con-artists
(jikatu)
—>The Wall Street Journal ran an article yesterday about how to identify and protect loved ones from con artists. One of the problems with being an easy mark—say, because of reduced mental capacity or increasing isolation—is that you get put on a list and passed around to other scammers, says Karen Blumenthal, the author of the piece and a relative of one of these perpetually easy marks. More »
—>All the clever shoplifting tricks in the world won't save you from yourself if you decide to reveal your secrets on Dr. Phil. Last week a fraud task force raided the home of Laura and Matthew Eaton, who appeared on an episode in November to show the audience how they did it and to say they were going straight. More »
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—> Two fortune-tellers in Chicago are in being held in jail in lieu of $750,000 bail each for defrauding customers by convincing them they were cursed, then selling them expensive curse-removal/protection services. Remember, folks, fortune tellers cannot curse you, see your future, turn you into a werewolf, or make you lose horrific amounts of weight. They can, however, take your money. More »
—> Freddie Mac produced this video to educate borrowers who face foreclosure about a fraud scheme where "a con artist will seek out a public notice of foreclosure and approach the potential victim with documents and the promise of sorting out the debt," thereby tricking the homeowner into signing over the deed to the house. More »
—>More than one reader noticed a remarkable similarity between FTC repeat offender and infomercial king Kevin Trudeau and Dallas do-gooder Bobby Ewing—er, Patrick Duffy. Which makes us wonder: if there's a TV movie in the works about Trudeau, and there certainly should be, who should play him? Share the wisdom of a crowd and cast your vote. More »
—> Kevin Trudeau isn't the only one writhing in the icy grip of justice this week—one-time magazine subscription entrepreneur Richard L. Prochnow was ordered to pay over $7 million a few weeks ago when the U.S. Court of Appeals upheld a judgment from July of 2006. Prochnow ran Direct Sales International (DSI), a bad magazine company that lied to customers and trapped them in a "buying club" that charged monthly fees and was very difficult to cancel. More »
—> Kevin Trudeau, well known for all sorts of cons over the years—his most recent one was this diet book—was found in contempt of court last week by a U.S. District Court judge for violating his permanent 2004 injunction. More »
—> RipOffReports has two claims—one of which was also sent to us by a reader—about Champions Movers and/or A.S.A.P. Relocations of San Jose, California. Or Fremont, California. That's part of the problem—they seem to be intentionally using a mixture of names and addresses to help hide from what's shaping up to be a terrible reputation.
One complaint claims that in June they bumped their quote from $1,070 to $2,460 after they'd loaded up her furniture and boxes, and threatened damage to her belongings if she didn't pay up and sign a new contract on the spot. She paid and signed, but immediately put a stop payment on the check, and she hasn't seen her furniture since. More »
—>Ariel's wealthy aunt died. When his mom went to open her safe deposit box, which was supposed to hold $300k in bonds and jewels, it was empty. The bank clerk said that it had been emptied that morning, by the aunt... More »
—>If someone comes up to you in a bar and bets a round of drinks that they can do something seemingly impossible, they're probably trying to pull a trick on you. More »
—>Unwitting consumers are falling for a new twist on the old "advance fee scam." In this variation, a consumer receives what looks like a legitimate check in the mail, either as "foreign lottery proceeds," "prize money," or even payment for goods via classifieds (which includes Craigslist and eBay). More »
