RED FLAGS IN A MAN’S APARTMENT

  • MEDICINE CABINET: Will you be pleasantly surprised by-extra large condoms or shocked by STD prescriptions?  Players often stock multiple packs of toothbrushes.
  • BATHROOM: Anyone can dust, but a shower free of mold and hair is a true sign of cleanliness.
  • KITCHEN: Unless he’s a health nut, Splenda, fat-free yogurt and lots of salad could be red flags.
  • UNDER THE BED: This is where people stash everything dirty before dates.
  • CONTEXT: Feminine hygiene products or lipstick on dirty cups make sense if the guy has a female roommate or visitor.

From what he chooses as wall art to where he puts his workout equipment, a series of experts have explained what signs to look for when decoding single male decor. Interior designer Meg Caswell tells Glo that a bare mattress is an obvious bad sign in the bedroom, because it means that he’s rarely home and, more importantly, ‘sheets are never changed’. But the man living in a perfectly-styled apartment with a bed made so tightly that quarters would bounce ‘is probably the kind of guy who walks into a bar and can pinpoint the women he wants to go out with right away’. Read more

Scam of the Day: FakeABaby.com

I’ve been exposed to a lot of medical fraud cases lately. There are the women whose children are almost kidnapped by crazy ladies pretending to be pregnant, worker’s comp cases in which claimants fake injury, and even people who fake cancer in order to get funds from friends and relatives. I always wonder: In these elaborate stories, doesn’t anyone along the way demand to see medical evidence? Today in a fit of random Googling, I uncovered FakeABaby.com, a site where you can order ‘gag’ ultrasounds, medical and pregnancy tests, and even DNA results. The ultrasounds look VERY real; you can specify age of the ‘fetus’,  black and white or color, hospital, clinic, date of exam and even father’s name. Apparently these are meant to be gag gifts, but seriously, how is this funny? I can’t see the humor in springing a fake pregnancy test or ‘silicone twin fake pregnancy belly’ on an unsuspecting mom or boyfriend. Or saying ‘look, this test confirms that I have cancer–just kidding!’ The site asks you to tick a box saying you won’t use the material for ‘fraudulent purposes’, and the disclaimer reads (in part):

It is designed as a novelty/gag device. Be sure your “mark” has a sense of humor before unleashing this product upon them!We again urge CAUTION when using gags which have the potential of causing emotional harm (as almost any gag or practical joke does). KNOW YOUR VICTIM.

Whatever. Maybe I’ve just been watching too much Investigation Discovery, but certain items on the site seem sinister – and even potentially dangerous. Thoughts?

Disappear Here: How to Vanish Without a Trace

Ever thought about escaping your life? I have. I’ve even fantasized about faking my own death on occasion. In the same way that FBI agents sometimes have to get into the mind of serial killers to solve cases, former skip tracer Frank Ahearn explains how he gets into the mentality of those who fade out in his book How to Disappear: Erase Your Digital Footprint, Leave False Trails, and Vanish without a Trace. So is it possible to permanently – and legally – check out? Ahearn explains why it may only take a second to vanish, but staying gone requires a lot more legwork.  Read more

Lord of the Scam: The story of ‘Fast Eddie’

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He was the international playboy who threw fantasy porn discos, filled swimming pools with cognac and entertained VIPs including Kate Moss and Princes William and Harry, but in reality ‘Lord’ Davenport – aka ‘Fast Eddie’ was a con artist who scammed his victims out of millions. The Daily Mail reports that the 46-year-old, who is currently doing an eight-year sentence for conspiracy to defraud, was the ringmaster of a £34.5million pound fraud.  But on his website, Davenport still claims to be ‘one of London’s most flamboyant and best known entrepreneurs as well as a true English gentleman from an established British family’. After attending one of his huge parties in his heyday, I believe he was able to pull off scams on such a grand scale by using many of the same techniques as Michael Caine’s posh con artist in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Read more

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