municipal ordinance violations.
• SB 1705: A series of tax exemptions will be given to active duty members of the U.S. armed forces, provided they purchase the property using a form of payment were the federal government is the payor.
• SB 1741: Property owners with five or more residential units must furnish an itemized statement of damage allegedly caused to leased units within 30 days of a tenant’s departure if a security deposit is being withheld in part or in full.
• SB 1817: It is a civil rights violation to refuse to engage in real estate transactions because of immigration status. Specific wording for the law allows for inquiries into immigration status if required by federal law.
• SB 1896 – New and used licensed motor vehicle dealers will be allowed to conduct sales activities via the internet, and will be permitted to deliver vehicles to residences or other suitable locations.

Less than a day into its investigation, NBC 5 Responds got answers and helped him recover more than $18,000.

The resemblance takes a moment to spot, but Clare and Charlie O’Connor of River Forest are twins. Charlie came into the world with several complications.

“He has cerebral palsy, which is completely separate from his developmental delay,” said Clare.

Charlie is largely independent but attends an adult day center and needs help cooking meals.

Clare became Charlie’s guardian last year after both their mother and father passed away.

“It’s like a lot to take care of in a rough situation,” said Clare.

Clare took comfort in the fact that her brother would be taken care of financially. He had been receiving social security benefits every month, ever since his parents retired a few years ago. 

“It was always like a comfort,” said Clare.

But less than a month after their mother’s death last April, Clare was notified that Charlie’s benefits would be suspended immediately.

“Essentially, they’re saying they don’t want [the benefits] to, I think, go into an account that’s no longer being managed,” said Clare.

Clare was told to apply to be Charlie’s “payee.”

She immediately filed paperwork to let the Social Security Administration know she was now Charlie’s guardian, but the benefits never restarted.

“In [those] eight months, we had to pay property taxes. Not having an additional monthly stipend to pay for stuff like that was hard. And … I was definitely a little nervous,” said Clare, who lived in an apartment prior to becoming Charlie’s guardian and moving into her mother’s River Forest home.

While fighting for his benefits, Clare discovered Charlie’s Medicare payments had also been suspended without notice.

“That’s scary to think about because I’m sure, especially living in the United States, people who need health care, all of a sudden, you’re gonna get stuck with a massive bill,” said Clare.

Clare said everyone she contacted over the phone and in person at the Hillside Social Security Administration office told her something different.  

“They would say, ‘Oh, yeah, [it will be processed] 90 days after we’ve received your application.’ That was in perhaps October, November. And in November, I finally called, I got through to someone in Springfield. And they’re like, ‘Oh, no, seven-month delay,’” said Clare.

That’s when Clare contacted NBC 5 Responds.

NBC 5 Responds looked into her case and found Clare and Charlie weren’t alone. According to federal data and the AARP, the average wait time to get an initial decision on a disability benefit claim from the Social Security Administration went up from 110 days in 2016 to 225 days this year.

“It’s frustrating, because there’s not a lot you can do,” said Clare.

NBC 5 Responds reached out to the Social Security Administration, and a representative told us the delays were caused by “inconsistent funding, insufficient funding” and their “lowest staffing level in over 25 years.”

Within days of NBC 5 Responds contacting the Social Security Administration, Clare got a phone call from a SSA spokesperson.

“He apologized for the delay,” said Clare.

Within a few days, Charlie’s benefits of more than $18 ,000 were finally in his account.

“It was like such a weight off my shoulders. I couldn’t believe it. When I saw it, it was very relieving. I don’t think I could have gotten it done without your help,” said Clare.

If you need help getting an answer about your claim, a study by the National Bureau of Economic Research shows legal representation early in the process increases the probability of getting a positive decision by 23%.

Full statement from Social Security Administration:

“Thank you for bringing this to our attention, and although we cannot discuss individual cases due to privacy laws, we are actively looking into this issue. Current service status is a culmination of many factors including inconsistent funding, insufficient funding, and staffing shortages.  We are laying the foundation for improved customer service by rebuilding our workforce, after ending fiscal year 2022 at our lowest staffing level in over 25 years–driven by years of funding levels below the President’s Budget.  However, it will take time and resources for our new hires to become proficient.  Service improvement will be a multi-year effort requiring sufficient, sustained funding to reduce wait times and backlogs, especially since each year we serve more beneficiaries.

Contacting Social Security when someone loses a loved one who is receiving benefits is very important.  This ensures that we are able to provide information regarding future benefits a person may be entitled to.  For more information see our publication at How Social Security Can Help You When a Family Member Dies (ssa.gov).  People may contact their local office or call 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.”

Data breaches are a growing problem. Last year, more than 353 million Americans became victims.

The Identity Theft Resource Center released its 2023 report of data breaches, and the findings are jolting even to the non-profit’s President and CEO Eva Velasquez.

“We’re over 3,200 breaches in a single year,” Velasquez said. “That’s a 72% increase over the previous all-time high back in 2021.”

The ITRC says the top three industries targeted by data breaches are healthcare, financial services and professional services, followed by manufacturing and education.

The hackers, according to the report, are looking for your social security number, passwords, email address and your physical address.

From there, they can either use your info to apply for credit cards or target you with phishing emails and other scams.

According to the most recent data from the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, 96 Illinois companies reported being the victim of data breaches in 2022. That’s up from 41 reported corporate data breaches in 2021.

Velasquez said it’s not a matter of if you will be impacted by a data breach, but when.

“You don’t actually feel it until it’s misused,” said Velasquez.

You can find out if companies you do business with have been impacted by a data breach by going to IdTheftCenter.org/notified and searching for the company by name.

“You can also set an alert to find out if they have a breach in the future,” said Velasquez.  

What can you do right now to protect yourself from the impact of a data breach? Vasquez said it only takes a matter of minutes to sign up for a credit freeze through the three credit reporting bureaus: TransUnion, Equifax and Experian.

It’s also important to use two-factor authentication for your digital accounts. And change your passwords often.

The man has been applying for a disability parking spot outside his home, though each of requests were denied.

After months of investigating, NBC 5 Responds determined that the city made a mistake.

“For a while, nobody thought I was going to walk again,” 81-year-old Hubert Cruz said, who had back surgery several years ago. “If I try to walk, I get tired or fall down.”

That means most days, Cruz doesn’t leave his house because he’s afraid he won’t be able to make it back.

“Sometimes I have to do like half-an-hour around the block to find a parking spot,” Cruz said.

Last summer, the Bucktown man applied with the City of Chicago to get a disability parking sign in front of his house.

Cruz met all of the qualifications laid out by the city, having a current disabled Illinois license plate with a home on a residential street that does not have access to off-street parking.

But by November, when NBC 5 Responds first met Cruz, he told us his application had already been denied twice.

“I couldn’t understand what was going on. They said it’s the zoning,” Cruz said.

Cruz says he was then told that since his building had a garage, he didn’t qualify for a disability parking spot.

“I’m a renter, you know, the garage is rented to somebody else. I gave up. I was frustrated,” said Cruz.

NBC 5 Responds began investigating, reaching out to Cruz’s alderman, and the mayor’s office for people with disabilities.

After months of calls and messages questioning the city’s rejections, a spokesperson for the city told NBC 5 Responds that the denials were made in error. They did not respond to on additional requests for information about those denials or the reversal.

“It was like a miracle,” said Cruz. “When I got home, I look up. Sure enough, there was a post.”

Cruz finally got his parking spot and a little bit of his independence back.

If your application for a disability parking sign is denied, consider contacting your alderman’s office. You may be eligible for an exemption.

NBC 5 Responds has also learned that 1st Ward Ald. Daniel La Spata is working with the Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety to reform many aspects of the City’s signage and related policy development. 

State Farm and Allstate insurance companies, both based in Illinois, had the highest rate increases. Since 2022 they’ve increased rates by a combined total of nearly $1.2 billion.

According to Insurify, an insurance comparison shopping website, close to 62% of Americans reported their car insurance rates increased in 2023, and it’s predicted that car insurance costs will increase by another 7% in 2024.

Bob Passmore with the American Property Casualty Insurance Association explained what’s behind the increase.

“You’ve seen increases in repair costs, parts, labor, medical costs, all those things have been going up, and the cost of auto insurance premiums tend to trail the rest of the inflationary trends,” said Passmore.

But other states see less frequent and less severe rate hikes, according to Abe Scarr with the non-profit Illinois PIRG. 

Right now, Illinois and Wyoming are the only two states in the country where lawmakers don’t have the power to reject or modify rate hikes. Legislation filed in the state House last year aims to change that.

“When rates should go down, the insurers are slow to do it. When they have reason to raise rates, they do it very quickly and very aggressively,” Scarr said. “And this is where regulation can play a role to make sure that we’re getting a fair shake.”

Passmore said that legislation is unnecessary because Illinois auto insurance rates are similar to the national average, and it could make the Illinois insurance market less competitive.

In statements, both Allstate and State Farm said higher repair costs are driving the rate increases.

“State Farm is the largest insurer of autos in the state of Illinois,” a statement from State Farm Communications Specialist Gina Morss-Fischer read. “Auto claim costs are being compounded by inflation and supply chain disruptions. All of this has increased the cost of labor and materials, which translates to higher auto repair costs. We continue to adjust to these trends to make sure we are matching price to risk. Overall changes in premiums for individual customers will vary.”

“Our payments to help customers recover from accidents have increased significantly in recent years with more cars on the road, more severe accidents, and higher repair costs from inflation,” a statement from All State Communications Manager Ben Corey read. “Customers can save money based on how they drive with products like Drivewise and by bundling home and auto.”

How to save on your auto insurance

Experts say to shop around every few years for new quotes. You should also bundle your insurance policies to potentially get a lower rate.

Also, consider increasing your deductible. Experts say you’re likely to have more small claims than big ones.

Many insurance companies also offers apps or monitoring programs to help drivers save money.

NBC 5 Responds finds out from former employees what might be behind the company’s silence, and reveals the signs of financial trouble they say the company ignored until it was too late.

Frank and Monica Manfredi hired Springrock Gutters last November to install gutter guards and help winterize their home.

“[They had] a lot of advertisements. And, my friend used them,” said Frank. “[They had] all good reviews.”

The Manfredi’s signed a contract for $8,644 and put half of that money down. Their contract stated that installation would take between six-to-eight weeks.

By mid-December, Frank said he was unable to get in contact with anyone at the company.

“Nobody calls me back. I left my name and phone number. I went [to the Springrock office] and walked around. The trucks are all open. The building was empty,” said Frank.

NBC 5 Responds found that similar complaints began popping on Yelp and the Better Business Bureau beginning in early December.

Earlier this month, the BBB suspended the company’s accreditation for “failure to address marketplace disputes.”

No Refunds

We reached out to Springrock co-owner and manager Anita Reinke, who said that the Manfredi’s will not be receiving a refund because it would violate their contract.

Reinke also states the installation dates on their contract are not guaranteed, though she will try to get them installed when she can.

NBC 5 responds couldn’t find anything in the Manfredi’s contract that indicated a refund would be a violation of their contract. But we did find the following clause, which states: “Springrock shall not be responsible for the nonperformance or delayed performance of the Job due to causes or conditions beyond its reasonable control, such as adverse weather conditions, material shortages or damage to the Property not caused by Springrock. Springrock agreed to use commercially reasonable efforts to continue the performance of its obligations on a delayed schedule once such causes or conditions are removed or cease to exist.”

“These customers don’t deserve this”

NBC 5 Responds tracked down the Springrock Gutter salesman who sold the Manfredi’s their gutter guards, who asked us to conceal his identity to protect his new job. He’s now running his own gutter company.

“There are hundreds of customers waiting there for their deposits, unfortunately,” said the former salesmen. “The jobs couldn’t be done because either the installers weren’t getting paid or the subcontractors weren’t getting paid or essentially where we get our material, [they] weren’t getting paid as well.”

Rochelle Primous ran Springrock’s call center until she left in late November, after weeks of delayed paychecks, and sometimes no pay at all.

“We didn’t receive payment for November, until the first week of December. And I’m still waiting for a paycheck for the week ending on Thanksgiving,” Primous said.

Primous said she would take calls from upset customers on a daily basis who were asking for refunds or installation dates. She said she also began getting calls from with vendors and suppliers who wanted payment.

“I was starting to get calls from vendors [saying] ‘Hey, you know this is late’, ‘the rent is late’,” said Primous. “October, it started to get so bad because what’s happening is I have customers calling me checking their installations. I’m e-mailing, I’m calling, I’m making excuses. And then it got to the point to where I’m onto excuse number three.”

Health Insurance: Canceled

Payroll documents show the employees paid for health insurance through the company out of every paycheck.  

This led to the workers’ shock when they received thousands of dollars in unexpected medical bills last summer because their coverage was suddenly canceled without their knowledge.

“I had a procedure done on September the 25^th. I got a bill for $6,400,” Primous said. “My coverage terminated on the 31st of July.”

“One of my kids was injured. I am still fighting that [bill] but you’re looking at about $21,000,” the former Springrock salesman said.

Primous said the company did eventually pay her $6,400 bill, but documents show her health insurance coverage was terminated again without notice on Oct. 1. Primous has since filed a complaint with the Department of Labor.

“We weren’t given the reasons why payroll was late, why we didn’t have health insurance. We weren’t given that courtesy. But our customers deserve that courtesy,” Primous said.

“I don’t think it was malicious. I think she was in over her head,” Primous said.

Severe Weather Jan 17

Frigid temps can cut electric vehicle range, make charging tough. Here's what to know

Chicago Restaurant Week Jan 18

Deals, restaurants, menus and more: What to know as Chicago Restaurant Week 2024 begins

Trending news Jan 17

Cheese and cigarettes: People are setting up shrines at the Chicago rat hole

Reinke told NBC 5 Responds that any employees owed their final paychecks will be paid, though she couldn’t tell us how soon that would happen.

She also confirms employee health insurance did lapse due last year due to “office issues”, but that it only happened once. Reinke says the insurance premiums employees paid for that period will be refunded.

Getting a look behind the Springrock curtain doesn’t leave the Manfredi’s with much hope that they’ll get their money back.

If they can just get the materials, Manfredi said he can do the rest himself.

“I’ll install, that ain’t rocket science,” he said.

Monica Manfredi said she doesn’t even mind her husband, who is in his 70’s, getting on a ladder to finish the job.  

“For $4,300? Yeah, he can go up on the ladder,” Manfredi said while laughing.

A full statement from Springrock manager and Springrock National LLC owner Anita Reinke can be read below:

“At Springrock, we deeply value each of our customers and are committed to delivering the best installation experience possible. We understand the Manfredi’s concerns and would like to clarify that their request falls beyond the agreed terms of our contract. It’s important to note that projects initiated towards the end of the season may occasionally encounter delays due to weather conditions and crew availability. This can lead to installation timelines extending beyond initial estimates. Rest assured, we are dedicated to completing the Manfredi’s installation with the same high standard of quality that we have consistently provided to thousands of our valued customers over the years.

We also want to assure you that we take our employees’ concerns seriously. Any mention of a pay discrepancy is being addressed with urgency, and we are continuously working to improve our back office processes. These efforts are fully supported by our management team. Regarding the insurance matter, it impacted only a small portion of our team, has been promptly rectified, and all related claims have been settled.”

But there’s one good reason why you might want to bundle up and grab your shovel.

It’s an important reminder for Chicago residents and business owners to safely get outside and clear sidewalks- otherwise you could face fines between $50 and $500 dollars for homeowners, and up to $1,000 for business owners.

According to a city ordinance, you must shovel a path at least five feet wide on all sides of the sidewalks adjacent to your property. This includes any crosswalk ramps. 

There’s also another good reason to clear your sidewalks, according to Bob Passmore, with the American Property Casualty Insurance Association.

“If you don’t clean your sidewalk, or the walkways in front of your house, you could be held responsible and someone could make a claim against you,” said Passmore.

Here’s an important detail: do not shovel the snow into the right-of way: including parking spaces, bike lanes, bike racks, and any other space where snow impedes traffic of any kind.

The city of Chicago says if the snow falls between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., you must shovel it by no later than 10 p.m.

For snow that falls between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.,  it has to be removed by 10 a.m. And yes, the rules still apply on the weekend.

Now, let’s talk about the inside homes. 

According to  State Farm Insurance, Illinois ranks second-highest in the nation when it comes to the number of claims involving frozen pipes. Heather Paul with State Farm Insurance shares how you can keep your pipes at a safe temperature.

