BOSTON -- Investigators say someone posing as the police called several local fast food restaurants telling managers they must strip search their employees -- and they did. NewsCenter 5's Jim Boyd reported that four Wendy's fast food restaurant supervisors were told Saturday that their employees were stealing from customers, and to conduct immediate strip searches.

"The person on the other end identified themselves as a detective from Whitman and said one of the employees was a wanted suspect and asked them to do a strip search," said Whitman Deputy Police Chief Raymond Nelson. "Evidently, they were strip searched." The incidents happened in Whitman and West Bridgewater.

Police in West Bridgewater declined to be interviewed for this report, but said a similar case in their town has two victims -- the person coerced into making the illegal search and the person who was searched.

Wendy's released a statement Wednesday that said "the chain (has) fallen victim to vicious scam," and, "we are certainly embarrassed and saddened over all that has happened... Our deepest apologies go out to our employees who were drawn into this scam. They thought they were responding to the direct orders from the police."

Police say they would never act in such a way.

"We would always go in person or have the person come to the police station," said Nelson.

Wendy's customers say they cannot believe what happened.

"The employees have certain rights and management has certain privileges, but just on hearsay, I wouldn't have done that," said one customer.

"If my son or my daughter were working here part-time, I would just be totally flabbergasted if they came home and told me that this had happened to them," said another customer.

Boyd said similar incidents have been reported in Ohio, New York and Florida dating back to 2000.

The supervisors have been suspended with pay pending an investigation.

LYNNWOOD, Wash. - It's bad enough getting telemarketing calls, but Ann Hutton and her husband are getting annoying pitches for someone else. The Huttons, who have lived in this suburb north of Seattle for seven years, have the phone number once assigned to Omar A. Johnson. He moved out of Snohomish County 30 years ago but is still listed at his old address and number in the Verizon phone book.

Hutton said she was getting 10 calls for Johnson on "a good day" from sellers of siding, home loans, hearing aids, auto glass, carpeting, pagers, vacation homes, windows, newspapers, water purifiers and chiropractors, as well as requests for donations to charity and medical research.

"We keep telling them there are no Johnsons here," she said last week.

At one point, Hutton said, she was unable to call her sick mother because a telemarketing call had the line tied up. When she hung up and picked the phone up again, the spiel was still going.

Verizon says it's a database error, "an isolated event" that can't be fully corrected for months. The next reissue date for the magnetic tape of telephone customer names and numbers that includes her phone is Aug. 15, and the new Verizon directory comes out in December.

[I thought it'd be funny to call these people up and try to get them to donate money to some cause. So I looked up Omar Johnson in the phone book and gave them a call. The old man who answered was extrememly rude to me. I think it had something to do with me using an AT&T operator to emergency inturrupt his line though. The call can be listened to on www.phonelosers.org/fark.html ]

While the phone firm is investigating how someone managed to introduce the "arrogant bastard" category onto the bill, the paper also reports that local NZ law doesn't protect companies from describing their customers this way.

It might breach the defamation laws, however.

[You've gotta love Telecom for putting an asshole customer in their place. More phone companies should allow this, then people wouldn't be such arrogant bastards to the service reps.]

The dispatcher noted the number on caller ID and discovered that it was from a residence in Auburn, Georgia. Police contacted the sheriff's department there, and deputies moved in for the arrest. The suspect was taken to the Essex County Jail without bail, after a year on the run. Police said that he fled after being indicted on burglary charges in January 2001.

LAKELAND -- A Winter Haven man who frightened women in 1999 with telephone calls describing how he was molesting little girls was held on $250,000 bail after Polk authorities charged him Tuesday with making harassing calls to women in Tulsa, OK.

Michael Jason Propst, 29, was charged Tuesday with three counts of making harassing phone calls. The charge is a misdemeanor, but Circuit Judge Robert Doyel wrote on the arrest warrant he approved a high bond "for the protection of these and other victims."

"If released, defendant shall not place harassing phone calls to anyone," Doyel said. "If defendant is not released on bail, (the Sheriff's Office) shall take any measure reasonably necessary to prevent defendant from harassing anyone by phone."

Propst was released from the Polk County Jail after serving an 18-month sentence for making harassing phone calls and violating his probation. He previously served five months in jail in 1999 for making harassing phone calls.

No children were ever abducted or molested, but Polk sheriff's officials said women had been frightened by a man who told them he was harming children. The women were chosen at random, officials said at the time.

The new charges involve three women in Tulsa who were called the night of Jan. 19. One of the calls was made to a Chili's restaurant by a man who told a woman that he had found a 6-year-old girl and was holding her at a Motel 6, an arrest report said. Later that night, a caller told a Tulsa woman that he had found a 6-year-old and was raping her, sheriff's officials said.

The three women called Tulsa authorities. They and Polk officials traced the calls to a Polk City cellular phone. Deputies said the cell phone account is for Propst. Propst, of 2010 21st St., N.W., Winter Haven, was arrested about 6 p.m. Tuesday near Polk City, deputies said.

