announcer: welcome to "news4 this week." hi, everyone, i'm veronica johnson. we are going show you some of the more interesting stories making news this week. among them, where the wild things are. from a raccoon in the bathroom to a snake in the kitchen. animal control experts explain why they are getting more and more calls in our area. hey, what's your workout. participants in a class that combines pilates and boxing. why this class really packs a punch. take a look at that face. it's motown legend smokey robinson and he came to our town talking about what's more

important than music to him. first, when someone moves into a new home, someone is usually moving out. not when you are talking about animals. it's a major problem in one area. tisha thompson got a look at what local animal control officers face on a daily basis. we want to warn you, some of the pictures you might see might be tough to watch. ♪ >> reporter: if it's furry, angry or hurt, officer tonja roberts will answer the call. she's taking us on a trip to the wild side of prince george's county. a home under construction with a problem that comes back. >> i'm getting out your way. >> you have them in the shower? >> reporter: that's right, there's a raccoon in the bathroom.

robert's carefully wrangles her opponent in the cage only to walk back outside and release the raccoon into the trees behind the house. >> this is where he used to live, so he doesn't know any betterer. >> they are being displaced. >> reporter: prince george's housing boom produced a showdown between new residents and the animals who lived here first. >> it's an interesting problem that everybody is facing now with all the building going on. >> reporter: the chief says requests like this one to find a potentially poisonous snake inside a kitchen used to make up 2% of calls. now wild animals account for almost half of all calls to animal control. >> she was laying down right there. >> reporter: one of the biggest problems, deer hit by cars. they sedate the deer to take

away the pain and to keep her from kicking them. then, they euthanize her. if the animal is healthy, roberts will try to return the animal back to the wild, which is proving a bit of a challenge with this critter. >> the only thing i can think of is pulling my van up and climbing on the van. >> reporter: this homeowner called animal control after realizing the fox got up the tree but couldn't get down six hours later. roberts gives a gentle push, and another until this wild thing runs back into his natural habitat. >> now he's happy and home. >> reporter: it seems to be getting smaller and smaller every day. tisha thompson, news 4. >> all in a day's work. from wild animals in the home to a pet looking for its home. a dog found darting in and out of traffic along the beltway may be right in the midst of an

incredible journey. a driver rescued the dog in maryland. a tracking ship shows that this dog has traveled thousands of miles all the way from california. jane watrel has the story. >> reporter: if dogs could talk, maybe sheryl would learn the tale of what happened to the family of this terrier she nicknamed rex. >> he sleeps, goes outside to go to the bathroom. he's been a great dog. >> reporter: he was discovered in a rainstorm. he was darting in and out of traffic. sheryl spent countless hours searching for the owner. at the vet, there was a breakthrough. he has a microchip in his neck showing he lived in california, illinois and north carolina. >> there seem to be military bases near everywhere he's been.

walter reid and navy medical is close to here. i wondered if he's a military dog and traveled the the country and somebody is missing him. >> this is the universal reader. >> reporter: they encourage you to get pets microchipped to help in a situation like what happened to rex. >> it could slip its leash, run away, get stolen. >> sheryl is hoping the numbers found on rex's microchip will lead to a reunion. >> it's a mystery. it's sad. somebody is missing him. somebody didn't mean to cast him on the beltway. he's a beloved pet. >> reporter: jane watrel, news 4. >> we hope he finds his home. music icon smokey robinson came to d.c. to perform for a fund-raiser. erika gonzalez, lucky her was there for the special preview with the motown legend himself.