“Things like opening up your cabinet doors to make sure warm air is getting to your pipes, making sure your thermostat in your home is at least 55 degrees, and keeping a steady stream of water — doesn’t have to be on full, but keeping your faucet open so it is dripping — a small stream of water so you have movement in your pipes,” said Paul.

If your pipes do freeze, it doesn’t necessarily mean they will burst. Experts say you can try to warm them up with a hairdryer, but avoid an open flame.

“It is important to know where your water shut off valve is. In the midst of all the choas of ‘It’s cold. My pipes are frozen,’ you want to make sure you’re turning off the water, so your pipes don’t burst and you suddenly have a stream of water all over,” said Paul.

Accumulations of ice on trees and powerlines can cause a lot of damage to your home as well, especially the roof.

“Sometimes what’s called an ice dam will build up like in your gutters and things like that. Snow and ice can accumulate there and sort of back up under the shingles and leak into your home,” said Passmore.

To prevent that kind of damage, it’s a good idea to get your gutters cleaned before the next big storm.

In the meantime, if you do get any storm damage, make sure you report it to your insurance company as soon as you can. But you have up to one year to make a claim.

“Now with our smartphones, it’s easier to do than ever, you know, you can take pictures of damage to your car, you can take pictures of damage to your home or property. A lot of insurers are now using what are called virtual inspection tools,” said Passmore.

Insurance experts say the number one type of damage claim they see during storms like this is on the roadways with auto accidents. So if you’re driving make sure you go slow and watch out for other cars on the road.

For such a big, expensive and time-intensive Christmas light festival, Kim Scerine and her dance troop said it’s a shame so few involved in the fest, appear to have been paid.

“We went into this to do a good job,” said Scerine, who heads up the non-profit dance group On-Broadway Dancers based in Coal City. “These kids gave everything.”

Scerine said the troupe is owed $48,000 for the dozens of performances they did for the festival.

“I just don’t really know how you can live with yourself after [not paying],” said Brecken Johnson, a performer part of the 2022 Amaze Light Festival. “I mean, we came in every single day ready to work, no matter what. I think I worked in like negative 20-degree weather.”

“I just don’t understand how this isn’t a crime,” said Scerine. “For 11 months, they had been telling me that they were going to pay me in full.”

That’s what Amaze Light Festival’s CEO told NBC 5 Responds too.

In the statement from CEO Derek Norwood back in September, he pledged, “On Broadway Dancers will receive a series of payments in 2023 to be paid in full.”

But in early December, the company apparently changed its tune. They sent Scerine an email with a surprising offer.

“They were no longer offering to pay me in full. They wanted me to take $26,000 instead of the $48,000, which is $20,000 in losses,” said Scerine. “Or option two is to pay me $8,000 by Dec. 31, 2023. And then they would make me payments monthly, interest free, for two years. Those are my two options.”

Scerine was livid.

“Mostly my reaction was, ‘You don’t get to pull a 180.’ It seems like nearly every company that was involved, and putting their time and service in here, either has not been paid in full or has not been paid at all,” she said.

Scerine is not wrong. NBC 5 Responds compiled a list of debts and lawsuits against the company stemming from the 2022 Tinley Park festival.

Those debts include:

• An $80,000 bill from the Tinley Park Police department for security and traffic services
  
• More than half a million dollars allegedly owed to the venue Odyssey Fun World as outlined in a ‘breach of contract’ lawsuit they filed last year.
  
• $24,000 to three local equipment, marketing and staging companies
  
• Nearly $50,000 to Aries Transportation which shuttled festivals guests to the venue.

The company is also facing millions of dollars in lawsuits over non-payment from businesses and venues in Illinois, Florida and New York.

We reached out to CEO Derek Norwood for comment. He did not respond to our questions.

“You feel like you’ve just been scammed, you know,” said Scerine, “and it really is a slap in the face to the work that [the dancers] did.” 

Scerine’s dancers were supposed to be paid $100 a day for their role in the light show.

But when that payment never came, Scerine made the choice to take on a loan and pay the kids herself.

“It shows how dedicated she is to everything that she does, and making sure that her dancers come first,” said Stephen Byers Jr., a performer in the 2022 festival.

As bad as things are, Scerine’s troupe is moving forward and staying lighthearted about it all, at least on stage.

In one of their recent holiday shows, one of the performers gives a monologue that not-so-subtly refers to the money they’re owed, stating in a sing-song voice: “Of course I’m referring to last year when we didn’t do a Christmas show because we had some ‘other things going on’ and ‘write a letter.'”

“Saying, ‘We are broke. Merry Christmas,’ feels like that’s a really good opener, gets the audience warmed up and really just shows like, what’s what happened. What’s really going on,” said Byers.

Scerine said she can’t afford to file a lawsuit but has lodged a complaint with the Illinois Attorney General’s Office. She and other businesses that are owed money by Amaze are now starting to connect and consider their legal options as a group.

The move marks the latest development in a scam we first warned you about four years ago.

Federal prosecutors say the company used the name “New City Moves” and misrepresented itself as a well-known, local moving company called “New City Moving.” It was only three letters off, which was enough to fool many customers.

The scheme had more than 800 victims over three years and scammed customers out of more than $3 million.

Federal prosecutors said the scammers posted fake reviews online, and would quote customers very low prices over the phone.

But once items were in the moving trucks, customers were forced to pay sometimes triple the original quote to get their stuff back.

Now, prosecutors say the owner of the company is considered a fugitive and two of his employees are facing up to 20 years in prison for their role in this multistate moving scam.

Authorities say the company also operated under the names “Great Moving USA,” “Green Movers,” “Cross Country Moving and Storage” and “Movers Consulting.”

The company’s scam had been going on since 2017, but it first got on NBC 5 Responds’ radar in 2020. That’s when Marion Schmekel said she was duped into hiring the imposter moving company, New City Moves, for her move from Aurora to Kansas. But when the moving truck arrived in Kansas, she says, they demanded thousands more than what she was quoted.

“The price just kept on adding and adding and adding, up to $2,000 more than my original quote,” said Schmekel, who added that her items were delivered two weeks late.

After Schmekel’s experience. “New City Moves” was sued for copyright infringement by the Chicago company who’s name it ripped off. A judge ordered the scam company to pay more than $100,000 in damages and fees. 

“I’ve moved several times and never run into something as crazy at this,” said Schmekel.

NBC 5 Responds previously tried to reach out to the company, but never heard back.

According to a study by Hire-A-Helper and data from the Better Business Bureau, moving scams are on the rise and consumers lost an average of $836 to moving scams just last year.

So here is a quick rundown of what you need to watch out for if you’re looking for a moving company:

Beware of companies that:
-only do phone estimates
-provide suspiciously low bids
-ask you to sign a partial or blank contract
-charge by cubic feet rather than weight
-have a name suspiciously similar to another local moving company

Things to do before hiring a moving company:
-Check The Mover’s License In The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Company Database-keep an inventory of all your possession
-ask about what your rights are if your items are damaged or the delivery is late
–Get a written estimate from several movers and compare them. The estimate should be based on an actual in-person inspection of your household goods.
-Make sure the mover is authorized to move your household goods and insured.

For more tips and resources visit: https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/protect-your-move

According to a new data from Carfax, more than 2 million vehicles on the road have had their odometers rolled back.  

Illinois has emerged as a hotspot for the crime, ranking fifth in the nation and impacting close to 80,000 drivers, primarily in the Chicago area.

“They can take 10,000, 20,000, 50,000, even 100,000 miles or more off the odometer of a car. And what that does is it dramatically increases the value of the car to potential buyers,” said Patrick Olsen of Carfax.

Olsen said the average consumer loses around $4,000 in value from unknowingly buying a rolled-back car, with that total sometimes being much greater.

“We looked at two Ford F-150 2018 models that are on the road today, one at 50,000 miles, one has 150,000 miles. The value difference between them is $10,300. And that presents quite the incentive for scammers,” Olsen said.

Driving a vehicle with a rolled back odometer can also put your family’s safety at risk.

“It could be that you think you’ve got a car with 60,000 miles and so you think you’ve got a little while before you need to do a major tune-up or some other major work. In reality, that major work may have been due long before or it may not have been done. And so that puts your car, yourself and your family at risk,” Olsen said.

Odometer fraud has increased by 14% since 2021, with new, cheaper technology that can perform the task contributing to the recent increase.

Chicago Snow Nov 27, 2023

Should you salt your Chicago driveway or sidewalk? Here's what the city says

Autos Dec 5, 2023

How long should you warm up your car in the winter and is it legal?

Chicago Weather Oct 27, 2023

Winter El Niño: What it is and what it will mean for the season's forecast

“Years ago, as far as the equipment to be able to do this, you were upwards of $10,000 to purchase the equipment. Nowadays, you can pick some of these tools up on the internet for $300,” Josh Ingle, President of Atlanta Speedometer- a company that specializes in instrument cluster repair told NBC Chicago.

“Gaining $4,000 in value on a car for $300, you know, even on a single car, it makes sense, you know, if you’re willing to go down that path,” Ingle said.

Ingle demonstrated how quickly scammers can roll back a digital odometer with some inexpensive equipment. He hooked up a device to a newer model vehicle and inputted the new, lower mileage he wanted the odometer to change to.

“If you look on the odometer, this vehicle currently, there’s 124,000 miles on it. And I’ve already got our miles that we want to put on here. So we’re going to take about 80,000 miles off. And once I hit the button, you’ll see a couple messages show up, and I’ve got 43,000 miles on this car,” said Ingle.

While committing the fraud may be easier than ever, there are several ways you can spot it too.

“Look at the vehicle history report from the car and good dealers and good salespeople will be transparent and offer you a vehicle history report. If suddenly it goes from 80,000 miles down to 60,000 miles, that’s a red flag,” Olsen said.

Our experts also recommend taking any used car you’re considering buying to an independent mechanic. They can look for signs of advanced wear that may not match the vehicle’s mileage.

If you feel you’ve been a victim, you can contact the Illinois Secretary of State to report the incident.

Look beyond the twinkly lights and tinsel- and you’ll find many reasons to be cautious this holiday season.

“I’ve been doing this for a long time and the holiday season, it’ll bring a lot of types of scams online as well as the brick and mortar companies,” said Steve Bernas, president of the Better Business Bureau.

Bernas has been tracking the most common scams consumers are likely to encounter this time of year.

From look-a-like websites to counterfeit luxury goods, some of the scams may not be new to you, but they’re on the rise this time of year.

Things like bogus texts saying you’ve been hacked, fake shipping notifications and misleading social media ads.

But some scams are harder to spot- even if they show up on your doorstep, like fake utility workers.

“They got the utility type of organizations where they basically fake utility workers during the holiday season. They’ll come to your house, knock on your door, and say, ‘We need to look at your meters or your electric downstairs’. You take them downstairs, you leave the front door open, they ransacked the house,” said Bernas.

And be sure to guard your gift cards.

“There’s just a lot of sites that pop up saying ‘check your balance on your gift card’ and ask for the digit code. Guess what? They just stole it from you,” said Bernas.

Unsurprisingly, many of the scams to watch for center on the most sought-after gifts during the holiday season- like puppies.

“There’s a lot of puppy scams online at one point he was at one point we saw about 80% of the ads we were looking at, were fraudulent in some way. The tip off to the rip off is that you can’t meet them in any way. That they’re too busy, they want to do it through email,” said Bernas.

Even Advent calendars aren’t safe from scammers. The BBB has gotten several reports of misleading Advent calendar ads on social media.

Some calendars never arrived, and the ones that did had poor quality products.

Social media gift exchanges are also a popular holiday con, where consumers sign up for a type of online “secret Santa” gift exchange on social media. Spoiler alert- these are often illegal pyramid schemes and you end up getting nothing but scammed out of your money. 

The BBB also warns parents that kids can be targeted by scammers through holiday-themed apps- where kids can video chat with Santa or watch Santa feed live reindeer.

“Parents need to read the privacy policies, because you want to know what they’re doing with this information on your child. Are they selling it? Are they utilizing it in some way?” said Bernas.

Rounding out the list of the 12 scams of Christmas are holiday job scams. The National Retail Federation estimates that close to half a million seasonal workers will be hired this year. That demand fuels an increase in employment scams aimed at stealing money and person information from job applicants.

“If you see a scam, report it because that’s the only way to prevent it from happening to others,” said Bernas.

Read more BBB Holiday Tips at BBB.org/holiday. Also, check BBB’s tips on online shopping.

If you’ve spotted a scam, report it to BBB Scam Tracker. Your report exposes scammer tactics.
You can also report scams and fraud to the Federal Track Commission.

You can also contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.

The IC3 accepts online Internet Crime Complaints from either the actual victim or from a third party to the Complainant. This website processes complaints and may refer them to federal, state, local or international law enforcement or regulatory agencies for possible investigation.

NOTE: This story was published in partnership with our NBC affiliate in Philadelphia.

The holiday travel surge is right around the corner, and who wouldn’t like a little reassurance that everything will go according to plan?

Travel insurance seems like a logical thing to offer that reassurance, and NBC 5 Responds looked into the ins and outs of such a purchase.

When you’re on the checkout page of a travel website, you will likely be asked if you want to add on travel insurance—for an additional fee. Before you pay the extra money, read the policy and be sure you know exactly what it covers.

 For example, many travel insurance plans will not cover your trip cancellation for pre-existing medical conditions.

Acts of war are not typically covered by such policies either.

 If the policy doesn’t offer the coverage you’re looking for, you can always buy travel insurance through third parties.

Websites such as “Squaremouth” give you side-by side quotes for different travel insurance policies, so you can compare price and scope of the coverage.

You can also check with your home or auto insurance companies to see if they offer travel insurance plans.

Before you buy an additional travel insurance policy,  look at the benefits on the credit card you’re using to book the trip too. Those benefits may include travel insurance for lost bags, emergency assistance, hotel burglary, and more.  

To find out what your card covers, visit your credit card company’s website.        

“Kids play out there. And I was more worried that they would get hurt. And I couldn’t get AT&T to do anything,” Billis said. “You could jump up and grab [the wires].”

Billis is talking about AT&T wires sagging over his backyard fence.

The cables used to be much higher up prior to the replacement of a nearby utility pole this year, when Billis noticed that the workers left a lot of slack in the line.

“There’s kids and a trampoline… right next to the line. And if they jump up and down, they could have grabbed it, [been] choked even,” Billis said.

According to research from NBC 5 Responds, the height of the sagging cable was lower than recommended by the National Electric Safety Code, below the minimum clearance of 9.5 feet.

“I was willing to go up there and do it. But at 75 years old, I’m too old to get it. I don’t like ladders anymore,” Billis said.

After months of trying to get AT&T’s attention, Billis turned to NBC 5 Responds, which quickly sped up the arrival of help.

“Two days later, low and behold, there’s a truck out there moving the lines up where they’re supposed to be,” Billis said.

Billis said the change gives him peace of mind over children getting hurt or the lines collapsing from snow or wind.

A statement to NBC Chicago from AT&T addressed the change at Billis’ home.

“We raised the height of our cables at this location last month. We’ve also reached out to the homeowner and he is satisfied with the resolution,” the statement said.

While Billis is satisfied, he wishes that a simple fix didn’t take this long to address.

“It’s a shame. I shouldn’t have had to do all of that to get their attention,” Billis said.

That’s what Louise Martell thought when she clicked on an Evite sent from her friend.

“She’s invited us to events in the past. I thought, ‘Well, it’s the season,’” Martell said.

An Evite is an email invitation to a party, meeting, or any other event that allows the user to RSVP. When Martell clicked on the event, she followed the prompts, but nothing happened. She didn’t know it but she just became the victim of a phishing email chain.

Martell asked her friend about the Evite.

“She told me that it was bogus. It wasn’t from her. She had gotten an Evite from someone at church, it was also a fake Evite,” Martell said.

The next day, Martell was locked out of her account.

“They had changed my password. They had changed my security questions,” she said.

Martell called AT&T and they helped her to regain access to her account. When she regained access, she found that her account had been used to send out more fake Evites and spread the scam.

NBC 5 Responds found that the company that makes Evites issued a security alert for users in 2019, when the site was breached by hackers.  Exposed information included names, usernames, email addresses, and passwords.

Experts say her story is a reminder that information exposed in past date breaches can end up being used years later. Always take a closer look on something before you click.

Martell wondered what other personal information they could’ve gotten from her account.

“Obviously there’s a chain going on here,” she said.

Martell warned other to protect themselves from this scam by not clicking on the Evite and ask the sender personally if it is legitimate.