TRAVERSE CITY -- A woman's home telephone has been reaching out and touching people across the country by the thousands, without her knowledge. And Becky Sivek doesn't even have long-distance service.

Sivek said she realized there was a problem when she came home from work Jan. 7 and her daughter told her they had gotten calls from people in New Jersey -- some frustrated, others hostile.

"At first it didn't really register, then no sooner than that the phone rang and it was people from New Jersey saying I had called them several times," Sivek said. Since then, thousands of calls have been placed to phones across the country, apparently at random and apparently from Sivek's phone. When someone answers, the call is disconnected.

Sivek's home number shows up on the caller ID boxes of those being called, allowing recipients -- some of whom have been called more than 20 times per day -- to call her back.

Sivek said she was on the phone with her mother for 30 minutes one night. As soon as she hung up she got an angry out-of-state call from a man who claimed she had called his home more than 10 times -- during the same 30 minutes.

"When someone gets 20 or 30 phone calls a day resulting in hang-ups, they tend to get ticked off," said Don Bowman, a friend of Sivek's. "This lady is scared."

Bowman said he persuaded a city police officer to come to Sivek's home and listen to messages on her answering machine. "The officer couldn't believe his ears," Bowman said. "But the threatening nature of the messages got his attention."

Sivek's machine is filled every day with messages from people demanding that the calls stop. Some say they know where she lives and are angry enough to come over and stop it themselves.

Ameritech was notified of the situation last Saturday and is investigating with police, company spokeswoman Carolyn Wilson said Wednesday, adding that she was unaware of any similar cases. Sivek said when the company checked her phone bill, none of the calls showed up as being placed from her home. Ameritech installed a caller ID unit on Sivek's phone to help track where and when the calls are being made, but the system tracks only calls she receives.

The company has contacted some people who have gotten calls from Sivek's phone to gather more information. But it still doesn't know who, or what, is making the calls or where they're coming from.

Bowman said he left a greeting of explanation about the problem on Sivek's answering machine, hoping that people who have been called will understand Sivek is not to blame. But some still leave nasty messages. "It's just not funny anymore," Sivek said. "This could be happening to other people, and it's frightening."

Today I got a call from "Amanda at Ameritech" who wanted to tell me about this amazing new service that enhanced my caller ID service called Privacy Manager. She explained how it could give me total control over my incoming phone calls, eliminating calls from unwanted individuals.

At this point I replied with the obvious smartass comment of, "You mean calls like this one?" to which she gave me her scripted answer of, "Exactly!" Before she could go any further I hung up. Usually I love playing with telemarketers but this was just too weird for me. You gotta love Ameritech's sense of humor, selling anti-telemarketing services by using telemarketers.

Former Buffalo Springs Lake Mayor Marilyn Royal pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to illegally intercepting electronic communications. Royal, who intercepted and recorded a cordless telephone conversation between lake board member Jack Driver and lake resident Donnie Bridges, was ordered to pay $500 - the maximum fine possible for the federal infraction, which is neither a misdemeanor nor a felony.

Royal also forfeited more than 27 eavesdropping items seized by the FBI from her home Jan. 24. Royal used radio scanners, radio manuals and related literature as well as various electronic surveillance equipment to monitor and record conversations, Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Mateja said.

For more than a decade, lake residents have complained that someone has been taping their telephone conversations. Royal has repeatedly denied covertly recording conversations, at one time stating, ''I've even been taped myself.''

Royal declined comment following her plea Thursday. Mateja said he hopes that Royal's sentence will send a message. ''The bottom line is, don't listen to or record someone else's phone conversation. It's against the law,'' he said.

In her plea, Royal admitted to intercepting a telephone call made by Bridges to Driver by using a radio scanner locked to the frequency of Bridges' cordless telephone. On the tapes, which Royal dropped off at the doorstep of lake board member Les Fithen, a political rival of Driver, Driver is heard expressing his wish to fire a lake ranger investigating an alleged break-in.

Mateja emphasized that the prosecution of Royal had nothing to do with the on-going political infighting at Lake Buffalo Springs, ''though the investigation detailed the petty bickering going on between a number of individuals.''

''Simply put, Royal had no business recording anyone's phone calls, even if she believed she was recording a conversation which demonstrated that Mr. Driver was attempting to obstruct an on-going police investigation,'' he said.

Driver said Thursday that he thought Royal got off easy. ''That don't seem hardly like that would be enough, now does it?'' Driver said of her $500 fine. ''Do you think that will stop her from doing it?''

Residents told FBI agent John Truehittcq that Royal knew intimate details of marital disputes ''which she only could have obtained by listening to telephone conversations,'' the affidavit states.

Residents also had complained to the Federal Communication Commission about the Royals' 500-watt citizen's band radio transmissions that interfered with her neighbors' telephones, televisions and radios. FCC rules state that CB transmissions not exceed 5 watts.

Former Buffalo Springs Lake Manager Kenneth Martin told Truehitt he received up to 24 complaints from residents about Royal recording their telephone conversations. At one point, according to the affidavit, Royal and her husband, Douglas, mounted onto their lake house a loud speaker that blared tape recorded telephone conversations.

