News

Stolen credit: priceless

Uh oh, American Express. Never cross a 21-year-old emo kid! Claiming the credit-card company “ruined” his life, former employee Luke Colley blew £67,000 of customers' cash on everything from Wimbledon passes to cellphones to dozens and dozens of concerttickets. While he was living Down Under, the Brit's life was shaken up when American Express offered his job to an Australian national, sending Mr. Colley home to brood under his mop of strategically dishevelled bangs. It was there that he seized his chance for revenge, using private information from 14 customer accounts to swindle the company out of £67,731.85. Perhaps they should've seen it coming – an investigation into Mr. Colley's past shows he's something of a serial scammer. In January, 2007, he was given a six-month discharge in juvenile court for fraudulently selling items online. He was also pursuing a psychology degree at a university in Birmingham – proof that he was learning how to get inside people's heads. But he lacked the criminal smarts to keep him from moping in prison. He was sentenced to 15 months last Friday.

BY THE NUMBERS

PEEL ME A GRAPE

61

Percentage of 1,233 British workers responding to a poll by HR Magazine UK and Harris Interactive who say their workplaces don't offer well-being programs that would encourage them to eat healthily, exercise and, well, not become a burden on the company's health and benefits plan.

38

Percentage who say they'd want employers to help pay for their gym memberships, offer nutritional advice and pony up for their health screenings. Oh, and they can throw in a manicurist, personal trainer and masseuse while they're at it.

BLUE MOON

OVER-EXPOSURE

“You're pulling your pants down … your naked buttocks are showing.”

– Altoona, Iowa, Police Chief John Gray explains the act of mooning in an unemployment benefits hearing against a former colleague who resigned from the force after suggestive photos of her were posted online. Alleged party girl/police officer Abigail Keller, 27, is accused of mooning the camera, simulating “sex acts on females and males” and “making kissy faces” with her friend, the Des Moines Register reports. Or, in other words, just having a good-ass time.

NO IDLING

A JOB APP A DAY

Okay, all you funemployed folks in Indiana – party's over. At least it will be on Jan. 1, 2010, when a new, tougher unemployment law comes into effect. In a move that's no doubt meant to motivate jobless residents, the state will require them to submit at least one job application a week and look for work in at least two other spots, the Associated Press reports. People receiving unemployment payments will also have to accept the first gig that comes their way if it's on par with what they used to make. But that's no reason to stop shopping. People can keep hunting for jobs at the same pay level as their last gig. However, after four weeks collecting unemployment, they'll have to take on jobs that pay less than what they used to make. (Get ready to whip out that McDonald's apron from high school).