Back in February of 2021, an auto accident temporarily derailed Luis Lopez’s retirement.

“I had suffered some neck injury, and also a little back injury,” said Lopez, who recalled the crash happened while he was driving his daughter to work during a snow storm.

The retired CTA driver hired Chicago-based personal injury attorney Michael A. Hume, with Cary J. Wintroub & Associates. He wanted Hume to go after his insurance company.

“[Hume] came back with an offer, which I disagreed with. It was like a $7,000 offer,” said Lopez. “I was disagreeing with him a lot, you know, and he told me that he can see what he can do.”

Lopez says he and Hume went back and forth about the settlement for about a year.

SURPRISE SETTLEMENT

In July, Lopez still hadn’t agreed to a settlement when he got an unexpected letter from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid services or CMS. They stated Lopez did not have any liens on his settlement. He called them immediately.

“The gentleman on the other side of the phone said the case was settled back in February. And that on March 21, I received a check for $22,500.  I asked him, ‘Well, where did you get that information from?’ He goes, ‘From the insurance company, they sent us all the paperwork,’” Lopez said.

Lopez was surprised. He learned his case settled five months prior, though he never consented and certainly did not get a check for $22,500.

He sent a copy of that letter to Hume. He said Hume thanked him and said he’d be in touch to finalize the settlement.

“He stated that he needed this letter to settle the case,” said Lopez.

“HE WOULDN’T ANSWER MY CALLS”

Several more months passed and Lopez said he received no word from his attorney.

“When we last spoke was in July,” said Lopez. “He wouldn’t talk to me, he wouldn’t answer my calls. This firm should be investigated, or this attorney should be investigated.

Lopez said the money wasn’t even for him.

“Well, I have a grandson. My grandson he’s sick. He has cerebral palsy,” said Lopez. “I don’t need the money. The money is for my daughter and help her in every which way I can.”

SETTLEMENT ACCEPTED WITHOUT APPROVAL

Lopez said he was surprised Hume could accept a settlement on his behalf without approving it with him first.

“My understanding is, he needs some form of document me to sign to accept that settlement,” said Lopez.

Attorney Sari Montgomery is a former prosecutor with the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission or ARDC. Now, she represents attorneys who are facing disciplinary action. She’s not involved in Lopez’s case, but in her opinion, Lopez’s story raises several serious ethical concerns.

“In a case where a lawyer hasn’t gotten the client’s authority to settle and has ostensibly settled the case, without the client’s authority, there can be some malpractice implications to that. The attorney is obligated to get their clients’ consent to any settlement,” said Montgomery.

If a client signs over power of attorney to their attorney, verbal consent to accept a settlement could be sufficient. But Lopez insists he was never even told about the settlement amount or offer.

NBC 5 RESPONDS GETS IMMEDIATE RESULTS

Back in Bensenville, just a few minutes after we reached out to Hume, Lopez got a call.

“All of a sudden, the settlement appeared. [Hume] said that Channel 5, he got an email from Channel 5, that he was kind of, like, worried about that. Everything was settled within less than 24 hours of you contacting him. He even gave me more than he said he was gonna give me,” said Lopez.

Lopez was told he got a $22,500 settlement. The total settlement was $47,500- and after fees and medical costs, Lopez received $25,000.

“It jumped all the way to $25,000 in my favor,” said Lopez.

According to a breakdown of the settlement, Hume still charged Lopez $12,597 in attorney fees.

LEGAL ETHICS

The extra few thousand dollars Lopez received from Hume raised questions with Montgomery.

“The lawyer can’t offer to settle the case with the client, and say, ‘Well, I’m sorry that I … settled this case, but I’ll give you some extra money instead, or in addition.’ That’s trying to settle a potential claim that the client might have against the lawyer. Just straight offering to pay the client extra money is not permitted,” said Montgomery.

Montgomery suggests anyone in a similar situation reach out to their insurance company to find out what the actual settlement amount is, if they have doubts about what they’re owed.

We reached out to Hume about Lopez’s case. In an email, Hume told NBC 5 Respond “based on attorney-client privilege, we are unable to respond.”

Lopez has since filed a complaint against Hume with the ARDC. Hume has no public disciplinary record with the ARDC.

“If it was found to be true that the lawyer accepted a settlement without the client’s authority, that they signed the client’s name to settlement documents without authority, and certainly if they misappropriated any of the client funds, any or all of those would certainly be grounds for discipline in Illinois,” said Montgomery.

Lopez now has his money, but he still has questions.

“Why did you take so long? Why were you holding this money? There’s something fishy about that,” said Lopez.

Meanwhile, Lopez wasted no time using that money to help his grandson get the best medical treatment available.

“He spent his birthday yesterday at the hospital. So we’re trying to fly him to Philadelphia to see a specialist. This money will help,” said Lopez. “It wasn’t about the money. You know, about the respect, respect to clients, respect to people.”

 WHERE TO FIND DISCIPLINARY RECORDS, OR SUBMIT A COMPLAINT ABOUT YOUR ATTORNEY

If you have questions about your rights after you hire an attorney, have a complaint about an attorney, or wish to view past disciplinary records, visit https://www.iardc.org/.

“I think that there is accountability. Sometimes it’s slow. And sometimes it isn’t exactly what the client would want it to be. But there is accountability in the legal profession. I know that’s a big misperception out there that there isn’t, but there is,” said Montgomery.

Traveling can be one of the most stressful parts of the holidays, but NBC 5 Responds has your travel guide for the best travel deals, and how to reduce the chance of having your flight disrupted by up to 50%!

Before we get to that, travelers will need to be ready for packed flights, as holiday travel is expected to rise yet again this year.

 “We’re expecting a very busy holiday travel season, probably the busiest since pre-pandemic,” said Hayley Berg, Lead Travel Economist at Hopper.

When you’re mapping out your holiday travel, Berg recommends booking before prices skyrocket.

“After the middle of October, prices will rise by 5 to 10% every single day until Thanksgiving and Christmas,” said Berg.

For those that haven’t booked travel, there are still ways to save.

First Flight of the Day

Get ready to set an early alarm clock, and book the first flight of the day—it can pay off in two ways.  

“It will usually be a little less expensive, and it’s about 50% less likely to be delayed or canceled as all of those flights departing after 8 a.m. or 9 a.m.,” said Berg.

Travel Day Tuesday

Being a procrastinator when it comes to booking a Christmas flight may actually pay off.

“Travel Deal Tuesday is the best day of the year to get a deal on travel. Flights, hotels, rental cars,” said Berg.

Travel Day Tuesday is coming up this week on Nov. 28.

Christmas Travel

The best days to travel for Christmas change every year, depending on which day Christmas falls on. This year, it’s on a Monday.  

“We recommend not flying on Thursday or Friday before the holiday weekend. This year, they’ll be the most popular travel dates. Airports will be busy. Prices will be high. Try to fly on Sunday, Dec. 24 or earlier in the week before Christmas weekend,” said Berg.

If you run into flight cancellations:  don’t waste time rebooking!

“You can sometimes rebook yourself in the airline’s app. So if you can have someone on the phone, someone trying to rebook on the airline’s app and someone physically in line, you will hopefully find a resolution a little bit faster by exploring all three routes,” said Berg.

More than 15 million devices worldwide were voluntarily recalled by Philips after it was revealed a noise-canceling foam inside could break down and be inhaled by the user while they sleep.

Despite the recall occurring approximately 30 months ago, some Chicagoans are still waiting for their replacement machine.

Some sleep apnea patients are still having to make a difficult choice each night: choose to not use the CPAP device prescribed by their doctor and risk not breathing while sleeping, or use the device and face the risk of a wide-range of illnesses, including cancer.

“When I lay down and fall asleep, my throat collapses, and I stop breathing,” said Steve Levin, a sleep apnea patient for more than a decade.

Levin is a traveling lecturer and his Philips CPAP machine has always been his number one carry-on.

“Once I take it out of my carrying case, I just need to plug this in,” said Levin. “So it’s very convenient.”

About three months after Levin bought his CPAP machine in 2021, he and millions of other Philips customers got recall letters stating foam breakdown in the CPAP machines could “result in serious injury which can be life-threatening” or “cause permanent impairment”.

“They’re concerned that an insulating material inside the machine will break down, that you’ll breathe it in and can cause cancer later. Philips disputes that,” Levin said. “But you know, how long do you want to roll the dice and take your chances on that?”

NBC 5 Responds found regulators have received roughly 100,000 reports of a wide range of injuries tied to the foam breakdown, including “cancer, pneumonia, asthma,” and “other respiratory problems.” The FDA said 346 potential deaths are among those reports.

“The idea that when I use it, I might be shortening my life a little bit…It is concerning,” said Levin, who still uses the machine when he travels.

While the recall took Levin by surprise, NBC 5 Responds found the problems at the heart of the matter were not a surprise to the Philips, according to inspection records from the FDA.

Inspections showed Philips knew about the degrading foam since at least 2015 through thousands of consumer complaints, and their own testing throughout the years, but still allowed the machines to be sold.

In response, Philips said they’re “working closely with the FDA to clarify and follow up on the inspectional findings.”

“I’m actually horrified to hear that. That’s it for [my] machine,” Levin said, who later told NBC Chicago that he would stop using the machine.

Yet 30 months after the recall, Levin still hasn’t received his replacement or the $500 cash option Philips is offering to some customers.

“Two years of delay. Two years that I’ve been using [the CPAP]. Apparently with more risk than I knew for cancer,” Levin said.

NBC 5 Responds reached out to Philips on Levin’s behalf, with Philips contacting Levin one week later to confirm his payment was now on its way.

“At this time, about 2.84 million new devices and repair kits have been produced to meet the U.S. registration demand. So far, 2.5 million remediated devices are in the hands of U.S. patients and Durable Medical Equipment providers (DMEs). In the U.S., we’ve now remediated about 99% of the sleep therapy device registrations that are complete and actionable,” a statement from Philips said.

In response to the length of delay Levin faced, Philips said the following:

“This is one of the largest recalls in the medical technology industry. The repair and replacement program is complex, due to the volume of devices to be addressed, as well as the scale of individual patient outreach.”

Levin’s still worried about the toll the device may have taken on his own health, and he’s upset the company recall warning wasn’t more urgent.

“I just think if they haven’t been upfront about what they’ve been doing, they should really be punished they treated this and led people to believe that it’s no big deal,” said Levin.

Senator Dick Durbin is now one of the congressional lawmakers calling for a federal investigation into Philips over their handling of the recall.

In September, Philips agreed to pay almost $500 million dollars in a settlement over the alleged health risks from the foam in their CPAP machines.

Experts said medical information is 10 times more valuable on the dark web than stolen credit card numbers, and the fallout can last for years.

If you were among the patients who received a letter in the mail saying your information was exposed in a data breach, here’s what you need to know.

Security experts with Binary Defense say there are two main types of scams that are specific to medical information.

Medical blackmail

The first is extortion, where scammers actually blackmail you based on your medical history, medications or diagnoses.

“You see it sometimes in cases with like mental health or mental health issues that arise. An attacker will reach out and be like, ‘hey, I know you have x,y and z as a diagnosis. Unless you want your …employer to know that you’ve been diagnosed with this, you’ll do something that could potentially, you know, cross a line,'” said Jake Aurand, a member of the counterintelligence team with Binary Defense.

Fake medical bills and collection calls

Another scam involves fake medical bills. Since scammers could have your entire medical history, they know what services you’ve used and can be pretty convincing if they call you to collect.  

“They could reach out via telephone or via email and pretend or fraudulently create medical bills that they’re trying to make somebody pay. So they’ll say, ‘Hey, this hasn’t been paid for. And if they have the diagnosis or any of the medical bills that were stolen, they’re trying to get people to transfer funds into the wrong account so the [scammer] then is able to take that money,” said Aurand.

You may not get these fake bills or blackmail attempts today, tomorrow or even this year. These scammers play the long game, experts said. And it could be years before anyone tries to use this leaked medical information to scam or extort you.

How to protect yourself

Set up credit monitoring so you can at least be aware if someone is using your information to apply for loans or credit cards.

For those patients whose Social Security numbers may have been impacted, Cook County Health said it will offer the opportunity to enroll in credit monitoring and identity protection services at no cost. Patients who may have been affected and would like more information can call 888-867-3881.

On top of that, be extra vigilant about calls or emails seeking payment from anyone claiming to be affiliated with your hospital or medical provider. Go the extra step and verify if you have any bills and how much they are.

Experian has the following advice for patients after a medical data breach:

You can check your credit reports from each of the three major credit bureaus every 12 months at annualcreditreport.com or get a free copy of your Experian credit report on Experian’s website. You also have the right to place fraud alerts or credit freezes on your accounts to prevent or warn you if anyone tries to open accounts in your name.

You also should pay attention to activity on your medical financial accounts, such as a Healthcare Savings Account or a Flexible Spending Account, where a hacker could withdraw money once they grab your personal information.

How to get things back on track after a health care breach

If you do get the sinking realization that your medical information has been stolen, here are three steps you can take to protect yourself and minimize the damage.

1. Gather documents and file reports

• After checking your credit report and collecting any statements or paperwork, you’ll want to file an Identity Theft Report with the Federal Trade Commission.
• If it’s your Medicare or Medicaid information that’s been nabbed, report that online or call 800-HHS-TIPS.
• Additionally, if there are medical collections appearing on your credit report, you have the right to contact Experian or the other credit bureaus and to get the fraudulent information removed.

2. Collect current copies of medical records

Get current copies of all your medical records from your doctors and all other health care providers, along with your medical insurer, plus the records of any family members who might be affected. Go through the reports, looking for any treatments, procedures or prescriptions that weren’t authorized for you and your family.

In some cases, a scam artist may have maxed out your benefits for the year or done something else that might threaten your coverage and eligibility for treatment.

You’ll want to check that all your personal information is correct, from your mailing and billing address to your blood type. If your medical records have been changed to reflect treatment for an imposter, they could contain dangerous errors, such as listing incorrect allergic reactions to some medications, a chronic condition such as diabetes, conflicting medication lists or even an incorrect blood type. If you’re in an accident and brought into an emergency room, that kind of falsified information could prompt a dangerous or even fatal medical mistake.

This can be time-consuming and frustrating, but your best approach is to work through a complete list of each doctor, clinic, hospital, pharmacy, laboratory, health plan, and locations where a thief may have used your information, according to the Federal Trade Commission. If a thief received treatment or a prescription under your name, request the records from the health provider and any pharmacy that might have filled a prescription.

In the situation that a medical provider refuses to provide records out of concern for an ID thief’s medical privacy, you have the right to appeal under federal law. According to the FTC, you should contact the person listed in the provider’s Notice of Privacy Practices, the provider’s patient representative or its ombudsman. If you still can’t get your records within 30 days of your written request, you may contact the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights, by calling (800) 368-1019 or emailing ocrmail@hhs.gov.

In addition, federal law allows you to get one free copy of the accounting from each of your medical providers every 12 months, which is a record of anyone who’s received any of your medical information from that provider. Request a copy of the “accounting of disclosures” from each of your health plans and providers. This will explain who received your medical information, what was sent, why and when it was distributed.

Getting copies of your medical records can cost money. Your individual state health privacy laws may make it easier for you to obtain records.

3. Ask for corrections

Once you’ve reviewed your health records, report any incorrect information and request corrections in writing. You can copy the records and highlight or circle any wrong entries to be deleted, and write out additions or corrections. Make copies of everything you send, keep the originals and make a record of what was sent, where and when.

Ask the provider to correct or delete each error. Send your letter by certified mail, and ask for a “return receipt,” so you have proof of what the plan or provider received. Include a copy of the police report and the Identity Theft Report filed with the FTC.

The health care provider is required to correct your records and alert any laboratory or other provider that may have received incorrect information. The FTC advises that if a provider won’t make corrections, you should ask that a statement of your dispute and corrections be included with your medical records.

Once you’ve obtained your medical records, keep a clean, corrected set on file and update it as you undergo any other medical treatments or procedures to make sure you have an accurate, complete set of your own.

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, approximately 41% of Americans are carrying medical debt, often incurred in instances of suddenly needing an ambulance.

For one Glenview family, a single out-of-network ambulance ride left them with a $8,600 bill.

When Wayne Caplan’s 17-year-old son Charles began having chest pains this summer, he took it seriously.

“The pains were not going away. So we decided to take him to the emergency room at Glenbrook Hospital,” Caplan said.

After five hours of tests and x-rays, Caplan said hospital staff told the family that Charles had to go a nearby pediatric ICU for more testing.

