Ftc

health

FTC Launches Older Patient Info Site

The FTC launched the strangely named "Who Cares" resource site for older patients and those who care for them. It's a reliable source for knowledge about generics, hormone therapies, hiring caregivers, hearing aids, and alternative treatments, located at ftc.gov/whocares.

3:58 PM on Sat Nov 29 2008
By Ben Popken
2,459 views, 19 comments

Most discussed ceriphim: Definitely an odd title, even after you RTFA (this isn't /. right, I won't catch hell for actually reading an more »

upselling

Best Buy Really Does Not Want To Let You Buy The Advertised Special

Reader John writes in with a story about "upselling" at Best Buy. He saw a TomTom GPS unit for $99.99 on sale at Best Buy, so he headed over to the store to pick one up. What follows is his account of how much trouble it was to actually buy the item. We think we counted 9 times that John had to tell various and sundry Best Buy employees that, yes, he was sure that he didn't want to buy a slightly more expensive model of the same device. More »

3:17 PM on Mon Nov 24 2008
By Meg Marco
32,276 views, 214 comments

Most discussed blkhrt1: Funny thing about the whole: "No act or practice should be engaged in by an advertiser to discourage the purchase of more »

class action lawsuits

Classmates.com Sued Because Classmates Weren't Really Looking For Him

You know how Classmates.com has all those ads and spams telling you how your old school chums are looking for you? Well someone is suing them because after seeing those promotions, he paid to sign up, only to discover no one was actually looking for him. Shocking, I know, but when you think about it, what's more shocking is that it's taken 13 years for someone to do it. It's a pretty clear-cut case of false advertising.Sayeth the lawsuit:

Upon logging into his Gold Membership profile in order to view the classmate contacts … Plaintiff discovered that in fact, no former classmate of his had tried to contact him or view his profile," the complaint reads. "Of those www.classmates.com users who were characterized ... as members who viewed Plaintiff's profile, none were former classmates of Plaintiff or persons familiar with or known to Plaintiff for that matter.

If approved, the suit seeks class action status.

Classmates.com User Sues; Schoolmates Weren't Really Looking for Him [WIRED]

10:28 AM on Thu Nov 13 2008
By Ben Popken
10,800 views, 66 comments

Most discussed apronk: Classmates missed their opportunity. They were one of the first social networking sites on the scene. Instead they blew it more »

dell mini

Shipping Delays For Dell's New Mini Laptop?

Reader Steven wrote in to let us know that his Dell Mini's ship date keeps getting pushed back and he's starting to become annoyed. More »

2:47 PM on Thu Oct 23 2008
By Meg Marco
5,369 views, 72 comments

scams

The FTC Will Never Ask You For Money Because You Won The Lottery. We Promise.

Apparently, some group of geniuses has been calling people and pretending that they are from the FTC. They start out with some nonsense like "Hi, I’m calling from the Federal Trade Commission to tell you that you have won $250,000…" More »

1:17 PM on Thu Oct 23 2008
By Meg Marco
12,665 views, 51 comments

prepaid phone cards

Scam: Prepaid Phone Cards Deliver About Half The Minutes Promised

MSNBC says that a recent study by the FTC showed that on average, prepaid long distance phone cards only delivered about half of the minutes advertised. More »

10:55 AM on Thu Oct 23 2008
By Meg Marco
8,907 views, 75 comments

beware

Yet Another Reader Scammed By FreeCreditReport.com

Here it is folks, your semi-annual reminder that FreeCreditReport is not free. Free credit reports can be found at AnnualCreditReport.com. FreeCreditReport.com is a pay site. As in you will be billed. As in not free. More »

11:52 AM on Thu Oct 16 2008
By Meg Marco
20,043 views, 131 comments

spam

FTC Busts Giant Spam Operation, Enlarges Penis

Yesterday the FTC announced that they busted a worldwide spam operation that was responsible for "billions of e-mails in recent years," mostly selling prescription drugs, diet pills, and "male enhancement" products. Who actually clicks on those emails, you wonder? FTC agents, that's who!

As part of their inquiry, FTC staff made undercover purchases from the sites. No one asked the clandestine buyers to provide verification of a prescription and the shipped drugs did not include doctors' instructions or dosage information, officials said.

More »

8:15 PM on Wed Oct 15 2008
By Chris Walters
6,367 views, 46 comments

Most discussed Ein2015: Gmail has really solved my spam problems. :) more »

scams

Beware Phishers Exploiting Banking Chaos

The various takeovers and mergers in the financial fallout give phishers a new opportunity to try to scam you into giving over your bank account warns the FTC. As most of you know, any unexpected email message that looks like it came from a financial institution, asking you to “update,” “validate,” or “confirm” your account information is invariably a scam. Unwitting victims are redirected to a login site that looks like it's for their bank, but is really just a way to steal your account logins and/or personal information for use in further identity theft. Here's the FTC's tips for getting "hooked" by the "phishers" (gotta love it when the Feds pun)... More »

1:03 PM on Thu Oct 9 2008
By Ben Popken
2,379 views, 17 comments

Most discussed mercnet: If you fall for this scam, you deserve to have your money stolen... more »

scams

5 Scams To Watch Out For During A Recession

The LA Times says that recessions are boom times for scammers looking to take advantage of desperate people. They've listed 5 common scams that do well in a poor economy. They include bankrupcy scams, foreclosure scams, and fake home-based businesses. More »

11:07 AM on Mon Oct 6 2008
By Meg Marco
20,220 views, 56 comments

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