>> reporter: he's been performing for decades and can still make a crowd scream. smokey robinson got more than a round of applause from students and staff at the duke el ilingt school of the arts. >> the strongest common bond is the love of music. >> reporter: he's here to perform for legends at the kennedy center. i want to hear a little bit. indulge us. the school has been around since 1974 and helped to make a half million dollars. all that money is to go toward continuing to fund this amazing school and stellar students. >> it's important as a vocal major to stay with the same teacher from start to finish. if it weren't for those benefits, i wouldn't have been able to keep those teachers. >> before robinson takes the

stage with the students, he reminded them the focus should be on equipping themselves with the right education to enter the work force with strength. >> show business may be in your mind. >> reporter: he showed them with artwork, poetry, song and dance. we have the scoop on next year's concert. >> patty la bell, chaka khan and lionel richie are some we are talking to. >> reporter: erika gonzalez, news 4. >> i love it. here is another story i love. take a look. he had the best game of his life, after a heart-breaking loss. still ahead, how a local high schooler, coping with the death of both parents is hailing through hoops. why a decades old technology could be the next weight loss procedure.

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the virginia department of treasury has tens of thousands of dollars in unclaimed money and some of it could be yours. that's right, treasury officials recently held a special workshop in fairfax county to match consumers with unclaimed money. that money came from uncashed paychecks, lost stocks or bonds, insurance claims and other sources, too. even if the money was sent to a treasury some 20 years ago, you can claim it right now. all you have to do is visit trs.virginia.gov for more information. last year over $30,000 in unclaimed cash that was returned. visit that website and see if you have money come iing to you.

sophisticated scams take advantage of consumers every day. a crackdown is putting frauders behind bars. they opened up to liz crenshaw on the scams and what to look out for. >> we are prosecutoring these people. >> reporter: tony west is the attorney general for the u.s. civil division. >> not only are we looking at the financial fraud on wall street, but the consumer fraud that affects people on main street. >> reporter: scams are not new, but new victims every day. >> these are cases on the docket. >> reporter: for instance, americans falling to phantom debt collectors. >> i get the calls for things i never charged, purchases i never made, old debt. the important thing is when you get those calls, consumers have to do due diligence. they should ask to make sure whoever is calling them has

problemer verification and they are a bonified debt collector and the debt is theirs. >> reporter: if it's old debt, don't just pay it. the statute of limitations may have expired. another scam, a notice you won the lottery or sweep stakes. >> they try to disguise what they do to make it look official. this is my favorite one, department of justice press release. so-called press release telling the person they have won a sweepstations. all they have to do is pay a certain fee. >> it's got your logo on it, your website on it. >> that's right. >> reporter: no good, huh? >> no good. >> reporter: they do not require you pay an up front fee to collect your winnings. mortgage rescue scams are big with more than 1 million homes

in foreclosures, scams are preying on the most vulnerable consumers. >> we have seen where elderly folks are targets of the games. people will sign over the lease to their home and thinking they are going to be able to rent their home and stay in their home and eventually get their home back. of course, they never get their home back. >> reporter: he warns against paying up front fees for loan modification help. business opportunity schemes. a common pitch -- >> we will be business partners for you and set you up in the best locations. give us this investment. we see a lot of these and we have been successful in cracking down on them. they are still out there. >> reporter: cracking down led to record breaking results. in the past year, the consumer branch of the justice department recovered nearly $1 billion. >> people will always find a way to try to take advantage of

someone else. unfortunately, that's true. we are going to prosecutor those folks when we find them. >> reporter: liz crenshaw, news 4. >> be careful. general wes says if you have been victimized report it. go to our website, www.nbcwashington.com and search top scams. well, it packs a punch for your major muscle groups. coming up, we check out the new workout class that gives fighting techniques a playful edge here. and the technology

news for your health, there's a newly approved treatment that promises to trim that tummy and love handles without surgery. we have a procedure that can kill fat cells using ultrasound technology. >> reporter: when you hear the

word ultrasound, the thought of babies come to mind. doctors are using it for another reason. >> this one is actually a high intensity ultrasound. what happens is the energy turns into heat and busts the fat cells. >> reporter: laser surgeon tina is one of the first in the nation to use lyposonic. they use ultrasound technology to melt the fat. on the other side, she doesn't a appear to need work, but she has a trouble spot. >> muffin top on the sides. i want to contour the front of my body better. >> reporter: she did not want to go under the knife in hopes to lose a whole dress size. it's for the stomach and love handles. she uses a marker to map out the plan of attack. no surgery, no suctioning, just