“They told my wife and I that they needed to order an ambulance and have him transported to Lutheran General Hospital, which is about five miles away,” Caplan said.

The family waited hours for a 10-minute ambulance ride to Lutheran General. After a few hours of testing, Charles was released with a clean bill of health.

Caplan said he was charged a $1,000 co-pay for the visit, a month before being hit with a surprise bill from Superior Ambulance.

“We got a bill in August that totaled over $8,600. We were in shock,” Caplan said.

On his bill, Caplan saw Superior Ambulance charged $60 dollars per mile, for five miles and a base rate of $7,850. The company classified the ride as an emergency, which Caplan contests, saying he waited approximately three hours for the ambulance to arrive.

His insurance company only covered approximately 50% of the bill because Superior Ambulance is out-of-network for Caplan’s insurance, something he said he didn’t think to ask about.

“I  think the hospital obviously should have some culpability in these things. They’re the ones that call the ambulance, they should have probably at least checked to see if it was in an in-network, in my opinion, an in-network ambulance,” Caplan said.

In a statement, a Glenbrook Hospital spokesperson said:

“While we’re unable to discuss the details of individual cases due to privacy laws, please know that our team is deeply committed to delivering compassionate, high-quality care to every person we serve. We prioritize the well-being and medical needs of our patients when making transportation decisions,” the statement said.

Abe Scarr of the non-profit consumer protection group PIRG says that hospitals should do what they can to ensure patients have access to in-network services.

“Around 70% of ambulance interactions will result in a surprise billing here in Illinois, and the average out-of-pocket cost is over $500,” Scarr said.

Scarr said ambulance companies often have a blank check when it comes to what they can charge.

“A lot of these costs are not based in reality, they’re based on the opportunity that exists in our fractured system for private actors to extract excessive profits,” Scarr said.

Earlier this year, the Better Business Bureau issued a warning about Superior Ambulance, stating that they have received a pattern of complaints about excessive transport fees and threats of being sent to collections agencies. The company did not respond to the BBB.

In a statement to NBC 5 Responds, Superior Ambulance Vice President Mary Franco said:

“We perform over 400,000 patient transports annually. I am unaware of us being in poor standing with the BBB. In the event there is a billing complaint brought to our attention, it is researched and followed up on with the patient directly. Superior works with each family/patient in resolving billing issues,” Franco said,

Often, that entails working collaboratively with family to appeal to the insurance company for appropriate reimbursement. 

NBC 5 Responds found there are protections in place to prevent surprise bills such as Caplan’s.

On a federal level, Congress passed the “No Surprises Act” in 2020, though ground ambulances aren’t covered.

Scarr said that could change in the coming years, but right now, there’s no incentive for ambulance companies, like Superior, to change how they do business.

“They don’t have the incentive necessarily to be in-network, since they don’t have a supply-and-demand problem,” Scarr said. “This happens a lot in the health care industry, where there’s a lack of transparency. because they can get away with it one way or the other. They’re inflating the costs.”

Illinois is one of a handful of states that does have protection for surprise ambulance billing, but the scope is limited.

“It only covers state-regulated plans, not employer or self-funded plans, which about 60% of folks are covered under those employer or self-funded plans,” Scarr said.

Caplan said he was able to get his bill slightly reduced after negotiating with Superior Ambulance.

“They offered to reduce the bill by a little more than 30%, which was substantial. I’m sure that people get financially ruined by situations like this. It’s terrible,” Caplan said.

Experts advise patients to negotiate with the ambulance company individually to try to reduce the bill, while also advising to ask medical providers if services are in-network.

With that surge in usage comes a warning about how that spike in popularity has scammers looking to take advantage.

NBC 5 Responds has information on a new type of scam called- “quishing” or ‘OR phishing’ – and how you can avoid falling victim to it.

QR codes are everywhere, and their popularity spiked during the COVID pandemic. At a basic level, they are a machine readable image that you scan with your smart phone camera.

Once you scan a QR code, your phone translates that image to a link, taking you to things like restaurant menus or doctors office check-ins.

That ease of access comes at a high cost. New research by Checkpoint shows QR code phishing scams have risen more than 587% from August to September of this year alone.

Scammers are creating fake QR codes, which once scanned, can take you to spoofed websites. The scam may start with an email from your bank, employer or other reputable business. You’re asked to scan a QR code for a variety of reasons- for example to check into an upcoming appointment, or view an invoice. After scanning a fake QR code, you can be taken to a spoofed website- where you are asked to log in to your bank, work or email account.

That’s how scammers steal your personal info.

Potentially more alarming however, is that some fake QR codes can take you to a site that automatically downloads malware onto your device. So how do you avoid this?

“When you do scan a QR code on your phone, a little link preview will come up show, it’ll show you the URL that it’s going to go to,” said Jeremy Fuchs, security research analyst with Checkpoint.” If you’re at a doctor’s office [check] ‘Is it going to my doctor’s portal?’ It is impossible to get rid of QR codes at this point, they’re sort of baked into our everyday. So just kind of thinking about common sense, like that helps.”

You’re more likely to encounter these fake QR codes through email than at your favorite restaurant, simply due to logistics. So if you do receive one in your inbox, be sure to verify that the email you’re receiving is really from a legitimate source before you scan that QR code.

 According to new testing from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety– four of the most popular,  2023 pick-up trucks offer strong protection in certain crashes but fall short when it comes to protecting passengers in the back seat. 

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, traditional vehicle crash testing usually involves a vehicle hitting a flat barrier at 35 miles per hour and gauging the impacts on front row passengers.

 “That’s a good regulation. But what it doesn’t do is require that the automakers think about these situations where the all of the forces are concentrated on just one half of the car, which makes up the majority of frontal impacts,” said Joe Nolan, IIHS’s Senior Vice President of Vehicle Research.

Using a more dynamic testing method, the IIHS tested four pick-up truck models by crashing them into an uneven surface, closely resembling the front of another vehicle, at a higher speed. In the backseat- a crash test dummy about the size of a small woman or teen.

The four 2023 crew cab models tested include the RAM 1500, Ford F-150, Toyota Tundra and the Chevy Silverado.

Of those four trucks- the Toyota Tundra received a ‘marginal’ rating in the testing, while the others, including the F-150, RAM 1500 and Silverado, were given ‘poor’ ratings.

Testing on all four models showed something researchers call ‘submarining’ for back seat passengers.

“Submarining is when the lap belt slides up above the pelvis into the abdomen, and the dummy is able to kind of move under. And abdominal injuries are what we see in field data for rear seat occupants, and they can be quite traumatic,” said Nolan.

Based on measurements taken from the crash test dummies, researchers found chest injuries and head and neck injuries would be likely in the F-150 and RAM 1500.

The risk of those injuries was somewhat lower in the Chevy Silverado but still “excessive”. As for the Toyota Tundra- poor belt positioning increased the risk of chest injuries.

 So what can you do if you own one of these models?

“If they’re seated in the rear, have a good posture, don’t slouch. Don’t slide under the seatbelt. And when they put the seatbelt on, also try to make sure that it’s positioned squarely over the pelvis and across the center of the chest. Don’t put the belt behind your back or, or leave a lot of slack in the belt. And that will help a lot,” said Nolan.

Despite all these findings, researchers say the back seat remains the safest place for children, and the ratings we mentioned don’t  apply to children secured properly in child safety seats.

NBC 5 Responds reached out to Ford, General Motors, Chrysler and Toyota for comment about the testing.

Ford told NBC 5 Responds:

“Safety is a top priority, and the 2023 Ford F-150 meets or exceeds all current safety regulations and requirements. IIHS recently changed their moderate front overlap test procedure for the second row. We are always working to continuously improve and we consider IIHS and other third-party feedback in vehicle development. F-150 continues to achieve a “Good” overall rating in the original moderate overlap test for the front row and for the updated side impact test. F-150 also earned an IIHS 2022CY Top Safety Pick and the 2023 MY F-150 has a 5-star overall NHTSA rating, which is among the top on the market today.”

Stellantis, the parent company of Chrysler, told NBC 5 Responds:

“We routinely consider third-party ratings and factor them into our product-development process, as appropriate. We engineer our vehicles for real-world performance. The protection of our customers is an integral part of the upfront design of a vehicle’s structure. Every Stellantis model meets or exceeds all applicable federal vehicle safety standards.”

General Motors told NBC 5 Responds:

“While we are very confident in the overall safety and crashworthiness of our light-duty Chevy Silverado crew cab, we appreciate what the IIHS has done with its new rear seat test protocols. IIHS findings are among the third-party inputs we value as we develop our products and continuously improve passenger safety.”

 A Toyota spokesperson told NBC 5 Responds: “We have no comment to add on the testing.”

What’s worse, NBC 5 Responds found that this frightening situation could happen to almost anyone, but there are steps you can take today to prevent it.

Before Scott Jacobson’s mother passed away in 2019- she only had one request.

“She said, ‘Please take care of Laurie’,” said Jacobson.

Laurie is Jacobson’s 65-year-old sister, and for years she’s been battling Alzheimer’s disease.

“Because she’s young, it moves faster and faster. So it’s not easy, but we manage,” said Jacobson.

Jacobson is Laurie’s primary caregiver- a responsibility made a little bit easier because of the Citibank trust account his mother left for Laurie before her death.

“We’ve never touched her account at all. Never at all. Up until Oct. 14 (2021), when everything occurred,” said Jacobson.

A routine visit to the ATM in 2021 presented Jacobson with most peoples worst nightmare: expecting a large balance and seeing instead an account that was nearly drained.

“I was like in complete shock and shaking,” said Jacobson.

His sister’s trust account, once flush with $150,000, was nearly emptied.

“I was shaking because I was more concerned about my sister than I was about anything else. I showed the teller my slip and I said ‘can you please tell me what this was all about?’ She looked at it and says ‘you have three international wire transfers from Bangkok, Thailand’,” said Jacobson.

Jacobson says he never authorized any wire transfers, and he says he was never notified of them either.

He noticed the fraud just one day after the last fraudulent wire transfer was sent. He immediately filed three fraud affidavits with Citibank, and expected they would help him.

He was in for a rude awakening. 

“I had a personal banker, and I went in there and I asked him about all this. He says, ‘well, you’re gonna have to get attorneys’,” said Jacobson.

That’s exactly what Jacobson did. Meet attorney James Bonebrake. He’s representing Jacobson in a lawsuit against Citibank.

“What the heck happened? He’d never even known what a wire transfer was,” said Bonebrake.

In a letter from Citibank following up on Jacobson’s fraud claim, they admit they didn’t call Jacobson to get approval for the wire transfers, but they did text and email him.

“We’ve requested all of that information from Citibank. Citibank has never produced any of the three texts. We’ve never seen the email,” said Bonebrake.

In court documents, Citibank says they use a third-party vendor to send text messages and emails to customers. Copies of those records are deleted after 60 days, unless the third-party vendor “is otherwise instructed by Citibank to retain the emails and text messages for a longer period of time”.

Despite reporting the fraud and signing fraud affidavits on Oct. 14, 2021, Citibank claims “Jacobson, through counsel, first made demand on Citibank to repay the three wire amounts on Aug. 29, 2022. By that time, [the third party vendor] had already deleted the emails and text messages sent to Jacobson.”

Citibank did not respond to our questions about why Jacobson’s records weren’t preserved after he had filed his fraud claim. Citibank also did not respond to our questions about their record retention policy.

In court documents, Citibank says it is “in compliance with all regulations regarding wire transfers”.

“You would think that they would want to preserve, that you would think they would want to get down to the bottom of the of the fraud, not only for Scott’s sake, but for the sake of across the board their entire clientele. And this is what really, really puzzles me and frankly, upsets me as, as a lawyer,” said Bonebrake.

In a statement, Citibank told us:

“We have a great deal of sympathy for those who fall victim to fraud, and we take these matters very seriously. Our team has thoroughly reviewed this claim, and I’m afraid we’re unable to comment while there’s pending litigation on this matter. We encourage customers to visit citi.com/fraudprevention for information on the latest scams and tools to help customers stay safe.”

Jacobson in the meantime has been struggling to pay for his sister’s care without the money from her trust account.

“I had a caregiver for a while helping me out. And then when this all happened, I had a cut her hours because I couldn’t afford it anymore. And not only that, I just foreclosing on my house a couple of weeks ago. It pretty much put our family in financial ruins,” said Jacobson.

Jacobson only caught the fraud because he happened to check his bank balance. He suggests others be vigilant of their own account, because you can’t necessarily count on your bank to protect you

“You have to have to look at your finances. Make sure that you know what’s happening with them,” said Jacobson.

PROTECT YOUR ACCOUNTS

So how can you make sure your hard-earned money is safe in your bank account?

“Talk to your bank and see what kind of security options it can set up,” said Matthew Goldberg, a banking analyst with Bankrate. “For instance, if you have transaction alerts, set those up on your account. But make sure confirm with your bank that a wire transfer or all transactions would be on there. Talk to your bank to see if they have two-factor authentication.”

Goldberg also suggests using a completely separate email address and password, specifically for your bank account.

 You can also ask your bank about a verbal password that would be required to authorize large transactions.

For more tips, visit Bankrate’s website.

“It’s kind of like having an umbrella with a hole in it in the rain, where it’s better than not having anything at all. And all these things are layers of protection to try and protect you the best you can,” said Goldberg.

Goldberg also recommends some proactive steps consumers can take.

“A security freeze a freeze on your credit can be something that people should consider doing. Again, that could prevent somebody potentially from opening up an account in your name, if the banks actually go through goes through a credit bureau during the account opening process,” said Goldberg.

Amaze Light Festival, a company that puts on dazzling light shows around the Chicago area, has left a trail of unpaid debts and lawsuits, devastating community members in its wake.

One of those community members is Kim Scerine, who has ran the nonprofit dance troop “On Broadway Dancers” based in Coal City for more than 30 years.

Three times a night during last holiday season, Scerine’s dance troop performed for crowds at the Amaze Light festival in Tinley Park.

“Many of my dancers gave up their winter jobs so that they could do this. We also left school early many times. We were 45 minutes away from the venue,” Scerine told NBC Chicago.

But a year later, the dance troop is still waiting for Amaze Light Festival, also known as “Artistic Holiday Design LLC” to pay them the $48,000 they say they’re owed as outlined in their contract.

“In 37 years of having a dance company, I’ve never had anybody not pay us,” said Scerine. “I’m not the only people that they haven’t paid.”

NBC 5 Responds began digging into Artistic Holiday Design LLC and its owner Derek Norwood.

Police reports detail a 2021 altercation involving Norwood and an organizer of the 2021 Amaze Light Festival in Rosemont.

Body camera footage shows officers responding to the Aloft Hotel and eventually escorting him out. Norwood was later charged with battery and was eventually found not guilty in a bench trial.

In the body camera video, Norwood tells officers, “We own a company that’s putting up the lights. They continue to destroy us every single step of the way. We fight with them.”

Soon after the incident, Norwood sued the City of Rosemont for allegedly trying to derail the 2021 light show. Months later, the village of Rosemont filed a countersuit, alleging Norwood’s company failed to fulfill its obligations.

Now, Norwood’s company is engaged in legal battles with almost a dozen other companies in New York, Florida and Illinois, who all allege his company hasn’t paid them for services such as venues, transportation and staffing.

The amounts allegedly owed by Norwood’s company add up to millions of dollars.

“How is this not a crime? How is this not fraud?” said Scerine.

Among those still waiting to be paid include Odyssey Fun World, the site of last year’s Tinley Park light festival and the Tinley Park Police Department, the latter of whom are owed $80,000.

As for the light festival, a lawsuit filed by Odyssey Fun World alleges that Norwood prematurely ended the festival and left behind dozens of large holiday decorations.

“At any given time, during the day, we had anywhere from eight to 15 police officers that were out there, and then probably six to seven traffic control personnel,” Tinley Park village manager Pat Carr said.

This isn’t the first time Norwood has had issues with his business ventures.

NBC 5 Responds found bankruptcy filings from 2010 that show Norwood ran another holiday lights business that ended up more than a million dollars in debt to dozens of creditors.

In 2021, a letter from First Bank to the village of Rosemont showed that all the money Norwood made from his light festival in Rosemont had been garnished by the bank as part of a “loan agreement.”

