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Unfortunately, police may sometimes search you even if you refuse consent. If they find anything illegal, you'll have to get a lawyer and fight it out in court, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the search will hold up...
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Yes. Minors generally have the same rights as adults. For example, minors can refuse searches and decline to answer questions without an attorney present. Nevertheless, minors face unique challenges when attempting to exercise these rights...
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In addition to compromising your safety and the safety of others, driving drunk is one of the stupidest things you can do, and one of the easiest ways to create overwhelming legal problems for yourself. DUI laws vary from state to state, and they have become increasingly harsh over the years...
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Your rights do not disappear if the officer threatens to call in the dogs, so don't let this all-too-common tactic intimidate you into consenting to a search. You have several options...
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No. We teach people that they have rights, and that these rights are secured by the principal documents that guarantee our civil liberties -- the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. An informed individual who invokes his constitutional protections is doing exactly what our nation's founders intended. They created these documents to...
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Unfortunately, many people get fooled by some version of this commonly used police officer's line: "Everything will be easier if you just cooperate". That's true to some extent -- it will make things much easier for the police officer who's trying to arrest you! -- but when it comes to you consenting to searches and answering incriminating questions, it couldn't be further from the truth...
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Yes. Police can, will, and often do lie; especially if it helps them make arrests. The rules regarding entrapment usually tip in favor of law-enforcement, so police won't hesitate to trick you into incriminating yourself or others...
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As a general rule, searches conducted without a valid search warrant signed by a judge violate the Fourth Amendment, but like most rules of law, there are a number of explicit exceptions. In fact, most searches occur without warrants because police take advantage of these exceptions to the Fourth Amendment...
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No. We believe that most police officers are good, hardworking people who are doing a tough job. We need police to safeguard the life, liberty, and property of all people. To do this best, police officers should...
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Videotaping or photographing police in public places is usually legal, so long as you don't interfere with their activities. Nonetheless, doing so will often get you arrested...
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Simply put, the number of arrests an officer makes is a major factor used to determine his job performance. Police officers know that the easiest way to make arrests is to find people in possession of illegal drugs, so they want to search everyone they can find...
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The sad fact is that most people believe that they are under some kind of obligation to acquiesce when an officer contacts them and asks permission to search them or their belongings. The truth is exactly the opposite...
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No. If a police officer asks your permission to search, you are under no obligation to consent. The main reason why officers ask is because they don't have enough evidence to search without your consent. Don't expect an officer to tell you of your right not to consent. Any time you consent to a search request you are naively waiving your constitutional rights.
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No. The courts have made it clear that police officers do not have to tell people that they can refuse to consent to a warrantless search. Also, contrary to the belief perpetuated by popular police television shows, a person will not be read their rights subsequent to being taken into custody. A person only needs to be Mirandized when...
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Everyone should be trained to assert their constitutional rights under the 4th Amendment in order to avoid the hassle and humiliation of police misconduct and illegal searches. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics report on citizen-police contacts...
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Don't Pay For An Education In Fraud: Protect Yourself From Scholarship Scams |
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Written by Florida Consumer Services
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Monday, 22 June 2009 00:00 |
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There are a lot of "official" looking offers that will come your way when you start looking for scholarships, grants, and loans for college. You will hear of these so-called offers at seminars, in emails, over the phone from telemarketers, and online. These offers and their websites may look "official" and sound real, but they are actually scams or just plain rip-offs. Often they will start asking for your personal financial information, such as Social Security number and bank account numbers, while making ridiculous promises and unreasonable requests, like:
- Millions of dollars in aid go unclaimed every year; don't you want some of that money?
- I just need your credit card or bank account number to hold this scholarship.
- You've been selected by a "national foundation" to receive a scholarship!
- The scholarship is guaranteed or your money back!
- We'll do all the work!
- Buy now or miss this opportunity!
- You can't get this information anywhere else!
- The scholarship will cost some money...
Do any of those sound familiar? Follow these tips to avoid scholarship scams:
- Learn to recognize the warning signs - if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!
- Check the organization's reputation by contacting the Division of Consumer Services, your school's guidance counselor, the local library, look for blogs about the business on the internet.
- Contact the Office of Financial Aid at the school or university you are interested in attending. They can provide relevant information regarding availability and eligibility requirements for grants, loans, and scholarships.
- Check out the company and its offer thoroughly, BEFORE giving them any confidential information about yourself. Call the Division of Consumer Services at 1-800-HELP-FLA (435-7352) to check their complaint history.
- Don't give in to high-pressure sales tactics. Be suspicious of any company that insists you make a quick decision because the offer is "time limited."
Before you decide or make any commitment to use a financial aid advice service, you should investigate the organization yourself:
- Do a little research, most of the information these "opportunities" offer for a fee is actually available to you for free. Of course they won't tell you that because they want you to pay them for the information. Ask your local college or university for free resources that are available.
- Use an Internet search engine and enter the name along with the word "scam" - also do some research using their web address. If reputable sources identify it as a scam or illegal activity, it would be wise to look elsewhere!
- Ask for names of three or four local families who have used its services recently. Then call those people and ask questions.
- Ask how many students have used the service and how many of them received scholarships or grants as a result.
- Find out about the service's refund policy, get everything in writing and read all the fine print before signing anything!
Keep in mind, though, that a company charging for financial aid advice is not committing fraud unless it doesn't deliver what it promises. For more information about financial aid fraud or to report fraud, call the Federal Trade Commission toll free at 1-877-FTC-HELP (382-4357).
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