[O'brien:] As we come up on the second anniversary of the tsunami that ravaged Southeast Asia, there's some news that some of the relief money is still sitting in the bank. Billions of dollars poured in from around the globe to help rebuild Thailand and Indonesia and Sri Lanka, $6.7 billion, according to the BBC. Of that, only $3.4 billion has been spent. Another big problem is that some of the countries that promised big bucks actually haven't delivered. For example, the study says that the U.S. has only given 38 percent of what they promised. Other countries have followed suit, as well.
[Roberts:] Holiday gift cards are an increasingly popular gift this year. No wrapping needed, no returns. Not surprisingly, criminals are finding a way to get Grinchy with the gift card system. Dawn Pellas of our Tampa affiliate, WFTS, has more on that.
[Unidentified Female:] Here you go, ma'am.
[Dawn Pellas, Wfts Correspondent:] One of the most popular gifts is now the target of one of the season's biggest scams.
[Corporal Kevin Bodie, Hillsborough Sheriff's Department:] They take the gift card off the rack, they get the number off of the gift card and then they place the gift card back on the rack.
[Pellas:] Gift cards are attached to cardboard with glue that's easy to remove. The card numbers are on the back, and according to Corporal Kevin Bodie with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, thieves are using those numbers to drain the card's value. The most vulnerable cards are the ones that are out in the open.
[Bodie:] Once you pull that off, you can't stick it back on, so the bad guys are very being cautious in the way that they bend the cardboard away from the card.
[Pellas:] Authorities say that thieves wait a couple days, then call the number on the back of the card to see if it's been purchased.
[Bodie:] If the card is active, then they go on the Internet and they start spending the money that's on the gift card.
[Pellas:] The goods are shipped to post office boxes or vacant homes. Then when the gift card holder goes to use the card, it isn't worth the plastic it's printed on. [on camera] But there are ways to protect yourself. First, get the card from customer service, not from an aisle or from behind the cash register. Second, check to make sure the card is securely fastened to the cardboard and not bent in any way. Keep your receipt. And finally, call the number on the card yourself and make sure it's active and all the money is there. [voice-over] If you think your card has been tampered with, Corporal Bodie says report it right away, because the thieves are likely shopping online, and they may be leaving a paper trail that law enforcement can trace.
[Bodie:] At that point we should be able to have a tracking mechanism to find out where it was used and where the merchandise was shipped.
[Roberts:] That's Dawn Pellas of our affiliate, WTFS, with that report Soledad.
[O'brien:] Let's talk business, shall we? Now is a good time to be running something on Wall Street. It is 26 minutes past the hour, and Ali Velshi is "Minding Your Business". Good morning.
[Ali Velshi, Cnn Correspondent:] It's bonus time.
[O'brien:] Bonus time.
[Velshi:] It's bonus time.
[O'brien:] Ka-ching.
[Velshi:] So if you're buying a flat panel TV, you're fine because the prices are going down. If you're buying a fancy sports car in Manhattan, you're in a lot of trouble, because bonuses are coming down. It's been a record year on Wall Street. We heard from Morgan Stanley last week. Now it's Goldman Sachs. Lloyd Blankfein, the new CEO. Now he was only became the CEO sort of midyear, because Henry Paulson who was the CEO went over to become the treasury secretary. Blankfein was the president and COO. Last year his total pay package was $38 million. This year, $54 million. Of that, $600,000 is his salary. And that's typical on Wall Street. That the salaries are that's large, but it's...
[Roberts:] Who needs a salary when you get that kind of a bonus?
[Velshi:] Yes. All the money's in the stocks and the options. Now, in the case of Goldman Sachs, which is really it's the world's largest investment bank, and it's very much the gold standard in what they do. Remember that this has been a year where we've got record stock market numbers. We've had a record number of mergers, and that's where the money comes from for these folks.
[O'brien:] That $54 million, is that the whole enchilada?
[Velshi:] That's the whole package. That's his salary, his cash bonus, which was 27 million bucks. Cash money.
[O'brien:] OK. Twenty-seven million and a half.
[Velshi:] And then and then he's got options that he can exercise. Some of them are immediate.
[O'brien:] That's a lot of money.
[Velshi:] But you know, Goldman's profits have been up 70 percent, to $9.4 billion with a "B". And the stock's up 59 percent. Now where we complain is when we see these CEOs getting paid a lot of money, the stock is not up. The company's not running well. At least these guys are making money for somebody.
[Roberts:] Some people would argue well deserved this year, based on the performance.
[Velshi:] Yes. And they know how to spend it.
[Roberts:] I'm sure they do. Ali, thanks very much. Some of the stories we're following right now, just how bad is it to swear on television? Two networks find out today at an FCC hearing. And Mount St. Helen's showing signs of life again. Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.