Norwood declined to be interviewed, but in a statement, he told us:

“Thank you for contacting us regarding the Amaze Light Festival from last year. We are in an ongoing public lawsuit with Odyssey Fun World, so I am not able to provide a lot of information based on that. What I can say is they have wrongfully held our assets and we are extremely disappointed. Unfortunately, our light festival fell well short of our minimum expectations as far as revenue. This has caused a major financial gap and we have been working on a recovery plan since January and We have and will continue to be transparent with all vendors concerning this. We never projected the event would fail but we take FULL responsibility for it and we are going to honor and prioritize our obligations and debts. You have mentioned On Broadway Dancers are owed money for their work performed at Amaze last year, this is correct and we are truly sorry for that. Kim and her team did a wonderful job and we absolutely loved working with them. They should not be out this money and it is extremely disappointing for all that she is in the spot she is in with this debt owed to her. With that said, we are not running away from this problem but working overtime to cover this debt however the process does take time. On Broadway Dancers will receive a series of payments in 2023 to be paid in full. Outside of the Amaze Light Festival. Artistic Holiday Designs was opened in 2015 and experienced much success in distributing our products all around the country, especially in Illinois where we have sold to over 40 cities. We have been a pillar of integrity in our industry and have already contracted enough sales to fully pay any debts owed for 2023 and beyond. No Amaze Light Festivals will be produced this year and the only projects we are taking on are a direct fee for service.”

Scerine told NBC Chicago that she’s skeptical that she’ll ever see another cent from the company, expressing anger over a Facebook post from earlier this year that appeared to show Norwood on a yacht in Florida, seven months after Scerine’s organization was supposed to be paid.

“We’re not paid and you’re out on a boat in the Keys?” said Scerine.

Scerine didn’t want her dancers to get discouraged by what had happened, and ultimately took out a loan to pay off her employees.

“You can’t leave kids not paid. You can’t do that. I can’t do that to my kids,” Scerine said.

Illinois regulators are expected to vote on a proposed $402 million increase in November. If passed, this rate hike would be the largest gas increase in Illinois history.

Several other utilities are seeking record-breaking rate increases this year as well.

Last week, protesters urged the Illinois Commerce Commission to reject Peoples Gas’ rate hike proposal.

But across the city, Hubert Cruz, 81, was simply trying to stay warm in his Bucktown home without turning on his heat.

“It’s like $80 or $89 a month. And I only cook maybe once or twice a week. I hate to see what happens here in the wintertime,” Cruz said.

The proposed rate hike would increase bills for people like Cruz by about $12 a month starting next year. A Peoples Gas spokesman said the company expects most customers will not see an increase because of falling gas prices.

“I don’t know when gas prices are going to go up again. But they will, we do know that they will. And then customers are going to be hit twice as hard because of this rate increase for Peoples Gas delivery rates, as well as the price of gas,” said Abe Scarr with Illinois PIRG, a non-profit watchdog organization.

The proposal comes at a time when the cost of living for most Chicagoans has risen.

Another thing that’s gone up? Peoples Gas profits.

According to the utility’s year-end financial report, Peoples Gas made $208 million last year, breaking its earnings record for the sixth year in a row.

“For years, their authorized profit level has been around $100 million per year. But starting in 2017, we saw a new record. And every year since then, they’ve just gone up and up,” Scarr said.

According to the Citizens Utility Board, roughly one in five Peoples Gas’ customers are already more than 30 days behind on their bills, which is worse than any other major utility in Illinois.

Peoples Gas spokesman David Schwartz said the pipes in Chicago’s heating system date back to the 1800s and need to be updated.

“This is the first time in nine years we’ve requested a rate adjustment, and we need it to ensure the ongoing safety, reliability, and environmental sustainability in the system,” he said.

Scarr stated that Illinois customers shouldn’t have to pay for the upgrade when the company is already making record profits.

“We don’t think that they should be overhauling their entire system. And spending all this much money, which is increasing their profits, increasing our rates, increasing the affordability crisis in the city,” said Scarr.

Peoples Gas isn’t the only utility seeking to increase rates.

Ameren Electric is requesting a $481 million rate hike request, which could increase the average bill by $12 a month next year and about $31 more per month by 2027.

In a statement, Ameren Illinois said: ““Ameren Illinois filed a Multi-Year Grid Plan and associated rate plan on Jan 20 as required by law. This is the company’s first four-year integrated grid plan filed under CEJA, a 2021 state law that aims to move Illinois to 100% carbon-free energy sources by 2050. The Multi-Year Grid Plan asks the Illinois Commerce Commission for approval of programs and investments the company will make to strengthen the reliability and resiliency of the electric grid and prepare for an equitable transition to clean energy. It will enable Ameren Illinois to continue to deliver safe, secure and reliable power in an equitable and cost-effective manner.”

ComEd is seeking a $1.5 billion rate hike, which will raise monthly rates by $17 in the next few years.

The utility released the following statement to NBC Chicago:

“ComEd’s proposed plans are critical to achieve the objectives of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) and outline the critical investments needed to ensure the grid is prepared to withstand the more extreme weather caused by climate change as well as the new demands that will be placed on it by increased adoption of renewable energy and electrified technologies like EVs and heat pumps. We are hopeful that the ICC process will result in an outcome that allows ComEd to address these changes and challenges for the benefit of our customers and communities.”

Nicor Gas, meanwhile, requested a $321 million hike this year, which will cause rates to climb by an average of $9 a month.

Nicor offered the following statement regarding the proposed hike:

“In January, Nicor Gas filed a request with the Illinois Commerce Commission that would adjust rates to allow the company to meet the current and future demands of our 2.3 million customers for clean, safe, reliable and affordable natural gas service. The ICC has up to 11 months from that date to evaluate the request, and if approved as filed, the average residential customer would experience an increase of about $9.28 per month in their annual natural gas bill. Even with the proposed request, Nicor Gas’ distribution rates will remain among the lowest of any major natural gas utility in Illinois.           

 Any request to increase rates is not made without careful consideration of the impact to customers; however, this rate increase is necessary to run our business due to inflation and rising global impacts that continue to affect our operating and maintenance costs. The company’s cost of service is now increasing due to continued investments in our system infrastructure to meet new federal compliance-related regulations and industry best practices that help ensure system-wide reliability while proactively lowering our operational methane and greenhouse gas emissions.  

This rate request will support critical investments such as the Dubuque Line Main Replacement Project that will replace sections of steel pipeline from 1959; modernize our storage system to ensure a constant supply of energy and limit price volatility; and expand the in-house locate and “Watch and Protect” programs to enhance customer safety through excavator education and increased focus on predictive analytics tools. “

Cruz, meanwhile, worries that higher utility bills will impact his ability to live independently on a fixed income.

“I don’t think it’s right. I live on a pension. And that’s like another 20 $30 of my of my paycheck,” said Cruz.

“It’s not fair. your hurting the poor person… even the middle class,” said Cruz.

Utility payment assistance programs

If you are having trouble paying your utility bills, the Community and Economic Development Association of Cook County, Inc. (CEDA) can help. For more information, visit its website or call 800-571-2332. You can find locations here.

All utilities also have their own payment assistance programs that can help those who are behind on their bills. You can find more information about them by clicking the utility’s name:

• Nicor
• Ameren
• Peoples Gas
• ComEd

Close to a dozen families tell NBC 5 Responds Gast Monuments took money for their deceased loved ones grave markers or tombstones, but never delivered them.

Gast Monuments also suffered a loss in civil court last week, in a case brought by a customer who never received his $190,000 monument.

ALMOST TWO YEARS SINCE HER PARENTS DEATHS, AND STILL NO GRAVE MARKER IN SIGHT

At the end of 2021, Stephanie Schnell lost both her parents to COVID-19, just weeks apart from each other.

“We lost my dad on December 19, 2021 from complications from COVID. At the same time, my mom was in the hospital on a ventilator. And then we lost her four weeks later, to the day,” Schnell said.

Around that time, Schnell found out she was pregnant with her third child. In May 2022, Schnell began the task of settling her parents affairs.

Schnell says she trusted Gast Monuments to create a monument for her parents’ grave site in Cary, with receipts showing that she paid Gast $7,762.

“They had been in business for six generations, so I figured, ‘Okay, these guys should be good,’” Schnell said.

Schnell told NBC Chicago it wasn’t long until company owner, Katie Gast, told her the granite she ordered was on backorder.

“The granite we picked, we picked specifically because it was in stock,” said Schnell.

Schnell says Gast also told her in May that she would connect with the cemetery about grave marker requirements to find out exactly where Schnell’s parents were buried.

“We told [Gast], we didn’t know who was on which side because things had happened so close together,” Schnell said.

It wasn’t until August that Schnell found out the monument she ordered from Gast couldn’t be installed in the cemetery.

“[Gast] didn’t even call the cemetery until August to find out who was where, and that’s when we found out it was a bronze-only cemetery,” said Schnell.

Schnell adjusted the grave marker design to include bronze and paid Gast in full to complete the work in September 2022, though it wasn’t smooth sailing from there.

“Finally, in September, I got a proper rendering, because they had messed it up so many times. The epitaph was missing, the dates were wrong, stuff was just not right,” said Schnell. “They just kept stringing me along. So, you know, for a while I was e-mailing them every two or three weeks.”

But more than a year later, Schnell is still waiting for her parents grave makers to arrive. The fee to install the markers in the cemetery has also increased by several hundred dollars, a cost she says her family will have to absorb due to Gast’s delay in producing and delivering the marker.

Without those grave makers, she says it isn’t clear exactly where her parents have been laid to rest.

“It’s absolutely heartbreaking. I want to be able to go there on their birthdays and know who’s where and go there for Mother’s Day or Father’s Day or a holiday and be able to leave a wreath,” said Schnell.

 COMPLAINTS AGAINST GAST CONTINUE TO STACK UP

NBC 5 Responds has found that dozens of families are making similar claims against Gast, with complaints against the company filed with the Illinois attorney general’s office going from 22 in August to 37 in October.

Last week, a civil court judge entered a default order against Gast for one of the largest customer orders NBC 5 Responds has seen to date.

The judge entered an order of default in favor of an Evanston man who paid Gast $190,000 for a monument in 2018 that was ultimately never delivered. According to court records, company owner, Katie Gast, never responded to the any of the court filings and neither she, nor her attorney, attended any of the court hearings.

Next month, the judge will determine just how much in damages Gast will have to pay.

In a statement, Gast told us: “There is no judgment in favor of anyone in that case. Gast has not yet appeared in this case to date, but will appear and move to vacate the Order of Default and dispute the allegations in that lawsuit.”

“Once I heard about all this legal stuff going on, and I realized …this isn’t gonna happen. They’re not going to deliver,” Schnell said.

COOK COUNTY REVIEWING POSSIBLE CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION

The Cook County State’s Attorney’s office also confirms to NBC 5 Responds  this week- it is still reviewing a potential case against Gast.

We reached out to Gast several times to ask about the status of Schnell, and several other family’s orders. She did not respond to our questions.

“If Katie Gast were sitting in front of me right now, I would just say ‘How dare you? How dare you take advantage of people after losing their loved ones. It’s just, I don’t know how you can go to sleep at night’,” said Schnell.

With no faith left in the company, Schnell says she wants her money back and her parents affairs to finally be laid to rest.

“It’s been very stressful because you feel like you failed. The last thing you’re doing for them is putting their monument in place, and we can’t even get that done. It’s just the last thing that needs to be done so that we can all heal,” Schnell said.

NBC 5 Responds has reviewed data from the Chicago Police Department, and the findings are startling, with statistics showing a very small chance anyone will be held accountable for the theft.

In May 2022, videos on social media exposed the fact that many Hyundai and Kia vehicles could be started without a key. Since then, thefts of these vehicles skyrocketed, but Chicago police data NBC 5 Responds analyzed shows a very small percentage of people have been arrested.

NBC 5 Responds filed a public records request with the Chicago Police Department to see just how often someone stole a Kia or Hyundai in the city after the videos went viral – and how often someone is caught.

Data shows 12,240 Kia/Hyundai thefts reported in Chicago over a 14-month period- from June 2022 to July 24, 2023. That’s a rate of 29 Kia’s and Hyundai’s stolen in the city per day.

According to the city of Chicago, Kia and Hyundai thefts specifically account for more than half of all vehicles stolen in the city in 2023.

Sean Kane, the president of Safety Research and Stats Inc, a research firm that specializes in motor vehicle safety research, shows the battle those in the police department and in the State’s Attorney’s office are facing.

“What we’re seeing is the police and first responders are overstretched by this problem. You know, this is a problem that was created by Hyundai and Kia providing inadequate theft protection in their cars,” said Kane.

NBC 5 Responds also wanted to know how many arrests were made for those thefts during that same time period.  Our analysis showed a total of 249. That’s an arrest rate of just 2.034%.

“When cars are stolen by casual thieves, meaning not the professionals who are looking to resell those or ship them overseas and so forth for money, that they tend to be involved in crashes. And those crashes tend to cause deaths and injuries at a much higher rate than typical,” said Kane. “What we found so far, and the last year and a half is there have been at least 40 fatalities, 106 injuries, and more than 125 crashes associated with Hyundai’s and Kia’s that have been stolen.”

Kane says those are just the deaths and injuries that we know about on a national level.  The actual total is likely much higher.

In response to this data, the Chicago police department sent NBC 5 Responds a statement:

“(We are) actively working to address the increase in motor vehicle thefts. Many of these vehicles are stolen and used in violent crimes that include shootings and armed robberies. To strengthen these investigations, we are leveraging technology to help identify and apprehend the individuals and crews committing the thefts.”

CPD tell us they’ve also received grant funding from the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office to “invest in additional technology, data analysis and equipment” to strengthen their motor vehicle theft investigations.

Currently, Kia and Hyundai are offering software updates for vehicle owners who have models vulnerable this type of theft. Kia tells us more than 600,000 vehicles nationwide have already received the update. 

Hyundai, meantime, is also making steering wheel locks available to affected customers through a reimbursement program.

After one family’s grave monument was damaged this summer and they couldn’t get the cemetery’s attention, they turned to NBC 5 Responds Investigator PJ Randhawa.

Under the cedar trees, on a landscape dotted by deer, you can find Juliana Krilich visiting her great grandmother’s grave at Cedar Park cemetery. Elizabeth Preston died in 2018.

“When I get down or sad, or I miss her, I come and visit and I sit here. I used to be able to sit and look out and talk to her and just kind of be at peace,” said Krilich, who has several generations of family buried at the cemetery.

Preston’s memorial bench was meant to stand out in a cemetery with many overgrown graves. Before her passing, Preston worried her grave would be overgrown and invisible at Cedar Park Cemetery.

“When my dad died, my mom goes, ‘I don’t want it overgrown. I don’t want your dad and I to be lost,'” said Barbara Nolan, Krilich’s grandmother and Preston’s daughter. “My daughter was with us and she goes, ‘Grandma why don’t we get a bench and then it’ll be up and raised, and we can always see you and grandpa’. And that’s what we did. And she was very proud of it.”

But in July, a devastating discovery- the bench was damaged. It’s unclear how or when the damage took place.  

“It was gut-wrenching. It was sad, you know, thinking that this is how I have to come pay my respects. It’s sad. It’s really sad,” said Krilich.

The family immediately contacted the Cedar Park cemetery office.

“We’ve called several times, [we’re told] ‘We’ll call you back tomorrow, we’ll call you back’. [Then] nothing, nothing. So we just gave up and contacted [NBC 5 Responds] in the hopes something will be done and respect would be shown. It’s pretty sad to come and see your parents marker like this,” said Nolan.

NBC 5 Responds has been here before. In 2021, we investigated complaints the cemetery was overgrown and in disrepair- with gravestones sitting, uninstalled, on burial plots.  

Two years later, we noticed dozens of grave markers still unanchored, some several years old. In many cases, the grass and ground shifting below.

“You can almost feel underneath [the grave stone]. It’s just barely sitting in there,” said Joi Andrews, who comes to the cemetery several times a year to visit her best friend’s grave. Seidah Parham passed away of colon cancer in 2016 at the age of 28.

Parham’s gravestone has been at Cedar Park Cemetery since 2021, but like so many others in this area, it hasn’t been installed.

“To me, it’s an act of disrespect. It really, really is showing that [the cemetery] don’t care at all,” said Andrews.

NBC 5 Responds met with cemetery manager Kevin Carter to get answers.

Carter confirmed anyone who has a loved one buried at Cedar Park Cemetery is paying an installation fee between $425 to $1,200.

NBC 5 Responds asked Carter where that money was going, as countless grave stones, many several years old, remain uninstalled across the cemetery.

