Consumerist
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advice
Warning Signs That Your Mechanic Is Scamming You
Mint has a great article on how to protect yourself from getting ripped off by a mechanic. First and foremost, read your car's manual and learn what to ask for when you take it in. Just saying you need a tune up with a modern car flags you as an easy mark. More » -
webloyalty
88 Big Sites Earning Millions From Webloyalty Scam
88 websites, a good number of them pretty big name sites, earned millions, some in excess of $10 million, as partners in the infamous Webloyalty consumer ripoff. Pizza Hut? Say it ain't so. More » -
identity theft
Identity Thieves Victimize Hancock Customers In Several States
News reports are coming in from several states detailing a debit card identity theft scheme in which thieves steal debit card info and pin numbers, then withdraw money from customers' accounts. More » -
consumerist hotline
DirecTV Marketer Steals DISH Customers Via 800 Number Squatting
A sneaky DirecTV marketer has bought up toll-free numbers that end in "DISH." When DISH Network customers call up, the operators make it sound like they're from Dish and offering them a free service upgrade, but in reality, they're switching the service and slamming the Dish Network customer into a DirecTV service contract. More » -
scams
FTC Files Contempt Charge Against BlueHippo For Continuing To Rip Off Customers
Today the FTC lodged a contempt charge against scammy no-credit-needed electronics seller BlueHippo, saying that the company hasn't honored its prior agreement to stop scamming customers. BlueHippo agreed to pay back $3.5 million nearly two years ago to reimburse customers who never received the computers they pre-paid for, but the FTC says since then the company has sucked another $15 million out of customers. More » -
higher education
Keep Track Of Which Diploma Mills Will Work Out Best For Your Pet
In this job market, anything you can do to give your cat or dog an edge is worth pursuing. That's why you shouldn't enroll your pet in just any diploma mill—you want one that's a proven scam. Boingboing points out that there's a Wikipedia page to keep track of animals with fraudulent diplomas to make it easier to comparison shop for that next fake certificate.
"List of animals with fraudulent diplomas" [Wikipedia via Boingboing] (Thanks to Trai_Dep!)
(Photo: ourdogholly) -
nice work if you can get it
Company Pays Man It Never Employed For More Than 4 Years, Sues To Get Money Back
Anthony accepted a job at New Jersey telemarketing company Avaya Inc. in September 2002 but decided at the last minute not to start working for the company. More » -
wire transfer fraud
MoneyGram Agrees To Pay $18 Million Back To Fraud Victims
MoneyGram International announced today that it would pay $18 million to the FTC to settle charges it allowed wire fraud to happen between 2004 and 2008. MoneyGram's press release notes that they disagree with the FTC's view of the matter, but $18 million is a hell of a lot of money to pay if you don't think you were in the wrong. The press release from the FTC, on the other hand, provides plenty of detail illustrating MoneyGram's negligence, as well as the criminal behavior of some of its employees who were in on the frauds. More » -
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drag me to jail
Fortune Teller Arrested For Selling Thousand Dollar Body Wash At The Mall
Fortune tellers are sort of like the con-artist version of the website Significant Objects—the more interesting the story, the higher the price you can fetch for an otherwise cheap piece of crap. Unless, of course, the police arrest you for "fraudulent accosting" at the mall and ruin your con. More » -
resveratrol
Oprah's Dr. Oz Sues Resveratrol Anti-Aging Scam Companies
Amazing pills that will make me look younger and lose weight? And it comes as a free trial, you say? Of course I'll try it! Here's my credit card number. What could possibly go wrong? More » -
phishing
FBI Charges 100 People In Phishing Investigation
Since 2007, the FBI and authorities in Egypt have been running an investigation they've called "Operation Phish Phry," sigh, and this week it paid off with 53 charges against U.S. defendants and 47 against people in Egypt. Three of the 53 in the U.S. have been arrested, and the FBI are looking for the other 50. To prove you're not one of the remaining 50, please send the FBI your login credentials to your bank. Ha ha, we kid. More » -
online security
Microsoft Turns A Blind Eye To Phishing Scams On Xbox LIVE
William wrote to us this weekend to point out how little Microsoft does to fight phishing attacks on their hugely popular Xbox LIVE network. It's unfortunate they don't take this sort of crime more seriously, since so many kids—who by all rights should have less experience with phishing—are on Xbox LIVE. Below is what two different Xbox CSRs told William when he contacted them to complain about phishing attacks. More » -
donations
Don't Donate Money To Public Safety Organizations Over The Phone
The website Consumer Affairs (which is not related to us or our owners in any way) is warning people in Oregon to watch out for calls from people asking for donations on behalf of local police or fire departments. It's a good reminder to everyone that telephone solicitations should be ignored: "At best, the solicitor will probably take the lion's share of your donation. At worst, the caller is an outright fraud," the site reports.
"Oregon Warns Against Bogus 'Public Safety' Solicitors" [Consumer Affairs via LA Times]
(Photo: smudie) -
ripoffs
CA Residents: Watch Out For Fake LLC Registration Scams
California requires limited liability companies to register with the state every two years. You could do this yourself by filling out a form and paying $20, or you could pay this shady company $239 to do the same thing. More » -
FREE TRIAL OFFER
Charging You For Things You Don't Buy: Preacquired Account Marketing
Tens of millions of consumers have fallen prey to "free" trial offers and membership clubs offered by preacquired account marketers. These companies insert themselves into your everyday transactions, hoping to trick you into letting them charge your account. More » -
online dating scams
Love In The Time Of Internet Fraud
Online dating has resulted in many happy relationships out here in the real world, but also provides a unique opportunity for different kinds of scammers to quickly gain your confidence and manipulate your emotions in order to get past your normal scam-detecting defenses. So how do you protect yourself? More » -
ripoffs
Bally Sends Fake Past Due Bills To Ex-Members To Get Them To Rejoin
Reader Jordan writes in to share a past due "bill" that he received from Bally Total Fitness, where he had previously been a member. It turns out that the letter, which specified the amount Jordan owed and threatened to report Jordan to a collection agency if he didn't pay, was actually a sneaky solicitation to get him to renew his contract. More » -
the more you know
Airport Payphone Charges $20 For 1-Minute Local Call
Billy discovered how it can pay to read Consumerist. He was charged $20 for a pay phone call from an airport, but remembered our post last year about the NCIC credit card system's exorbitant charges. More »
scams
New York, 2:09 PM
Sun Nov 22
8 posts in the last 24 hours
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