[I wonder if this couple has been spending just a little too much time on phonelosers.org....]

The names of some living famous folks are also popping up, like Ronald Reagan. The Le Roy woman called her telephone company about the problem. Officials at Frontier told her that none of the phone numbers listed on the caller ID was real. A customer service representative told her the names are either old or made up as part of a testing system. The phone company thinks that a power failure or old equipment could have caused the famous names to show up on Crocker's caller ID box.

[I called this lady and pretended to be with Frontier Telephone. It wasn't the most interesting call in the world, but I just wanted to hear what she had to say about it. The call can be heard on www.phonelosers.org/fark.html ]

TROY — Customers at a Troy Burger King are getting something extra with their orders that’s a little harder to swallow than a Whopper. Police are looking for the person who has found a way to broadcast on the same frequency as a Burger King drive-through speaker, and has interrupted business transactions three times, most recently Tuesday, with obscene remarks to startled customers.

When the 41-year-old manager went outside to apologize to customers and look for the source of the salty talk, a voice boomed out of the outdoor speaker: “There’s nothing you or the police can do about this, so get your fat ass back inside and take your goons with you,” according to Troy Police Lt. Gerry Scherlinck.

Police suspect the calls are being made by a radio transmitter or walkie-talkie near the restaurant. Kevin Barnes, a spokesman for Michigan Multi King, which owns the restaurant, said his company wants to keep the incidents low-key. “It’s rare, but I’ve heard this has happened at other businesses,” he said. Illegal use of a telecommunications device is a misdemeanor in Troy.

(1/09/04 - TROY, MI) — Some drive-through customers at a Burger King are getting more with their meals than they expected. Police in the north Detroit suburb are looking for someone who is using a device to broadcast on the same frequency as a Burger King drive-through speaker, The Detroit News reported Thursday.

The person has interrupted business transactions three times, most recently Tuesday, with obscene remarks to startled customers. When the 41-year-old manager went outside to apologize to customers and look for the source of the mischief, a voice boomed out of the outdoor speaker: "There's nothing you or the police can do about this, so get ... back inside and take your goons with you," Troy Police Lt. Gerry Scherlinck said.

Police suspect the calls are being made by a radio transmitter or walkie-talkie near the restaurant. The person could be charged with a misdemeanor if caught. Kevin Barnes, a spokesman for Michigan Multi King, which owns the restaurant, said his company wants to keep the incidents low-key. "It's rare, but I've heard this has happened at other businesses," he said.

TROY, MI -- "You don't need a couple of Whoppers. You are too fat. Pull ahead." That's the flak some customers got when they tried to order fast food at a Burger King drive-thru in Troy, Mich.

It's not some new reverse-psychology promotion being tested by Burger King; police suspect teenagers hacked into the drive-thru's wireless frequency and are issuing insults instead of Whoppers.

Police told WDIV-TV Detroit that they think the culprits are monitoring and tapping into the system from somewhere nearby. The incidents started last week. The pranksters responded to orders for Coke, by saying "We don't have Coke." When customers asked what drinks they did offer, they would say, "We don't have anything. Pull ahead."

Customers also reported that the hackers used profanity. In a statement, Burger King franchise owner Tony Versace said, "We apologize to our customers who've been insulted by the use of this drive-thru speaker."

The restaurant's management was attempting to alter the speaker's radio frequency to block the hackers' access. WDIV-TV said the incidents are classified as a misdemeanor, punishable by up to three months in jail and fines.

TROY, MI-January 13, 2004 — Imagine ordering a burger in the drive-thru lane, only to have a voice on the intercom say you're too fat for a Whooper. Police in Troy, Michigan, want the Federal Communications Commission to help find the person who hacked into a Burger King's wireless intercom system.

The hacker told some customers they were too fat. Other patrons were bombarded with obscenities and bizarre comments last week. Store supervisor Jennifer Saccoia tells the Detroit Free Press the mysterious voice has been silent lately.

Police have called in the FCC to investigate. They say the feds have the radio direction-finding equipment needed to track down the person who has been transmitting on the Burger King frequency. That sort of radio hacking is a federal crime.

Police in the northern Detroit suburb are looking for someone who is using a device to broadcast on the same frequency as a Burger King drive-through speaker, The Detroit News newspaper reported Thursday. The person has interrupted transactions three times, most recently Tuesday, with obscene remarks to startled customers.

When the 41-year-old manager went outside to apologize to customers and look for the source of the mischief, a voice boomed out of the outdoor speaker: "There's nothing you or the police can do about this, so get...back inside and take your goons with you," Troy Police Lieut. Gerry Scherlinck said.

Police suspect the calls are being made by a radio transmitter or walkie-talkie near the restaurant. The person could be charged with a misdemeanour if caught. Kevin Barnes, a spokesman for Michigan Multi King, which owns the restaurant, said his company wants to keep the incidents low-key. "It's rare but I've heard this has happened at other businesses," he said.

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