“Well, we have it. The headstones will be taken care of, you know, leave that to the grounds manager,” said Carter. “It’s not something that we’re going to run from or not do.”

We wanted to know why so many grave stones haven’t been installed.

“It’s a big cemetery. Yeah. [Our head of maintenance] may miss something, or something like that. But it’s no problem with getting it taken care of,” said Carter.

He said COVID also slowed down the installation process. It takes up to 45 minutes to install each one.

Next, we asked about the long delay to fix Preston’s damaged memorial bench, which sits off of one of the cemetery’s main roads. The damage occurred in July, and Carter verifies there are six workers who maintain the grounds. So why didn’t any employee report the damage?

“That’s a question. I don’t know,” said Carter, who paused to question his Head of maintenance about the first time he saw the damage. “Last week [was] the first time. And [maintenance is] cutting the grass and yeah if they see something like this, they should report it.

Only after our inquiries did Carter and his staff finally fix Preston’s memorial bench. He said the family originally reported the damage as vandalism, something the cemetery doesn’t cover, and that may explain the long delay in response.

“We would like for the customers to go through the proper channels first, maybe before contacting the news or the state. Report it to the office, they will do what we call a work order,” said Carter.

After taking Carter and his head of maintenance to Parham’s grave, her stone was finally installed later that day.
But several surrounding gravestones, delivered since 2021, still sit unsecured.

We sent Carter a list of 13 uninstalled grave stones we came across in the cemetery and asked for an update on when they would be installed. Some date back to 2015, but Carter maintained all of the uninstalled stones arrived at the cemetery in 2021 or later.

Carter told us he is committed to getting those unsecured grave markers installed.

“I just appreciate all your help and what you can do to get them to do what they’re supposed to do,” said Nolan.

While they’re thankful for the repairs, this family says they’re ready to cut ties with Cedar Park cemetery.

“We won’t add family members here. In our family, cremation seems to be the thing because of this. This will be the end. But as long as I’m alive I’ll be coming to pay respect,” Nolan said.

Unfortunately, federal labor statistics show that is not the reality we live in.

The pay gap impacting women and people of color has held steady for the past 20 years.

On October 5, known as “Latina Equal Pay Day” there is a renewed focus on how pay inequity impacts Latina workers, who are among the lowest paid of all Americans.

“I think I’ve grown up seeing my mom always working, like 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., 12-14 hour days,” Melannie Agaton, a student at the University of Illinois Chicago told NBC Chicago.

Growing up in a middle-class Chicago suburb, Agaton said that she spent more time with babysitters than her actual mother. Her mother worked long hours in manufacturing while her father drives for Uber.

“[My mom] has to work, it seems a lot of hours and a lot of overtime, to sort of make up to what I see other average middle-class families making,” said Agaton.

But her Mother’s long hours as a factory worker paid off.

Next year, Agaton will graduate from the University of Illinois at Chicago with a political science degree, and plans to apply for law school.

“I felt that I just wanted to commit to a career that would end up helping the community that I came from,” Agaton said.

While on the precipice of a lucrative career, Agaton’s mentors gave her a rude awakening.  

“Naively, I assumed that once you got to certain career that you know, you’re on an equal level with everyone. [My mentors] let me know like, unfortunately, even in this day, as a woman, it’s still incredibly difficult to be considered equal to your male counterparts, especially if you’re a woman of color,” said Agaton.

Statistics paint a dire picture about pay inequity in America.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Latina workers earn just 57 cents to the dollar compared to non-Hispanic white men, with part-time Latina workers earning even less, at 52 cents to the dollar.

In comparison, Black women who work full-time make 67 cents to the dollar, while Black women who work part-time make 64 cents to the dollar.

Overall, Latinas are the lowest-paid minority workers in the U.S.

“It’s egregious. It’s absolutely egregious that essentially, Latinas are making half of what white, non-Hispanic men are making,” said Deborah Vagins of Equal Rights Advocates, a nonprofit organization that advocates for women’s rights.

“[Latina workers] are overrepresented in industries that are underpaid, and undervalued and often lack basic workplace protections. So for example, farm workers and domestic workers continue to be left out of rights to overtime pay, the rights to unionize,” Vagins said.

The wage gap persists, Agaton believes, because of a pressure many women of color face to stay silent and simply be “grateful” for the opportunities they have.

“For children of immigrants, there’s definitely a lot of pressure. Because your success isn’t only your success, it’s the success of your family as well,” Agaton said.

Staying silent comes with a price

According to the National Women’s Law Center, that pay gap typically amounts in Latina women losing out on just over $2,500 a month, more than $30,000 a year, and would exceed $1.2 million dollars over the span of a 40-year career.

“Your overall long-term economic security is impacted because of Social Security and retirement and your ability to accrue wealth, stability and intergenerational wealth as well,” said Vagins.

We found that some Latinas experience substantially wider wage gaps than others. For instance, Honduran and Guatemalan women make between 45 and 48 cents to the dollar compared to white, non-Hispanic men, according to the National Women’s Law Center.

“Until the women who perform some of our economy’s most essential jobs are able to achieve economic security, we are never going to achieve pay parity and our economy and our communities will never be as strong as they should be,” said Vagins.

Breaking the Silence

“My mom is the reason I think I’m very much into social justice,” said Agaton.

Agaton says she believes the only way to end the wage gap is to end the silence around it. Something she plans to do to honor the sacrifices of her mother.

“We live in a country that pushes the notion of equality so much. And so if people really value equality and freedom and justice in this country, then we should want that to be extended to everybody,” Agaton said.

A new Illinois law may help end some of the silence around pay inequity. The Illinois Equal Pay Act, which passed earlier this year, requires employers to report pay data to the Department of Labor while giving employees access to that information. The law also requires companies to certify they are not underpaying female and minority employees.

According to the Education Data Initiative, Illinois has the fourth-highest in-state tuition and fees for public universities in the nation at almost $15,000 a year.

And when it comes to paying tuition, families should know there are big changes coming to the free application for federal student aid, known as FAFSA, which determines how much financial aid kids can get from the federal government.

The biggest change this year is the deadline to apply.

“Normally it’s available Oct. 1. Now it’s not going to be available until sometime in December. They’re not even committing to an actual date,” said Donald Kerr, a student lending specialist with AAA, which helps educate families about college planning and funding options.

The number of questions on federal student aid applications will drop from 100 to about 40, and the formula for determining the “expected family contribution” will be different.

“For example if you have a family with two kids in college at the same time, that was favorable on your [application] before. That’s now not gonna be as favorable. You’re not gonna get the same break,” said Kerr. “They’re trying to offset that by giving you more protection on some of the other things such as assets and some of your wages.”

NBC 5 Responds Sep 13, 2023

BBB: Using TEMU could expose consumers to identity theft, other issues

NBC 5 Responds Aug 23, 2023

Your donated clothes probably end up abroad in landfills

With the average student loan debt in Illinois at roughly $37,000, according to the Education Data Initiative, it’s easy to see why there’s such a need for student aid.

But if you already have student loans, remember that the pause on student loan payments that began in March 2020 ended last month.

Now is the time to ask about options for repaying.

“[There are] income-driven repayment plans; they have extended payment plans, graduated repayment plans. The great thing about the federal student loan program is that they will work with you,” said Kerr.

In August, the Biden administration announced the SAVE plan for borrowers, which may be able to provide significant relief to some families.

The plan allows borrowers whose original principal balances were $12,000 or less to receive forgiveness after 120 payments.

Student loan repayments are impacting millions of Americans, so a heads up, if you’re hoping to speak to your student loan company, be prepared for a wait time of between three to six hours.

If you’re facing issues with your student loan provider, the consumer financial protection bureau provides an avenue for filing complaints. For more information, visit: https://www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint/.

The recalls cover multiple car and SUV models from the 2010 through 2019 model years including Hyundai’s Santa Fe SUV and Kia’s Sorrento SUV.

Documents posted Wednesday by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration say the anti-lock brake control module can leak fluid and cause an electrical short, which can touch off a fire while the vehicles are parked or being driven.

The automakers are advising owners to park outdoors and away from structures until repairs are done.

Dealers will replace the anti-lock brake fuse at no cost to owners. Kia says in documents that it will send notification letters to owners starting Nov. 14. For Hyundai the date is Nov. 21.

Hyundai reported 21 fires in the affected vehicles in the U.S., and another 22 “thermal incidents” including smoke, burning and melting of parts, the documents say. Kia reported 10 fires and melting incidents.

Hyundai said in a statement that owners can continue to drive the vehicles and that no crashes or injuries have been reported. The automaker said it was doing the recall to ensure safety of its customers.

The company said an O-ring in the antilock brake motor shaft can lose sealing strength over time due to the presence of moisture, dirt and dissolved metals in the brake fluid, causing leaks. The new fuse limits the operating current of the brake module, the statement said.

In a statement, Kia said an engine compartment fire could happen in the area of the brake control unit due to an electrical short that results in excessive current. The statement says the exact cause of the short circuit is unknown and that there have been no crashes or injuries.

Michael Brooks, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety, questioned why the companies aren’t fixing the leak problem and why they are waiting so long to send letters to owners.

The remedy is replacing one fuse with another, but brake fluid can still leak, potentially causing a safety problem, Brooks said.

“Why not fix the problem?” he asked. “What you’re not doing here is fixing the O-ring and the leak that’s causing the problem in the first place. You’re combatting a symptom or part of the problem without actually fixing the underlying design issue.”

Brooks also questioned why NHTSA is allowing the companies to only replace a fuse, and why owners aren’t being sent interim letters immediately warning them of a serious problem. “You would think that you should be notifying those owners right now that they shouldn’t be parking in their garages or their house could catch fire,” he said.

Statements from both companies don’t address why the fluid leaks aren’t being repaired or why it will take about two months to notify owners by letter. Spokespeople for both companies said they would check into the questions.

NHTSA said that under the federal motor vehicle safety act, automakers can choose the remedy to fix a defect. The agency said it will monitor the effectiveness of the repairs and open an investigation if warranted.

In addition, automakers have 60 days to notify owners of recalled vehicles by letter, but often the mailings can happen sooner, the agency said.

NHTSA also issued a statement Wednesday warning owners to park the vehicles outdoors until repairs are made.

Affected Kia models include:

• 2010 through 2019 Borrego
• 2014 to 2016 Cadenza
• 2010 through 2013 Forte, Forte Koup and Sportage
• 2015 to 2018 K900
• 2011 to 2015 Optima
• 2011 to 2013 Optima Hybrid and Sou
• 2012 to 2017 Rio
• 2011 to 2014 Sorento
• 2010 to 2011 Rondo

Hyundai models covered by the recall include:

• 2011 to 2015 Elantra, Genesis Coupe, and Sonata Hybrid
• 2012 to 2015 Accent, Azera, and Veloster
• 2013 to 2015 Elantra Coupe and Santa Fe
• 2014 to 2015 Equus
• 2010 to 2012 Veracruz
• 2010 to 2013 Tucson
• 2015 Tucson Fuel Cell
• 2013 Santa Fe Sport

Owners can go to www.nhtsa.gov/recalls and key in their 17-digit vehicle identification number to see if their vehicle is affected.

Hyundai and Kia have been plagued by fire problems since 2015. The Center for Auto Safety successfully petitioned U.S. regulators to seek recalls in 2018 and says on its website that the automakers have recalled more than 9.2 million vehicles for fires and engine problems, not including the recalls announced Wednesday. More than two dozen of the recalls involved over 20 models from the 2006 through 2021 model years.

In addition, NHTSA is investigating 3 million vehicles made by the automakers from the 2011 through 2016 model years. NHTSA says it’s received 161 complaints of engine fires, some of which occurred in vehicles that had already been recalled.

In June 2018, NHTSA said it had received owner complaints of more than 3,100 fires, 103 injuries and one death. Hyundai and Kia were fined by NHTSA in 2020 for moving too slowly to recall vehicles that were prone to engine failures.

Many of these types of businesses are now popping up online, offering a quick payday for old jewelry.

You might be wondering- why would anyone send jewelry off to somebody they don’t know? But for people who live in rural areas, or have limited transportation- this is a real option. But it can often turn out badly.

According to the Better Business Bureau, dozens of complaints have rolled in about online appraisal companies. However, the companies shut down their websites after a period of time and are very difficult to trace.

Ann Marie Maslan from Buena Park wanted her heirloom family jewelry appraised because, she says, she needed the money and she was also just curious to know the value.

She found a site called WorthyFew.com that appeared to have a nice web page  and good reviews listed there. They sent her a pre-paid package for shipping. A few weeks later, they told her they didn’t want to buy her jewelry. But getting it back, would cost her.

“They said ‘If you don’t respond, within three days, we’ll destroy your jewelry. So click the link to proceed’. So I clicked the link. And they asked me for $50 to return the jewelry. Now, all throughout their website, they say there’s no charge whatsoever for the service,” said Maslan.

Maslan says she panicked at the thought of her grandmother’s jewelry being destroyed. She paid the $50 and got her jewelry back, but now regrets the whole experience.

According to the Better Business Bureau, she may have been one of the lucky ones.

“What a lot of the complaints were alleging would they be sending their jewelry and expecting to get an appraisal, and that at that time, they could make a decision. But what really happened is [the company] would send them a check. And for far less than the value of the jewelry. In some cases, dramatically less. And then they’ve had real problems trying to reach back to the company,” said Tom Johnson with the Better Business Bureau.

Reviews we found for Worthyfew show customers getting checks as low as $21 after sending in jewelry that appraised for thousands of dollars in the past.

“Part of the problem is people have become so comfortable with online shopping that they don’t think it out sometimes.  People look at the website, it looks impressive and they just want to get an appraisal so they just do it in the easy way,” said Johnson.

Maslan cautions others to do better research than she did before sending off jewelry.

“[Find] a site that’s accredited by the Better Business Bureau, or walk into a store,” said Maslan.

That website WorthyFew.com has since vanished from the internet. It’s important to note that business had a very similar name to a legitimate online jewelry appraisal company called Worth.com which specializes in buying engagement and wedding rings. 

The BBB says it’s not unusual for scammers to choose names similar to legitimate companies, and even buy ads on social media to target consumers. After enough complaints pile up, the scam companies disappear and pop up again under a new name.

They thought their medical bills were taken care of when they beat the odds and won a lottery prize.

But when that money didn’t come – they turned to NBC 5 Responds.

“All of a sudden i saw ‘you won $450,000’. I could not believe it,” said Jim, who asked us not to use his last name for privacy reasons.

“He dropped to his knees and started to cry. And i didn’t have any control. I just started walking in circles. I thought ‘this can’t be real. This can’t be real’!” said Kim, Jim’s wife.

Winning $450,000 in the Illinois Lottery couldn’t have come at a better time for Jim and Kim from the south suburbs.

Their daughter-in-law, Bonnie, was recently diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.

“[Bonnie] basically has nothing left anymore. She can’t see, she can hear. She can’t use her hands anymore. She’s unable to walk. She can barely speak,” said Kim.

“It’s taken a big toll because my son is struggling to pay for her medications. Pay for her treatments,” said Jim.

A WIN; BUT NO WINNINGS

While the Lotto win came at the perfect time, the money itself would be much harder to collect.

“They put on the paperwork, ‘you’ll receive it in four to six weeks’. So i have it marked on the calendar….. Well that passed and nothing happened,” said Jim.

“Where do you go? It’s almost like you’re fighting…City Hall,” said Kim.

“It didn’t even feel like we won because just a lot of weeks go by and you’re like okay, is it going to another person? Is there another …is it going to the right bank account?” said Jim “it’s like ‘why should I even play it if they’re not paying out?;”

ONE CALL YIELDS IMMEDIATE RESULTS

That’s when the couple decided to contact NBC Responds.

We contacted Illinois Lottery, and within minutes Jim got a phone call.

“I got a call from the budget claims manager at Illinois Lottery. She said that ‘I want to apologize for the way you were treated from my staff. And you should have your money in your bank account the following day’,” said Jim.

As promised, the money made it to Jim’s bank account the next morning.

In a statement to NBC Responds, Illinois Lottery told us: “Although every effort is made to process claims as quickly as possible, there are several factors that can cause a delay, including completion of the claim form, volume of prize claims being processed, submission of all required documents, and the quality of the uploaded ticket images.”

Illinois Lotto sent us a list of resources for winners, including: When You Win | Claim Center Locations | Claim A Prize | Illinois Lottery and WinnersHandbook_Aug2023.pdf

“That one phone call or two phone calls or whatever took place, it means everything to us. [NBC Responds] not only made our day, you made a lot of dreams come true,” said Jim.