an ultrasound. what did it feel like? >> warm and tingly. >> reporter: patients can feel hot jabs and zingers, too. it's fat melting, cells the body will flush out. patients lose one inch of fat in one session. you must have at least an extra inch of fat around the midsection to be treated. >> most everybody feels they have gained room in their pants or skirt usually within a month. >> reporter: full results can take six to 12 weeks. for amber, it's on. >> i'll be happy to be in my bikini. >> by key any season is around the corner. it costs between $2500 and $3,000 a session. if you would rather sweat off the pounds, there's a workout that combines pi la tees and boxing. it could be for you. it sounds strange. we asked these piloxors what's

your work out. >> four, three, here we go. >> it combines standing pilates and cardiodance. it alternates among the disciplines and provides a high-calorie burn. it's great for endurance and strengthening and lengthening muscles. both disciplines are core centric. they use the core and you will then develop your core muscles and tighten your abs. boxing using power, agility and strength. pilates is more of a discipline where you have to do all the movements very slowly, generally, and carefully. >> you got it. >> i like the energy, the level, the pace. i like the smooth moves, the

high energy especially. i love to keep moving. >> the first time doing anything like this. it was slow, but intention. it was targeting muscles i didn't think it would target. >> this combination has you focusing on balance and core. you also get the cardioin. you come away feeling powerful, you really do. you feel good about yourself. >> we are constantly changing our positions, our hand movements, we worked a lot on our glutes and thigh muscles. i felt like i was getting a strength workout as well as cardio. >> go out and kick some. >> looks like fun. find out where they are happening visit our website, www.nbcwashington.com and search, what's your workout. >> he lost his parents but refused to let his team down.

meet the local athlete

well, their cultures are no toreious for conflicts. they recently put their differences aside for the love of soccer. the special israeli team took on junior varsity players. before the match, they sat down with the bethesda teams. the special soccer program is the only time the teens can interact despite living in villages minutes apart. good for them. joejoe learned the love of the game from his parents. he still has basketball, but his parents are gone. the game is helping him heal. he had one of his best performances of his career after

losing his father. zachary has the story. >> reporter: in an unforgiving role that dealt him two losses, mcclain school's joejoe made a habit of winning. >> joejoe is my nephew. he's a fantastic 16-year-old guy with a heart of gold. we love him tremendously and he's very well loved. >> reporter: as a baby, the youngest of two children was considered a special gift. when he was just 6 years old, breast cancer took the life of his mother, but not before her love for sports rubbed off on the youngster, especially basketball, a bond he would share with his father over the years. when joejoe walked in the house after practice february 8th, something was wrong with his father who had been in failing health. >> i knew he wasn't in the best

shape, the best condition, but never did we expect joejoe would come home from school and find his father dead in the bed. >> it's difficult. it's heart breaking. the day after it happened, we talked about it. we told him we love him and sometimes these things happen. it's unexplainable. >> i think the funeral was on a friday and on that monday, he was back in practice. they had a practice that weekend and he wanted to come. i talked to him briefly about it. he was fine. he said he had to get out on the court. he wanted to get back to school. >> i knew he wouldn't have wanted me to sulk on it for too long. i just took it and became a stronger man about it. >> strength. >> joejoe is a rock. that's it. >> reporter: days after the death of his father, he was back on the court where he put in one

of the gutsiest performances. they went toe-to-toe. with the game tied, 5.6 seconds on the clock. joejoe took over. >> it was amazing. >> they send me a lot of support. >> they would have been there. they would have been there. it was a party. she would have called everybody. she would have done everything and been so proud of him. >> zachary quiche, news 4 sports. >> they are in his heart. they have set up a scholarship fund in joejoe's name. the school will pay his tuition until he graduated. that's all for "news4 this week." i'm veronica johnson. thanks for joining us and have a

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