HISTORIC RESOLUTION

Kim and Jim’s case made history at NBC Chicago. It’s the largest single amount of money NBC 5 Responds has gotten back for a viewer in the station’s 75-year history.

If you have a consumer issue you’d like NBC Responds to look into, contact Investigator PJ Randhawa directly at PJ.Randhawa@NBCuni.com.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tested four of the highest selling minivans from a variety of automakers, with none earning an ‘acceptable’ or ‘good’ rating.

“Many consumers choose many bands specifically to transport their families. So it’s disappointing that the automakers haven’t focused more attention on backseat safety in this vehicle class,” said Jessica Jermakian, vice president of vehicle research for the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety.

The testing focused on the Chrysler Pacifica, Kia Carnival, Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey, and used a crash test dummy the size of a small woman or 12-year-old child.

In crash testing, all four minivans provided good protection in the front seat, but researchers say testing showed the second-row passengers could be vulnerable to chest, head or neck injuries due to the force and placement of their seatbelts.

According to the IIHS, for a vehicle to earn a good rating, there can’t be an excessive risk of injury to the head, neck, chest or thigh, as recorded by the second-row dummy. The dummy should remain correctly positioned during the crash without “submarining,” or sliding forward beneath the lap belt, which increases the risk of abdominal injuries

“The Honda Odyssey was the only minivan in this group to earn a poor rating. Compared with the others it had a higher risk of head and neck injury for that rear passenger,” said Jermakian. “The Sienna is the only minivan where we saw ‘submarining’ which is when the lap belt slides over the pelvis into the abdomen and can put the rear passenger at risk of abdominal injury.”

Other findings of note- a side airbag on the Chrysler Pacifica did not deploy during testing and the forces on the rear dummy’s neck were substantially higher in the Carnival, increasing the chances of a head or neck injury.

“While we’re disappointed in these ratings, we expect the automakers to respond quickly and make improvements as we’ve seen when we’ve introduced other tests,” said Jermakian.

Despite all these findings, researchers say the back seat remains the safest place for children, and the ratings we mentioned don’t  apply to children secured properly in  child safety seats.

NBC 5 Responds reached out to all automakers mentioned in the testing. Here’s what we found:

Honda statement: “American Honda is a leader in Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) safety ratings with ten Honda and Acura models recognized by the institute with their 2023 TOP SAFETY PICK or TOP SAFETY PICK+ ratings, including the 2023 Honda Odyssey. IIHS’ updated moderate overlap testing with new rear passenger metrics challenges models fully engineered prior to the introduction of the new test mode, as seen by the results for each of the models included in the most recent minivan evaluations. The all-new 2023 Accord, by comparison, led IIHS’ moderate overlap testing of midsize sedans, as the only of seven models tested to score GOOD in all rear passenger injury measures

Chrysler statement: No single test determines vehicle safety. We engineer our vehicles for real-world performance. We routinely consider third-party ratings and factor them into our product-development process, as appropriate. We have a long history in the minivan segment. The security and protection of our customers are critical concerns at Stellantis. Every Stellantis model meets or exceeds all applicable federal vehicle safety standards.

Kia statement:  Kia America places a priority on vehicle safety, and all Kia vehicles sold in the United States meet or exceed federal motor vehicle safety standards. Occupant protection is complex and involves a diverse range of variables, and Kia is proud of its strong safety record and integrity of its products. Kia will carefully evaluate the results of this test by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety as part of its commitment to continuous improvement in occupant protection.

Note: NBC 5 Responds is still awaiting response from Toyota, and will include their statement in future updates to this story.

Luckily, what happened was all caught on video. Unfortunately, having proof of what happened, didn’t mean Holl wouldn’t be paying for the damage.

On Aug. 18, Holl’s Friday brunch came with a side of pain.

“When I came back, my bumper was on the ground,” said Holl. “I was just kind of in disbelief.”

Holl found a note on his car, but it wasn’t from whoever hit him.

“There wasn’t a mystery of who did it. [A nearby business] actually put a note that said ‘A FedEx truck hit your bumper and drove away. Please contact … Big Vity Optical for video footage’,” said Holl.

The video shows a FedEx truck side-swiping Holl’s car before ripping off his bumper. The driver doesn’t stop.

“When you look at the video, it looks like it hit it pretty hard. It looked like someone took like…like they just peeled it off like a band aid. Like it took off the whole front,” said Holl.

Holl filed a police report and had his car towed. Then he decided to share this video online- still in disbelief about what happened.

“I actually posted on Facebook that that FedEx my car and drove away. And I actually got an immediate response to contact them via Facebook. And they put it in an incident number, I gave him the police report number and the insurance number. But then they said that someone would be in contact within 48 to 72 hours,” said Holl.

Weeks came and went with no further response from FedEx. Even though he had video proof showing the FedEx truck was at fault, Holl ended up having to pay a $500 deductible to get his car fixed. The total repair bill was about $2,100.

“I think ideally… I shouldn’t have to pay a dime. I shouldn’t have to wonder when this is all going to get resolved,” said Holl.

NBC 5 Responds looked at all reported crashes in Chicago that police said were caused by commercial delivery vehicles. We found there was a sharp rise in these crashes in 2018, when accidents rose 61.04% from the year before. 

It was only when COVID took hold in 2020, with far less traffic on the road, that accidents caused by delivery trucks fell, but they’ve been increasing every year since.            

As for FedEx….data shows there have been at least 66 FedEx-caused crashes reported since 2016.

“They should have a protocol where you can click ‘my car got hit. Here’s the steps. Here’s your incident number,’ because I’m sure in big cities, it happens more than we are aware of,” said Holl.

After weeks of silence from FedEx, NBC 5 Responds reached out on Holl’s behalf. In a statement, they said, “We offer our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience caused by this incident. We are working directly with the individual involved to address this matter.”

“This is just the, I guess, a day in the life of any Chicagoan,” said Holl.

The next time you park, Holl suggests looking for security cameras, on the street and in surrounding business just in case. It could save you the cost of your deductible, if anything happens to your vehicle.

“Maybe all stores need to have like security cameras. I’m even thinking about maybe getting a dash cam,” said Holl.

NBC 5 Responds reached out to FedEx, UPS, DHL and USPS about what drivers should do if they suspect their cars were hit by one of their trucks. We also wanted to know what their internal policies are for drivers who are involved in a crash. Here’s what they told us:

FedEx: There is no higher priority for FedEx than safety. Anyone representing FedEx is expected to follow all traffic laws, and we are reviewing the circumstances behind this matter and will take the appropriate action. While we do not comment on specifics related to our internal policies, we regularly issue reminders related to the safe operation of vehicles. Anyone wishing to report an incident such as this should engage customer service by visiting fedex.com or contact law enforcement if necessary.

UPS: Safety is UPS’s number one priority. Our drivers are trained to be aware of their surroundings at all times and are some of the safest drivers on the road. In the case of any incident involving one of our employees and/or vehicle, we work with the local authorities to investigate, and follow our internal process to determine if retraining or discipline is required. You can learn more about our commitment to training here.

We are still waiting to hear back from USPS and DHL.

When BBB in Chicago published the release, we were unaware of Temu’s efforts to work with the BBB in Boston to address customer complaints. Temu has been actively engaged with BBB to respond to concerns raised by consumers.  We refer everyone to the BBB Business Profile on Temu for the latest information on the company and to access BBB resources about safe online shopping. 

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Experts are issuing warnings about a popular shopping app that offers deals that are seemingly too good to be true.

Complaints and concerns about the TEMU shopping app have been growing since its launch last summer. Now there are renewed concerns about how much of users’ personal information the app is gaining access to.

The Better Business Bureau warns the app collects a lot of information from consumers, including your social media and banking information. Cyber security experts say they suspect the app could even bypass cellphone security settings to spy on other apps and even change settings.

According to the BBB, additional info being collected is the operating systems for phones or other devices – laptops, tablets, etc. The IP address, browsing data, and if provided, the GPS location.

“According to cyber security experts, if they infiltrate your phone and operating system, they can get to other apps and applications you’re using. They’re concerned they can even get your contacts too and get that information. So people have to be really careful because your information is a gold mine. And if it ever falls into the wrong hands, that makes it so easy for identity theft,” said Tom Johnson with the Better Business Bureau.

The app has already been downloaded more than 50 million times in the US.  

NBC 5 Responds found there are numerous other issues with TEMU as well- from the quality of the merchandise, issues with returns, to slow shipping speeds.  Many users also report they get a flood of emails from the site and other businesses after they sign up.

According to the Better Business Bureau, the company is registered in Boston as a foreign company through Delaware. It is owned by PDD Holdings Inc., which is headquartered in China. TEMU began operating in July 2022, and has already amassed nearly 900 complaints.

If you’ve been lured in by temu’s low prices and have the app on your phone- the BBB recommends checking your credit report to make sure no one is using your information.

The BBB also recommends the following:

• If you haven’t downloaded the app, don’t.
• If you have – consider deleting it.
• When you’re on social media sites and you see those sponsored ads, don’t click on them no matter how enticing the deal. Scammers frequently post fake ads.
• Before you do any business with any company, do your research, and a great place to start is with ratings and reviews on BBB.org
• Limit the information you post and share on your social media profiles.

When it comes to the top of the list, two Dodge muscle cars with large, powerful engines attract the eyes of thieves.

At the very top of the list of vehicles most likely to be stolen: the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat. Theft claims for the Hellcat were 60 times more frequent than average for all 2020-22 models, relative to their numbers on the road, according to HLDI data.

Theft claims for the Charger HEMI were also more than 20 times higher than average.

“There’s some commonalities here that we see on a regular basis. And that is, vehicles that are powerful vehicles that are pricey, expensive vehicles, and or pickup trucks. A lot of the vehicles on this list are some combination of those three things,” said HLDI’s Matt Moore.

Another bit of surprising data: while Kia and Hyundai thefts in Chicago skyrocketed more than 1,500% over last year, no Hyundai’s were on the HLDI’s “most stolen” list, while four Kia models were mentioned. 

Theft claims for the Kia Sportage were five times more frequent than the average for all 2020-22 models, relative to their numbers on the road.

Other Kia models on the list include the Kia Forte, Rio and Sportage 4-wheel-drive.

Thieves have gravitated towards older models of the vehicles, as many Hyundai and Kia vehicles lack standard electronic immobilizers like other brands possess, making them more vulnerable to theft and even vandalism.

“We’re also seeing a rise in vandalism claims for some of these via some Hyundai-Kia vehicles. And we assume what’s occurring there is novice thieves believe they have identified a vehicle which has the vulnerability, they break a window, and find that they don’t have the knowledge or the skills to take the vehicle. So they walk away from the theft but leave the vehicle in a damaged state,” said Moore.

The vehicles least likely to be stolen, according to this study, feature a variety of Tesla models.  

“Presumably, they are plugged in at nighttime, and it’s probably safe to assume that they are in a garage at nighttime or at least often parked in places that are well lit, possibly protected by security cameras,” said Moore.

Experts say it’s likely that if you have a vehicle that ranks highly on this list, you’re likely paying more for comprehensive coverage. To see the full list and study, visit HLDI’s website.

“Debt relief” or “credit repair” companies often promise a quick fix to things like a bad credit score or unmanageable credit card debt. 

NBC 5 Responds finds that many of their promises are simply too good to be true. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic and in the midst of a divorce, Jodi Ford found herself in debt.

“It’s very, very stressful. Just wanting to put the past behind you, from a financial perspective as well,” said Ford, from a suburb of Atlanta. “There’s a lot of bills that get split up.

Ford turned to a Chicago ‘debt relief agency’ called Turnbull Law group. She liked how they presented themselves as attorneys.

“Something that really stuck out to me was the fact that they had “Law Group” in their name. I was facing at the time, probably approximately $40,000. And I was promised that it could be cut in half,” said Ford, who says she confirmed she was working with a licensed attorney from Turnbull.

The company was supposed to negotiate her debt down with her creditors. In turn, she made monthly payments to Turnbull, which she was told were going towards her balances. Ford was told Turnbull’s fees would be paid gradually.

“My understanding was they were planning to take a small percentage over an initial period of time,” said Ford.

Over 18 months, Ford paid Turnbull more than $13,000, with only $2,300 of the money paid actually going toward her growing debts.

“My divorce attorney, she was the one that was able to find in the paperwork where they were actually taking the fees up front before they started paying the creditors,” said Ford.

The Better Business Bureau issued a warning about Turnbull Law Group, stating they’ve noticed a pattern of complaints exactly like Ford’s.

They currently have 52 complaints against Turnbull, with most of those filed within the past year.

After paying $13,000 to Turnbull, Ford says she had to hire a personal attorney to untangle her finances. That attorney finally began to negotiate down the rest of her growing debt. It’s something the BBB says you can do yourself.

“Contact your creditors, the lender itself directly. Everybody avoids them, they hang up on them. We want you to talk to them, their interest is to help you to get their money, and they may give you some type of relief,” Bernas said.

If that’s not an option and you need help consolidating your debt, the BBB suggests contacting a credit counseling organization, which are typically non profits. 

For Ford, that advice came too late. After paying Turnbull and a personal attorney to help negotiate her debt, she was left worse off.

“It certainly is something that comes back to haunt me once in a while and I would hate for anybody else to have to go through that,” said Ford.

Turnbull Law Group did not return our request for comment.

While complaints about the debt and credit relief industry continue to skyrocket, keep a few things in mind: repairing your credit and paying down your debts takes time, so be weary of any company that tells you they can do it quickly.

For more information on debt relief companies, and tips on how to consolidate your debt, visit the BBB’s website.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Update: After this story was published, Turnbull Law Group sent NBC 5 Responds the following statement:

“Turnbull Law Group proudly serves 43,000 active clients who are overwhelmingly satisfied with our ability to help them negotiate and settle their debts. The Better Business Bureau complaints cited in your report represent a tiny fraction of our clients. While we cannot publicly discuss the privileged details of individual representations, we dispute many of the claims made in the Sept. 6 NBC 5 Responds report. Most importantly, our client engagements clearly provide that we are not paid any fees until a debt is settled. First, we negotiate a settlement with the client’s creditors and then we present that settlement to the client for approval. If the client agrees to the settlement and a payment is made, only then do we collect our fee. Until then, the client is saving money for settlements by making monthly deposits into an FDIC-insured bank account that the client controls. While creditor settlements and our fees are paid from these accounts, clients are free to remove their funds at any time.”

NBC 5 Responds has learned Gast Monuments is now also facing legal action for a $220,000 grave monument order from 2018, that was allegedly never created or delivered.

“I couldn’t do anything about it”

Now a former Gast employee is breaking his silence to shed light on what he says was a pattern of ignoring consumer complaints and not filling orders, which he witnessed firsthand.

“In that business, you work with families who are going through a lot… a lot of emotions, a lot of grief. It was hard for me to see this. When I worked there, I couldn’t do anything about it just because I needed that job,” said the former employee who worked as a designer for the company for about a year before quitting in 2021. He asked us to conceal his identity out of fear of retribution.

Earlier this month, an NBC 5 Responds investigation found dozens of Chicago-area families have been waiting months, even years to receive their deceased loved ones’ grave markers from the company.

That includes Kris Greene of Deerfield, who has been waiting 18 months for Gast to deliver her father’s grave marker.

“No one should go through this during such a traumatic moment in their life,” said Greene, who ended up ordering a monument from another company.

Refunds promised; not delivered

She and several other Gast customers NBC 5 Responds spoke have been requesting refunds from the company for months, without any luck. In early July, Gast told NBC 5 Responds via email that she would be “happy to refund [Greene’s order] if they did indeed order elsewhere”.

But on Aug. 29, Gast’s attorney claimed, “Gast has made no commitments to refund any monies to … the Greene family…”. Gast did not respond to our specific questions about the refund status’ for several families who either never received their orders, or ended up ordering monuments from other companies.

“If an aggrieved family affected by the Catholic Cemetery delivery delay ordered a memorial to be produced by Gast and ordered another memorial from a different producer, Gast did/does provide a refund when the other provider’s memorial was/is already produced,” said Vince DiTommaso, attorney for Katie Gast, in an email statement to NBC 5 Responds.

 “I think she’s just taking all of these families for a ride, just taking their money,” said Greene.

“I couldn’t be a part of that situation anymore”

“I wanted to reach out and say like, what you’re saying isn’t a lie. This is coming from someone who saw it from behind the scenes,” said the employee, who agreed to speak with NBC after seeing several families were voicing their frustrations online.  “I had so much stress. I had so much anger,  so much emotion coming back from work. And my wife saw it, my coworkers saw it. I couldn’t be part of that situation anymore.”

The former employee says on a daily basis, he would field calls from grieving families asking about their orders, and watch as company owner, Katie Gast, actively avoided and ignored them. 

“Family comes inquiring about a refund. It’s not like, ‘Okay, how do we make this better? [Gast was] like, ‘Yeah, right. Like that’s gonna happen’. Like, no care,” said the former Gast employee.

Gast denied that claim in a statement made through her attorney.

“The allegations that Katie Gast in any way lacked empathy for or laughed at customers are untrue and inconsistent with reality,” said DiTommaso in an email statement to NBC 5 Responds. “Due to her infant child having medical complications, Katie Gast spent little time at the Gast offices. Katie Gast had limited face-to-face interactions with few people except family members.”

The employee says during his time at Gast, he also saw inconsistencies regarding payments.

When you buy a grave marker from Gast, you pay a ‘setting fee’ for the cemetery up front.

But the employee says, during his time at Gast, many of those fees weren’t being passed along to the cemeteries. Earlier this month the archdiocese of Chicago confirmed Gast monuments owed them $22,000 in setting fees.

The employee says he began advising customers to pay the cemeteries directly instead of trusting Gast to pass the money along. 

“That’s when I’m like, ‘You’re never gonna see [that money] again. That’s gone. Once it’s out of your hands, it’s gone’,” said the employee.

Gast previously told NBC 5 Responds the Archdiocese kept changing their payment rules in an effort to put her out of business. Gast stated she did not owe the Archdiocese money, only monuments slated for delivery.

“It’s not always changing of the rules, so much as bending them depending on the person on the other end,” said Gast via email.

The Archdiocese responded by saying they hadn’t changed anything about their process.

”There’s other cemeteries besides us that she’s having issues with,” said Ted Ratajcyk, Executive Director with Catholic Cemeteries.

A lawsuit over a $200,000 order that never materialized

Chicago’s Graceland cemetery is mentioned in a new civil lawsuit against Gast. NBC 5 Responds was in court this week to hear the largest claim against the company to date.

A recently filed civil lawsuit alleges Gast was paid nearly $200,000 for three granite monuments to be installed in Chicago’s Graceland cemetery in 2018.

According to the lawsuit Gast never paid the supplier, and five years later, there’s nothing to show for all that money.

Gast did not respond to our requests for comment regarding the lawsuit.

But it was a large order, the former employee remembers well.

“That might be one of the longest ones that haven’t processed. From seeing the trends after six months being there, I’m like, ‘He paid a lot of money. He’s asking for this. I don’t think he’s gonna get it’,” said the former employee.

Meantime, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s consumer fraud division confirms they are investigating claims against Gast.

It all became too much, the employee says, when Gast began having payroll issues and his paychecks were late.

“We live check by check in my household so I mean, it’s needed. We were promised getting paid bi-weekly,” said the employee.

Gast replied through her attorney, saying, “Gast employees were timely paid for all time spent on the job. Employees received physical paychecks for their respective pay periods. If an employee were physically absent from work, the employee would not be handed their paycheck on the respective pay day. Gast retains copies of all [the employee’s] check stubs in his personnel file.”

It was the last straw for the new father, who quit the company in 2021. He says he left the company as soon as he was able to find another job.

“There was a lot of a couple people behind the scenes that worked at Gast that were always heartbroken after taking your calls. Really felt for you, your family. And we’re sorry that we couldn’t speak up,” said the employee.

After our initial investigation, Gast resigned her role as president of the Monument Builders of North America association.

“Ms. Gast elected to step down from her unpaid voluntary position with MBNA. Instead, Ms. Gast wishes to focus her efforts on her clients, matters at hand and family. In addition to her business commitments, services, and obligations, she is a single mother of a 3-plus year-old child,” DiTommaso said in an email.

The civil court case against Gast continues with another hearing next month.

If you are having an issues with Gast Monuments, you are advised to contact newly-designed help line for assistance, at 847-868-4230 via text or phone.

Every year, roughly 100 billion garments are produced globally, with more than *half* of those items are discarded within a year, according to a 2016 study by McKinsey Sustainability.

USAgain, known for their recognizable green and white clothing donation boxes located in and around the Chicagoland area is one of the for-profit companies exporting the clothes.

“You can say we are basically transferring resources from a part of the world where there is a surplus to parts of the world where there is a need,” Mattias Wallander, CEO of USAgain said. “And the way we do that is by collecting clothes and shoes that are re-wearable.”

Wallander states most of the clothing items USAgain gets a new life, and less than 5% goes to waste. 

Dr. Katia Dayan Vladimirova, Senior Research Associate at the University of Geneva, Switzerland and Founder and Coordinator at the International Research Network on Sustainable Fashion Consumption, countered Wallander’s claim when asked about if those exported clothing is actually given a second life.

“I would, I would say that there is a lot of misinformation and the companies most benefiting from this information are those who are also most benefited from the status quo,” Vladimirova said. “People [overseas] have to buy these bags, closed bags, bales of clothing, and they don’t know what they’re buying.  Last time I heard it was $500 so many have to take a loan. They open these bales and they find increasing volumes of unusable textiles.  Often synthetic textiles that do not biodegrade.”

Wallander says all garmets his company exports go through a quality control process

“It starts from maintaining our locations so that they are always looking nice to the public. And, and then training all our team members to take very good care of the product,” said Wallander.

And once they reach their destination, Wallander says, they have a positive economic impact.

“One of the key benefits social benefits of secondhand is that it creates jobs for a lot of people.

10% of the labor force in Central America is working in second hand. So that’s huge. And we’re very happy to be a small part of that,” said Wallander.

According to NBC 5 Responds’ research, used clothing exports from Chicago have nearly doubled in the last decade.

Now more than ever, we need to be conscious of how we shop. Jocelyn Brown, owner of Arkival Storehouse, vintage store owner, spoke about the over consumption of clothes.

“We over consume everything and so many ways and stuff that we don’t even realize,” Brown said.” I mean, even me [when] focusing on vintage clothes and trying to make my brand as sustainable as possible.” 

Brown studied Fashion Merchandising at Columbia College Chicago, where she learned about starting her business and curating fashion pieces.

“It’s still hard to not over consume, because it’s just something that we’re conditioned to do,” Brown said. 

Brown explains how fashion trends actually end up getting recycled so the newly made items from fast fashion brands are not worth purchasing.

“Nothing is new, everything recycles,” Brown said. “So all of these newer trends that you find you’re gonna find the original of that trend [at the thrift store] and the quality is so much better than it would be anywhere else.” 

In Sweden, a group of investigative reporters tracked donated clothes through the popular fashion brand H & M, where they claim they donate clothes in exchange for 10% of your next purchase. 

Their investigation found their tracked items ending up in Kenya, and when they went searching for the pieces, they couldn’t locate them because they were lost in landfills.

“Buying less is the most efficient way. If we buy less we have less to give away,” Vladimirova said.

Vladimirova said we need to stop treating donations as a way of disposing of our garments guilt free, because our donated clothes will most likely end up overseas.

“It’s these exports that are currently polluting rivers, waterways polluting the sea polluting soil being landfill,” Vladimirova said. “Even in the most advanced economies in the States, we don’t have scalable recycling technologies or waste management for textiles other than just burning them.”

Specifically, the law adds transparency around pay and benefits offered before an application is filed.

It’s a move many said is a long time coming.

Illinois is now the ninth state to pass a pay transparency law in recent years and several others states are also currently considering wage transparency bills.

Illinois’ law requires employers with 15 or more employees to disclose pay scales and benefits in job postings.

It isn’t just for new hires – the law also requires employers to announce and post all promotion opportunities to current employees within 14 business days of posting the job externally.

Supporters say it’s crucial to closing racial and gender wage gaps.

According to the Census Bureau, women are still paid 82 cents for every dollar paid to a man.

“Lack of information about pay prevents workers from having the information necessary to assess and negotiate in an informed manner. In fact, pay negotiations are generally unfavorable to women and women of color. Disclosing the salary or salary range for a position helps keep employers accountable, levels the negotiating playing field, and gives applicants, employees, employers, and enforcement agencies information to identify and remedy any unjustified pay disparities,” Sarah Labadie, director of advocacy and policy for Women Employed, said in an email to NBC 5 Responds. “The new salary transparency law is a win-win for employers and employees alike.”

More job seekers are expecting this type of transparency from employers.

According to a Joblist survey of 30,000 people, 55% of all job seekers and 64% of gen z job applicants would not apply to a job posting that lacks wage or salary information, while 91% of job seekers say that they are more likely to apply to a job with pay information.

“It saves time and money for both employers and job seekers. We are increasingly seeing that workers won’t even apply to a job if the salary range isn’t provided. And we’ve heard from more and more businesses—small and large alike—that pay range transparency helps them more efficiently and effectively find and match with candidates who are actually interested and would take the position,” said Labadie.

Steve Bernas, president & CEO of the Better Business Bureau, believes the change could spur positive competition between companies.

“I think it will help the businesses … not only with the applicants, but again, there’s competition among businesses for the job applicants. So with full transparency, they can’t promise you something on the phone, and then change it when you get there, or they change it while you’re there. The transparency is there so the competition can compete against each other for the same job applicants. So it will help the consumer and help the business,” said Bernas.

So far, research is unclear about whether salary range laws actually help close wage gaps and the pay scales can be too wide and confusing in some cases. But some research suggests pay scales are generally narrower and more transparent when it comes to lower-paying jobs than higher-paying jobs.

The new pay transparency rules go into effect Jan. 1, 2025.

That study from the Consumer Federation of America looked into how auto insurers use credit scores to help determine the rates they charge consumers.

On average, a driver with a ‘poor to fair’ credit score has to pay twice as much for auto insurance as a driver with excellent credit- even if their driving safety history is the same, according to the study.

This means, on average, those with bad or poor credit are paying $491 a year more for basic auto insurance than drivers with good credit.

The problem, according to the report, stems from the fact that many insurance companies consider your credit information as a more important rating factor than a driving record when calculating your premium.

Consumer advocates say this is unfair to safe drivers, and it disproportionately impacts lower-income drivers and people of color.

“Consumer Reports, a couple years ago, looked at the difference between drivers with excellent credit but with a Driving While Intoxicated conviction compared to safe drivers with poor credit and found that safe drivers with poor credit pay more than the drivers who have a DWI and excellent credit. And that’s again, just absurd. And it goes to the problem with using non-driving factors to set rates,” said Abe Scarr, with PIRG, a consumer advocacy group.

Only three states, Hawaii, Massachusetts, and California, prohibit insurance companies from using credit information in auto insurance pricing.

There’s now a bill in the illinois legislature that aims to stop insurance companies from basing their pricing on things like race, religion, gender and credit score.

We reached out to  the American Property Casualty Insurance Association- the primary trade organization for insurance companies for comment. They sent us the following statement:

“The Consumer Federation of America’s (CFA) report repeats misconceptions that have been soundly rebutted by numerous federal, state, and private sector studies. Most significantly, the CFA report fails to acknowledge that insurers’ use of credit-based insurance scores results in substantial consumer benefits. Credit-based insurance scores enable insurance companies to evaluate the risk of loss with greater accuracy, enhancing competition and resulting in savings for most drivers and fairer insurance rates overall because they are an accurate predictor of future losses. Eliminating this use of credit will result in the loss of savings for many consumers and result in rates which are less fair and accurate for all. The negative consequence of banning credit-based insurance scores was recently seen in Washington State, where insurance premiums rose for more than a million low risk drivers and homeowners, including seniors on fixed incomes.”

“The American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA) is opposed to the Illinois Motor Vehicle Insurance Fairness Act legislation, which was introduced last session. The proposed Act would restrict the use of rating and underwriting tools that have been proven to benefit consumers and are accurate and effective in setting fair insurance rates. By using the variety of rating factors currently in use, insurers can assess drivers’ risks more accurately and price their product based on the likelihood and severity of insurance claims. The use of these tools benefits consumers and is the fairest way to set insurance rates.”

“Insurers do not collect or use racial or income information.  The reduced insurance rates as a result of the use of credit-based insurance scores are available to everyone with similar good scores, regardless of race or income.”

The company says they’re not to blame, all while NBC 5 Responds has learned the allegations have attracted the attention of prosecutors.

To Kris Greene of Deerfield, each passing month amplifies her grief.

“This is where my father’s headstone should be placed,” said Greene, while showing NBC 5 Responds a patch of grass at All Saints Cemetery in Des Plaines. “As you can see, the sods already growing over. It’s been over a year.”

Greene’s Dad Don Dorsch passed away in April 2022, but in the 18 months since his passing, Dorsch’s grave is overgrown and still unmarked.

“I feel like I’m on this Hula Hoop of grief that I can’t get off because I want to put my dad to rest,” said Greene.

Greene trusted Gast monuments, a business with a 140-year legacy in Chicago, to create her dad’s gravestone.

The company is supposed to be a one-stop shop for grave markers: customers pay Gast to design, build and deliver grave monuments to the cemetery. When you buy with Gast, you also pay an installation fee that is supposed to go to the cemetery.

Greene ordered her dad’s gravestone through Gast last August, and it was supposed to be delivered this spring.
But that delivery date came and went, with no follow up.

“I kept following up-‘are we still on track?’ and I would get these excuses such as, ‘It’s really bad weather, the cemeteries …won’t let us install’ or ‘the stone’s on backorder’,” said Greene.

The Greene family isn’t alone.

NBC 5 Responds has spoken to seven families who have been waiting, in some cases, up to two years, for their memorials after paying Gast monuments thousands of dollars. Emails show their delivery dates came and went, with nothing to show for what they paid for.

“I kept pursuing, calling, emailing. And eventually Katie Gast just stopped contacting me,” said Greene.

Katie Gast, the 6th generation owner of Gast monuments, says the company is doing its best to fill orders.

“I know that we’re doing the right thing,” said Gast in a video interview with NBC 5 Responds last week.

Gast acknowledges she has more than three dozen customers who are waiting for her to deliver monuments that have already been paid for.

But she says she’s not to blame. NBC 5 Responds asked Gast what is behind the delays in delivering monument.

“It’s an amazing issue that’s taking place all over the country,” said Gast.

Gast says Catholic cemeteries are to blame for her company’s delays.

She says the cemeteries keep changing their delivery and payment rules because they are trying to put her out of business.

But the Archdiocese of Chicago, which runs the cemeteries, says they have no record for most of the missing orders, and haven’t received payment for any of them either.

And on top of that, they contend Gast owes them $22,000 for previous installations.

“We probably have about 50 families that have called us and said that they placed an order for a memorial with Gast and ‘where is it?’ In most cases, we had no record of them,” said Ted Ratajczyk, Executive Director for Catholic Cemeteries.

Case and point: Greene and her family paid Gast in full last August, but the church has no record or payment from her order.

It’s the same story as several families who’ve complained.

“I think she’s just taking all of these families for a ride, just taking their money,” said Greene.

Gast told us they have 29 monuments they hope to schedule deliver for soon. She even sent us a picture of several of them in her warehouse.

But many families have since turned to law enforcement for help.

NBC 5 Responds found the Illinois Attorney General’s office has received 13 similar consumer complaints about Gast in the past year.

And this past June, an email obtained by NBC Chicago shows Gast monuments was under investigation by the cook county state’s attorney’s consumer fraud division.

A spokesperson for the office confirmed it has “received information related to this matter and is currently reviewing to determine any next steps.”

To date, no charges have been filed against Gast or any of her employees

“I think we owe our customers the commitment to the betterment of this industry,” said Gast in a video interview with NBC 5 Responds.

NBC 5 Responds asked Gast if the families impacted by her company’s delayed were interested in “the industry” or if they simply wanted a memorial to honor their deceased loved ones.

“My take would be that they don’t want anybody to experience this same experience that they’ve had. I lay my head down on my pillow at night and know that we’re fighting for what’s right,” said Gast.

“I don’t know how she sleeps at night. No one should go through this during such a traumatic moment in their life,” said Greene.

Greene ended up paying another monument company for her father’s monument and she’s now waiting for a refund from Gast, along with several other families.

The archdiocese tells us: just this week Gast has finally submitted paperwork to get some memorials installed but Gast still has not paid them what she owes.

Gast says she expects her delivery backlog will be at least 65% resolved by the week’s end. 

Gast encourages all customers to contact their help line for updates on orders. Call or text 847-868-4230.